Northampton allotment plots surge in popularity during 2020 after becoming an 'escape' when lockdown was announced

Applications for an allotment in Northampton have seen a huge increase in numbers this year as 131 more people have wanted to take on a plot in 2020.

Donna Halliday is a committee member for Rothersthorpe Allotments and took on her first plot ten years ago with her friend to show their children where their food came from.

But it didn't take Donna long to fall in love with her new hobby and she soon found herself lovingly tending to two plots.

The green-fingered enthusiast grows something new each year, this year was pomegranate, and next year she will be attempting giant, white sweetcorn and a blue popcorn variety while faithfully sticking to old favourites like pumpkins.

This year she has said having an allotment has been a location, which has offered her some welcomed respite after homeschooling her children.

She said: "The community spirit on my new field of four years is growing each year.

"For the past two years we have had a few sunflowers and pumpkin competitions and this year has been very important for site morale.

"But it has been very different as we couldn't have the BBQs with obvious social distancing but we still managed to chat to our neighbours while working the plots.

"The allotment was so important to me over lockdown as it was my escape from home schooling and all the pressure of home life and everything reported on the news.

"I was very lucky to have bumper crops of raspberries, potatoes onions and garlic, so I was able to give a few neighbours fresh vegetables, and jams and chutneys made from surpless produce."

The current Covid-19 pandemic has led to a significant rise in applications to council allotment waiting lists from people eager to join the allotment community.

Their motives will vary but fears about food shortages, having more time on their hands and a desire to do something positive in an increasingly uncertain world will have all contributed.

Between March 23, 2020 - when the first national lockdown was announced - to November 19 (the latest data given to this newspaper), 210 people had applied for a plot at one of Northampton's 17 allotments. Last year, during the same time frame, only 79 people wanted one.

The most applied for allotment is Weston Favell with currently 42 people wanting a garden space, followed by 31 people at Harlestone Road and 22 applicants are still waiting to get planting at Parklands.

A typical morning for Donna on her plot is shaped by saying good morning to her chickens before she rounds off her day by picking her produce for dinner.

She added: "I'd let the girls out out to search for insects and help dig the plot, then the kettle would go on and I'd drink my coffee while walking the plots, looking for any changes that happened in the week, new veggies to pick, in the spring I get excited about new veg poking through and counting the asparagus spears, it's strangely satisfying to see new life.

"After the morning inspection the weeding begins, its very easy to loose yourself in this, especially weeding the onions and garlic. Last job of the day is picking produce, I'm still picking broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages.

"When my children grew in numbers and age they weren't as keen to come with mummy to the plots so it became my little escape each week where the pressures of work and home life didn't exist for a few hours, it's was just me and the dirt and I loved it."

National Allotment Society member Elizabeth Allnutt added: “Being able to go to the allotment has been my salvation – both physically and mentally. I am a retired person with lots of room in the house and plenty of things to do, but severely miss my activities and my friends.

"On the allotment I can be outside without worrying about social distancing, get rid of frustrations with digging, exercise with enjoyment, have a bit of a chat and social contact, albeit at a distance, restore mental equilibrium by a closeness to nature and affirm life, hope and the future by sowing seed. It restores me; two hours down there and I can face the rest of the day."