Hempland Lane Allotment Summer Fair
Sunday 14th July 2019
10.00am – 3.00pm
YO31 1AT
Join our annual Summer Fete, as part of our Centenary Celebrations in our newly created Community area, ‘Hempland Haven’, car park area allotment shop.
Free event for all association members and the local community. Bringing our community together, sharing successes and failures of the season so far and friendship and laughter over a BBQ and a few drinks!
BBQ (bring your own items to sizzle, but don’t worry if you forget as some can be purchased on the day). Salads, bread rolls, sauces will be provided.
All proceeds raised on the day, are put back into the maintenance of the allotment site, for the benefit of all who work on the site and walk through it.
Please note that there will be no on-site car parking available, during the event
Please see below for more details of classes and events:
Low Moor Community Kids’ Allotment Vacancies
Low Moor Allotments Community Kid’s Allotment is located at the bottom of Kilburn Road, just by the allotment car park. The Kid’s Allotment has been running for 15 years and has received many awards. It is organised by volunteers and the sessions are staffed by these volunteers and parents on a rota.
There are currently 12 members, aged between 6 and 12 years and sessions run weekly on a Saturday morning from 10am til 12noon between March and the end of October. Members pay £1 per session.
During the session the children are helped to garden the allotment: growing fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. Whilst work has to be done, they make it fun! Produce is shared out after harvesting and brought home.
This year there are a number of vacancies for new members. For more information or to register your child’s interest please contact Angela Johnson: angela3147@hotmail.com
2019 Invoices
2019 Invoices have now all been sent out by post!
If you do not receive your invoice within the next week please get in touch to update your contact details as we may have the wrong address on file.
We wish all of our tenants a productive growing season ahead for 2019!
If you wish to pay your invoice online you will need the Tenant Number and Invoice Number found at the top of your invoice as shown below:
Bonfires
There have recently been a number of complaints from local residents across York regarding inappropriate bonfires on allotment plots causing a nuisance and, in some cases, serious health issues.
Allowing a bonfire to cause a nuisance to neighbouring residents or other allotment tenants contravenes your allotment tenancy. It may also be an offence under environmental protection law. If the Council’s Environmental Protection Unit receive a complaint they issue an official warning. After a warning, further nuisance could lead to a court appearance and a fine of up to £5,000.
Please note the following rules for trouble free bonfires:
- Don’t light a bonfire on a warm, dry day, when neighbouring residents may be sitting out in their garden or drying their washing
- Don’t light a fire between Easter & October unless the weather is cold and grey
- Don’t burn your weeds – most can be composted to improve the soil
- Don’t bring rubbish from home to burn on your plot
- Only burn dry, woody garden waste
- Choose a still, cool evening for your fire
- Make sure the fire is out before you leave it
“Taste and Flavour” Annual Fruit and Vegetable Show
Hosepipe Use
REMINDER:
Hosepipes must only be used for filling water butts and containers. You must not use them to directly water your plot. Sprinklers are strictly prohibited.
This is for several reasons:
- Using a hosepipe for extended periods means that other plot holders cannot get water.
- Watering with a hosepipe is inefficient and leads to excessive water consumption, much of which is lost to evaporation.
- Excessive water usage may lead to a water shortage and a hosepipe ban in times of drought.
The National Allotment Society website has more information on Gardening In A Drought which offers some helpful advice.
Inspection Notices
Plot inspections have recently taken place across most sites. Some tenants will have received a letter from us telling them that they need to improve the condition of their plot. But what does this mean? We ask that at least 25% of a plot is cultivated as set out below.
The tenant must demonstrate that they are maintaining their plot in a cultivatable state. This means that they are:
- making every effort to control weed growth
- preparing the soil for sowing or planting
- planting out new crops during the growing season or maintaining perennials such as fruit bearing shrubs or trees
The use of weed suppressant covering by tenants is permitted in the following circumstances:
- to prepare an overgrown plot for cultivation (weed suppressant coverings should not normally be in place for more than 12 months)
- on a temporary basis for small areas of the plot (not exceeding 50% of the total area) not currently being used for growing
- in the event of a prolonged absence, either due to illness or circumstances beyond the plot holders control, larger proportions of covering are permitted providing the tenant makes arrangements for YACIO to be notified.
Bloom Festival Stall
A huge thanks to all of the volunteers who helped with the YACIO stall at the Bloom Festival!
There was a lot of interest and we hope that the information provided about the allotments was helpful.
Remember, to join the waiting list for a site you just need o fill out the form here.
Allotments Photography Project
In conjunction with a nationally exhibited photographer Dan May, we’re looking to start a project photographing allotment holders and their plots. The aim is to provide a record of York allotments and the people who cultivate them in 2018 and, hopefully, stage an exhibition of the photographs in the city later this year.
Dan is keen to meet allotment holders old and new and hear their stories and record them in photographs. He would particularly like to hear from groups of plotholders or meet those with more ‘unusual’ plots or allotment stories. Dan is a professional photographer and will ensure all photos are taken with consent. All photos taken will also be available for YACIO to use for promotional purposes.
If you or perhaps a group of plotholders or an allotment association would like to be involved, please contact danmayphotography@gmail.com for further information.