Start an allotment Why have an allotment?
- You can eat organically grown food
An allotment means you can grow organic, seasonal food with no food miles
- You can eat seasonally
- You can cut down on food miles and supermarket waste
- You can get some healthy exercise
- Educates children about where their food comes from
Grow what you like to eat
In the past, a standard ten-rod allotment (approximately 250 sq m) could produce enough cabbages, potatoes and root vegetables to keep a family going for most of the year.
Nowadays there's a whole range of crops you can grow, from French beans to callaloo. There's no point in growing cabbages if you don't actually like them - so grow what you like to eat! Find out more about growing your own veg.
You could prioritise crops that are expensive in the supermarket, such as asaparagus, raspberries and French beans, or 'baby' veg such as young carrots and leeks. Find out more about how much money you can save by growing different types of veg.
Save money
Renting an allotment will probably cost you between £30-50 a year; prices vary.
A study by the National Society for Allotment & Leisure Gardeners in 2010 found that the average cost of running a 250 sq m allotment was £202 a year.
But the minimum value of the crops produced - about 745kg of fruit and veg - worked out at a whopping £1,564 per plot. So that’s a tidy £1,362 profit!
- Find out how to get an allotment
- Find out more about how to grow your own veg
- Subscribe to Which? Gardening magazine
