Allotments

More people than ever are now turning to locally-produced, low cost, healthy and organic food. With allotment gardening you get plenty of outdoor exercise and also produce your own fruit and vegetables.

There are 22 allotment sites and 1,200 plots in the borough. Some are run by voluntary management schemes, and the others by a horticultural and grounds maintenance company on our behalf. These are managed in line with our allotment strategy.

Allotments are traditionally measured in rods or poles. A pole is a measure of area equal to 16.5 by 16.5 sq ft, or 272.25 sq ft. This is approximately 30 sq yards or 25 sq metres. The size of an allotment plot can include half of each of the bordering paths. Our plots are typically 5 or 10 poles, but can be any size and are sometimes sub-divided into smaller plots. The actual area is not guaranteed to be an exact measurement and paths may move over time.

New plot holders might want to start with a smaller plot as they can be hard work, but will still produce plenty of vegetables for a small family.

The availability of plots depends on the allotment's location and condition - if it's very overgrown you might get it offered to you at a lower rate for the first year.

Voluntary managed sites

Running their own sites gives allotment gardeners the chance to improve their facilities or buy equipment.

An elected management committee collects rents from plot holders then pays us an annual site rent and feeds any surplus back into the site.

If you wish to apply for a plot on a voluntary managed site please visit the Kingston Federation of Allotment Gardeners website.