Allotments are more popular than ever. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the demand for your own vegetable or ornamental garden has taken off, spokesperson Herman Vroklage of the General Association of Public Gardeners Associations in the Netherlands (AVVN) told NU.nl.
If you want a lot, you have to be patient. Most allotment societies have long waiting lists of up to two years. Some associations have even set a withdrawal period, which means that registration is not possible at the moment.
Vroklage understands why the demand for allotments has increased during the corona pandemic, “because what on earth did you have to do? You could be in your garden and you could have contact with the neighbors over the hedge. An allotment garden is a safe haven.” .”
According to him, the gardens also attracted the attention of many walkers, especially during the lockdown periods. “Those people also thought: an allotment garden would be great.”
But the pandemic is not the only cause of the increased popularity of allotments, according to Vroklage. “More and more people like to know what they eat. They have certainty on their plate. At a supermarket, that’s just a matter of waiting.”
Gardening is hip
Furthermore, the allotments have long ceased to be a male stronghold, as was the case in the 1960s, says Vroklage. According to him, you see more and more young families and women. The highly and less educated are also creating next to each other in the earth. “It has become a cross-section of society.”
The vegetable garden campaign of supermarket chain Albert Heijn may also have played a role in the growing popularity of gardening. Vroklage calls the vegetable gardens a “nice introduction” to growing crops yourself. Especially for children, “who learn in this way that what they get on their plate does not come from the factory”.
Finally, anyone who wishes to become a member of an allotment association and apply for a garden. However, many boards first ask about a candidate’s motivation. “In this way you avoid disappointment on both sides, because it is not a hobby that you do one Saturday afternoon a month,” says Vroklage. “Depending on the size of the garden, you spend about four to eight hours a week on this.”
Facts and numbers
- An allotment garden is a private garden that is not adjacent to the owner’s home.
- Allotments come in various shapes and sizes: from vegetable gardens with fruit and vegetables to ornamental gardens with flowers, ornamental plants and ponds.
- The costs of an allotment garden vary between 200 and 850 euros per year.
- The surface area of all allotments in the Netherlands together is 3,600 hectares (36 square kilometers).