Ally’s monthly blog for August starts, “As July rolls into lazy August and the Celtic festival of the first harvest of ‘Lammas’ shines upon us, I delight in both the sight and taste of the blue of borage flowers. Borage
Botley Meadow Late Summer BBQ
We are having our second (‘late’ summer) Botley Meadow BBQ on Saturday September 7th from 1pm onwards. As usual it is a ‘bring and share’ event (we don’t use any of the association funds to cover this) – so please
Allotment Ecology
Gardeners World (BBC2 on Friday 21st June) – Frances Tophill visited an allotment in Oxfordshire to meet a gardener (Nadine Mitschunas) who is growing her crops alongside plants attractive to pollinating insects and other wildlife. Nadine works at the same
Leaves, Blossoms & Petals
This month’s article from Ally gives us plenty of ideas of what to do with foraged leaves and flowers. See the full article with composting tips and recipes here.
Feedback from the 2019 AGM poster session
Feedback from the 2019 AGM A pre-AGM session had posters on the following: Twenty Pound Meadow Water Harvesting Project Suggestions for Association Website improvements Suggestions for Association Shop improvements Gardening Sensibly, Sensitively and Sustainably Members were asked for their views
Of interest to members …
Two items from members that may be of interest this month. Firstly an article on why gardens don’t need pesticides – which is timely following the AGM discussion around the use of chemicals on allotments. The second is an article
Bee walks and nest boxes
Oxford Plan Bee are offering plotholders the chance to attend one of their free upcoming Bee Walks, in either Wytham Woods or Oxford City (with a possible bonus visit to the Botanic Gardens). Walkers will visit some of their solitary
Security on Allotments
There has been a recent spate of organised thefts and vandalism on allotment sites across Oxford. We have updated and uploaded a guide to making allotment sites and plots more secure. We urge you all to read it … It
Allotment AGM 2019
The 2019 AGM will take place at West Oxford Community Centre (next to Twenty Pound Meadow) in the evening of Thursday 25th April. 7:00 for 7:15pm – refreshments and an interactive session with four topics: Twenty Pound Meadow Water Harvesting
TPM Water Harvesting Project update
Pete Feenan and his team have been doing a sterling job on the Water Harvesting Project at Twenty Pound Meadow allotments. There is a PDF report here which describes their progress As part of the project we plan to extend
City bees: allotments and gardens can help arrest decline
A recent article in the Guardian reports that allotments, weedy corners and fancy gardens are all urban havens for bees and other pollinators, a study has found. Allotments are particularly good places for pollinators because they provide a mix of
West Oxford Grow Your Own & Potato Fair
Following the success of our Potato Fair earlier this year, ODFAA have organised a repeat in January 2019. This is an excellent opportunity to try out different potato varieties as they can be bought by the tuber. This summer Botley
Botley Meadow Polytunnel – places going fast
Want to grow tender seedlings or heat-loving crops but don’t have a greenhouse? No problem! Why not rent one of the spaces in our new communal polytunnel? All proceeds go towards polytunnel maintenance, other Botley Meadow projects and site maintenance
UK heatwaves lasting twice as long as 50 years ago – Met Office
The Met Office annual UK Climate Report has been updated and shows some interesting statistics that may be of interest to allotmenteers: Warm spells are becoming much more prolonged. From 1961 to 1990, the average longest warm spell each year
ODFAA Talk – Charles Dowding on ‘No Dig’ gardening
‘No-dig gardening, save time and extend the season’ Saturday 3rd November 2018 7.30pm West Oxford Community Centre, Botley Road Admission by TICKET ONLY Tickets , if still available, from John Lardner, 8 Snowdon Mede, Headington, OX3 7TQ More details and