Allotment plot sizes

By the Tilthwick team

Sources awaiting check

Draft: preview builds only.

Allotments are still measured in an old unit: the pole (also called a rod or perch). A traditional full plot is 10 poles, about 250 square metres.

Poles, rods and perches

A pole is a length of 5.5 yards, and a "square pole" is 5.5 × 5.5 yards: 30.25 square yards, or 25.29 m². When people say a plot is "10 poles" they mean 10 square poles.

Plot Poles Square metres (approx.)
Full plot 10 253
Half plot 5 126
Quarter plot 2.5 63

Plots on real sites vary, so go by the size on your tenancy agreement. Under the law in England and Wales, an "allotment garden" is a plot of no more than 40 poles.

Which size should you take?

Think about the time you have rather than the space you'd like. A half or quarter plot that's well looked after is better than a full plot that gets away from you, and many sites ask tenants to keep most of their plot cultivated.

Try the planner below with a half plot and your real hours a week. It shows how many beds you'd get and how long clearing might take.

FAQs

How big is a full allotment in feet?

A traditional full plot is often described as 30 yards by 10 yards, which is 300 square yards: 10 poles, or about 253 m². Real plots come in all shapes.

Is a quarter plot worth it?

A quarter plot (about 63 m²) is enough for several beds of vegetables and some fruit, and it's much easier to keep on top of while you learn.

Allotment plot planner

Worked example

For a half plot (5 poles, about 126 m²), a quarter already clear, 4 hours a week, a shed and compost bays:

  • 10 beds of 1.2 m with 45 cm paths, beds running across a plot about 19.5 m by 6.5 m
  • Rotation: 8 beds in four groups, moving one step each year
  • Broad beans: room for about 64 plants; Onions (sets): room for about 256 plants; Cabbage: room for about 56 plants; Carrots: room for about 1480 plants; Potatoes: room for about 86 plants; Courgettes: room for about 14 plants
  • Clearing: about 95 m² to clear, roughly 12 weeks at 4 hours a week (our rule of thumb of 2 m² an hour)
  • A 5 cm compost mulch over all the beds: about 3.9 m³, or 78 bags of 50 litres

Based on: National Allotment Society (NSALG), RHS. Crop spacing from RHS grow-your-own guides.

Sources

  • National Allotment Society (NSALG): A traditional full allotment plot is 10 poles (rods or perches), about 250 square metres awaiting check
  • RHS: RHS crop rotation: group crops (legumes and onions, brassicas, potatoes, roots) and move each group to a new bed every year to limit soil pests and diseases checked 24 Oct 2026
  • legislation.gov.uk: Allotments Act 1922 s.22: an 'allotment garden' is an allotment not exceeding forty poles, mainly cultivated for vegetables or fruit for the occupier and their family awaiting check