A small garden outside the flat
Schrebergarten
Many city people rent a small garden with a tiny hut in an allotment colony. There are almost 870,000 in the national association.
A Kleingarten or Schrebergarten is a small piece of land, often 200–400 m², in a garden colony at the edge of town. People grow vegetables and flowers and relax in a little garden house (Laube).
There is a federal law just for them (Bundeskleingartengesetz, since 1983). It says, for example, that part of the garden must be used to grow food, and that you cannot live in the hut.
The national association (BKD) counts about 870,000 gardens. In big cities the waiting lists can be years long.
Every colony has its own rules: hedge height, quiet hours, and how much lawn you may have.
You may hear
Am Wochenende sind wir im Garten.At the weekend we are at the garden.
India and Germany
In Indian cities, a garden usually means a terrace or balcony with pots. A Schrebergarten is like a small farm plot that a city family rents.
German words for this
- der Garten · garden
- die Laube · garden hut
- das Gemüse · vegetables
- der Nachbar · neighbour
Sources
Last checked: 9 November 2026.
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