Saxony-Anhalt: Management of allotment gardens has declined slightly

For garden lovers without a plot of land, an allotment plot is a real alternative. In the first two years of the pandemic, demand was high. In 2022, however, there will be a little more vacancies again.

Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – Colorful flowers and your own fruit and vegetables: Allotment gardens are still popular in Saxony-Anhalt, but fewer plots are cultivated compared to the previous year. At the beginning of the year, 88,457 plots were cultivated by the gardens, said the office manager of the Saxony-Anhalt State Association of Garden Friends, Olaf Weber. At the beginning of 2021, there were a little more with 89,301 plots. According to Weber, allotment gardening is developing positively for the most part. “In recent years, the downward trend that started in the late 1990s has stagnated.” The number of empty gardens in the country was 17,856.

According to the data, 1856 of the leased parcels were used by foreign citizens and their families. At the beginning of 2021 there were significantly fewer at 1168. 261 gardens were operated by social organizations such as the DRK Tafelgarten, the Maltese or the Johanniter.

Insect protection is just as much part of the program in many clubs as the cultivation of fresh fruit and vegetables for personal use, colorful flowers and social relationships in the club. “Natural gardening is not only popular with young gardeners,” said Weber. However, the gardens are too small to try out everything that can include allotment garden use.

The average age of allotment gardeners in Saxony-Anhalt is around 58 years. The largest age group is the 46 to 60 year olds, followed by the 26 to 45 year olds.

A total of 89,008 garden enthusiasts are organized in 1,632 allotment garden associations under the umbrella of the association. Individual allotment garden associations are not organized in the umbrella organization. According to the State Association of Garden Friends Saxony-Anhalt, the number of allotment gardeners not organized through the umbrella organization is estimated at 15,000 nationwide.