Everything you should know about the allotment garden

the essentials in brief

• Allotment garden or Strebergarten is the fenced plot of an allotment garden for the private cultivation of fruit and vegetables as well as for use as a recreational area for the whole family.
• You cannot buy a strebergarten, but rent it as part of a sub-lease agreement with the allotment garden association.
• The design of streberg gardens is subject to legal requirements and the statutes of the association's statutes.

What is a strebergarten? - definition

Strebergarten is the tongue-in-cheek synonym for the traditional allotment garden. The historical concept goes back to the eponymous doctor Moritz Schreber and his colleague school director Ernst Hausschild. Middle of the 19th In the 19th century, the first allotment areas served as playgrounds for the children of poor factory workers. Over the years, parceled and fenced allotment gardens developed from this, the management of which was regulated by association statutes.

The strict regulations in the allotment garden in combination with a high number of know-it-alls created the cliché of the stuffy allotment gardener. From this the play on words Strebergarten developed. Because the authentic strebergarten always includes a small arbor, the proud owner is jokingly dubbed a arbor pipit. The following definition sums up the popular garden concept:

• definition: A fenced allotment garden for the non-commercial cultivation of useful plants as well as for recreation without residential reference is called an allotment garden or strebergarten.
• criteria: Parcel with a maximum of 400 m² as fenced long-term lease land, integrated into a system with several individual gardens, communal areas, paths, play areas and clubhouse (allotment garden)

Allotment gardens are a type of allotment garden

The Strebergarten is well on the way to shaking off its philistine image. For example, on the topic of allotment garden alias strebergarten on Wikipedia, you can read that since the beginning of the 2000s, young families from the big cities have been pushing into the allotment garden colonies. As a result, the average age is falling steadily and has now reached a level below 50 years.

In Germany alone there are more than 1 million allotment gardeners, organized in 15,000 allotment garden associations. The largest allotment garden colony can be admired in Ulm, where the “Verein der Kleingärtner Ulm e. V. ”looks after more than 1300 plots on 53 hectares. In Saxony there is the smallest allotment gardener's association “Am Vogelberg” with a modest 5 parcels, which doesn't detract from the joy of nature-loving gardening.

Important social functions

The sober definition of an allotment garden in accordance with Section 1 of the Federal Allotment Garden Act (BKleingG) hides numerous important social functions of an allotment garden colony:

• Generality: green oases in the middle of concrete castles, reduction of air pollution, protection of species, better quality of life
• family: Growing healthy fruit and vegetables, gardening for young and old, relaxation in the midst of nature
• Children, adolescents: protected playground, nature experience, communication beyond the smartphone
• Working people: Retreat from the stress of work, social gatherings, unwinding, physical activity
• Unemployed: meaningful task, needed, fresh vegetables for free
• Disabled person: Integration into the community, socializing, communication with like-minded people
• Seniors: Contact instead of isolation, individual self-realization in the third phase of life

The ecological functions of an arbor colony with its numerous streber gardens should not be underestimated. Here, near-natural gardening is the trump card, which the endangered world of small animals and insects greatly appreciates.

Rent a strebergarten - this is how it works

The definition makes it clear that interested parties cannot buy a strebergarten. Rather, the garden parcel is to be rented, correctly worded, to be leased. For this purpose, as a future allotment gardener, you conclude a sub-lease agreement with the allotment garden association, which in turn has to pay the lease to the municipality as the property owner. In connection with the rental agreement, a transfer fee must be paid to the previous lessee for existing buildings and vegetation. The purchase price is determined on the basis of an appraisal protocol under the aegis of the responsible district association. Until then, most of the future Strebergärtner have to wait a while. How to rent a strebergarten step by step:

1. Contacting the district association (for Strebergarten Berlin z. B. through the Berlin Association of Garden Friends e. V.)
2. Admission to the list of applicants, payment of the processing costs and waiting for the next free parcel
3. If the bid is accepted, negotiation of the transfer fee based on the valuation
4. Conclusion of a sub-lease agreement
5. Payment of the purchase price and administration fee when signing the lease

It is important to note that a sublease contract with the allotment garden association is reserved exclusively for paying club members. In order to show a serious interest in the next free allotment garden, it is advisable to join the local allotment gardening association.

What does a strebergarten cost?

The prices for a strebergarten vary from region to region

The umbrella association of allotment garden associations in Germany attaches particular importance to the statement that an allotment garden must be affordable for all income groups. For this reason, most of the costs incurred are capped. The appraisal is primarily made to the maximum amount of the transfer fee by the district and regional association in eye to keep. According to § 5 BKleingG, the rent of the parcel may not exceed four times the amount of the local rent for arable land. This results in the following average costs that have to be paid once and regularly for a strebergarten:

Added to this are the costs of maintaining the strebergarten, such as maintaining the quality of the soil and planting suitable plants. In addition, many allotment garden colonies maintain a lively club life with summer festivals and similar events, the costs of which are borne by all members as apportionments. Furthermore, every tenant is required to perform compulsory hourly work on the communal areas of the garden colony. Anyone who does not participate has to make appropriate compensation payments to the association, the amount of which is set out in the statutes.

This overview does not claim to be representative. In view of more than 20 state associations with more than 15,000 clubs, the actual costs are subject to this for an allotment garden manifold premises, such as the respective association statutes or local ones Framework. The location of an allotment garden colony has a decisive influence on the amount of the costs. For a strebergarten in Berlin, Munich or Cologne, the one-time and regular costs are much higher than in rural regions such as Krefeld or Heinsberg.

Digression

Heidelberg Strebergarten - gardening with rap

Designing strebergarten according to the rules - ideas

Ecological gardening is very important in the Strebergarten. The umbrella association has determined that 97 percent of its allotment gardeners Collect rainwater for plant watering. Hardly fewer allotment gardeners dispose of garden waste on their own compost.

Rain barrel and compost heaps actually leave enough space free to design the little green garden paradise creatively. If it weren't for the precise requirements that every strebergarten has to meet. A minimum area for growing vegetables, a hedge without a privacy factor or the maximum size of a gazebo are required. The following ideas would like to inspire you how you can still give your strebergarten a personal touch:

Growing fruits and vegetables

The allotment garden is intended for growing fruit and vegetables

At least one third of the garden area in the Strebergarten is reserved for the non-commercial cultivation of fruit, berry bushes, vegetables and herbs. The following ideas summarize how you can creatively implement this premise:

• Frugal vegetables: radishes (Raphanus sativus), peas (Pisum sativum), lentils (Lens culinaris)
• delicious and easy to care for: carrots (Daucus carota), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta)
• Herbal spiral: build yourself from natural stones and use imagination plant with tasty herbs

So that you can easily reach your self-grown fruit and vegetables for maintenance and harvesting work, Garden paths in the strebergarten must not be missing with a recommended width of 30 to 40 Centimeters.

Hospitable enclosure

Each allotment garden is considered private use of public green. For this reason, the mandatory fencing is limited to a height of 100 to 125 Centimeters so that all citizens can enjoy the secluded garden areas and not just them Tenant. In order to create a hospitable enclosure, ideas based on easy-care and representative solutions are required:

• Cut-compatible flower hedge: Finger shrub (Potentilla fruticosa), dwarf spar (Spiraea japonica), Japanese Ornamental quince (Chaenomeles japonica)
• Easy-care deciduous hedges: hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), privet (Ligustrum), field maple (Acer campestre)
• Green hunter fence: hollyhock (Alcea), raspberry (Rubus), perennial vetch (Lathyrus latifolius)

Conifers of all kinds, such as arborvitae (thuja), cone cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) or yew (taxus) are not recommended. Most conifers rarely tolerate regular pruning and are poisonous.

Picturesque gazebo

A gazebo with a seat makes the strebergarten a favorite place to stay

The garden idyll in a small space is only perfect with a romantic gazebo. With a little manual skill, you can build the arbor yourself. It is easier with ready-made kits. Clearly defined requirements mark the permitted framework conditions:

• covered area: maximum 24 m²
• Ridge height: monopitch roof 2.50 m, gable roof 3.50 m
• important accessories: rain gutters to collect rainwater

Plan a terrace as a seat for cozy leisure hours in your strebergarten. Since a gazebo may not be used as a residence anyway, you can spare a few square meters of interior space for the terrace. By the way, privacy protection plants are allowed around the gazebo so you can linger undisturbed without prying eyes. Fast-growing flowering shrubs or majestic grasses in the tub are well suited.

Special areas

Greenhouses are considered special areas in the strebergarten, Cold frame or compost heap. These systems make a valuable contribution to the allotment use of the plot. These tips summarize how you can combine horticultural benefits with imaginative design:

• Glasshouse: decorate with fairy lights, set up as winter quarters for potted plants
• Cold frame: build from pallets with a detachable attachment, plant as a motley flowerbed in summer
• Compost heap: plant with heavy eaters, such as rhubarb or pumpkin

The raised bed is not a special area in the literal sense of the allotment garden regulations, but in terms of benefits it is on par with greenhouse & Co. The back-friendly variant of the bed design is perfect as a decorative eye-catcher and growing area for popular vegetables and Strawberries. The raised bed is particularly recommended for the strebergarten in the immediate vicinity of the big city if the soil quality is impaired by pollutants.

frequently asked Questions

What is the difference between a strebergarten and a conventional recreational property?

A strebergarten is surprisingly cheap in contrast to other leisure plots on the open market. This fact is intentional so that people from low-income groups can also enjoy an allotment garden. In return, the use is bound by numerous rules. For example, there is a requirement to use at least one third of the area for growing vegetables and fruit. Furthermore, you can never buy an allotment garden, but have to lease the plot from the allotment garden association.

How do I find a strebergarten in Cologne?

The Rhineland Regional Association is the first point of contact for establishing contact. At gartenfreunde-rheinland.de the association lists its district and district associations with all important contact details. Here you can find out whether there are currently free allotment gardens to lease or whether there is a waiting list. Our tip: Extend the radius to the Cologne area to optimize your chances of quick success.

What does allotment use mean in the strebergarten?

This term is firmly anchored in the Federal Allotment Garden Act. Allotment garden use regulates the type and scope of management in the allotment garden, which is mandatory in return for the extra low lease price. The core feature is the non-commercial cultivation of useful plants according to ecological criteria. This means that annual and perennial vegetable plants, medicinal and Aromatic herbs, field crops, strawberries, fruit trees, berry bushes and fruit-bearing climbing plants flourish should. According to the highest court order, it is not sufficient if an allotment garden consists of lawns and fruit trees.

Tips

In the imaginative allotment garden is the classic one garden gnome a discontinued model. Instead, give your strebergarten the finishing touches with smart accessories. A rustic washtub from the flea market serves as a planter that is well worth seeing. Grandfather’s old wooden wheelbarrow is in the limelight with radishes and chicory plants. A disused upholstered chair shines in the trendy shabby look, with frugal succulents taking a seat on its discarded seat.