TRAP GROUND ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATION (TGAA) Autumn Newsletter 2008

The Weather

At least we have had some fine, dry autumn days to harvest and clear up, and we were spared flooding after last winter’s unexceptional inundations. The poor summer did not prevent abundant plant growth but gave blight and other mildews too much encouragement for some crops. Burning the affected remains should inhibit excessive spread of spores.

The Site

Fencing

The City Council’s promised secure gates and fences are well underway. The eight foot high stock fence is to keep out deer, cattle and horses, and the lower, finer mesh fence is buried a foot into and along the ground to deter rabbits and badgers. The necessary trenching for this will be made good to restore paths, and other damaged places will also be repaired before the contractor leaves the site.

The eastern [railway] side is not yet fenced as Network Rail has objected to a locked gate preventing people without keys from escaping from the track to the west. We hope to overcome this by moving the NR gate on the west side of the crossing a few yards back to give inadvertent crossers a space in which they collect their thoughts before returning whence they came.

Contractor’s machinery cannot move along the path along the eastern boundary so we may have to ask plot holders from No 6 to No 26 to move their boundaries a yard or two to allow this, to complete the fourth side.

Security

There have been a few cases of vandalism and theft of crops again this year. We hope that the new gates and fence will prevent this and will arrange a suitable locking system with issue of keys or combination lock code as necessary. I hope those who have not suffered losses will concede the inconvenience of this security in the interests of preventing the distress and annoyance theft and destruction have caused to others.

Portmeadow Access

Committee members met officers from the Environment Agency and the City Council to encourage raising the level of the path from the railway bridge to Portmeadow with a culverted track allowing access during high water. There would then be no need for members of the public to walk through the allotment site . We await plans from the City Council.

The Land Triangle

I met with a team of Network Rail officers in August to try to enlarge the car park when Phil and Jim is given the land through which our access track passes. NR wish to close the level crossing but we have resisted this over the years with support from the City Council. NR’s plans for a new line to Cambridge via Bicester would use the existing “spare” track from the station through the car park site, but this may not be constructed for a long time, so I argued that we should maintain our existing arrangements. I was told that if the level crossing to the allotments were to be designated a public right of way, NR would close the crossing. The R of W decision is still a few years off, but it seems that its support would lead to general inconvenience to all of us and not achieve the original objective.

Machines

We now have a team of people willing to instruct borrowers in the use of the new mower, the strimmer and the flail. For insurance purposes borrowers will have to sign a form saying they are familiar with the instructions and safety precautions. Please look at the website for details.

Bonfires and Skips

We have allocated a patch of ground in the north east for organic waste to be burnt, so you are welcome to dispose of weeds etc. there, and we will periodically set them alight. Metal, glass, plastic, etc. on the other hand , should not be put there, but placed in the skip by the Portmeadow gate. We will be getting the usual Autumn and Spring skip delivery and disposal, subject to the proposed weight restriction for vehicles using the Walton Well Road bridge.

Carpets

We are asking that carpets are not brought to the site. Apart from their toxic content, they occupy a large proportion of skip space, usually disposed of by people taking over a new plot or by committee members, and the shop has a plentiful supply of black plastic for ground cover.

Soil Analysis

The City Council’s grant application has been approved and the soil samples will be taken and analysed in the coming weeks. The intention is to measure the current levels of designated materials typical of polluted urban soils and assess them against newly revised criteria to get a general picture of the level of contamination. Karen Seal, the officer in charge of the project has said she will let us know of the results by the next AGM when she will also answer any questions we might have. We hope for completion by next March when she has agreed to attend the meeting.

Social

The summer picnic was held on 5th July from 6pm this time. The evening event leant itself to delicious food and drink and a chance to meet one another and, among other things, to share news of our horticultural triumphs and disasters. The weather was dull but the event itself very enjoyable.

St Margaret’s Institute is booked for Saturday 25th October for the Harvest Supper. Stuart and Gillian Skyte have devised new entertainment this year to further enhance this splendid get together. Please let them know how many people will be in you party and what food you will be bringing. 7pm start. We also include a photographic competition judged by Hugh Palmer a professional photographer and TGAA member. Please submit entries to Stuart at Tel: 559618.

Plant Sale

Peter and Carol Jarvis’ efforts yielded nearly £600 again this year. Many thanks to those who gave us plants and took so much trouble to pot and label them. Despite the poor weather, we had an abundance of things to sell and the usual popular attendance. Left-overs were disposed of by the shop, and some were planted to the east of the pond where we are establishing a semi-wild garden.

Mowing

Many thanks to everyone who kept the site looking good this summer. The mowing team kept up regular grass cutting and clearing.

Tony Hollander [Plot 69], John Porter[Plot 71].