There are rules for having an allotment, but these will of course differ depending on where your allotment is based and who is in charge of it. If the council runs your allotment site, there may be rules regarding what you can plant, what structures you are allowed to have and how you are expected to maintain the space. Private landowners will have their own rules so if you rent from someone other than the council, you’ll have to ask about the specific rules that apply.
It’s important to follow allotment rules so that you don’t get evicted from your plot! A lot of the time, the rules can be slightly flexible so do ask your allotment committee if there is a rule that is preventing you from growing what you want to grow and see if you can come to a compromise.
CAN YOU HAVE A SHED ON AN ALLOTMENT PLOT?
For most allotment sites, the answer will be yes. But of course, you must check with your councils specific set of rules. Often there will be a limit on the size of the shed and materials you can use to build it. For example on my allotment site you can have a shed so long as it is no larger than 10ft by 8ft.
You should also think carefully about where you place your shed on your plot. You don’t want it to case shadow on any neighbouring plots preventing them from growing. Try to place it on the edge of your plot where the shadow will fall onto your own site. It’s not a bad thing to have some shade in front of your shed, you can always use it as a bit of a seating area for those hot sunny days!
The colour you paint your shed is also up for debate on allotment sites. On my site, you must not chose a colour that is too distracting or bright. I’m not entirely sure of the reason for this. Maybe it’s so as not to offend other allotment holders or surrounding neighbours. It seems a bit of a silly rule and up for interpretation. I have a pink shed, my neighbour has a bright blue one and there is a gorgeous yellow shed a few plots down and these have all passed the shed colour rule!
Like I said, do try to stick to the rules where you can so as not to get kicked off your site, but also don’t be afraid to speak up if you feel a rule is a little confusing or unnecessary!
CAN YOU HAVE A GREENHOUSE ON AN ALLOTMENT PLOT?
Again, it’s completely up to the allotment committee or whoever you are renting your plot from to make this decision. We are allowed them on my site, but I can also understand why they might not be allowed on others.
The truth is, glass greenhouses can be dangerous. As so many people often abandon their allotment plots for months at a time, if the glass breaks it can cause so many problems not only for other people who may be hurt, but for wildlife who venture onto the plot.
Polytunnels are allowed on my site too, but must be securely pinned down so they don’t blow away. Again, these can be very dangerous if they do blow away so I can understand the reasoning behind some allotments not allowing these.
It’s unfortunate if your site doesn’t allow structures like greenhouses. See if you can compromise with a polycarbonate one which are less dangerous if they smash and unlikely to blow away as easily as a polytunnel.
CAN YOU HAVE A POND ON YOUR ALLOTMENT PLOT?
On our allotment site, we are allowed small wildlife ponds. These must be well maintained and made to be small. I love my pond, it’s great for the local wildlife and if I can attract frogs and birds they also help with my slug and snail problem.
I also don’t have a big enough garden at home for a pond and so it’s really nice to be able to have one on my allotment site and to have fun growing water based plants too!
CAN I PUT UP A FENCE AROUND MY ALLOTMENT PLOT?
This is a very tricky one. I say that because there is a rule on my site saying fences are not allowed, or at least strongly discouraged. However, most of the plots do have a fence around their site.
It seems not all rules on allotment plots are adhered to and no one has ever been in trouble for building a fence. The fences around the plots where I am are fairly low and act more of a border for the boundary rather than a way of keeping people out.
Do I agree with the rule? yes and no. I think using low fencing to create a boundary can be good and look neat and pretty. it can also deter people from coming onto your site and stealing produce as the plot isnt as open and sometimes just having some kind of boundary can be enough of a deterrent for people.
However, there are a couple of plots with high, complicated fencing and it can feel slightly antisocial. Also, these are plots that seem to use part of their plot as a rubbish dump and I can see the frustration with that. It would be very hard for a new allotment plot holder to dispose of tonnes of rubbish and pull down high fencing. I guess it’s up to you.
CAN I SLEEP ON MY ALLOTMENT SITE?
Simple answer, no. They are not for people to sleep on and this is strictly prohibited!
CAN I PLANT TREES AT MY ALLOTMENT PLOT?
Fruit trees are a great addition to any allotment plot. They give an abundance of harvests and are relatively low maintenance. It may be that your site will allow smaller fruit trees on your plot, as long as they don’t cast a shade over any other plots.
If you do chose to plant fruit trees on your plot, don’t forget that they take up a lot of ground space thanks to their ever spreading roots! This can drain a lot of nutrients from your surrounding crops and make it hard to grow anything much around them.
It’s definitely something to consider before planting any trees. Make sure you are able to keep them well maintained too and keep them small so they don’t get out of control.
CAN I MAKE A LAWN ON MY ALLOTMENT PLOT?
Simple answer, yes. I think you probably can on most sites and a few people do on mine. The biggest rule on any allotment site is that up to 75 per cent of your plot must be actively maintained at all times. A well kept lawned area would certainly count as a maintained area.
My allotment is in London and a lot of people here get an allotment because they simply do not have the outdoor space to enjoy. So having this patch of outdoor space is so valuable for them and their families, why shouldn’t they have a nice lawned area with a slide and seating area to enjoy?
CAN I COVER OVER PART OF MY ALLOTMENT PLOT?
The rule on most allotment plots is that up to 75 per cent of your plot must be maintained at all times. That means it must be under control and be weeded. Weeds are a nightmare. When someone doesn’t maintain their plot, the weeds grow onto neighbouring plots causing more work. The seeds from the weeds also get blown about, setting root in other peoples plots and of course, they provide slugs and snails with the perfect breeding ground!
So yes, if you are unable to properly care for your entire allotment plot one year (perhaps you are unwell or going on a long holiday or just busy with life) then it is perfectly reasonable for you to cover over part or all of your plot so that it does not cause problems for other plot holders.
I wouldn’t advice this as a permanent solution. Allotment plots are intended to be grown on and with long waiting lists, it wouldn’t be fair to just hold onto a covered unproductive plot for years on end. But as a temporary fix, I don’t think anyone would be too upset by this.
CAN I KEEP CHICKENS ON MY ALLOTMENT PLOT?
Yes you can, and by law you are entitled to! Check with your tenancy agreement to see what the restrictions may be, but you should be well within your right to keep chickens.
Be aware of the amount of space and care chickens will require and make sure you can properly care for them. In my area, we have a lot of foxes so I wouldn’t feel comfortable with keeping chickens as I would worry about their safety. So that is something to bare in mind too.
I hope this gives you some idea of the rules surrounding allotment plots. Do check your individual tenancy agreement and remember that breaking the rules could result in an eviction, so it’s important to take them seriously.
