East Ward Allotment Association

Andy Howard of the Heritage Fruit Tree Company will be running Winter Pruning + Grafting Training Courses 20th and 21st Jan, 3rd and 4th Feb.

More details here: Dear Fruit Lover .

O&DFAA (Oxford and District Federation of Allotment Associations) will be holding its 1st POTATO FAIR in conjunction with Pennard Potatoes.

On Thursday 22^nd  February,  from 2pm – 7pm at West Oxford Community Centre, Botley Road.

Admission FREE, All welcome

(Parking is very limited on site. Botley Road buses use Osney Island stop. Ten minute level walk from Seacourt Park and ride)

More information here: http://www.potato-days.net/  – a large number of potato varieties will be available for sale, as well as onion sets, shallots, fruit bushes and trees, dahlias and gladioli. You can pre-order items from Pennard Plants for collection on the day too.

We have taken delivery of 3 large piles of manure, which is now available for £2 a barrow-load.

Please pay in the shop when it opens again on 7th January, or put the money in an envelope with your plot number on it under the door

All welcome at the Donnington Arms, on the corner of Howard St and Silver Road. Sunday 17th December from 6.30pm.

The Urban Wildlife Group have rehomed some slow-worms on their site, so we are likely to see them on the allotments.

These are NOT snakes – they are a type of legless lizard. They are protected under UK law, so please leave them alone

♥♥♥  They eat slugs!  ♥♥♥

Please be aware that they can be poisoned by slug pellets, particularly the metaldehyde type – we sell the less toxic ferric phosphate ones in the shop, which should still be used sparingly.

As the skip we ordered for the work party was mysteriously full to the brim within half a day, we will be having it collected this week and another one delivered to try and meet demand.

The space in this skip costs several hundred pounds, so please use it carefully and wisely –

Pack stuff in carefully – no voids

Only for metals, stone and plastics, for the most part.

No timber – burn it. No organic material – compost it. No soil – it is our most precious resource.

No rubbish from off-site. And please remember there are over 100 EWAA members who might also want to put something in.

No asbestos, plaster board, chemicals. liquids, or noxious substances – we would have to pay penalties.

Many thanks to everyone who came along and helped clear various areas around site this chilly/damp weekend! One or two people have said they will come down during the week and do a bit more clearance in woodchip car park, feel free to give them a hand.

Please come and join us for one or both work parties this weekend! We will be tidying the car parks, cutting back brambles, generally sprucing the site up and maybe even clearing out the shop gutters, on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th from 10-12. Come on either day or both and please bring work gloves, loppers, gloves, saws, spades, and cake to share if you’d like to. We will have tea and coffee to hand. If you bring your children, please be responsible for them at all times!

Committee members will be on hand to direct proceedings.

These are generally fun events where you can work as hard as you like, and a good chance to meet other plotholders. There are tasks for a range of skill levels too, something for everyone.

2017 poster chris bird-1

You are invited to an O&DFAA TALK:

Companion Planting: How does it work?

Ideas to try on your allotment or in the garden

by

Chris Bird, M. Hort (RHS)

Lecturer in Horticulture

 Sparsholt College, Hampshire

On Thursday 30 November at 7.00pm in West Oxford Community Centre, Botley Road.

 Admission Free                              All welcome

Refreshments

Limited parking available.

Botley Road buses – use  Osney Island stop

Boundary Brook Nature Park is in need of a revamp, and we want YOU to be a part of it. The park, adjacent to our allotment site, is a beautiful fenced-in natural area that brings wilderness to the heart of our community. Since 1990, the Oxford Urban Wildlife Group (OUWG) has been in charge of this vital asset.

OUWG invites you to be a part of an energised membership, and will be holding a meeting on November 7 to discuss how to take this park into the future and to link it more closely to the community. The aim is to make it a natural resource for children’s education, a sanctuary for indigenous wildlife conservation and a place of solace and wonderment for visitors of all ages.

A revitalised OUWG committee would hope to accomplish these aims through active membership participation, school visits and regular open days to the public. Come to the Florence Park Community Centre at 7:30 pm on 7 November to hear about our plans and possibly to be a part of this exciting community resource.