East Garston Allotment Association

New lottery grant for expansion of site

2011-08-11T12:28:00.005+01:00

Great news - we have once again been awarded a grant from the Big Lottery Fund. This grant will be for £2430 and will cover all the costs of the new extension to the site at the western (far) end. This includes additional fencing, two more water troughs and an increased parking area. Five new half plots will be created and work is set to start in the next two weeks. All new plots are now spoken for but as a result our waiting list is looking very empty, so if interested please get in touch ASAP.

Summer crops around the corner..

2011-06-15T10:44:00.007+01:00

Great to see all the plants shooting up after the rain; we just need some warmer temperatures now!

The next EGAA meeting will be on Wednesday 22nd June at 8pm in the village hall. This meeting is regarding:

1. The produce show / stall to be held at the fete on Saturday 6th August.
2. The proposed extension of the site at the far end.
3. Any other general matters.

Hope to see you there!

Spring is in the air...

2011-03-22T10:27:00.005Z

Great to see the first warm days of spring and evidence of a lot of digging!

Parish newsletter

2011-03-04T12:45:00.004Z

The following piece was just written for the upcoming annual parish newsletter. Don't forget the next EGAA meeting on Monday 14th March - 8pm in the village hall - hope to see you there.

East Garston Allotment Association

We're fast approaching one of the most exciting times of year at the allotment site - the main sowing season. This time last year we were struggling to set the site up in time, battling the wettest spring on record and trying to remove huge infestations of dock and couch grass. We never expected to harvest much in our first year but in fact most of us had a bumper crop of a huge variety of fruit and vegetables. A year on and the project continues to go from strength to strength; there is a real sense of community at the site with everyone helping each other out and sharing knowledge, equipment and crops. In November last year we had a brief brush with fame when we were featured on ITV's "Meridian Tonight", as an example of how communities can work together to achieve common goals. This was followed in December by less positive news - our first (and hopefully last) break in at the site. Some damage was caused to the storage container and a shed but luckily nothing was taken. Following a very successful inaugural produce show at the village fete last September, raising over £300 for the Association and other village groups, we plan to repeat the event this year and hopefully make it even bigger. Once again this will be open to all so please get in touch if you would like to help out or get involved. Please also check out our blog for regular allotment updates - www.eastgarstonaa.blogspot.com

Site buried in snow again!

2010-12-18T17:58:00.003Z

Break in at the site

2010-12-01T10:29:00.003Z

It is with great regret that I have to announce that we had our first (and hopefully last!) break in at the allotment site last Saturday night. The padlock on the container was broken, a rotovator tampered with, the fencing cut and sheds broken into. However there does not seem to have been anything stolen and everything has now been repaired, so we have got off relatively lightly. Anyone with any information should please contact the police asap on 0845 8505505, quoting the Crime Reference Number FB3723583/10.

EGAA on the news..

2010-11-24T10:50:00.006Z

Look out for some images and interviews from East Garston Allotments coming up soon on ITV. Despite the driving rain they managed to record some limited footage at the site, to be shown during the next few weeks on the local news program "Meridian Tonight". It's part of a feature on communities working together to achieve things and will also include footage of local hero Sarah Ward at Buckingham Palace.

Polecat ferret at the site

2010-10-12T13:50:00.003+01:00

Great news - a polecat ferret seems to have moved into the site - our best weapon yet in the war against rats and mice!

Jenny's flowers

2010-09-27T12:16:00.003+01:00

Despite selling so many bunches at the produce show (raising lots of money for village groups), Jenny's flowers continue to look amazing and brighten up the whole site! Definitely worth a photo on the blog before winter sets in and they are gone...

Produce show report

2010-09-13T10:24:00.006+01:00

The first ever EGAA produce show and stall, held at the village fete, was a huge success - lots of superb entries, plenty of people coming down to see them and sunny skies all day. Check below for some photos of the day, many thanks to photographer Sam Frost for these.

Sincere thanks are also due to our judges Jane and Robert Fearnley-Whittingstall, as well all the EGAA members who helped out in any way - in particular Martyn Wright, Martin Digweed and Vanessa Lee who did the bulk of the work. Vanessa then also went on to win 'best in show' for an immaculate collection of vegetables - thanks again to Franchi Seeds for supplying the first prize. Finally, Pat Murphy certainly deserves a mention for his amazing impromptu appearance as auctioneer - raising additional funds for the Association and other village groups. Exact figures are still to be calculated but altogether we certainly raised over £300.

Following such a great day we certainly plan to make this an annual event and look forward to an even bigger and better show in our second year.

Woodchip path laid

2010-09-08T16:09:00.003+01:00

Many thanks to the volunteers from West Berkshire Council for taking a day out from office life to come and lay the woodchippings on our central path - it looks great and we'll be even more grateful once the winter rains set in...

Prize from Franchi, Seeds of Italy

2010-09-07T22:32:00.007+01:00

Many thanks to seed company Franchi for donating a gift box of gourmet Italian seeds as grand prize for our produce show this Sunday. We'll ask our judge Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall to choose one exceptional entry to receive the prize - all other winners will have to be content with a single packet of seeds! It's a great prize and well worth having so get those last minute entries in now - closing date for entries is this Thursday 9th September; entry forms are available in the shop.

Franchi will also be supplying a seed rack for the day with 10 varieties from their award winning range for sale. All profits will go to the Association and other village community groups so please take the chance to stock up on some Italian favourites, some of which are suitable for planting immediately. Franchi are a family owned business, in the same family for seven generations and loved by many of Europe's top chefs.

EGAA Produce show - Sunday 12th September!

2010-08-27T15:49:00.003+01:00

The 1st Annual East Garston Allotment Association Produce Show
Sunday 12th Septmber 2010 at The East Garston Village Fete

Calling all keen gardeners! (and cooks, and children too!)

Since we took over the land for our allotments in January this year, this is our first Produce Show. The show is open to all so we would like to invite all keen gardeners and their families to join in the fun and enter as many classes as possible!

As well as vegetables, there are lots of classes for flowers, baking, jam making.. and lots of things for children to enter too.

Our judges for the day are none other than Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medalist and writer, and her husband Robert, acknowledged by Jane as the real vegetable expert! They are happy to give some honest feedback on your efforts and to answer your questions, so if you want an expert's opinion, enter now!

Entry forms can be collected from East Garston Community Shop.

Nice things to eat...

2010-08-27T15:43:00.001+01:00

Tarmac on the lane, food on the table..

2010-07-20T15:45:00.007+01:00

I'm delighted to say that we now have tarmac planings laid all the way up the access lane - this is already making vehicle access so much easier and come winter will be worth it's weight in gold. Many thanks for a fantastic job to Trevor and Steve Cripps, Dave Kelly and Richard Talmage.

Meanwhile up at the site we are already experiencing our first gluts - it's amazing how every plot is churning out delicious food crops already. Martyn Wright has once again excelled himself by taking a great set of photos of the whole site - check below for the highlights. Should you wish to view all of the 52 pics he took you can download them by clicking here - highly recommended!

HEAP grant

2010-06-29T13:45:00.002+01:00

Good news - we have been awarded another grant! It is for £475 to cover the costs of 2 additional water troughs and woodchip for the central pathway. The grant is through the West Berks HEAP program (Healthy and Active Parishes), though ultimately once again it is part of the Big Lottery fund. The extra troughs will give us a larger reservoir for congested summer evening watering sessions; it will also mean that nobody has to walk more than a few metres to the nearest trough.

More photos

2010-06-21T12:34:00.004+01:00

Thanks this time to Janey for these pics...

Spring has sprung...

2010-06-01T13:48:00.005+01:00

Thanks to Martyn Wright for these great photos. The site looks amazing - everyone has worked so hard and now the sun is shining, the crops are shooting up and I can't think of anywhere nicer to be...

More radishes!

2010-05-19T09:54:00.004+01:00

You can't beat the good old radish for giving you the first crop of the year.. it seems that the Digweed girls - Caitlin & Phoebe - picked some very healthy looking examples the same day as Maria... it's a dead heat!

First produce?

2010-05-16T18:14:00.003+01:00

Is this the first crop to be harvested from our East Garston Allotments? Maria pulled this Radish (along with the rest of a bunch) today - if anyone else has beaten her to it please let us know. Great to have living proof that stuff does actually grow in our soil - roll on the warmer weather!

Hope to see everyone at the next EGAA meeting - 8pm on Tuesday 25th May.

Raised beds, vines, garlic... and couch grass

2010-04-10T23:17:00.010+01:00

More pics

2010-03-11T09:32:00.003Z

Following Martyn's great photos here are some more, this time from Richard & Jenny (fencing / planting their fruit trees) and Jon & Theresa (laying out the timber for raised beds).

Sunshine!

2010-03-09T12:41:00.003Z

After what has seemed like months of constant rain and snow we're finally being treated to some amazing weather and the site is teeming with life. Everywhere you look raised beds and fences are springing up and the soil is slowly becoming workable. The lane has dried out a lot and is now (just about!) passable in a car. Richard T wins the prize for first planting with some very healthy looking fruit trees while the Moneys have already set up a temporary restaurant...

First dig

2010-02-09T22:57:00.003Z

Matthew (below) braved the intermittent sleet today with a fork - I just managed to stop him in time before he accidentally dug the wrong plot! I had a go myself too but soon gave up - the soil is definitely too wet and we'll do much more harm than good by not waiting a few more weeks. Very keen to get my broad beans sown but will have to settle for a late season crop this year...

Getting the lime on

2010-02-08T21:38:00.005Z

Congratulations to Richard and Martyn for being the first to get stuck in - I might wait till it warms up a bit!

Site now open to tenants!

2010-01-25T12:13:00.006Z

The snow has melted, most of the site preparation work has been done and the plots are now ready for individual occupation. The ground is draining surprisingly quickly and is already becoming quite workable, so it won't be long before we can get stuck in with a fork!

New plot signs

2010-01-17T11:56:00.004Z

Big thanks to Janey Bennett for doing such a good job on these plot signs, they will be hammered into place this afternoon. The snow has now melted so everything is steaming ahead - all is still on course for the site to be fully open following the meeting next Sunday 24th January (11.30am in the village hall).

Big Lottery Fund award

2010-01-15T11:27:00.005Z

We are now able to officially announce that we have been awarded a grant by the Big Lottery Fund. The grant is for £5785 and is to cover all of the main costs in getting the site properly established.

A huge thank you to everyone who buys lottery tickets and also to the Big Lottery Fund themselves for recognizing the value of the project - both to the community and the environment.

Meeting postponed again

2010-01-09T15:27:00.002Z

Apologies for the late notice but, for fairly obvious reasons, I am postponing tomorrow's site meeting again. The whole field is still buried in snow and as such all the work has been set back another week.

More snow and cold temperatures are forecast so to be sure I am rescheduling the meeting for 2 weeks time. So the final confirmed date for the meeting is:

11.30am on Sunday 24th January up at the allotment site.

This meeting will go ahead no matter what the weather - if it's very cold or raining most of the meeting will transfer to the village hall. I do hope you can make it as this will definitely be the official site launch, however should you be unable to attend I will send out a full update by email on the same day.

Enjoy the snow!

Fence posts are in

2010-01-07T09:46:00.003Z

Just managed to get the fence posts in before the whole site was buried under a foot of snow!

More photos & Update

2010-01-01T19:01:00.002Z

Here are some new photos taken over Christmas. The gate and parking area are now in place, the lane has been scraped and the site has been roughly cultivated. The storage container has also been delivered. The ground seems to veer between frozen solid or totally drenched depending on the weather (this is England after all!), but this gives us a chance to crack on with the rest of the site preparation work while we are unable to get on with planting.

The individual plots will be marked out this weekend so we will all be able to see exactly where we are. Then next week the perimeter fencing will go in, the storage container will be totally refurbished (with steel plates bolted across the openings); we'll also be laying a central path with wood chippings and doing some more work on improving the lane. The next steps will be to look at improving drainage and start digging the trench for the water supply.

We will be having a meeting on the site at 11.30am on Sunday 10th January - all are welcome. Hopefully, weather permitting, the bulk of the work will be done by then, so this can be considered to be the official opening of the site to individual tenants.

The field has now been ploughed!

2009-12-10T20:29:00.008Z

After six weeks of almost constant rain we finally had a day of sun and grabbed our chance to plough the field. It has come up really well with a nice crumbly clay loam exposed - quite a heavy soil certainly but much better than we had feared. The next step, within the next few days, will be to run over it with a cultivator. It will then be divided into individual plots before the end of the year.

The spraying has worked!

2009-11-17T08:29:00.005Z

These photos taken yesterday (November 16th) show that the spraying we did has worked really well and is starting to kill off most of the perennial weeds. We'll plough as soon as the ground has dried out a bit after the recent downpours.

The border at the far end of the site:

The border at the lane end:

We missed a bit:

Better photos!

2009-11-15T07:34:00.006Z

I had wanted to keep this blog chronological, but Martyn Wright just sent me these photos he took earlier in the year and I had to post them as they are such nice pictures - all the ones I have taken so far are terrible!

This is the site as seen in the spring:

Here is the view from the site down to the village:

And this was taken on the path just up from the site back in bluebell season:

Photos of the site - November 2009

2009-11-13T21:41:00.006Z

I took these this morning, almost three weeks after Martyn and I sprayed the field with Roundup. Very pleased to see that all the vegetation is yellowing nicely. We'll probably wait another week or so before ploughing.

A brief outline on the project so far..

2009-11-13T21:39:00.002Z

I originally had the idea of starting a new allotment site for East Garston in spring 2008 and it didn’t take long to find others who were equally enthusiastic. By summer we had formed an informal group and had the support of the parish council. In April 2009 we finally found a site, five minutes from the village in a tranquil spot on Gold Hill. On 4th August 2009 the East Garston Allotment Association was officially formed and we then opened a bank account, started applying for grants and began the initial preparations to the site. The field was topped and sprayed with Roundup and we cleared the lane sufficiently to allow vehicle access. On 1st November we signed a five year (minimum) lease on the site.

Photos of the site - July 2009

2009-11-13T21:28:00.008Z

These pics were taken just after the field was topped for the first time - a week earlier there had been 5ft high nettles, dock, couch grass and brambles covering the whole site.