Dear Scarcroft Allotments Tenants,
Happy New Year! We hope it’s a successful one for all gardeners!
At the beginning of February, we’ll be doing an inspection of hedges on the site. Please make sure that work to trim the height of your hedges is at least under way by then so that it can be completed by the beginning of March. Your tenancy agreement states: Hedges and fences should not normally exceed a height of 1.5 metres above soil level. In the case of hedges 1.5 metres is the trimmed winter height (e.g. hedges must be cut back to this height at least annually). Where there is a case for exceeding 1.5 metres in height, for example for environmental, safety, or security reasons, this must be agreed by YACIO.
Please also look out for any self-sown saplings in your hedge or plot, usually ash trees. These need to be cut right down, or removed if they’re small enough. Any brash from cutting back hedges and saplings must be taken away to the tip or kept within the plot; please do not dump brash elsewhere on the site.
There are more high winds forecast over the next few days so it’s worth spending time supporting vulnerable plants and checking that any structures on your plot are secure.
We’ll be doing our usual full inspection of allotment plots around the end of March, to give time for everybody to have their plots ready for the growing season.
One of our tenants has a children’s slide which he would be happy to give away to anyone whose child would enjoy it. If you’re interested, please contact Rob on 07989 539503.
We also have a child’s swing, a small playhouse, a plastic sandpit and a small child’s bouncer (sprung surface with safety handle) on a vacated plot. Please contact us at scarcroft.sitesec@gmail.com if you would like to have any of this equipment.
You may have already heard that after seventeen years of helping to manage the site as volunteer site secretaries, we’ve decided that this year will be our last in that role – time for another allotment tenant (or tenants) to take over! Do think about taking on the job (you don’t have to commit to seventeen years!) and discuss it with other tenants, especially if you think you’d like to share the role with someone else. If you want to know more about what’s involved, we’re happy to have a chat.
All the best,
Claire and Graham
Blogger's Note: everyone who gardens at Scarcroft owes a huge debt of gratitude to Claire and Graham for all the work they've done over the years as site secretaries: they've carried it out with diligence, humour and understanding and they will be a hard act follow.
