Some great news from Dobbies. You can now recycle your old compost bags at the York store. This is particularly good news as this packaging is typically difficult for people to recycle easily.
You’ll find the recycling collection points in their car park and you can also recycle any unwanted plastic plant pots too.
[THIS CONSULTATION IS NOW CLOSED – For the New Tenancy Agreement please visit this page: Updated Tenancy Terms and Conditions January 2022]
It’s now nearly four years since YACIO took over running the allotments from the City Council. One of the problems we inherited was a Tenancy Agreement that was overdue for review. A hotchpotch of clauses, some of which are outdated, we’ve been conscious for some time that this needs improving. We did make a few changes last year but we’ve now given it a complete overhaul.
Ideally, we’d present the revised Tenancy Agreement at a YACIO members’ meeting. We had hoped to hold one on the 9th October, but due to continuing uncertainty about Covid and social distancing restrictions on numbers imposed by our usual venue we’ve decided it’s not feasible for this to go ahead.
Trustees want to have a tenancy Agreement that’s as clear as possible and has the support and confidence of tenants. We welcome comments and suggestions from members. These can be made by email or via three consultative Zoom sessions we’re holding on the following dates: 12th, 20th and 28th October between 7 & 8pm.
To comment or for Zoom joining instructions please email contact@yorkallotments.org. We look forward to hearing your views.
YACIO are looking to add new Trustees to help manage the Allotments.
This role is voluntary and requires you to be available to attend evening meetings once a month and help oversee the organisation.
If you think you have the time, skills and expertise to offer please send expressions of interest by email to contact@yorkallotments.org before the end of June.
For further details please visit:
Green Lane Growers have prepared this wonderful video about the Green Lane Allotments as their entry for the NSALG Allotments Week competition. Check it out!
If you are interested in getting an allotment of your own and joining an allotment community you can add your name to the waiting list for up to three sites on our application page.
Following on from our last post, Sara has produced Issue 2 of her Nature Notes:
It is fantastic that we can visit our allotments and keep growing while the lock down continues. I am based on Scarcroft allotments and here are some nature notes of what I and other people have been seeing on the site. No doubt similar wildlife will be turning up on allotments all over York. It would be great if people’s sightings could be recorded on this Butterfly Conservation website. Even the smallest bug or worm will have a part to play and an interesting life cycle. Now we have a bit more time to stand and stare, check out what lives in your compost bin, amongst the leaf litter or what birds are visiting your plot. I’ll start off with some butterfly updates.
Butterflies on Scarcroft have come out of hibernation, so spring is definitely coming. As the next few days will be chilly so we may not see them but keep a look out when it warms up again. In my garden and on the allotment last week, I have seen lots of Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies and a couple of Brimstones. More information can be found on the Butterfly Conservation website https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies
Both the Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies lay their eggs on nettles so if you have some in a sunny position don’t dig them up, just keep an eye open for eggs and caterpillars. The Brimstone’s food plant is Alder Buckthorn which I have on my allotment and I did once have their green caterpillars on it so fingers crossed for this year.
Another fairly early butterfly I haven’t seen yet is the Orange Tip, the name is a bit of a clue and the males have lovely orange ends to their wings. One of their food plants is Jack by the Hedge or Garlic Mustard which is found along our paths and on some allotments.
In order to help new tenants, and to provide an easy reminder for existing tenants, YACIO has produced a new Tenant Handbook to help answer your allotment queries!
We are delighted to be able to share this document, produced by Prof Ross Wilson, currently of Nottingham University, on the subject of the history of the allotments in York. There is a wealth of information here about many of our sites, as well as other non-YACIO sites, many of which are still in existence.
Thank you to Prof Wilson for allowing us to share this with you all:
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:
