Perceived functions of allotment gardens and their importance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland

Individual characteristics of the study participants – allotment garden owners (gender, age profile and length of garden ownership)_

Category	N (203)	%
Gender
Female	99	48.77
Male	104	51.23
Age (years)
<20	8	3.95
21–30	30	14.78
31–40	42	20.69
41–50	58	28.57
51–60	39	19.21
61–70	26	12.80
Length of allotment garden ownership (years)
<5	32	15.76
6–10	73	35.96
11–15	60	29.56
16–20	17	8.37
21–25	15	7.39
>26	6	2.96

Categories of answers to the survey question: ‘What does owning an allotment garden during the pandemic mean to you?’, from non-standardised interviews (N = 203)_

No.	Answer category	Quotes
1	Refuge and freedomMost of the respondents viewed their allotments as a form of refuge that gave them a sense of freedom, especially with the restrictions that forced the population to stay at home.	‘I like this plot and I’m glad that I didn’t sell it, because then I wouldn’t have anywhere to go.’
2	Stress reduction and taking a mental breakVisiting one’s allotment garden reduced the stress of uncertainty related to the epidemiological situation.	‘Whenever I’m in my allotment, I get a feeling of stability and normalcy, because this is where I can forget about what’s going on in the country and the rest of the world.’
3	Antidote to boredomAn allotment garden was a substitute for work. It provided a meaningful outdoor activity that was associated with good mental health and was an alternative to being productive.	‘I’ve got nothing better to do due to the lockdown, so I go to my allotment. I’m lucky to have one, because otherwise I’d go mad staying inside my house.’
4	Physical exercise and staying in shapeAn allotment garden provided a means of maintaining physical activity (especially when forests, parks and sport and health facilities were closed down).	‘Visiting my allotment lets me exercise, which is important for me as a senior. The moment you stop exercising, your body starts to ache and your mood drops.’
5	Enjoying family and social integrationAn allotment garden was a place where children could play and a place to meet with family and friends outdoors.	‘We bought an allotment for twice the price, but we wanted our children to be able to go outside somewhere. It’s a form of investment. We’re not going to grow any produce, but we now have somewhere to go outside and set up a pool. It’s somewhere for the children to run around in. Our family and friends can also come and visit us here. It’s safer outside than at home, of course.’
6	Stability and purposeSpending time in an allotment garden and performing everyday chores and activities provided a sense of normalcy.	‘I’ve had this plot for 20 years and, virus or no virus, I’m going to keep coming here, because this is literally my own piece of land.’

Respondents’ perception of changes in the functions of allotments over the last 5 years (2015–2020) by age (N = 203)_

Answer		Age group (years)
		<20	21–30	31–40	41–50	51–60	61–70
No change observed	N	5	11	9	4	1	0
	%	62.5	36.7	21.4	6.9	2.6	0.0
Generational change	N	0	0	11	15	13	10
	%	0.0	0.0	26.2	25.9	33.3	38.5
Functional shift from utility to recreation purposes	N	1	3	9	19	12	12
	%	12.5	10.0	21.4	32.8	30.8	46.2
Increase in unused allotments	N	0	0	4	1	1	0
	%	0.0	0.0	9.5	1.7	2.6	0.0
Increase in owner anonymity	N	0	2	1	15	9	4
	%	0.0	6.7	2.4	25.9	23.1	15.4
New decorative plant and vegetable variations	N	1	0	5	0	0	0
	%	12.5	0.0	11.9	0.0	0.0	0.0
Technological progress	N	0	3	3	4	3	0
	%	0.0	10.0	7.1	6.9	7.7	0.0
Allotment treated as an investment	N	1	11	0	0	0	0
	%	12.5	36.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Respondents’ reasons for purchasing an allotment garden by age (N = 203)_

Reasons for purchasing an allotment		Age group (years)
		<20	21–30	31–40	41–50	51–60	61–70
Private space free from COVID-19 restrictions	N	1	9	6	8	8	5
	%	12.5	30.0	14.3	13.8	20.5	19.2
A way to spend time	N	0	8	7	12	7	4
	%	0.0	26.7	16.7	20.7	17.9	15.4
Physical activity	N	2	3	3	7	6	2
	%	25.0	10.0	7.1	12.1	15.4	7.7
Relaxation in natural surroundings	N	1	3	5	4	5	3
	%	12.5	10.0	11.9	6.9	12.8	11.5
Growing one’s own produce	N	1	2	2	12	10	5
	%	12.5	6.7	4.8	20.7	25.6	19.2
An investment	N	0	1	12	2	1	2
	%	0.0	3.3	28.6	3.4	2.6	7.7
A place to meet with family and friends	N	3	4	7	13	2	5
	%	37.5	13.3	16.7	22.4	5.1	19.2

Reasons for purchasing an allotment by length of ownership (N = 203)_

Argument		Length of ownership allotment garden (years)
		≤5	6–10	11–15	16–20	21–25	26–30
Growing one’s own fruits and vegetables	N	3	9	6	7	4	0
	%	10.0	12.3	10.0	41.2	23.5	0.0
Having a place to meet with family and friends	N	8	10	9	0	5	3
	%	26.7	13.7	15.0	0.0	29.4	50.0
I inherited the allotment	N	0	7	2	0	0	0
	%	0.0	9.6	3.3	0.0	0.0	0.0
Spending free time	N	8	17	19	2	1	3
	%	26.7	23.3	31.7	11.8	5.9	50.0
Need for contact with nature	N	8	28	21	4	2	0
	%	26.7	38.4	35.0	23.5	11.8	0.0
An investment	N	5	2	3	4	3	0
	%	29.4	2.7	5.0	23.5	10.0	0.0

Respondents’ perceived benefits of owning an allotment by age (N = 203)_

Answer		Age group (years)
		<20	21–30	31–40	41–50	51–60	61–70
Improved health	N	2	2	4	4	7	6
	%	25.0	6.7	9.5	6.9	17.9	23.1
Relaxation	N	2	21	14	25	13	4
	%	25.0	70.0	33.3	43.1	33.3	15.4
Growing fruits and vegetables	N	3	3	8	19	10	9
	%	37.5	10.0	19.0	32.8	25.6	34.6
Contact with nature	N	0	4	3	3	5	4
	%	0.0	13.3	7.1	5.2	12.8	15.4
Aesthetic experiences	N	1	0	1	4	1	0
	%	12.5	0.0	2.4	6.9	2.6	0.0
Spending time with family	N	0	0	9	3	3	3
	%	0.0	0.0	21.4	5.2	7.7	11.5
Physical activity	N	0	0	1	0	0	0
	%	0.0	0.0	2.4	0.0	0.0	0.0
No benefits	N	0	0	2	0	0	0
	%	0.0	0.0	4.8	0.0	0.0	0.0

Respondents’ perceived importance of their allotments as an escape from everyday problems by age (N = 203)_

Answer*		Age group (years)
		≤20	21–30	31–40	41–50	51–60	61–70
Strongly agree	N	4	26	38	48	28	17
	%	50.0	86.7	90.5	82.8	71.8	65.4
Mostly agree	N	4	0	3	8	5	6
	%	50.0	0.0	7.1	13.8	12.8	23.1
Neither agree nor disagree	N	0	0	1	1	4	2
	%	0.0	0.0	2.4	1.7	10.3	7.7
Mostly disagree	N	0	4	0	1	2	1
	%	0.0	13.3	0.0	1.7	5.1	3.8