This is the 41st anniversary of the Day of the Garden!
At the instigation of the Bundesverband der Kleingartenvereine Deutschlands e. V. (formerly BDG), the Day of the Garden has been celebrated on the second Sunday in June since 1984 and raises awareness of the importance of the allotment garden movement for the well-being of people and nature in town and country.
A good opportunity to open up allotment gardens and sites throughout Germany to interested parties and invite them to take part in activities, visit the gardens and exchange ideas!
Central festive event 2025 in Schleswig-Holstein
In 2025, the central kick-off event will take place in the GOLD award-winning allotment garden site of the Friedrichsgabe association in Norderstedt. Exceptionally, as the Whitsun weekend is in the way, the Landesverband der Kleingartenvereine Schleswig-Holsteins e. V. will hold the festival on Saturday, 14 June 2025.
The Minister President Daniel Günther has taken over the patronage and thus expresses his benevolence towards our members and our hobby. It is particularly important to us to celebrate this special garden festival where it belongs - with the allotment gardeners. The Friedrichsgabe association, our participant in the last national competition ‘Gardens in urban development’, has agreed to sweep the ‘Pilzhagen 3’ site once again and prepare it for guests from near and far. The modern design is well worth seeing. It is located in a local recreation area, not far from housing and industry. Once you have passed through the garden gate, you will quickly forget the unsettled surroundings. Come and see for yourself!
‘Allotment gardens - We know how green works!’
The motto for 2025 is ‘Allotment gardens - We know how green works!’, which emphasises the importance of greenery for the neighbourhood and at the same time the allotment gardeners' expertise in green and environmental issues. On 14 June 2025, we will focus on specialist advice. Our volunteers will present their knowledge on the topics of specialist advice in a wide variety of ways. In addition to the classic areas, the ‘new’ fields of action will also be presented. Drought, heat, heavy rainfall and the loss of biodiversity can be demonstrably mitigated with the possibilities of our areas and the commitment of our members. We want to show how.
Allotment gardens offer recreation, education and community for people from different social and cultural backgrounds. They are open to all, including non-members, and often serve as venues for training and conservation activities. The allotment garden associations are heavily involved in fairs, festivals and charity events in their communities and towns. They do a lot for the integration of newcomers and gardens quickly become a piece of home. Association means society, society unites! Club-based gardening has been a successful concept for over 200 years. We want to showcase this on the Day of the Garden.
For the nationwide kick-off event for the Day of the Garden, we will be organising a festival not only for local gardening enthusiasts - we will be welcoming guests from all over Germany. We want to offer a colourful programme for young and old. Food and drink will be catered for and there will always be enough space to chat both professionally and privately.
https://kleingarten-bund.de/veranstaltungen/wettbewerbe/tag-des-gartens/
Author: Thomas Kleinworth, federal advisor of the BKD and managing director of the regional federation of allotment garden associations in Schleswig-Holstein
The federal center of the Bundesverband der Kleingartenvereine e.V. in Berlin will once again be the venue for numerous events on the subject of allotment gardening this year. The target group for the training courses are multipliers from associations and federations of the allotment garden movement organized by the BKD. In contrast to many other forms of urban gardening, the allotment garden movement with its organizational structure offers the guarantee of having real multipliers as participants in the training courses. They provide advice and support to the allotment gardeners inside and outside the associations and thus contribute to the welfare of society within the framework of civic engagement.
On April 25 and 26, 2025, representatives of the regional associations will meet at the Federal Center in Berlin-Neukölln to discuss current political issues and association topics at regional association level.
The BKD invites you to the seminar "Expert advice I" entitled "Designing living areas in allotment gardens" from May 16-18, 2025. The seminar is intended to provide suggestions and basic knowledge for the sustainable design of allotment gardens and allotment garden sites and to show how all areas of an allotment garden can be used, upgraded, designed and maintained in an ecological, sustainable and climate-friendly manner in the interests of promoting biodiversity and diversity.
The seminar Law I, from June 27-29, 2025 will focus on "The social and ecological importance of allotment gardening and its reflection in law".
The seminar Fachberatung II 2025 entitled "Allotment garden sites - values and functions for our society" will focus on the diverse social benefits that radiate from allotment gardening into society. The seminar will take place from July 04 to 06, 2025.
From October 10-12, 2025, the BKD and its guests will devote themselves to the "Fundamental court decisions on allotment gardening" in the seminar Law II for a better understanding of the legal basis.
The seminar on the environment entitled "Allotment gardens and health", which will take place from October 24-26, 2025, is intended to help promote health in and through allotment garden sites throughout Germany. In particular, it will strengthen the skills of board members, those responsible for specialist advice and valuation in environmentally and health-conscious federation and association management.
The BKD also offers regular online training courses, such as the online legal series for club chairpersons and, from fall 2025, an online training course for specialist advisors from clubs, district and city associations.
Sandra von Rekowski, BKD
Picture: BKD
On 27.08.2024, the Bundesverband der Kleingartenvereine Deutschlands e. V. (BKD), umbrella organisation of around 900,000 allotment gardeners in Germany, opened its new federal centre with the permanent exhibition "City | Nature | People" with invited guests from the allotment garden movement, the local authorities, science and European partner organisations from 9 countries.
https://stadt-natur-mensch.de/
Opening ceremony for the Federal Centre
BKD Association President Dirk Sielmann welcomed over 150 guests to the grand evening ceremony. He thanked the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) for funding the Federal Centre on the basis of a resolution passed by the German Bundestag, which made the building with its environmentally friendly timber construction possible in the first place.
https://kleingarten-bund.de/bundeszentrum/
International congress "Allotment gardens in Europe: Green for all"
At the international specialist congress "Allotment gardens in Europe: Green for all", the federation and the international umbrella organisation of the European allotment garden movement, the Fédération Internationale des Jardins Familiaux, showed that they are facing up to social and climatic challenges and are proactively seeking solutions for the allotment garden movement. Topics such as the sponge city, new garden forms, biodiversity and the opening of the colonies as allotment garden parks - not only for members - were discussed scientifically in lectures.
The guests from other European countries and from all over Germany, who met at the federal centre during the European symposium "Allotment gardens in Europe: Green for all", were delighted with the successful event and wished the BKD and the allotment garden movement every success with the launch of the federal centre.
Two associations under one roof
The BKD presents itself in a spirit of optimism, to which not least the German allotment youth federation contributes with its commitment. Two federations under one roof that convey a modern, open-minded image of allotment garden culture and show that they no longer stand for a retreat into the private sphere of the allotment. The "Green Classroom" in the outdoor area will also be a new contact point for education for sustainable development for school classes and other interested parties from spring 2025.
The BKD and the Deutsche Schreberjugend are looking forward to many visits from the allotment garden associations and all friends of allotment gardening!
Author: BKD, Sandra von Rekowski and Eva Foos
Source: BKD
