Gardens

National Allotments Week 2024

This year’s National Allotments Week celebrates the role allotments play in promoting biodiversity, affirming them as vital green spaces that support wildlife, improve air quality, promote health and mitigate carbon emissions.

Allotments in Deddington

Organised by the National Allotment Society, National Allotments Week 2024 will run from 12th until 18th August 2024, and provides an opportunity to celebrate allotments and to raise awareness of their role in assisting people in leading healthier lifestyles, growing their own food, developing friendships, and strengthening communities. Throughout the week, allotment holders across the country will be holding events and engaging with the local community, to highlight the wider social, health and environmental benefits of UK allotments.

Allotments have been around for centuries, with evidence dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period. The system we know today dates back to the nineteenth century, when the land was given to the working class to produce their own food. In more recent times, allotments have increased in popularity on account of greater awareness of sustainability and health benefits; as well as financial and social benefits. Unfortunately, waiting lists are long, with some local authorities having closed waiting lists for lack of land space for the increasing demand.

The theme for the 22nd National Allotments Week 2024 is ‘Celebrating Biodiversity‘ as allotments are not just spaces for growing fruits and vegetables, but can also provide vital habitats and sanctuaries for wildlife, pollinators, and plants. A biodiverse allotment supports natural pest control, improves soil health, and ensures pollination, leading to more robust and productive gardens.

For the 2024 National Allotment Week, the National Garden Scheme (NGS) has launched Volume 3 of their digital Grow your own gardens and allotments booklet, providing information and advice for allotment holders on growing produce, and gardening organically and sustainably. Herewith a list of allotments and gardens with a ‘grow your own’ element, such as kitchen gardens or veg patch, that open for the scheme. Some notable allotments that open for the NGS include;

  • Cadhay Ottery St Mary, Devon with walled kitchen gardens that have been turned into allotments.
  • The Golf Course Allotments, North London are a large, long established allotment group with over 200 plots, some organic, maintained by a culturally diverse community growing a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers enjoyed by bees.
  • Littleover Lane Allotments, Derby is a quiet oasis, established in 1920 and cultivated in a variety of ways, inc organic, no dig and potager style.
  • Skool Beanz Children’s Allotment, Somerset is a gardening club for children, created by Lara Honnor, to encourage children to enjoy gardening.
  • Willoughby Road Allotments, Boston, Lincolnshire, set in five acres and comprise of 60 plots growing vegetables, fruit, flowers and herbs.