What's reasonable garden rent?

[gardenia77]

I'm looking into what options are available for renting outdoor space long term, like a local council garden allotment or neighbour's garden (if that's even possible).

I looked at my local council and allotment prices seem so cheap but waiting lists are months!

What's a reasonable price for renting a garden if I don't go down the council allotment route?

(DH and I live in a flat without outdoor space and isolation is making us really wish we had a garden!)

If a neighbour really doesn't use their garden then hopefully they wouldn't charge that much especially if you shared the fruit and veg you grow. As the owner though I think it's possible noise and intrusion which would deter me and you would have to prepared for a change of ownership thus losing your garden.

Any churches around that might appreciate a hand? A church local to me has a couple of community gardening beds in its 'front garden'. No gravestones though, it was just lawn before.

Contact the Council to see if they have any odd bits of land you could rent?

I'd get yourself on the allotment waiting list asap. You can always turn it down if it doesn't suit you at the time a plot becomes available.

In my local authority, they allow some residents to have multiple allotments. The waiting lists are many ,many years long. I did ask if they allow residents to have multiple council houses. It does seem unfair in the way that they allocate allotment plots. There is little transparency

Some LAs have devised a scheme whereby plots are split into two or three sections. Cambridge and Oxford I believe. It does seem fairer

A few people I know have had success asking for allotment shares, garden shares might work in the same way? Why not post a note on your local community Facebook or allotment Facebook to ask if anyone is struggling with a patch and would like help in return for sharing.

I wouldn’t offer to pay at first, in this area, as it becomes quite business like. I think most owners would rather have something less formal- eg maintain half the allotment for half the produce, or weed and plant my garden on Saturdays for use of it that day.

Thinking about it from an owners point of view, Allotments probably have clauses about sub letting. Older people are often sad that their gardens are going unmaintained but wouldn’t want to give them up entirely