Terms, conditions and instructions for allotment gardening

Contents of this page:

General instructions 

  • The size of one allotment is approximately 100 m2 and they are marked by the city. 
  • Allotments may only be used for gardening purposes. The harvest must be collected and the renter’s own equipment etc. must be removed from the Community Garden within the rental period. When the rental period ends, the allotment will fall under the city’s control without separate notice. 
  • If you want to farm potatoes on the allotment, you may only grow officially certified seed potatoes. Officially certified seed potatoes can be recognized by the blue certificate. Certified seed potatoes are found in the agriculture sections of different wholesale businesses and some gardening retailers. Normal ware potatoes are not certified and are not suitable for allotment gardening. Certified seed potatoes (HZPC Kantaperuna.fi; in Finnish)  
  • Felling trees on or transporting soil from the Community Garden is prohibited. Building any buildings or structures on the allotment is prohibited. 
  • The renter must take care of their allotment and ensure that plant waste is placed into the compost. Other waste must be removed from the area if there is no separate mixed waste collection in the area. 
  • If the renter follows the terms and conditions and the allotment is free, the renter has priority in renting the same allotment. A separate rental period is opened in March–April for previous renters on the Online Booking Service. By booking and paying the same allotment by the given deadline, the renter may keep their allotment rental. If the payment is not paid, the allotment will be freed for further rental in the Online Booking Service. 
  • If the allotment has been used for other purposes than gardening – and this is discovered in Urban and Environmental Services’s inspection – the renter is not qualified for the rent renewal period in the Online Booking Service. 
  • Please update your address and e-mail address in the Online Booking Service or please announce them to Oulu10 Service Points as soon as possible by phone 08 558 558 0 or by e-mail oulu10@ouka.fi. Information about the booking service opening will be sent to e-mail addresses in the service registry. 

Special conditions for one-year rentals 

  • The allotment can be used in the spring after the area has been cultivated and marked until September 30. 
  • If the city needs the allotment for some other purpose in the middle of the rental period, the renter is obligated to relinquish the allotment immediately to the city. In such a case, the city will take care of the renter’s reasonable fertilizer and seed costs. 

Special conditions for multi-year rentals 

  • The allotment may only be used for gardening purposes; growing potatoes, root vegetables, vegetables, herbs, flowers, berries etc. 
  • The city does not cultivate the allotment if the allotment is used for multi-year rentals 
  • When the renter stops allotment gardening, the renter must remove all plantings and clear up the allotment.  
  • If the city needs the allotment for some other purpose in the middle of the rental period, the renter is obligated to relinquish the allotment immediately to the city. In such a case, the city will take care of the renter’s reasonable fertilizer and seed costs, as well as compensate the value of multi-year plantings. 
  • In the Viherkuja Community Garden, growing dwarfing apple trees or berry bushes with trunks is permitted and their maximum height is 2 meters. The height is maintained by cutting the exceeding height. The tree must be placed at least 4 meters away from the border and passages. The trees must not hamper gardening on other allotments. Dwarfing apple trees have small roots and do not hamper gardening on other allotments. It is permitted to grow a maximum of 4 dwarfing apple trees or berry bushes with trunks in a square shape with two-meter gaps.  

Gardening instructions – updated June 8, 2023 

Driving a car in the Community Gardens is prohibited. At Viherkuja, cars can be parked in the parking area next to the Viherkuja Community Garden. 

Farming potatoes. Only certified seed potatoes are permitted to be farmed at the Community Gardens. Officially certified seed potatoes can be recognized by the blue certificate. Certified seed potatoes are found in the agriculture sections of different wholesale businesses and some gardening retailers. Normal ware potatoes are not certified and are not suitable for allotment gardening. 

Equipment, sacks, boxes and storages used in potato farming must be cleaned after use. Soil and plant components must not be transferred from one allotment to another. Waste and other plant components must be collected and placed in composts on the allotment.   

Urban and Environmental Services highlights the importance of these measures to prevent the spread of potato pests. Pests have been found on Oulu’s potato farms and allotment gardens which have impaired the production of high-quality potato harvest and even restricted potato farming. 

Weeds must be removed before they blossom. The allotment must be taken care of in such a way that weeds cannot spread to other allotments. 

Areas next to the allotment. The renter has the right to take care of weeds and thickets in ditches and passages next to the allotment with mechanical prevention without pesticides.  

Growing invasive plants is prohibited and they must be removed from the allotments. 

We recommend cultivation under cover on allotments. Using organic covers reduces the need for water and prevents water from evaporating from the soil. 

Plant waste must be placed into a compost on the allotment or in a shared compost of the Community Garden. The renter must keep the allotment in good order. All other waste must be removed from the allotment by the renter if the garden does not include a mixed waste collection point.