Urban farming in Tampere [City of Tampere]

Gardens and allotment plots are not just for humans; they are an excellent way to promote biodiversity in cities. Cultivation that nurtures biodiversity takes care of pollinators and the soil with its organisms. Properly managed soil also sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and aids in rainwater absorption. Urban farming is an opportunity to produce clean local food, promote sustainable development and community spirit, increase physical activity and mental well-being in everyday life. Contact with beneficial soil microbes has also been shown to have an impact on human health, such as immunity.

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The application form for annual plots will be opened on April 11 at 12 and it closes on April 28.

The form can be found here 11.4. at 12 pm: https://tampere.4h.fi/viljelypalstat/yksivuotiset-palstat-annual-plot/palstan-haku/

Urban farming opportunities in Tampere

The city of Tampere has 14 allotment plot areas in different parts of the city. Some of the allotment plots are perennial and some are annual. The size of the plots varies between 20m² and 200m². Prices depend on the plot type and the duration of the cultivation period. You can check the current rental prices on the website of the Tampere 4H (NGO). Tampere 4H is responsible for managing and renting the plots. Organic farming is preferred in the areas and the use of pesticides, for example, is prohibited.

There are also many community gardens for urban farming in Tampere. You can find more information about the urban farming opportunities in Tampere on this page.

Annual and perennial plots on the map

The locations of all plot areas (annual and perennial) can be found on the map.

Go to the website of Tampere 4H!

Annual plots

Annual plots are rented for one year at a time, and because of that, only annual plants can be cultivated on them. Soil of the annual plots is tilled once or twice a year: in autumn and again in spring before plot distribution. Soil tilling is done with the help of a tractor as soon as the soil has dried sufficiently. It might take some time to wait for the soil to be dry enough for tilling. After tilling, the plots are measured and marked, after which the farmers are given permission to start cultivation.

The aim is to start cultivation as early as possible in the spring (mostly during May). The application form for annual plots will be opened on April 11 at 12 and it closes on April 28.

More information on annual plots, plot-specific additional information, prices and farming practices you can find on 4H (NGO) website.

Perennial plots

Perennial plots are rented for several years at a time. This means that a rental contract continues automatically from autumn to next summer and so on. The rental contract is dissolved when a farmer wants to quit farming or this needs to be done because of breaking the rules or unpaid rental fees.

A farmer of a perennial plot is committed to take care of one's plot and pay the rent for it every year. Tilling of plot soil is on farmer's own responsibility, so it is possible to cultivate perennial plants like perennial herbs and berry bushes.

All perennial plots are taken at the moment and they are very popular. You can register to a queue for perennial plots by filling out a registering form you can find below.

More information on perennial plots, plot-specific additional information, prices and farming practices you can find on 4H (NGO) website.

Community gardens

There are also community gardens in Tampere, usually managed by communities. If you want your own community garden to be included in the listing, please contact Project Coordinator Elina Pulliainen. You can find the contact details at the bottom of the page.

The City of Tampere established the Hiedanranta Edible Park in the developing Hiedanranta area. The edible park is managed by Sopimusvuori Hiedanranta unit. During summers, the park hosts open and free cultivation activities organized by Martat (Finnish Home Economics Association). The park also features communal greenhouses.

For more details on events, you can contact Hanne Honkoliini at [email protected]

Rientolan Setlementti (NGO) rents out land near Niemenranta’s old Niemi Manor for one-year cultivation use.

For additional information, reach out to Sanna Natunen at [email protected] or call +358 44 970 5205

In the Kalevanharju Community Garden food crops are grown in bags and boxes. Participants share responsibilities for watering and harvesting. The garden is located in Kalevanharju near the cemetery.

For more details, contact Jonna Niiniaho at [email protected].

You can also find Kalevanharju Community Garden on Instagram.

The Tampere Harvest Map is an overlay on Google Maps that marks publicly accessible food-producing trees and bushes in Tampere. Anyone can contribute to the map by adding locations with shared harvestable produce.

Note that the City of is not responsible for and does not maintain the map entries, so please respect private properties, gardens, and allotment areas. Picking planted flowers is also prohibited.

The Kaleva Urban Farming Culture Centre aims to promote and showcase new possibilities in food production. In Tampere, the central is organizing workshops and establishing an open community garden in the courtyard for the summer. Everyone is welcome to participate. In September, an exhibition will be set up to showcase various production methods for urban food production.

These initiatives are made possible by Operaatio Pirkanmaa, and the operation is managed by Blokgarden. The activities will continue until the end of October 2024.

For more information, you can contact Tuomas at [email protected].

Home page of the Kaleva Urban Farming Culture Centre

Additionally, a community garden will be established in the courtyard of Koukkuniemi residential area in spring 2024. It will be coordinated by NGOs: Pirkanmaan Martat, 4H-Tampere, and Kurpitsaliike, in collaboration with the City of Tampere’s Carbon Neutral Actions development programme and FUSILLI project.

For more information about Koukkuniemi, you can reach out to Saraleena Aarnitaival at [email protected]

A temporary community garden is being set up in the yard of Kaukajärvi School for the summer season 2024. People from Kaukajärvi and Annala who are interested in the topic are now being invited to become growers in the community garden. The activities continue from the end of April to September and are coordinated by Blokgarden.

For more information, you can contact Tuomas at [email protected].

This site is made by Carbon Neutral Actions Development Programme (2022–2025) and FUSILLI project (2021–2024). FUSILLI is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No.101000717.

Elina Pulliainen

Project coordinator

Phone:

040 182 8773

Email:

[email protected]

The short address for this page is tampere.fi/en/urbanfarming

Urban farming in Tampere

Urban farming opportunities in Tampere

Annual and perennial plots on the map

Annual plots

Perennial plots

Community gardens

Hiedanranta Edible Park

Rientola Cultivation Plot

Kalevanharju Community Garden

Tampere Harvest Map

Kaleva Urban Farming Culture Centre

Koukkuniemi Community Garden

Kaukajärvi Community Garden

Elina Pulliainen