The allotment firms helping to trim long waiting lists

Image source, Katie Wales

The best decision we have ever made was getting an anal with Scott, says the woman.

"You can't miss the view from our plot," says Ms Wales. Next to the river is it. We bring our boat with us.

During the Pandemic, demand for allotments soared. Many of us were more concerned about food supplies because people had more time on their hands to garden.

According to the local authorities who run most of the allotted sites, there was an increase in applications due to Covid-19.

Many people are having to wait years to get their hands on an allotted space due to the shortage.

Image source, Getty Images

Camden has the longest waiting list in the country.

There are 320,000 people in the UK who are waiting for a council-owned plot of land.

Ms Wales said that she and Scott "just couldn't wait anymore" to be able to use the local authority allotted space.

They leased one from a private provider in the city of Bath. A growing number of companies are trying to meet the demand for land.

Image source, Roots Allotments

Christian Samuel is the founder of Roots.

He says that the site was launched on the edge of Bath.

The location next to the river is already sold out, and the firm plans to open five more sites in the region. An ambitious expansion plan has just begun.

People want more than that. Mr Samuel said that they want to connect with nature. Our goal is straightforward. We want to grow 250,000 people over the next decade.

Ards Allotments was a pioneer in the area of private allotments. It opened in County Down in 2006

"Planting a seed in the ground and helping it to connect with mother nature is one of the most exciting things you can do as a farmer," says Maurice. It's magic when it matures into a perfect carrot and you eat it.

Image source, Maurice Patton

Ards started out with 20 plots and now has more than 100.

He says it makes him proud when he walks around the site and sees how people have turned food miles into food metres.

The people are rethinking their lifestyles. Plots can't be built quickly enough.

While both Roots and Ards allow people to get hold of allotment far more quickly than through a local authority, there is a catch.

The starting price for a 36 sq m patch at Roots is $260 a year, while the starting price for a108 sq m plot at Ards is $295) a year. You can get a much larger 250 sq m of land for less than £70 a year.

Image source, Ards Allotments

In Wales, the charity Social Farms and Gardens wants to create up to 600 new plot of land for people with low incomes.

Anne-Marie Pope thinks that in the future we may need to rely on allotments to fill our fridges

Core local food security is growing your own. It's powerful. Family, community and yourself can be provided for.

If everyone in a street of 10 families planted a packet of seeds, there would be enough to swap and share produce.

New Economy explores how businesses, trade, economies and working life are changing quickly.

There is a heightened awareness of the need for sustainable food production, which leads to the growing demand for allotments.

She says that there are a lot of proven mental benefits. Many doctors prescribe gardening to their patients because of the benefits of soil.

The closing of sites have not helped the waiting lists. According to a 2020 study by Imperial College, 41 people have closed their businesses in the city in the last five years.

Allotments are being built into new developments for some lucky residents. The Canada Gardens building in Wembley has an area of allotments beds.

A woman named Reschma Jetha is a mother of two and she is growing a lot of vegetables. She hadn't done gardening before. I thought you needed a house with a garden to do it, because I didn't have the time to do it.

Image source, Reschma Jetha

The site's landscape manager is on hand to give advice to her and the other gardeners.

When the vegetables are ready, we'll be able to enjoy food we've planted with our own hands. The best part is that.

Image source, Quintain Living

Ms Wales is on her way to becoming self-sufficient. Life has begun to appear from the soil after a long time.

She says that the next few years will be a learning experience. To watch our patch grow.

To be more sustainable and live the good life was always our goal. The work was done well.