This National Allotment Week, we want to highlight the huge benefits of growing your own and having an allotment! Heading into the heights of summer, allotments are currently thriving with a variety of fruit and vegetables, flowers full of colour and different nature and wildlife. Since the pandemic, many individuals have now taken up gardening because of the positive impact on their physical and mental wellbeing, and anyone can do it, no matter your ability or age!
Owning an allotment is a great way of having access to valuable gardening space if you don’t have a garden of your own. It allows you to enjoy fresh air and be outside and keep active all year round! The constant weeding, planting and picking really racks up those steps and tending your plot can help keep your body flexible and build muscle strength.
The physical impact of gardening can also positively affect your mental wellbeing too. Time spent on plots sowing and nurturing plants can make you feel calmer and less anxious, as well as get you out of a headspace and allow you to just sink into a simple task.
With loneliness also a growing concern across the country, allotments offer a warm and welcoming community, providing a safe space for individuals to make friends and connect over a shared passion of gardening.
Nina, a local resident who owns an allotment in Brentwood tells us:
I signed up for my allotment on a whim and it helped me build back confidence after a period of depression. It’s like an active chill space, getting out and moving without any pressure to look a certain way. There’s hope compounded in growing something as you are always looking to the future.
With the cost of living continuing to rise and food prices increasing, allotment gardening offers a cost-effective way of growing fresh produce. Having control over what you grow reduces chemical usage on plants and allows you to consume more organic foods. Being able to grow your own tasty produce and provide for yourself, your family and your community promotes a great sense of fulfilment! The satisfaction of eating something you’ve grown yourself is hard to beat as well as knowing exactly what you’re eating, where it’s come from and how long it’s travelled!
You can even grow your favourite fruits and vegetables in pots or containers at home in the garden or on a sunny windowsill – it doesn’t need to be tricky, all you need is a pack of seeds which you can pick up from a local supermarket or garden centre for as little as 99p, some compost, and a pot or recycled container.
Beth who’s 27, owns an allotment in Tendring and also explains:
Having an allotment has changed my life! It’s a relaxing and safe place to clear my head, get fresh air and enjoy my own surroundings. It’s also helped me to save money on my weekly food shop buy growing essentials such as onions and potatoes, as well as the more costly summer vegetables such as courgettes, tomatoes and cucumbers. It’s funny because when you tell some people that you have an allotment and that’s your hobby, they sometimes laugh or say “really, at your age?” but it shows that anyone can do it, it’s about finding the right activity for you.
Click here to find out more tips on growing your own and having an allotment with The National Allotment Society.
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