The urge of the Germans for their own plot in the countryside is enormous. In some large cities such as Munich, Frankfurt or Hamburg, there are already waiting times of more than five years. In many regions, waiting lists have already been abandoned. Urban gardening, also known as city gardening, has been very trendy for a number of years. Background: Former agricultural land is simply divided into small garden plots and rented out for different terms. Younger families are particularly interested, i.e. a generation that previously liked to describe allotment gardening as old-fashioned. What causes this change of heart and why are "start-ups" that generate such a mainstream in the countryside literally overrun by interested parties?
Planting vegetables in your own garden is fun and nourishing
Such offers are particularly motivating because new gardeners are offered ready-made, worry-free complete packages without long-term commitments, which include, for example, free use of garden tools, water connection, seed and plant packages, professionally prepared beds and much more.
Competent contacts when looking for a free local allotment garden are primarily the regional allotment garden associations. The carefully researched and very up-to-date address material on the Kleingartenvereine.de website is very helpful.
We have summarized two Germany-wide providers of urban gardening in rental gardens in an overview:
| my harvest | field heroes | |
|---|---|---|
| Locations (Cities) | 26 | 16 |
| garden size | 45 and 90 m2 | 40 m2 |
| Rental price (per season) | €199 or €369 | 299,- € |
| particularities | Pre-planted with 20 types of vegetables, garden shed, basic set of garden tools, irrigation water, free workshops, introductory event before the start of the season, gardener's consultation hours, gardener's letter | Professional preparation and planting with 120 organic young plants, onion sets and 15 types of organic seed, several on-site consultations, garden tools, buckets, wheelbarrows, irrigation water |
| workload per week | Two to three hours | Two hours |
| Online portal | my-ernte.de | ackerhelden.de |
tips and tricks
If the dream of your own garden still doesn't come true, grab your family and their bikes for the next weekend, just cycle across the country again and look through the villages. Drop a note in the mailboxes by the properties that are currently in need of some maintenance, or simply ring the bell here and there. Perhaps this way you will find someone among the older villagers who will let you use part of their property to create some garden beds of your own.
And if you don't succeed right away, there is another option: guerrilla tactics.
Beautify drab surfaces in public space
Dropping so-called seed bombs used to be a form of civil disobedience or an expression of political protest. However, most municipalities in Germany are more relaxed about the currently rather defused method of community gardening - if they were informed beforehand. The city administrations often even award sponsorships for parts of the public space or for previously neglected areas in the supply and maintenance of the city green. You can definitely find a few tree pits near your home on which you can demonstrate your gardening ambitions, albeit on a small scale. And: If you have nothing to do with the ready-made seed bombs from the relevant online shops, do the following:
Seed Bomb Recipe:
- 250 grams of clay or clay powder from the pharmacy
- 150 grams of hummus or medium-heavy garden soil
- 50 grams of seeds (flowers, radishes, lupins or similar)
- 250ml of water
- Mix everything together well and knead into small balls the size of a walnut
- Allow to dry out thoroughly for two days, discard at the location approved by the municipality or the property owner and
- Let nature run free!