Why Get An Allotment?

Allotments seem to have been around for ever. In fact they’ve really only been in the hands of us normal folk since about the 1830’s. This happened following social unrest by the labourers and out of work farmers who were on the brink of starvation after the enclosure of vast amounts of common land which then fell into the hands of the already wealthy.

Faced with virtually nowhere to raise their animals or grow crops, the situation got quite drastic.

When the Poor Law guidelines started to make a show, and the rich started to have to pay taxes to fund what would become the early welfare system for the poor, they figured that by giving back some of the land, the poor could then begin to feed themselves again, and reduce the drain on the rich tax-payers. (Some things never change, eh?!!)

There are about 242,542 allotment sites spread over some 58,966 acres.

Why would you want an allotment?

There are plenty of benefits to having an allotment, the question should really be, why would you not want an allotment!

Having an allotment teaches us and our children a huge amount about being responsible for ourselves. We can show our children that carrots come from the ground and they need planting, care and water to turn into a carrot. They don’t actually land on this planet in a plastic bag.

We can show out kids that if we want things to do well, we have to nurture and care for them. This is something that applies in so many other areas of life and not just our vegetable patches.

We can show that we are responsible for the tasks we take on. If we tackle these tasks in the right way, results are usually good. If we tackle them in the wrong way, or fail to take responsibility for those tasks, the results will usually not be good.

Having an allotment involves being outside and getting some fresh air. It’s about making our lungs work for their oxygen by huffing and puffing a bit, which in turn gets the oxygen round our bodies quicker and more efficiently. This whole huffing and puffing thing has a great accumulative effect and we benefit every time.

When we take on an allotment and make the commitment to actually grow some produce, not only are we saving money on our shopping bills, but we’re reducing the impact on our environment. This comes from less produce being transported to the shops, to us making less visits to the shops to buy it and when we have to carry that watering can up and down the allotment 20 times on a hot day, we might be a bit more careful about leaving the taps running when we’re brushing our teeth.

These little things really do add up, but it’s usually only when we experience them for ourselves do the messages really hit home.

Allotment gardening is a great way to meet new people. Allotments aren’t just for the older people anymore. More and more younger families are joining the allotment revolution and staking their claim in making things better for the future.