Fancy growing your own carrots? If you do, and don’t have access to a garden you’ll probably know that the waiting list for allotments are a little insane. There‘s an allotment in Leeds which apparently has a waiting list of over 17 years.
One person who hopes to address this issue is Conor Gallagher. He has launched a digital platform, AllotMe which he is billing as the ‘Airbnb for gardens.’
The premise is fairly simple. People who have outdoor space but don’t use it can make a little money renting it to those who want to grow things.
The site already has space available in several major UK cities. Fees for a small plot are currently between £15 and £30 a month, depending on size. The fee is split between AllotMe, which provides insurance – or ‘garden guarantee’ and those renting out their yards.
“I was aware of so many people with no garden or access to outdoor space, and of the difficulty verging on the impossibility of obtaining an allotment through traditional routes. It became apparent there is a huge desire for sustainable living but no way of satisfying it,” he says.
“As an architect, I’m trained to spot opportunities in space, and it dawned on me when passing an overgrown and unloved garden that there is an untapped reservoir of outdoor space in London that is going unused, so why not bring the two together.” AllotMe was born.
“Sustainability is a big part of it. Hosts, for a wide variety of reasons may not be able to use their outdoor space, but by letting somebody rent it and use it to grow food, they are enabling a contribution to a greener society and playing a part too.”
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
