The so-called poor gardens, which were created in England in the 19th century to alleviate poverty in the cities, are considered the forerunners of today's allotment gardens. By the middle of the 19th century, they already existed in many large cities in Germany. Larger industrial companies also created gardens for their workers. On the outskirts of the cities, vegetable gardens, orchards and pleasure gardens of various sizes and features were widespread alongside allotments for the poor.

The name "allotment gardens", which gives today's allotment gardens their name, goes back to an initiative of the Leipzig school director and reform pedagogue Ernst Innozenz Hauschild (1808-1868). He founded the "Verein zur Landbeschaffung für Kinderspielplätze", which was named "Schreberverein" after the doctor Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber (1808-1861).

In Wiesbaden, the city council encouraged the creation of garden plots for growing fruit and vegetables around 1900. In 1902, large plots of land in various parts of the Feldgemarkung were prepared as "allotment gardens", which the city fenced in at its own expense and provided with water pipes. The plots could be leased for 30 marks a year. The gardens were very popular with people "... from all professions". In addition to vegetables, they grew flowers and fruit or used the gardens as children's playgrounds. As the first allotment garden site was so well received and did not cause any financial disadvantages for the town, a second site was set up and the rent was lowered to enable poorer families to use the gardens. In 1914 there were already 212 allotment garden plots, which were leased for 2-4 marks. In addition, the town gave 20 plots with a total size of 20 acres (approx. 5 ha) in the Holzstraße district to poor people free of charge for independent cultivation. In addition to a better supply of vegetables, it was hoped that this would also have an educational and health effect for families with many children.

However, the growth of the cities at the beginning of the 20th century and the construction of new housing estates threatened the existence of existing allotment gardens, so that demands for legal safeguards and permanent allotment garden sites became ever louder. The "Allotment Garden and Small Leasehold Regulations" of 31.07.1919, which regulated protection against dismissal and protection against speculation and forced leasing in Germany, were therefore of decisive importance. In 1921, all the organizations involved in the creation and management of allotment gardens came together to form the "Reichsverband der Kleingärtnervereine Deutschlands". The first allotment garden associations in Wiesbaden were founded after the First World War, when inflation and economic hardship characterized life.

The oldest Wiesbaden association still in existence today is "Zwo Börn", which was founded in 1919 on what is now Berliner Straße; the city made 3.8 hectares of land available to the allotment gardeners here. Two years later, "Wiesbaden und Umgebung" was founded, followed by the Biebrich association "Selbsthilfe" in 1922 and "Unter den Nussbäumen" in 1924.

Naturally, the demand for allotment gardens and plots of land was greatest in times of need. During the economic crisis of the 1930s, the demand for allotment gardens rose sharply due to high unemployment and the destitution of many. The emergency decree issued by the Reich President on October 6, 1931 made it possible to expropriate land for allotment gardens in return for appropriate compensation. In October 1933, the Wiesbaden city group of allotment gardeners was founded in the "Reichsbund Deutscher Kleingärtner e.V.", it was the forerunner of today's "Stadt- und Kreisverband Wiesbaden der Kleingärtner e.V.", in 1959 the name "Stadtgruppe Wiesbaden der Kleingärtner e.V." was introduced; it received its current name in 1974.

After the Second World War, allotment gardens and plots of land were essential for the survival of many people. In order to compensate for the low food rations, the population planted their own vegetables on all usable land in the early post-war years, including public green spaces. The Wiesbaden city administration also made additional allotment gardens and garden areas available during this time, a total of 1,200 plots. In 1948 there were 5,500 organized allotment gardens in Wiesbaden, in 1950 there were even 6,300 with an area of around 205 hectares, a figure that was never reached again. However, their size was below the desired standard of 300-400^m2 per plot.

As the living and food situation of the population improved from the 1950s onwards, the function of allotment gardens changed and the aspect of gardens as an additional source of food receded into the background. In the middle of the decade, a report on urban leisure facilities came to the conclusion that allotment gardens had become an "actual leisure facility" (Hertzfeld 1956, p. 116). In addition to providing a balance to professional work, they also offered vacation recreation and also encouraged families to spend their leisure time together. The construction of new housing estates from the 1950s onwards reduced the number of allotment gardens in Wiesbaden. Since 1950, it fell from 3,349 plots to 2,654 (1980). The construction of the new housing estate ➞ Klarenthal, for example, resulted in the loss of 175 gardens with an area of around 8 hectares. In order to cover the demand for garden land, the city made land available for new sites elsewhere, for example in 1989 when the association "Am Klosterweg e.V." was founded in Klarenthal, or in 2000 in ➞ Schierstein when the allotment garden association "Im Boden e.V." was founded.

The allotment garden law of 1919 was replaced in 1983 by the "Federal Allotment Garden Law", which now guaranteed the associations security of existence. The following year, the "Stadt- und Kreisverband Wiesbaden der Kleingärtner e.V." concluded a general lease agreement with the city of Wiesbaden for all plots on which allotment garden associations were located. Today, the federation looks after 47 associations with around 3,700 members in the districts of Wiesbaden, Main-Taunus, Rheingau-Taunus and Darmstadt. In addition to the federal government, the state of Hesse and the city of Wiesbaden, the land is leased to church communities and private owners.

There are a total of 32 allotment garden sites in the city of Wiesbaden with a total area of around 56 hectares. The demand for plots is constantly high and generally exceeds the supply of designated areas. Allotment gardens are considered an important part of urban green spaces and offer people in the city valuable garden and recreational areas. They are used for leisure activities as well as for nature and landscape conservation.