Path Widening
by Kate Lack
Path Widening
by Kate Lack
The Association has a range of equipment available for use by plot-holders.
The equipment is stored in the shed by the Port Meadow gates. Full instruction manuals are also stored there in a folder, with some safety advice. Members wishing to make use of the equipment are asked to ensure they are familiar with the machines, and how to use them safely. We ask you to sign a form, also stored in a folder in the shed, which confirms that you agree to that, and that you take personal responsibility for the safe use of the equipment.
Instruction in the use of the equipment is available from the members listed in the following table.
| Machine | Notes on use | Members who can demonstrate use |
|---|---|---|
| Hand mower (Husqvarna) | No engine, the green option for mowing your paths. Nice and quiet. This model was chosen as it is a Which? best buy for mowing longer grass. (Clearly, not as good at longer grass as the power mowers). | No instruction necessary. User manual is in the folder. |
| Power mower (Masport) | A regular motor mower. Does a pretty good job of mowing paths where the grass is not too long. | Jonathan Clark Tony Hollander Peter Jarvis John Porter Dave Taylor |
| Strimmer / brush cutter (Honda) | Fairly powerful petrol strimmer, relatively heavy to use. Uses blades not line, so it will cut thicker vegetation / weeds than a line strimmer. | Jonathan Clark Tony Hollander Peter Jarvis Dave Taylor |
| Strimmer / brush cutter (Sovereign) | Lighter petrol strimmer, suitable for trimming grass and small weeds. It has a 2-stroke engine which helps to make it light, but it therefore needs a fuel / oil mixture. Please don't refuel it unless you know what you are doing. Makes it less green than all the other equipment, as it burns oil while running. It seems to be a bit temperamental to start, but once it's going it can trim grass and weeds right up to fence posts and the like. | Jonathan Clark |
| Mantis tiller | This small, relatively lightweight petrol powered machine is used to turn over already dug soil, and creates a pretty good fine tilth. Have a look at the manufacturer's web site.. | John Ashby Jonathan Clark Bob Crabtree Peter Jarvis John Porter Dave Taylor |
| Rotovator / cultivator | This is a larger, more powerful tiller / cultivator than the Mantis tiller above. It's heavier, and needs more effort, but it can tackle more compacted soil. petrol powered machine is used to turn over soil, as an alternative to digging. The ground needs already to have been cleared of weeds, particularly perennials, as otherwise you are just chopping the roots into pieces to make lots more weeds. | Jonathan Clark Tony Hollander Peter Jarvis John Porter Dave Taylor |
| Flail mower | This is a slow, powerful machine which will mow quite roughly covered ground. Like all the machines, you need to know there are no stones, bricks or netting under the growth you wish to clear. Since it can mow quite rough ground, it may be difficult to see what debris is lying under the weeds. | Tony Hollander John Porter Jonathan Clark |
| Tractor mower | Used by the volunteer mowing team who take turns to mow the common areas. If you see the mowing team in operation, you might thank them for what they do. It takes a good three hours to mow all the common areas and paths properly, and we try to do it every week. New volunteers for the mowing team are always welcome. | Jonathan Clark Tony Hollander Peter Jarvis John Porter |
Shed keys are available from people listed below. Their plot numbers are listed so you can go looking for whoever is available. There is also a plot schematic to help intrepret the numbering system.
There is a version of this web page stapled to each noticeboard at the allotment site, as well as a (slightly different) schematic of the numbering system of the plots. It is there to help you find key holders when you are on site
| Shed keyholder | Plot(s) |
|---|---|
| John Ashby | 91 |
| Jonathan Clark | 77w & 86w |
| Bob Crabtree | 11 & 42w |
| Tony Hollander | 69 & 68w & 83e |
| Peter & Carol Jarvis | 88 & 89 |
| Neil MacLennan | 117 & 82w |
| Vibeke Mannion | 34 & 35 |
| John Porter | 72 & 82e |
| Dave Taylor | 100 |
