Allotment gardens are becoming very popular again in Germany: Young people are rediscovering an old cultural asset of the working class. The waiting lists are long, the business is huge.

"Allotment gardens have enjoyed great popularity – for generations, across all classes, backgrounds, and age groups. No wonder: amidst the dust and hustle and bustle of the big city, they are considered quiet oases. They offer a place to work off everyday frustrations or simply unwind. They are important for the environment, the social climate, and personal health. Furthermore, they have a significant economic benefit – and this benefits run into the billions."

 

There are around 16 million miniature gardens in Germany. Many are directly attached to single-family, two-family, or multi-family homes. In addition, the two major churches lease allotment gardens with portions of their fairly extensive land holdings. There are also organizations such as the so-called Bahn-Landwirtschaft (BLw), an institution of Deutsche Bahn, which leases around 3,800 hectares as small gardens to 69,000 members across thirteen sub-districts nationwide.

 

(1) In total, there are around one million allotment gardens. They are well organized, have five million users, their own laws and rules, and are part of the country's cultural history. Following the example of the so-called guinea gardens in England, the first allotment garden association in Germany was founded in 1814 in Kappeln an der Schlei by a dedicated pastor, provided with inexpensive leased land, and rented to impoverished farmworkers. This set a precedent.

 

(2) All over Germany, so-called allotment gardens sprang up. And this left its mark on the present day. Families grew fruit and vegetables, especially on leased church land in and around Berlin. Industrialization spread, and urbanization followed. Speculators acquired building plots on the outskirts of cities and leased them to general tenants until they were actually built. These tenants divided the land into parcels and rented it out as gardens to working-class and artisan families for a few years.

 

(3) Another origin of today's allotment garden culture lies in Leipzig. The first hundred garden plots existed on the outskirts of the city there in 1833. In 1864, a school principal established a playground and sports field at what is now Johannapark, founded a sponsoring association to manage it, and named it after his late friend Moritz Schreber. The Schreber Association later became the Schrebergärten (allotment gardens). Today, Leipzig is the German allotment capital. Of the 13,000 allotment associations in the country, 278 are located in the Saxon trade fair metropolis. Dresden (360), Hamburg (310), and Berlin (736) have more allotments. However, relative to the population, Leipzig leads the way with 39,000 plots and an annual harvest of 9,600 tons of fruit and vegetables. While Dresden has a total area of ​​792 hectares, Leipzig manages 1,240 hectares.

 

(4) Across Germany, around 75 percent of owners visit their little green private paradise several times a week. This growing popularity is met with a limited supply – and this has consequences. Berlin allotment associations alone reportedly have waiting lists totaling 15,000 interested parties. Waiting times are often five or six years. Garden culture is flourishing. Hobby gardeners are also willing to spend a lot on their hobby.

 

(5) All in all, they invest around €20 billion annually nationwide in their hobby. While garden furniture costs just over €1 billion, seeds, including floral decorations for outdoor areas, add up to €5 billion; fertilizer, soil, and plant protection add up to €2.3 billion; equipment costs €2 billion; and barbecue equipment costs €1.2 billion.

 

Acquisition and lease costs seem to be negligible. No wonder: They are stipulated in the Federal Allotment Garden Act, the association statutes, and the respective garden regulations. These also stipulate what an allotment garden is and how it is used, how large it should be, the maximum annual rent, and the maximum dimensions of the gazebo (24 square meters), when to consult an appraiser, and how to draft contracts.

 

The rent varies depending on the region, location, and association. In a big city, you generally pay more than in a small town, and in the East often less than in the West. While allotment garden associations in Leipzig charge an average of 20 cents per square meter per year, in Dortmund the rent can be as high as 44 cents and in Nuremberg 61 cents. Nationwide, the rent for an allotment costs an average of 18 cents. For a 370-square-meter garden, the average annual rent is therefore no more than €66.6.

 

(6) The gardens are very popular with young and old. While some associations feared aging before the coronavirus crisis and would soon run out of new members, many are now free to get members. Gardens that are being developed are now in high demand again. In addition to the compensation payments for plots officially inspected according to strict guidelines, there have been reports of under-the-table payments of earnest money equivalent to the price of a small car being paid when tenants change in desirable neighborhoods or associations. These are exceptions, however.

 

With the compensation payments, the property of the previous tenant, including the shed, equipment, and possibly the greenhouse, is transferred to the new tenant. The payment does not include the garden area. The area is leased, not purchased. In the event of a transfer, the previous tenant has the condition of their plot assessed by an appraiser and uses the estimated price as a basis for negotiation. The new gardener either takes the property or not.

 

Even if the costs include membership fees, maintenance payments, water and water meter payments, electricity and electricity meters, insurance, various levies, and, if necessary and available, security services, the fixed costs add up to barely more than €700 and rarely less than €200 per year.

 

Data research: St. Finsterbusch Sources: Federal Association of Allotment Garden Associations in Germany; Institute for Ecological Economy Research, Stihl, Statista." [1]

 

1. Kleingärten sind in der Beliebtheit wieder ganz groß: Die Jugend entdeckt ein altes Kulturgut der Arbeiterklasse neu. Die Wartelisten sind lang, die Geschäfte riesig / Von Stephan Finsterbusch. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 25 Aug 2025: 22.