A little plot of land, maybe a small house, where you can grow your own vegetables, spices and flowers, and spend your summer if you wish. This dream is very much alive in Sweden – and in many other parts of Europe.

Allotments can be like your own summer kitchen garden. In Sweden, owning a summer house is quite common, but that is expensive and requires a lot of work. With an allotment, you can spend as much of summer as you like closer to home. Some Swedes practically live at their allotment all summer, other pop in now and then to weed the plants and harvest.

Allotments can only be used for gardening (i.e., growing vegetables, fruits and flowers), but not for living in. The size of an allotment is usually small, made for one family. It is surrounded by other allotments, making it a summer community.  Commonly, there is water, showers, toilets etc available from April to December.

The first allotments in Sweden were made available 1860s.. The local authorities were inspired by the allotment gardens in Copenhagen.

Allotments can be like your own summer kitchen garden. In Sweden, owning a summer house is quite common, but that is expensive and requires a lot of work. With an allotment, you can spend as much of summer as you like closer to home. Some Swedes practically live at their allotment all summer, other pop in now and then to weed the plants and harvest.

Allotments can only be used for gardening (i.e., growing vegetables, fruits and flowers), but not for living in. The size of an allotment is usually small, made for one family. It is surrounded by other allotments, making it a summer community.  Commonly, there is water, showers, toilets etc available from April to December.

The first allotments in Sweden were made available 1860s.. The local authorities were inspired by the allotment gardens in Copenhagen.

Nowadays, the que for getting an allotment outside one of the bigger cites is usually more than ten years. But the younger generation doesn’t seem overly worried – they have stated to grow things in the cities instead. Urban farming is the new thing!