Join us for an end-of-season gathering

On Sunday 3rd December at 11.30 a.m., we're holding our usual end-of-season social get-together at the Association Shop on Scarcroft site, with mulled wine (and soft drinks) and mince pies. We'd love to see you there.

If you have a little time to spare, and are perhaps looking to volunteer in a community initiative, you might be interested in getting more involved in your Association in 2024. We welcome any members who might like to contribute in any way - particularly anyone who would like to join our volunteers running the shop at weekends. If this appeals to you, then even once every few weeks would be a great help to us! Email us, or just drop in on Dec 3rd.   

Autumn update from the Association Committee

 Here are some updates for you, to help settle into autumn:

Manure

Manure has arrived TODAY at Scarcroft - £2 a barrowload - please put through hut letterbox, or pay during shop opening hours, or online (enquire if details needed). Why not apply this season, and let the worms do the work over the winter !!

Autumn-planting onions - Senshyu and Winter Red - now on sale in the shop Sat/Sun.

Autumn-planting garlic - Solent Wight - will be on sale from early October.

Seed Potato Orders

This year, you can pre-order 2kg packs from a wide range of varieties, at very competitive prices.  These must be pre-ordered in coming weeks - we need to receive your order by Friday 27th October latest. Please see all the details on the order form which you can download here.  

In addition, we'll be offering four popular varieties (see order form) that we will pack in 1kg bags. These can either be pre-ordered now as above, OR bought when we receive the potatoes from our supplier in February (while stocks last only). 

Lawn care products

We're doing a clearance sale of large bags of lawn care products. 

Feed and Weed:    We have 2 x 25kg bags which we're offering for £20 each (current internet price average is over £40 each!) OR £35 for the two;

Lawn Sand:    We have 2 x 25kg bags which we're offering for £10 each (current internet price average is over £25 each!) OR £15 for the two;  we also have 1 x 16kg bag (current internet price average is £19!) which we're offering for £8.

Good gardening to all!

Regards,

your Association Committee

The footpath improvement work at Scarcroft site is now completed

 

As you can see, work on improving the main footpath through the Scarcroft site is now completed and has brought about a vast improvement. Our thanks to all involved!

Footpath improvement work at Scarcroft this Friday

This Friday, 14th July, sections of the main footpath through the site will be gravelled to improve water run-off and reduce muddiness following wet weather.  The car park area of the site will be used for delivery of gravel and machinery for the work, so it will not be possible to park there during this day.  We're sorry for any inconvenience.

The work is being carried out by Jackson, the company carrying out the extensive works on the Tadcaster Road.  They are doing the work without charge as part of their community projects, while they are working in the area.  We're very grateful to the company for their generosity.  Setting up this project on the Scarcroft site has involved Scarcroft Allotments Association, YACIO and City of York Council.  

India's environmental commitment at Scarcroft recognised

 

Congratulations to India Szechy who has been awarded a Blue Peter Badge following the help which she and her plotholder mum Agnes gave during the Site Care Day in February. The badge is a green one which is awarded for caring for the environment and nature.

For those of us who are slightly longer in the tooth than India It seems that there are two things to celebrate. First, that someone of India's age should set such a shining example. Second, that the Blue Peter Badge scheme is still there to recognise and reward the wonderful things that many young people do. Hats off to them all!

It's the AGM on 26th April

The Association's Annual General Meeting this year will be on 26th April at 7.30 p.m. in the Hamilton Panthers Clubhouse at the Little Knavesmire.

Please find the agenda and draft minutes by clicking on the hyperlinks.

The annual summary of accounts will be circulated prior to the meeting.

Also in the downloads are items relating to the Scarcroft Shop replacement:

- Discussion notes from last year's AGM

- Draft minutes of Extaordinary General Meeting on this subject.

We hope to see you there if you can make it!

Site Inspection postponed....and free children's play equipment

Given the recent heavy rain, we've put back the date of our first full inspection until around the middle of April, just after Easter, to give a little more time for you to prepare your plot.

This children's play equipment belonged to a former tenant and is no longer needed by this tenant or by the new tenant of the plot. 
It's on the footpath near the green 'triangle' on the site. 
Please take any item(s) you have a good home for!

Spring has (almost) sprung!

We’re now in the first month of spring, though it looks like being a while before the weather – and the soil – is warm enough for a lot of serious sowing and planting.  If there are no really cold spells in the weather forecasts, we’ll be turning the water supply to the site back on in the second half of the coming week.  

If you have hedges that need trimming and/or any saplings growing in your plot or on its boundary, now is a good time to cut them back, before the bird nesting season gets under way.  Please keep any brash or branches on your plot.  If you can’t take them to the council tip or otherwise dispose of them on your plot (even woody brash will rot down for compost given time…), just cut them up and tuck them into the bottom of your hedge.

If you have garden tools that you use on your plot and you’re concerned about security, there will be police property marking sessions during the season where you can get any tools/wheelbarrows etc. marked for free.  Local sessions will be at Southlands Methodist Church, 97 Bishopthorpe Road, York, YO23 1NX on the following dates: June 1st, Aug 3rd, Oct 5th from 10.30am – 2.00pm.  North Yorkshire Police say:  "We will be there to talk about crime prevention and home security, and will be offering the free DotPeen property marking machine as well as the opportunity to sign up to North Yorkshire Police's community messaging service."

We’ll be doing this year’s first full inspection of plots on the site towards the end of March.  If there are any reasons why you won’t be able to have your plot ready for cultivation by then, other than obvious reasons that we’ll know about such as recently taking over a neglected plot, please let YACIO know      ( contact@yorkallotments.org ) so that they can advise us.

All the best,

Claire and Graham

Free tools at the shop!

 

We have a range of used gardening tools, which we’re happy to offer to members. 

The tools are free, although a donation to the association would be very much appreciated!   

The tools are available to view in the shop during opening times—

Saturdays 1.30 p.m.—3.30 p.m.;  
Sundays 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon.

The shop is bursting at the seams with good stuff for your plot

 

Hi members,

Just a reminder that the Scarcroft shop is now open again.

 All members who placed orders to collect potatoes, please now come in and get them! 

Also - our bulk stocks of potatoes (for those who didn't place orders) are already running low - please get them while you can.

Those of you who have been members for some years may remember that, before the pandemic, we could order a select range of packeted seeds from Mr Fothergills / Johnsons, on your behalf, at a 35% discount. We are now able to offer this service again. 

Please find at these links

• A list of the packeted seeds we can order 

• 
  
• An order form for these
  
  Microsoft word version
  
  PDF version
  
  Please let us have your completed seed order form by 2nd March - via email or through the shop letterbox. No payment necessary until you collect your seeds, thanks.
  
  
• A summary of the other seeds we have generally available in the shop. 
  
  As usual, we offer many of your favourites as standard, whether loose by weight, in 50p envelopes, or packets of the more usual Mr Fothergill's varieties at the same 35% discount.

Regards,

your Association Committee

Scarcroft gets ready for spring

The Association shop re-opens
on 4th February

We’ll be open from then on at the usual times:

Saturday 1.30 to 3.30 p.m.

Sunday 10.00 a.m. to 12 noon.

Seed potatoes have arrived and are on sale at last year’s prices, and potato orders are
ready for collection.

Onions and shallots have also arrived and are on sale, along with our usual selection
of gardening supplies

Come and check out our special offer on a peat-free compost.

...........................................................................................................

Scarcroft  Site Care Day 

Sunday  12th February

2.00—4.00 p.m. 

Come along and help us to tidy up the site for a new season — and join us for tea and biscuits afterwards.   

Meet at the shop at 2 0’clock. 

Photo by Shelley Pauls on Unsplash

Pruning your fruit trees

 

Laura Potts has kindly supplied these notes to help you keep your fruit trees healthy and productive.

Aims of pruning

• To maintain a balance between fruiting and growth
• To maintain an appropriate shape and size to tree
• To keep tree healthy as well as productive

General principles:

• Know what you’re pruning FOR: fruit, shape, growth. Know what you’re pruning TO: a growth or fruit bud, to make a spur, to create space and airiness.
• Use clean, sharp tools (learn how to sharpen blades)
• Cut cleanly on a slant, leave no snags (so cut to an outward facing bud or sideshoot)
• Cut weak growth hard, strong growth more lightly
• Keep the centre of the tree open (so you can throw your hat through!); keep the tree’s shape balanced around its centre of gravity 
• Keep growth low and horizontal
• Know your shoots: growth buds lie flat to the branch, fruit buds are fatter (and furry later in spring)

Pruning process and steps:

• Prune trained trees (fans cordons and espaliers) in summer; prune bush and pyramid shaped trees in winter
• Stand back to look at the whole tree often, as you work methodically around it
• Remove dead, diseased or damaged wood
• Remove crossing branches that might rub each other
• Aim for fruiting branches to be horizontal (so cut out any dramatic verticals – although they may bend when laden) 
• The tree should ideally have about 10 main permanent framework branches, with laterals (side branches) which produce fruit and are eventually replaced
• Cut sideshoots back by about a quarter to a third each year to make them branch to form fruiting laterals
• After about four years, these laterals should be removed in favour of new fruiting lateral shoots (this is renewal pruning)

Laura Potts January 2023