Start small and local
The first listings are free. We keep exact addresses private, ask a few sensible questions and only introduce people when both sides are interested.
Why We Exist
Ireland currently has around 2,500 council allotments. In the 1940s, when wartime food security was a priority, there were 40,000. That’s a 94% collapse — not through any policy decision, but through passive neglect as land got repurposed.
The result: waiting lists of up to 10 years at Dublin’s most popular sites. Fingal County Council has closed its Powerstown and Turvey allotments to new applicants entirely. South Dublin’s sites are waitlisted indefinitely. Cork City runs 2–3 year waits at €1/m².
At the same time, some private, farm and community sites may have growing space that is not currently used. Homegrown is testing whether willing hosts can help meet documented local demand.
Homegrown.ie exists to connect those two groups — without waiting for the government to build more council allotments.
2,500Current Irish allotments
10 yrsRaheny allotment wait (closed)
50,000Denmark’s allotments (same population)
Who Is Behind Homegrown?
Founder of Homegrown.ie
Brian McCabe
From a farming background in Leitrim, Brian looks after the idea, the website and the work of finding both landowners and growers.
Growing up around farming gives you a fairly practical view of land. A field or garden is not simply "unused" because nothing is being grown on it. The owner still has to think about access, water, upkeep, insurance and what happens if the arrangement does not work out. At the same time, there are plenty of people who would gladly look after a small patch if they could find one nearby.
Homegrown is trying to bridge that gap. It sits somewhere between a community growing project and a marketplace for spare land: local and useful, but with a clear way for people to find one another, agree the ground rules and step away if it is not right for them.
Make sharing easier
A short written agreement, clear visiting times and an honest talk about water, upkeep and insurance should remove much of the uncertainty without taking control away from the owner.
Build the useful extras
Our longer-term aim is to arrange straightforward insurance for eligible Homegrown plots, much as larger marketplaces arrange protection for their hosts. Until that cover is in place, the owner's own insurer must approve the first launch arrangements.
What We Do
Help landowners and growers find each other
Growers tell us roughly where they are looking. Garden owners, farmers, parishes and community groups can tell us about a patch they may be willing to share.
If there looks to be a sensible local fit, we ask both people before sharing any contact details. They meet, look at the space and decide for themselves whether to go ahead.
Allotment Tracker
A working directory of published council allotment information and submitted wait-time reports. Council pages can change; every figure should be read with its review date and checked with the relevant authority.
If you’re on a waiting list, submit your wait time. It helps every grower in Ireland understand what they’re facing.
The Ireland Grows Campaign
Section 48 now puts allotments and prescribed community gardens into the planning framework. The next test is delivery: dated national guidance, measurable local plans and current public data.
We ask every authority to show its land assessment, milestones and progress — and keep the evidence open for growers to check.
Grow-Your-Own Guides
Irish-specific content for growers at every level — from first-time gardeners to people making the switch to a plot-share arrangement. Seasonal calendars, beginner guides, cost calculators.
Our Data Sources
The allotment tracker and waiting-list data comes from three sources:
Council websites and direct council responses — We check each of the 31 local authorities' published information on allotment provision, waiting lists, and site status. Some councils publish this openly; others require a direct enquiry.
Crowdsourced submissions — People on waiting lists submit their wait time via our tracker form. This gives us ground-level data that council websites often don't publish, particularly for sites with unofficial or verbal waiting lists.
Media and NGO reporting — We monitor coverage from RTÉ News, The Irish Times, Irish Examiner, and reports from Community Gardens Ireland and Teagasc.
We last checked Homegrown demand on 22 August 2026. Council pages show their own review dates. See the county demand map, or tell us if something has changed.
Useful Irish organisations
These organisations do valuable work around community gardening, food growing and horticulture. We link to them because their information may help our visitors. They are not Homegrown partners unless we say so with their agreement.
These links are provided as independent resources. Their appearance here does not mean they endorse, support or partner with Homegrown. We will use an organisation's name or logo in a campaign only with written permission.
Timeline
- April 2026 — Homegrown.ie launches an early plot-share concept, allotment tracker and growing guides.
- May 2026 — Allotment tracker expanded with data from all 31 councils and the crowdsourced submissions form went live.
- December 2025 onward — Section 48 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 commenced. Homegrown now tracks how adopted plans, local evidence and delivery compare with that national framework.
- July 2026 — Homegrown sets out a simple launch model: private addresses, direct introductions and a short seasonal agreement between landowner and grower.
- Next — Turn every valid request into privacy-safe demand evidence, give growers useful local information and find the first suitable hosts.
How Homegrown is being built
Homegrown is an independent, self-funded project run by Brian McCabe. It is not a council service or a charity. The first listings are free because the immediate job is to prove that the idea can work for real landowners and growers.
In time, Homegrown may earn money from clearly priced listings, useful services and relevant sponsorship. It does not currently collect rent or deposits or take a cut of an arrangement between a landowner and grower. Any paid or sponsored content will be clearly marked.
Real experiences wanted
Share your experience
Have you shared land or found somewhere to grow?
Tell us what worked, what was awkward and what you wish had been agreed at the start. We will only publish a story or photograph with your permission.
Support the public evidence
Optional one-off support helps maintain the council tracker, demand map and landholder outreach. It does not buy priority or guarantee a match.
How support worksGet in Touch
Data corrections, partnership enquiries, press, or anything else — drop us an email.
Send a general enquiry