We are still looking for new committee members as of the AGM at the end of September. If you have some time please join us and use your skills to keep the site running smoothly. We need a secretary and a treasurer as well as regular committee members. Get in touch via email (ewaa-oxford@hotmail.co.uk) or speak to a committee member on site.
Naturehood
Naturehood launches in Oxford:
The Naturehood website is now LIVE! You can take part by registering on our new website. Naturehood is a project created by Earthwatch Europe which focuses on local wildlife. Individual actions for wildlife are fantastic, but imagine what we could achieve if whole communities work together towards a common goal. Our initial target areas are Oxford and Swindon, but anybody in the UK can sign-up and start discovering the wildlife on their doorstep, and by involving your neighbours your community can also become a Naturehood.
Take self-guided surveys and use our spotter’s guides to help with identification, and learn about the wildlife in your garden and how to help it thrive by following our Naturespace actions. Take a quiz to see if you know your bees from your butterflies and your hogs from your frogs!
By repeating these surveys you can help us to build a clearer picture of the biodiversity in your area, and see how your actions are helping.
Notice the nature around you, take action, and share on our social media pages – we would love to see the creatures you discover!
Social media links:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NaturehoodFlorencePark/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NaturehoodMarston/
Thank you, and happy surveying!
Chloë – Naturehood Oxford Community Engagement Officer
Summer social – this Saturday!
Come and join us for lunch provided free of charge by plotholder Shamsul Hoque and your committee! We will start at 12 and will have children’s games and activities as well as the oddest thing found on an allotment competition.
We will be providing Indian food plus separate meat and veggie barbecues, do bring anything you’d like to share, picnic mats and of course the oddest thing you’ve found on your plot!
There was an excellent display of produce at the East Ward Allotment Show, held on Saturday. The sports opened much amusement and were keenly contested.
Photos: Mrs Woodly outstripped all competitors in the egg and spoon race. Start of the wheelbarrow race Mr. P. J. Archer takes the sack race very seriously.
Oxford Journal 18-8-1920.
Children’s Allotment workday and meet up
Lots going on this weekend, Barracks Lane Garden’s family activity day on Saturday (see below) and on Sunday our neighbours at the Children’s Allotment (behind our shop) have an event:
All Welcome at the Children’s Allotment
The day will be a planting workday where we will focus on the poly tunnel area and finally put some of the things we have been planting over the weeks into the beds. We will be there from 10-3pm and especially wanted to invite any plot holders, those who have not previously been to see the site, or those who have but would love to know more, to come and meet us, have a chat and see what we have been doing and what our plans are. We have a LOT of flower pots and seeds that you are welcome to take with you and if you have any plants (flowers, herbs, vegetables) that you would like to donate to the project, bring them along and we can plant them together!From 2pm there will be tea and home made cakes to celebrate 🙂 We look forward to seeing you there.
All the best from the Children’s Allotment Team
Family activity day at Barracks Lane Community Garden
Plant swap this Sunday!
Don’t forget the swap this Sunday, 11 -12. Please bring seeds, seedlings and plants to swap and share, and meet your fellow plotholders.
The shop will also be open and will have tomato, pepper and cucumber seedlings from Cutteslowe Community Plant Nursery for sale.
Cucumber, Tomato, Pepper and Aubergine seedlings for sale at allotment shop
The following seedlings from Cutteslowe Nursery will be for sale at the allotment shop this Sunday 12th May at £1.50 each:
Cucumber – Passandra
Tomatoes – Ailsa Craig, Gigantomo, Moneymaker, Shirley, Sweet Million
Peppers: Bomba, Sweet Banana, Delirio, Cajun belle, Bendigo
Aubergine: Moneymaker, Black Beauty
Seedling swap
It’s that time again – you somehow have 8 courgette seedlings but none of your leeks came up! Rest assured, someone else has too many leeks, and their friend is in dire need of courgettes – bring what you have over to our annual plant swap, 11-12 at the shop on 19th May, and take what you need. If you have nothing to swap we will be taking donations for charity instead, but do bring what you can!
Mysterious Morels
Have you seen anything weird growing on your plot lately? A plotholder on the top road (Howard St side) has recently discovered morels on her allotment and we are wondering if anyone else has them. They may have come in with the woodchip and shouldn’t do any harm to your plot. True morels are edible, but do check with someone well-informed before eating any!
Taps and trenches
At long last we have our new taps, many thanks to all those involved in organising this and to the council for getting the work done. The tanks are not all in place yet, please don’t flood the sites before we get that done (or afterwards either…). We are reliably informed that there are a lot of small stones left in the path which may interfere with the mowing – if your plot is next to one of those areas and you can see your way to raking it free of stones we would be very grateful.
