East Ward Allotment Association

You can now see our typical stock and prices on the website before you venture down on a Sunday morning to buy. Seeds, onions sets, garlic and seed potatoes are all available in season. Canes, mypex (black plastic to cover those weeds), slug pellets and all manner of gardening bits and bobs are available year round. Sunday morning in the shop is the best chance to catch up with a member of the committee if you need to bring something up, or just say Hi.

This years rent days are coming up on the 9th and 16th of October, in the shop on Sunday morning. The rent will be agreed at the AGM on the 29th September and plotholders can come along either day to pay their rent, or if necessary we can arrange for payment by BACs.

There will also be a plot inspection this Sunday, 25th September. Please make sure your plot is numbered, as required by the association rules and so that we can tell yours from your neighbours’. A few ready made signs (paint your own number on) will be available in the shop that morning for bargain prices.

The long-standing veg show at Elder Stubbs Festival, on 20th August this year, has been opened up to allotment holders from other sites. If your peas are perfect, your beans beautiful, or your leeks lovely, get yourself an entry form and take them along for the chance to win cash prizes and everlasting glory. See here for more info on times/dates/parking/entry requirements.

Thanks to everyone who turned out today in spite of the rain! Many plants were swapped and we raised quite a bit for Garden Organic too.

Meet at the allotment shop at 10.30

Plant swap at the allotment shop, Sunday 12th June, 11-12.

Bring your spare plants, take something new home.

Make a donation to charity instead if you don’t have anything to swap!

This week in the EWAA shop (10-12 on Sunday), as well as the chance to buy your seed potatoes, onions sets, seeds and garden paraphernalia, you can participate in mapping Oxford’s food production history. We will be asking everyone to tell us about their memories of orchards, bakeries, breweries, farms, mills, eel-trapping grounds and anything else you can think of so we can map it all together. This is a trial run for what will hopefully be a much bigger community local history project later on running city-wide with interviews, research skills training for volunteers and events, leading to an exhibition at the museum and creation of various maps showing Oxford’s history of providing for itself.

This years Oxford and District Federation of Allotment Associations competition is open for entries!

Cash prizes!

The Judges will be looking for plots that grow a wide range of vegetables all year round, together with seasonal soft fruit. The emphasis is strongly on the quality of the crops and the overall productivity of the plot.

All individual entrants compete for the Challenge Trophy for the best plot, and there are 4 separate age categories: for seniors aged 60-69, and over 70 years, for 35-59 years, and under 35 years. The individual competition is open to all plot holders in Oxford, including those on sites that are not members of the Federation of Allotment Associations. Entrants do not have to cultivate a full sized plot to enter and this year they are introducing a special section for plotholders, who cultivate an area of 5 poles (127m²) or less.

The prizes for the classes for individuals, the Challenge Trophy and each age category will be: 1^st £25, 2^nd £15, 3^rd £10. Highly Commended certificates are awarded to runners up in the Challenge Trophy section.

Final date for entries: Friday 6 May

First round of judging: Sunday 22 May and Tuesday 24 May

Second round of judging: Sunday 4 September and Monday 5 September

Presentation of the awards at the Town Hall, to which all entrants and their partners are invited: Tuesday 27 September

Please email ewaa-oxford@hotmail.co.uk if you want the nitty-gritty and the entry forms.

Free cuttings of purple loosestrife (native pond plant) and fennel plants available from Bridget at EWAA – email her on bridgetathome@hotmail.co.uk if you’d like some.