Gardening on the rise in allotments

People without their own garden sheds are increasingly turning to allotments to meet their gardening needs.

New data from the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG) reveals that waiting lists for allotments have gone up by 20 per cent in the last year.

That is according to Horticulture Week, which reports that demand for gardening space and garden sheds is rocketing thanks, in part, to the recession.

Cash-strapped gardeners are increasingly getting the tools out of their garden sheds and growing their own vegetables and fruit in a bid to cut food bills.

The NSALG studied data from more than 150,000 plots and discovered that more than 90,000 people were on waiting lists, the news provider reports.

It is thought that high profile campaigns from the likes of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, a celebrity chef who champions small-holding, have contributed to the rise also.

Speaking to the horticulture professionals' news site, Margaret Campbell, the report's author, said: "The figures are what we expected."

People clearly want access to land and a garden shed but "demand is still continuing to outstrip supply", she added.