Allotment garden news

Updated 2.2.2023

As per agreement with the city of Joensuu, the renting and maintining of allotment gardens of Joensuu are managed by the 4H organization. 4H takes care of the renting of the allotment gardens for the areas of Mutala, Hukankauta, Pilkko and Utra. A new area, Marjala, has plots available to rent at the start of 2023. Every allotment garden plot has the area of 100m², excluding Utra, in which plots have the size of 150m².

The allotment gardens have been in a planned developement since autumn 2021. Areas, especially the plots that haven’t been used have gotten to a bad condition and for the new farmers, starting from those plots can be difficult. Due the cheap rent, plots have also been rented ”just in case”, even if the renters had no gardening hobby. This, as well, has been causing overgrowning at the plots.

The organization’s administration decided to raise the rent prices of allotment gardens in November 2022. The price of the plots had been the same since 2016 despite the expenses getting larger each year. To keep up with taking care of the plots as well as managing them, raising the prices was deemed necessary. The allotment gardens also have to support the core of out organization, the youth work, and our goal is that once the plots have been treated, part of the rent gained will be used to help youth get work at the allotment garden areas.

Mutala’s allotment gardens are by Nurmeksentie, around 3 kilometers away from the city center. Size of the plot: 100m². Rent: 35 euros/year. The plots include a water points.

NOTE! Mutala’s much cheaper price has caused questions. The difference in pricing is because there aren’t as big plans for the restoration of the area for the year 2023 as there are for other areas. The clean-up work started from Mutala at 2021. Restoration of the areas is being worked equally in all five areas. In the future, all four (not Utra) allotment gardens will have the same price.

Hukanhauta’s allotment gardens are by Laiduntie, around 4,5 kilometers away from the city center. Distance between the plots and K-supermarket Eväskontti is around 2 kilometers. Size of the plot: 100m². Rent: 35 euros/year. The plots include a water points.

Pilkko’s allotment gardens are by the cross section between Linjatie and Onttolantie, next to Lidl and K-citymarket. Distance from city center is around 5 kilometers, from Noljakka’s church around 1 kilometer. 100m². Rent: 35 euros/year. The plots don’t include a water spot.

Utra’s allotment gardens are by Kiviniementie, within the areas of Utran siirtolapuutarha, around 5 kilometers away from the city center. Distance between Rantakylä’s church is around 2 kilometers. Size of the plot: 150m². Rent: 50 euros / year. Before the rent price was tied to the cost-of-living index, but it has for now been laid off and we have moved to a similar renting model as with other plots. The plots have a water points as well as fenced area for the decomposing  waste.

Utra’s area does 10-year contracts. It is not allowed to rent the plots forwards, the rental contracts are made between 4H organization and the farmer. The plots can’t be inheritated nor is re-renting the plots by their side allowed. It is okay to cancel the contract in the middle of the rental time.

Because of the zoning plan in planning, the rental contracts from the plots 167-188 were ended in 2022. For this reason it hasn’t been allowed to plant perennial plants. This information has been given to the farmers, which the information was necessary for, during spring-winter 2022.

3-4 plots are about to be free in Utra during spring 2023 and are possible to be reserved with the form underneath. Due the popularity of the area, once the reserving period ends, the freed plots will be raffled between the reservers. This way we will make sure that new farmers will be able to get a plot equally even from Utra’s area.

Every allotment garden area has an improvement as well as a betterment plans for the year 2023-2024. These improvements are related to soil betterment, water points, plot markings as well as organzing the waste. Execution of these plans will be informed to the farmers as the plans go on.

New!

Marjala’s allotment gardens are between the areas of Nuotiokatu and Höytiäinen, before the area of the old racetrack. Renting out these plots moves to 4H during the year 2023. Cleaning up the area has been started during autumn 2022. The cut off sticks will be turned into a biochar, the soil will be turned and the new plot markings will be done during the spring of 2023. It is possible to reserve the plots in advance starting from February 2023. Size of a plot: 100m². Rent: 35 euros/year. Marlaja’s plots haven’t yet been marked, but the plots can be reserved in advance. Put a ”0” in the plot number. The right plot numbers will be shared in May after the marking has been done.

The amount of rent for the allotment gardens will be checked yearly in the organization’s meeting during November.

The possibility to rent the plots will be opened at out website in 15.1.2023 and the old renters have until the end of February to re-rent their plot to continue using it. Please keep in mind that renting the plots forwards isn’t allowed. From the start of April the plots will be opened for anyone to rent, if the old renters haven’t confirmed wanting to continue renting their plots before the end of February.

When renting a plot, it is expected that it will be used for farming. Please do not rent a plot for nothing and let it grow wild during seasons. It benefits everyone that the plots are being used for farming and the areas are kept clean. There are a lot of plots, so a new plot can be rented later, when interest in gardenin returns.

We will be sending the rental terms of allotment gardens as well as the bill for the rent in the email that’s put in the renting form. The rental terms will be added as a file when sending the bill. It takes around 2-3 weeks to procress the reservation. The reservation will stay up until the due date of the sent bill. If the bill hasn’t been paid when it’s due, the plot will be freed to be reserved again for anyone without a separate notice.