It's that time of year again!

 Latest news for 2024:

• Our shop re-opens this weekend; Saturday 3rd Feb @ 1:30-3:30pm / Sunday 4th Feb @ 10am - 12 noon

• Potatoes have not yet arrived owing to the cold weather - we are chasing a confirmed delivery date

• Scarcroft site care day - please come and join us for some light litter picking etc on Sunday 25th February, 2pm - 3:30pm

• Please find here a list of the seeds we stock (Seeds 2024). We welcome suggestions for any further items for general stock. 

• For individual seed orders, please use the seed order form here and refer to the packet seed list 2023-24 here

• Owing to lack of take up, we have decided not to renew the RHS membership this year, so will not be offering use of their discount card for garden visits.

• Planning permission has been received for the new replacement Scarcroft shop! We will now obtain revised quotes, so watch this space for updates!

• Please find at this link notice of St Leonards plant fair on 1st May for which donations of plants will be welcome.

FINALLY

This year's potatoes, onion sets and shallots have arrived at Scarcroft site shop

 

The standard potato varieties, which can be purchased without pre-ordering - Red Duke of York, Charlotte, Desiree, Maris Piper - are all £1.30 per kilo.

 

Pre-ordered 2kg bags of other varieties are £3.00 (£4.50 for Pink Fir Apple). 

 

Onion sets (two varieties) are £ 2.50 for a pack of 50 (average 220g) or £1.25 per 100g loose.

 

Shallots (two varieties) are £4.50 for a pack (400g) or £1.10 per 100g loose.

News from our Site Secretaries

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.

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 

Reviewing your allotment

Our site secretaries Claire and Graham have just done another full inspection of the site.  They report that

"Many plots are being well maintained, but we think that as many as a quarter of the plots on the site could be much more fully cultivated. We’re not thinking of badly neglected plots that have been taken on by new tenants in the past few months – many of these new tenants are doing a great job of bringing their gardens back to full cultivation.  We’re thinking of full or half plots that are established, but could be much better gardened. 

YACIO wants to raise the standard of cultivation on allotment sites across the city. We have particular concerns, which we shared with you in our recent e-mail, that there are still some allotment holders on the Scarcroft site who could be much more ambitious about the proportion of their plot that is actively cultivated.  YACIO’s expectations of the standard of cultivation that we should regard as satisfactory are set out in the tenancy agreement: The allotment must be well maintained with the majority used for growing crops with weeds and other excessive vegetation kept in check.

We’re writing to you now as this is a good time to take a considered look at your plot. Are the beds large enough to be productive?  Is too much of the plot given over to grass – apart from narrow paths for access and a small area for relaxation or for young children to play, most of the workable area of your garden should be actively cultivated.  Is your plot bigger than you can look after?  

If you want to downsize to a smaller plot if that is possible, or give up your allotment, please contact YACIO.  If you recognise that your plot needs more time and work, but you’re keen to keep it and improve it, now is a good time to make plans and do the groundwork to make them a reality next spring. Our experience shows that it's usually far easier to work the soil on plots before Christmas than into the New Year.

We’ll be doing our first inspection next year a little earlier than usual, towards the end of March.  We shall be asking YACIO at that time to send out letters to the tenants of any plots that are not being gardened to the standards that YACIO is setting."

Lost any keys?

Have any of you lost any keys on the site?  Several sets of keys have been handed in over the past year to Scarcroft Allotments Association.  If you think any of them might be yours, just pop in to the association shop and ask.  The shop is open from 1.30 to 3.30 p.m. on Saturdays and 10.00 a.m. to 12 noon on Sundays."