Eurosprawl I: Allotments

The first of a short series of posts on Eurosprawl, how the Europeans (pretty much just the Germans) do suburbia. A lot of this will be personal observation based on what yer humble host knows, remembers, or finds on the ‘net.

First a look at allotments, kicked off by some discussion over at Dayton Most Metro.

In German speaking lands these are called Schrebergarten (after the originator of the concept, Dr Schreber) or Kleingarten (literally “small gardens”).

A good pix here of the traditional Schrebergarten, most of the surface under cultivation, high fences, some ornamental flowers, vines.



The idea was for apartment dwellers and factory workers to grow their own food as well as sort of a form of recreation. A reaction to the consequences of industrialization and mass housing in cramped urban quarters.

This concept actually took off, and gardening became popular, resulting in scherbergartening becoming a part of German popular culture. Since the Germans build at high density, even after the war and into the mass auto ownership era, these remain popular as a way of getting a little yard space.

This miniature diorama is a good illustrations showing some typical features…the rustic Jagerzaun (“hunters fence”…these are found all over, though), the potting shed, working on seed beds, watering gear, etc



The idea was for apartment dwellers and factory workers to grow their own food as well as sort of a form of recreation. A reaction to the consequences of industrialization and mass housing in cramped urban quarters.

..and sometime garden colonies can be quite large, like this one in northern Germany. One thing that separates this concept from the US-style community garden is that one rents ones own plot, which are usually larger than a community garden plot, and the plots are usually fenced. So one has a colony of private plots, each with their own personality.
Some typical Schrebergarten scenes…the last one showing some typical German suburbia in the background (this is near Frieburg in Baden-Wurttenburg, AKA “the Black Forest”)

One thing that’s noticeable in the recent past is the change in German society to a US-style consumer culture has led to the transformation of the more ag-production concept of the Schrebergarten to the Freizeitgarten, literally “Free Time Garden”, or “Leisure Garden.

This means more lawns and flowers, more elaborate landscaping, more life-like garden gnomes, and especially the transformation of the potting shed into a little cottage.

From Schrebergarten to Dacha?

The apotheosis is the transformation of the Schrebergarten into a US-style backyard, as in this digital rendering:
But with the rise of green trend, things like slow food, sustainability, low carbon footprint, etc. there is a new hipster interest in urban farming and sustainable agriculture, ensuring that the allotment tradition of small scale ag production continues

Allotments are a picturesque part of the European suburban scene, at least in German-speaking lands, but would they work on this side of the pond, where we have plenty of yard space?