Local authorities have been offering allotments up to 85 times smaller than traditional plots to cope with soaring demand.
There are around 175,000 people on the waiting list, some for up to 15 years, to receive one of the estimated 330,000 plots of rented land across the UK.
The unprecedented appetite for allotments, most of which are council-owned, has been fuelled by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
To meet it, a whopping three quarters (76 per cent) of councils have slashed the size of standard plots, a study by the Association for Public Sector Excellence (APSE) found.
The classic allotment is 300 square yards, offering growing room for a crop of fruit and vegetables sufficient to feed a family of four.
