Plotholder Information
Before taking on a plot, you need to work out how much time and money you have to spend. Good planning is everything!
Working an allotment takes a lot of effort to prepare the ground and cultivate your crops. You shouldn’t underestimate the size of the task and you’ll need to put in at least a couple of hours a week to keep on top of things. This will vary between the busy summer months and the quieter winter period.
The plot may be very overgrown when you take it on, so you may have to spend a lot of time clearing and digging it during the first season. Don’t be put off by the slow progress, tackle it a bit at a time. Set yourself small but achievable targets and visit the site on a regular basis. It’s amazing what you’ll achieve and sometimes a barbeque for friends can often be used as a bribe for helping out!
And most importantly enjoy your gardening. There is nothing in the world to compare to growing and eating your own food!
Here is some helpful information about how things run at Dorrington Road Allotments:
Rent - this is due by the date of the Annual General Meeting, which is usually held in the last week of February. You will be notified in advance of the rent due and how to make the payment. We bank online and most of our members choose to pay through bank transfer.
Gate and Gate Code - It’s vital to keep our site secure and we ask all members to play their part, by making sure the gate is always locked and the padlock is scrambled so that the gate code is not visible. Periodically we change the gate code and email plotholders in advance of the change. Remember to keep us updated, using the contact form or by emailing us directly if your email changes so you continue to receive the notifications.
Water - the water supply is turned on for the spring and summer months. The water is expensive and we encourage plotholders to harvest rainwater and use the metered supply conservatively.
Plot Inspections - these are held every month during the growing season. They are conducted by the maintenance officer, supported by other committee members. Plot holders are welcome to attend. These are held to ensure that plots are kept well maintained, and provide an opportunity to remedy things if a plot is becoming overgrown. The committee is always sympathetic to extenuating circumstances such as illness or working away- if this is the case then please get in touch by email: dorringtonallotments@gmail.com
Working Mornings - we have two of these per year- in the spring and autumn. They are held on a Saturday morning and as well as helping to maintain the site they are great fun and an opportunity to meet and work alongside your fellow plotholders. There is a communal bonfire to get rid of dry garden materials. Refreshments are provided at the end of the morning as a reward for your hard work! Plotholders are expected to attend at least one of the working mornings in a year.
Skip - we hire two skips/year and they are usually available at the same time as the working mornings. It is a great opportunity to clean up the site and get rid of any non-compostable materials, although hard materials such as flagstones, bricks, stones etc are not permissible, as they exceed the weight limit. And remember, your waste can be another plot holder's treasure so recycle wherever possible!
Kings Seeds - as a member of the National Allotment Scheme (NAS) we take part in their affiliated seed scheme, which gives good discounts on seeds, potatoes, onions etc as well as earning some income for the association. The catalogues are circulated in August with orders being made in September. Look out for the emails.