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From allotment gardens to municipal plots, Luxembourg offers several ways for residents to cultivate their own green spaces.
Hidden between busy streets, the garden plots of Luxembourg are oases of life. Here, we find stories of connection and a profound love for nature. As the city buzzes around them, gardeners find relaxation in the soil, growing not just plants, but also friendships and memories.
Types of gardens in Luxembourg and how to rent one
In Luxembourg, gardening lovers have several options when it comes to renting plots for growing vegetables and flowers. From municipal garden plots in Luxembourg City to allotment gardens managed by the 'Garden and Home League' or community gardens, there are various opportunities for residents to cultivate their own green spaces.
However, with high demand and limited availability, renting a garden can involve waiting lists, particularly in urban areas. Below we will explore the types of gardens available and the process for leasing a plot or participating in a community garden project.
1. Allotment gardens (cités jardinières)
To lease a plot in one of the city's allotment gardens (cités jardinières) you should address the Garden and Home League (CTF), which has 128 chapters throughout the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ten of which are in Luxembourg City.
The league is an umbrella association that brings together 89 local associations. Some of these sections manage gardens, often with the local municipality providing the land and establishing regulations for the use of the plots. However, some sections also manage private land. Many sections with gardens can be found mainly in Luxembourg City and Esch-sur-Alzette.
"On our website, www.ctf.lu, you can find a list of all local sections with gardens. We are currently updating our website to provide more contact information for local sections and to give an overview of the waiting list duration for each section", says Liesa Opitz, Public Relations representative of the organisation, with whom we spoke.
To lease a garden plot with the Garden and Home League, membership in the section is always a prerequisite. Each local section sets its membership fees, but in the majority of cases, they range from 10–20 Euros per year. The rental price of a garden varies from one section to another and may include lease fees as well as charges for the use of the garden shed and water. Sections often have long waiting lists, as the demand for garden plots is very high.
"Your membership in Garden and Home helps us create new garden cities and community gardens", says Liesa Opitz.
According to Garden and Home League, on the inner city waiting lists, getting a garden can take anywhere from 3-5 years, but in a few places with a lot of turnarounds or where many people have their own gardens it may only take one season.
"In general, what's true is that we have a lot of demand for not enough plots. Our work here at the league is about trying to find solutions to this growing problem. We're creating more community gardens with interested communes wherever possible and also working to make garden space a national policy priority", as explained by Liesa Opitz.
2. Community gardens
A community garden (unlike a municipal garden or an allotment garden) is a garden created, cultivated, and managed by a group of residents of the neighbourhood in which the community garden is located. This allows gardeners to get there without a car and makes the garden into a neighbourhood meeting place.
The first community garden in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was the Transition Pétrusse community garden, launched in 2012. In May 2013, Luxembourg City launched its first community garden in Bonnevoie-Kaltreis.
"The main aspect of a community garden is its collective management. Decisions are taken by the group, according to rules that the group defines. The plots are gardened by the group. They are not several individual plots on the same piece of land. This is a common misconception. Sometimes community gardens are mixed. They have a common plot and individual plots. This is the case of the Mersch garden, for example", explains Aline Ouvrard, Polynatur project coordinator and Community Gardening project coordinator at CELL a.s.b.l.
Interested persons can check the map of community gardens in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on the community gardens portal. Alternatively, you can contact the local authorities in your commune directly, as new gardens are created every year. If you reside in Luxembourg City and have any questions about this project, you can contact the city's Environmental Officer here.
If there's no garden near you, there's always the possibility of starting one, according to Aline Ouvrard. Here are some steps to follow, which can be carried out in any order depending on the situation:
- Find a plot of land. It may be private or owned by the commune.
- Organise a presentation of the community garden project in your community.
- Build the group. The most important step. Clearly defining the garden's objectives, the group's vision, and the next steps.
3. Municipal garden plots
Luxembourg City leases municipal land to residents who wish to grow their own produce or flowers. These gardens are located throughout the city and may be rented by one person per household. To lease a municipal garden plot or request additional information, you should email here or call the number provided on the official website.
Note that you can lease a municipal garden plot on the condition that you reside within the territory of the City of Luxembourg and pay an annual symbolic fee (e.g €5 per year for a 100m² garden).
Two passionate gardeners: meet Jaime and Raymonde
Jaime dos Santos used to be a professional gardener. He still gardens, but in his own garden which he has been renting in Beggen from Luxembourg City for almost 20 years for a symbolic price of 5 euros per year. RTL Today interviewed him as he checked the land to see if the soil was ready to be tilled.
"In winter, there isn't much you can do in the garden because the ground is frozen. A week of dryness and I could start tilling, but it is too wet for that right now. I started yesterday to till the soil there, but there is still a lot of water in the ground", Jaime told me.
Jaime says that he grows potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkins, and a multitude of other vegetables in his garden that he uses to prepare meals at home but also to share with some of his friends. His garden serves not only to grow vegetables but also as a gathering place for friends to enjoy barbecues and share laughs on sunny days.
While Jaime rents a municipal garden, Raymonde Adrovic rents an allotment garden. I caught Raymonde enjoying the beautiful sunny weather as she worked in her garden. As we discussed, I found out that she comes here every day, around noon – this is her special place for relaxing.
"I have health problems and being in the heart of nature is a real pleasure for me. While I am working, my neighbours' cats always come to keep me company", shared Raymonde Adrovic, who has been renting the garden for two years, at an annual cost of 300 euros, which also includes a garden shed.
Raymonde says that she grows flowers in her garden to attract bees. She also cultivates vegetables, such as onions, garlic, cucumbers, green beans, and peas. She uses the harvest at home and they usually share the produce between neighbours. "We are a big family here; we organize barbecues and also try to help each other", concludes Raymonde Adrovic.
