Allotments No 15 - Rents

This post takes a first look at the "rent" and the allotment. The kind of question addressed is: "What is the subject matter justifying the rent for a plot?"

The basic subject matter of the rent is the plot and its environs as a place to cultivate for personal and family consumption the following: 

• vegetables;
• herbs;
• soft fruit;
• "hard" fruit; and,
• flowers.

The last two are doubtful since trees are sometimes banned from allotments and flowers cannot in law, it seems, be grown on allotments! Any prospective doubtful activities are excluded, such as growing certain "herbs", as being illegal, ie thay are not reflected in the rent. I have been told that growing tobacco is permissible in law provided the relevant excise duty is paid to MHRC!

Finally, the rent does not reflect any profit from business activities because allotmenteers are not permitted in law to sell produce, ie run a business.