Whether you believe in the meteorological date (1 March) or the astronomical one (21 March) spring is here. And with spring comes a focus on new life and growth; it’s no coincidence that Community Garden Week (5-11 April), National Gardening Week (26 April – 2 May) and Garden Day (9 May) will all be held during this season.

This spring, interest from people wanting to grow their own food continues to ramp up. Data specialists dunnhumby Beyond revealed that 57% of one-person households and 58% of two-person households wanted to grow more of their own food in 2020. The pandemic has fuelled interest in gardening and growing food like never before. From getting a proper Garden Irrigation System installed to posting garden tutorials, many households have kept themselves busy at this time. During the first lockdown, the National Allotment Society (NAS) reported a 45% increase in the number of requests for information through its website, while web views of Royal Horticultural Society advice pages shot up by 50% in April 2020. The UK public’s insatiable appetite for growing their own food has continued ever since.

“Connecting with nature through growing food brings a whole host of physical and mental benefits. The desire to grow food is a challenge that our team is enjoying meeting. We are thrilled that at our Canada Gardens apartments, residents have the opportunity to hire allotment beds in order to grow their own produce.”

Danielle Bayless, Chief Operating Officer, Quintain Living
Being able to hire allotments at Canada Gardens is a major coup for residents. Imperial College London reports that the average wait for an allotment in the capital is now four to five years, with an estimated 30,000 people on waiting lists. Over the past seven years, 41 London allotment sites have closed permanently, contributing significantly to this situation. Furthermore, an NAS survey in April 2020 found that 40% of English councils had seen a “significant uplift” in applications to join their waiting lists. In one case the increase in applications had reached 300%.

One in five people in London has no access to a garden, according to the Office for National Statistics. The figure emphasises the value of being able to hire your own on-site allotment at Canada Gardens. The benefits of doing so support positive mental health at a time when this is particularly important. A study by the University of Sheffield found that allotment gardening delivered the social benefits of feeling part of a community. All while outdoors and socially distanced. The mental health benefits of connecting with nature and spending time outside are also well established.

Allotment gardening provides physical health benefits too, and not just from the exertion involved in the gardening work itself. The University of Sheffield study found that people who have allotments are more likely to eat their five-a-day than people who don’t grow their own food.