From Scotland on Sunday - Spectrum Magazine.

Once the preserve of flat-capped pensioners, allotments have become a haven for young, urban professionals in search of a healthier diet and lifestyle.

Words Rebecca Dunbar        Photographs Juliette Wade

 

   A GROWING band of Scots have come to realise that Tom and Barbara
were right to choose The Good Life. Allotments are enjoying a spectacular
revival and demand is booming, particularly in urban areas with waiting list for
some sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow standing at six or seven years. But the
idea plots are only tended by pipe-smoking old codgers hiding from their wives
in the potting shed is far from realistic. A new generation of young, affluent
townies - many of them women - is muscling in.

   This is partly due to a quest for a healthy lifestyle and concerns about the way
food is produced. Mother-of-two Naheed Cruickshank is a musician who has
been tending her allotment organically for two years. "We want to make sure we
give our children the best possible start in life and what better than by serving
up healthy food? It also tastes a lot better than anything you buy in the
supermarket."

   Naheed, husband Andrew and children Lelia (three) and Zain (one) visit the
allotment regularly, spending eight hours a week there in summer. "It's so
peaceful, a little haven," she says. "The children love it. In fact Leila asks to
go there. She has her own little wheelbarrow and spade and friends who she
visits on the other plots. There aren't many children so everyone knows her.
She always comes back with a bag of gooseberries or a couple of carrots".

   Since the family lives in a flat without a garden, and they are new to the
lifestyle, Naheed admits to being very forward about seeking advice from
fellow plot-holders. "I had no gardening experience. All I had was enthusiasm.
We were lucky to inherit a shed and tools from the previous allotment holder,
and the other growers have been very generous with gifts and knowledge.
Despite our inexperience, our crops have been quite successful."

   The Cruickshanks had to join a four-year waiting list for their Kelvinside
allotment, but now they are well into the swing of things and enjoy harvesting
fresh vegetables from their plot. "Friends weren't surprised we took this on.
We don't have a car or a TV and we cycle a lot so we were already viewed
as slightly curious. Nevertheless, people have been impressed when I take
them to the allotment and they see what I'm growing. Some have become
so interested they've put their names on the waiting list."

   Bert Cook, President of the 2000-strong Allotments and Garden Society,
has seen considerable changes in the decade he has had his Renfrew
allotment. "For many years allotments were associated with men who worked
in the shipyards or mills. Now it's great to see that a lot of professional people
and young families are getting involved. We have Professors, doctors, teachers,
artists, scientists and even MP's. Allotments are really for everyone nowadays.
The greatest demand is from young professional people who live in flats and
want healthy food and a healthy life."

   Keeping an allotment isn't very expensive. Rents vary depending but are in
the region of £30 per year for a whole plot (half plots are sometimes available).
Some councils, such as Edinburgh City, offer reduced rates to the unemployed
and senior citizens. As Cook confirms: "An allotment is pretty economic. You
can feed a family of four for a quarter of the price you'd pay at a supermarket."

   The Scottish Allotments and Garden Society is one of the many horticultural organisations on hand for the Glasgow Show on August 24-25. "We took part
in last year's event and our vegetable display created a lot of interest," says
Cook with great amusement. "There were children who were amazed to
learn that peas come from pods and sweetcorn doesn't come out of cans."

   This year celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock will be among the VIP
visitors mingling with hundreds of amateur gardeners -and countless allotment
holders- who will be competing for awards including the coveted St Mungo Cup
presented for the best allotment site in Glasgow.