Liverpool’s thriving allotment community has celebrated another successful year and the winners of the city’s annual allotment competition have been announced.
Organised through the Association of Liverpool Allotments (ALA) and supported by Liverpool City Council, this year’s competition attracted entries from 15 allotment sites across the city, up from 13 sites last year, demonstrating the growing popularity of growing your own food and the increasing strength of Liverpool’s allotment community.
Over five days, a team of judges travelled from Fazakerley in the north of the city to Mersey Road on the banks of the Mersey in the south, assessing 74 plots across 15 sites. Five judges took part each day, drawn from a pool of 12 volunteers representing 6 allotment sites.
The coveted Championship Winner title was awarded to Valerie Brown, who owns Dunbabin Plot 32, with the following plots taking the top awards:
- Championship Winner: Dunbabin Plot 32
- 1st Place: Allerton Plot 65
- 2nd Place: Allerton Plot 39
- 3rd Place: Grandison Plot 11
- Best Site: Allerton
- Best Five Plots: Allerton
The competition highlights the dedication, expertise and passion of Liverpool’s allotment holders and celebrates the important role allotments play in supporting healthy lifestyles, local food production and biodiversity.
Judges assessed plots against four main categories:
- Crops and Plants
- Condition and Maintenance of Plot
- Environment and Sustainability
- Plot Design and Safety
High-scoring plots demonstrated a wide variety of healthy fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers, alongside excellent gardening practices. Judges looked for evidence of companion planting, where plants are grown together to encourage pollinators, improve crop yields or naturally deter pests.
Examples include colourful and edible plants such as borage and calendula, which attract bees and hoverflies, and nasturtiums, which can help draw pests away from crops while adding vibrant colour to the plot.
Judges also looked for good soil management techniques, including crop rotation and successional planting. Crop rotation is a method where you plant different categories of crop in the same space over a period of years, and is a practice dating back centuries that helps to replenish nutrients in the soil and reduce the risk of disease build up. Successional planting ensures productive growing space throughout the season.
Environmental sustainability remains a key part of the judging criteria as gardeners increasingly move away from chemical-based approaches. This year’s championship winning plot stood out for its commitment to wildlife friendly gardening and sustainable growing methods.
The winning plot featured habitats for beneficial insects, including bug hotels, homemade fertilisers created from comfrey and nettles, and good rainwater harvesting systems. Judges were also impressed by the plot’s attractive design and the impressive range of produce being grown, including melons and grapes alongside more traditional fruit and vegetables.
Competition organisers would like to thank everyone involved in making the event a success, including participating sites, volunteer judges, score counters and checkers, and most importantly, the allotment holders who opened their plots for judging.
Grow your own food
Liverpool’s allotments are proving that growing your own food can be rewarding, affordable and environmentally friendly. Whether you have an allotment, a garden, a balcony or simply a few pots on a windowsill, growing fruit, vegetables and herbs at home can help reduce food costs, improve wellbeing and support local wildlife.
As the competition continues to grow year on year, residents are encouraged to try growing their own produce and discover the benefits for themselves.
For information about allotments please visit: Allotments – Liverpool City Council. Please be aware that due to high demand and long waiting lists, only few allotments currently have open waiting lists.
For opportunities to get involved in food growing across the city, take a look at some of the links below.
Groundwork Cheshire, Lancashire and Merseyside – Groundwork
Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene said: “Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and to everyone who took part in the competition.
“Our allotments are a real asset to our neighbourhoods, and this competition showcases the commitment and pride of the people who care for them.
“It’s fantastic to see more sites taking part this year and I’d like to thank the allotment holders, volunteers, and the Association of Liverpool Allotments for helping the community to grow.”
Michelle Conroy, Secretary of the Association of Liverpool Allotments said: “Our 2026 ALA Best Plot Competition was our biggest yet. Judging took place during one of this year’s heatwaves and it was inspiring to see how well plot holders were coping with the unprecedented weather.
“We saw some fantastic plots as always and we look forward to next year’s competition, which we’ve already started planning for. Many thanks to Liverpool City Council for providing the funds so that we can keep running the competition.”
