Biodiversity tips for your allotment members
07/10/2025
Allotments can and should be places where plant and animal life thrives. Allotment associations can play an important role in promoting and supporting efforts to enhance biodiversity and make a positive impact on the environment.
In this article, we’ll explain some of the ways you can help your allotment holders use their plot in an ecologically-friendly way.
Water conservation
Conserving water and taking measures to reduce the need for water when planting – e.g. through mulching – can have a positive environmental impact.
Collecting rainwater rather than relying on mains supply can help reduce pressure on reservoirs – especially at times of shortages. Many allotments will not have a mains water supply in any case, so making the most of the water you can collect is important. In addition, it is widely accepted that many plants grow better with rainwater than tap water, because it contains lower concentrations of chemicals such as chlorine and calcium.
There are a variety of ways to conserve water on an allotment site. One simple idea is to use drip trays underneath pots and seed starter trays, to collect water that would otherwise soak through the drainage holes at the bottom of pots and into the ground.
As an allotment association, there are other ways you can help your allotment holders conserve water, for example by encouraging the use of water butts and introducing communal water butts where possible.
It’s important to be aware of the potential risks and your responsibilities to your plot holders and members of the public. Make sure you cover any communal butts you are responsible for and encourage your plot holders to do the same for any individual water butts.
If raising a water butt to allow a watering can to be filled using the tap, make sure the structure you use to support it (e.g. a stand or bricks) is strong enough to support the butt’s weight at its fullest. Also, ensure the ground underneath is solid and level to reduce the risk of it toppling over.
Cutting out chemicals
One of the best ways to support biodiversity on your allotment is to cut down on chemical pesticides and fertilisers.
Many pesticides are harmful to plant and animal species other than the bugs they are intended to eradicate. They can also be harmful to humans if not applied, stored or disposed of correctly. See our article on Reducing chemical use on your allotment for more guidance on the risk and insurance considerations.
In recent years, there have been growing calls to ban pesticide use, through campaigns such as the Pesticide Action Network and informal opposition from grassroots campaigners, such as those in Bristol calling for a blanket ban on pesticide use across the city.
Whether or not you are considering a ban on pesticides in your allotment, it is worth thinking about how you communicate your position to your members – for example through a newsletter or an environmental policy on your website. Your communications should also include information for members about chemical pesticides that are no longer legal and which should not be used – such as metaldehyde. The RHS keeps a regularly updated list of withdrawn chemicals which you can share with your plot holders.
Going wild
Another great way to support biodiversity on your allotment is by encouraging plot holders to allow parts of their plots to grow wild. Features such as log walls and dead hedges can create wonderful habitats for insects and small mammals.
While you can leave it to individual plot holders to decide how to go about this, as an association you can support such initiatives through your policies and guidelines. For example, Newton Abbot & District Co-operative Allotment Association in Devon has a policy allowing members to turn over 25% of their plots to wildlife.
Reusing and recycling
Looking after the planet isn’t all about biodiversity; it’s also about making the most of what we have by reusing and recycling wherever possible.
Ideas could include:
- Making seed starters from toilet rolls – this video shows how to make seed starters in minutes
- Using coffee filters to collect and dry seeds
- Using vegetable peelings for compost
- Creating earwig traps using a foot or two of old garden hose to lure them in - earwigs are attracted by moisture
As an association, you can help not only by sharing tips and best practice, but also by making it easier for your plot holders to reuse and recycle. For example, cardboard and plastic bottles can have all sorts of uses on an allotment – from composting to planting – so providing a designated, sheltered space where users can leave or collect these materials will help them to reuse more and reduce waste.
For more ideas, see this article on how to waste nothing on an allotment.
Expert advice and inspiration
Finally, bringing in an expert guest speaker can be a great way to motivate members to make the most of their plot, while also supporting biodiversity and eco-friendly initiatives.
If you are hosting any kind of event at your allotment – for example, a talk or demonstration from a guest speaker – it's important to ensure you have adequate public liability insurance in place and to carry out and document a risk assessment. This doesn’t need to be a lengthy or overly complex document. It just needs to identify the potential risks and outline appropriate ways to mitigate them. The Local Community Advisory Service (LCAS) Guide to Risk Management has risk assessment templates you can adapt.
How Zurich Municipal can help
To find out more about some of the services we offer to help our customers better manage their risks, visit our Zurich Resilience Solutions page.
Or, if you’ve got any questions about the content of this article, get in touch.
- Give us a call on: 0121 697 9131
- Emails us: zrs.enquiries@uk.zurich.com
