ONION SETS FOR SPRING PLANTING

The EWAA is not stocking onion sets this spring because there has been so much wastage in the last couple of years. But you can find them in several local shops, for example:

  1. The Garden – Covered Market
  2. Headington Homewares – Windmill Road
  3. The Range (ex-Homebase) – Horspath Driftway

EWAA Shop Officer

Vehicle access now permitted

The weather is slowly improving and many members are waiting to deliver bulky items to their plots, so vehicles are again allowed on site. However, the ground is still soft and the grass lanes are easily damaged. The Shop Lane has become particularly narrow, with eroded edges and hazardous drops down onto the plots. So please note the following dos and don’ts, and show consideration to your fellow plotholders.

  • Meet and accompany any delivery driver at all times when s/he is on site
  • Unload your delivery as quickly as possible, and then park your vehicle outside the site gates if you are staying
  • Make sure that cyclists can get past
  • No Parking on the lanes or on the Social Area (Middle Lane)
  • No U-turns – ask someone to guide you, and either reverse in and drive out, or drive in and reverse out.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

EWAA Committee

No vehicles on site until further notice!

The ground is waterlogged at the moment so the weight of vehicles damages our grass lanes, and makes driving on the site unsafe. Thankfully, a dry spell of weather has been forecast for the coming weeks. We will let you know as soon as the surface is stable enough enough, so please look out for a further update.

In the meantime:

  • Respect the notices on the gates
  • Leave your vehicles outside
  • Don’t let any delivery vehicle through the site gates

Thank you for your understanding!

EWAA Committee

Shop reopening & seed potatoes

The allotment shop reopens on Sunday 23rd February, 10:00-12:00. Fresh stock, including seed potatoes, will be available. If you have any questions, contact the shop here.

Potato stock for 2025:

  • First earlies: Caledonian Pearl, Duke of York, Red Duke of York, Swift.
  • Second earlies: Charlotte, Wilja.
  • Main crop: Desirée, Marvel.

The shop opens on Sunday mornings as follows:

  • mid-Feb-March: 10:00-12:00
  • April-July: 11:00-12:00
  • Sept-Nov: 11:00-12:00
  • August, December & January: Closed

Peasticks/hazel poles on offer

Our neighbours at the Oxford Urban Wildlife Group (OUWG), who manage the Boundary Brook Nature Reserve, generously provide EWAA allotment members with a supply of peasticks each spring, in the form of hazel branches coppiced in the autumn.

This year’s supply is now available at the communal social/play area (midde lane). Please help yourself!

REMINDER: Do not forage/remove anything from the nature reserve itself.

You can read more about Boundary Brook Nature Reserve on this page.

Plant order for early Spring 2025

One of our members has generously volunteered to collate an order of plants, which are not normally available from the allotment shop, sourcing them from the Organic Gardener website to arrive in time for planting out at the beginning of March.

  •     Organic Artichoke Roots
  •     Organic Asparagus Roots
  •     Organic Horseradish Roots
  •     Organic Soft Fruit Plants
  •     Organic Strawberry Roots
  •     Organic Rhubarb Roots & Plants

If you would like to place an order for any the plants in this list please look at the stock on the link above under the heading “Organic Vegetables & Fruit”, and complete this form to place an order.
NB – you do not need to sign in to Google to do this, and you do not need a gmail account.

Order deadline: 16th February 2025

Payment In Advance: this one-off order is not being organised through the Shop, so once you have submitted the form you will receive an email explaining how to pay.

EWAA Committee

Important update on the Boundary Brook Nature Reserve

The Boundary Brook Nature Reserve lies to the south-west of the East Ward Allotments site, and there is a grass buffer zone that marks the division between the two sites. Both the Reserve and the buffer zone are managed by the Oxford Urban Wildlife Group (OUWG).

During January and February this year (2025) the OUWG will undertake two projects that affect the allotment site:

  1. To fence off the gap beside the gate at the end of the Middle Lane with hazel hurdles.
  2. To thin the trees in the Nature Reserve along the path that leads to the Middle Lane, in order to improve light conditions for growers.

PLEASE NOTE: plot holders must respect the following rules, which apply on the Nature Reserve and also on the buffer zone that separates it from the EWAA:

  • Don’t remove anything from the Nature Reserve site
  • Don’t cut down trees and shrubs
  • Don’t litter
  • Always keep dogs on leads
  • Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult

You can read more about the development programme at the 2025 Nature Reserve on this page.

If plot holders have any comments or concerns regarding the Nature Reserve these should be sent to the EWAA Committee which liaises with the OUWG regularly.

Map of Boundary Brook Nature Reserve

Voluntary donations to the EWAA

At the AGM in October, some members expressed that they would be willing to donate additional funds to the EWAA on top of their rent, to help bolster our financial stability and build up our reserves. If you are in a position to do so, a donation would be gratefully received.

To make a voluntary donation, please use the same bank details as those you paid your rent to, but with the reference ‘Member donation‘.

The outgoing Treasurer stressed the need to build up our reserve account for costs such as repairs to the Shop building and fencing. In the past the Council has helped with grants, but this sort of financial support is unlikely in future.

For further information on the Association’s finances, please see the minutes of the 2024 AGM.

EWAA Committee

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