Where to Garden in London

Those who love the act of gardening will tell you it soothes their soul – that it’s a creative outlet, a way to bring something beautiful into the world for you and everyone around you to admire (like having a child, with just a tad less commitment and responsibility attached to the job). With spring coming up and gardening centres opening their doors to budding gardeners everywhere, we’re pulling our green thumbs out of our woolly gloves and getting them dirty with earth and fertilizer.

The 17 Best Gardens to Visit in Britain

If you don’t have a garden at your own home, read on to discover the best places in London to rent your own allotment, so you can experience the joy of gardening amongst like-minded people, without requiring your own spot at home. Plus, we’ve also rounded up the must-buy products from trowels to forks, and where to buy them, so you’re all kitted out for your new 2019 hobby – gardening.

North London

Tudor Road Allotments

Managed by the New Barnet Allotment Society, this allotment is one of just a few in North London that has places available to rent. Get a plot and use the provided water services to plant and grow your favourite fruits and vegetables, whilst making friends with your allotment neighbours and sharing tips and tricks of the trade. Email Katherine Hopkin at secretary@crallotments.org.uk for more information! Crallotments.com

Stanhope Road

This Barnet allotment, managed by the Brook Farm Horticultural Society, is currently operating and has vacancies. Get in touch with brookfarmallotments@gmail.com, but make sure to hurry – they won’t last long!

East London

Beautiful Allotment

This summer pop-up hosted by Bourne & Hollingsworth proves gardening can be a fun, social activity, and is returning this Summer after a hugely successful residency in the Summer of 2019. Beautiful Allotment combines gardening, drinking and eating, thanks to a collaboration with the Lend and Tend initiative to ‘get people growing’. Last year, it was hosted in the Victorian gardens of the Geffrye Museum, where guests could book handcrafted potting sheds, day beds and vegetable patches. Keep tabs on what’s in store for Beautiful Allotment 2020 at beautifulallotment.com

Great Winter Walks that End in Cute Country Pubs

South London

Grove Allotments

Grove Allotments in Dulwich is a small allotment community of 75 members, located on Dulwich Common. Apply for a plot and spend a day a weekend tending to your very own private spot and admiring the local wildlife such as hedgehogs and stag beetles! Apply for a plot here.

West London

Fulham Palace Meadow Allotments Association

Sat next to the River Thames and with 406 rich plots available, it’s no wonder the waiting list for an allotment at FPMAA is from 5-7 years. However, apply for membership here and you’ll have access to one of the most beautiful allotment locations in London, kept looking neat and colourful by volunteers and used by those with some of the most impressively green thumbs in West London. Apply for an allotment by emailing fulhampalaceallotment@gmail.com or calling 020 7731 6055. fpmaa.com

The Best Stately Homes to Visit in Britain