East Ward Allotment Association

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. 

This autumns’ work parties will be on the 11th and 12th of November, from 10 til 12. Committee members will be on hand with jobs to do, tea and biscuits. Please bring tools, gloves etc. More details will be available after the committee meeting on 9th November.

Growmore – £0.70/kg
Bone Meal – £0.65/kg
Pelleted Chicken Manure – £0.55/kg

Water Butt 120 litre – £25.00 each

We now have Solent Wight and Vallelado garlic bulbs for autumn planting – only £1.70 per 100g.

It’s been a good year for apples and pears, quince too. (Not so great for plums and gages due to a couple of very hard late frosts). We will be getting out the apple presses again on 8th October at 2pm by the shop, please bring apples and bottles along, and come and meet your fellow apple lovers.

There are many trees full of fruit on site, and sadly we have to remind you NOT to take fruit from other plots without permission. There are no vacant plots on site, every one is tenanted, and all the fruit belongs to someone. If you find yourself watching with frustration as fruit apparently goes to waste, and you can’t find the plotholder to speak to directly, contact the committee by email or in the shop and we will do our best to speak to them and see if they might be willing to share.

We have had several incidents of people having their fruit stolen in the past, and will be taking any future occurrences very seriously. Our rules state that anyone stealing fruit is liable to eviction from their plot.

A student from Brookes university has contacted us and requested that anyone interested fill in a survey for his research on allotments:

I  am a geography student who will soon be starting my third year at Oxford Brookes University. I am beginning my dissertation research, and have opted to study allotments for this task. My initial aim is to discover how the benefits of allotments may vary geographically, for example how a rural, semi-rural or urban location for allotments may impact upon the benefits people obtain. I live in the village of Haddenham, and intend to compare responses of allotment holders in Haddenham (i.e. a village environment) with those of allotment holders in a town and a city. I have identified East Ward allotments in Oxford as a site where I can collect data on the benefits allotment holders experience in a city environment. I have created an anonymous questionnaire for allotment holders which has been checked by my project supervisor.  I understand that there are little benefits to be gained by your allotment holders cooperation, however if you would be interested I would be very happy to forward my results to you once I have finished my research.

If you’re able to help by filling in the survey, find it here: East Ward Digital Questionnaire.  Copies are also available in the EWAA shop.