This is the homepage for the Owlsbury Allotment Tenants Society. Here you can find details about the allotments, photo’s, minutes of the committee meetings and much more!

Mushroom compost deal

There is an opportunity to pre-order some mushroom compost for delivery in the autumn. Prices start from £20 for 1 cubic metre, if you are interested please contact Dave on plot 100 for further information.

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Jarvis Brook Horticultural Show - Saturday 7th August at 14:30 at the memorial hall

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More info on the road works and road closure.

Public Information Pack-Update

Scheme: Hadlow Down Road, Jarvis Brook

Start date: 16 August 2010

Duration of works: 14 working days

Summary of scheme

This is a scheme to do kerbing, drainage improvements and resurfacing works. This type of work is weather dependant so is subject to delay in periods of wet weather. Please see the advance warning boards on site for any date changes.

Location

From Jarvis Brook school to Western Road.

Traffic management

The works will be carried out using a road closure. A local diversion route will be signed and maintained.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Notice for residents and businesses

Access for residents may be limited during working hours. During this time, access should be arranged locally with the Site Manager or Supervisor.

Pedestrian access will be maintained, however may be restricted at times due to the movement of machinery.

Contact us

The engineer for the scheme is Anthony Peall. Please contact him for general enquiries about the scheme design.

The works supervisor for this scheme is Anthony Kwong. Please contact him for queries regarding access, health and safety or the site environment.

To speak to either please contact the Customer Access Team on 0345 60 80 193 who will arrange for them to contact you. This service is available Monday to Thursday 08:30 to 17:00 and on Friday from 08:30 to 16:30.

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14th June 2010 - Contaminated Manure - please read!

There is a possibility that we have a problem with Aminopyralid contamination on the allotment site. This has been a nationwide problem over the last year or so where a herbicide has been introduced to sites minly through manure. It is firstly important to note that this is not known to be dangerous to humans but simply causes poor yields and plant disfiguration. For more information and examples of the contamination please see this site: http://glallotments.co.uk/ACManure.aspx

If you think you may be affected please send us a message using the contact page letting us know what plants are affected, your plot number and who you obtained manure from. This way we can start to track where the problem has come from. If you have manure on your plot that you have yet to dig in it is advisable that you do not do so until we can identify the source unless you are absolutely sure the manure is not affected.

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3rd June 2010 - Vandalism on the site

It has been reported that there were a group of people causing damage to the site last night, setting light to a wheelbarrow etc. If you have any information then please use the contact page to let us know or report it to the police. Please also check that nothing has been damaged or stolen from the site.

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7th April 2010 - New OATS application form for 2010 and free mulch in carpark

The new OATS application form can be found on our committee and publications page for 2010.

There is a large pile of mulch in the carpark which is free for anyone to use - dig in!

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Saturday 20th March - Quiz Cancelled due to lack of demand

Unfortunately despite previous interest at the AGM we had virtually no applications for the quiz night scheduled for the 27th of March and so it has been cancelled. This unfortunately sets back our plans to fund a path on the site any time soon.

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13th March 2010 - Shed Update!

The council are discussing sheds on Owlsbury at the forthcoming SRC meeting on the 22nd March with a view to deciding on rules for the type and colour etc of the sheds. We are hoping this means that we will soon get permission to erect sheds on our plot!_____________________________________________________________________________________________OATS

AGM - 25th March 2010 at 19:45

The OATS AGM is being held at the CCA hall in park road at 19:45 on the 25th of March. You can download the agenda by clicking here or visiting the committee and publications section. We have lots to discuss and of course we need to vote in the committee for 2010!

Click here for more info on the CCA hall

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OATS Quiz night Saturday 27th March

The OATS Committee are organising a quiz night for all allotment holders at the Jarvis Brook Memorial Hall to raise the money to pay for a temporary path to be laid between the car park and the gate to the allotment enclosure, providing a more passable surface for everyone. In addition to the quiz there will be raffle tickets on sale for a selection of prizes. Please come and give your support and have an enjoyable evening in the company of other like-minded gardeners! Tickets are £2.50 and are available from Carol at carol@guyforster.com. Friends and family welcome. BYO food and drink (some soft drinks provided).

Remember, even if you can’t make it we are always happy to receive donations towards the total!

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OATS Quarterly Meeting - 25 January 2010 - Plough and Horses at 19:30

The OATS quarterly meeting is coming up fast. Please check out the Committee / Publications section for the latest agenda. Discussions include the toilets, shed, fundraising for a path from the carpark to the gate.

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30th November - Want a larger plot?

The council is looking at the idea of placing larger plots on the opposite side of the main path. They would like OATS to co-ordinate enquiries for larger plots from our members to see how much interest there is and what size people would be considering (2x, 3x, 4x usual plot sizes). We would of course be happy to take details from non OATS members also. If you are interested in the idea of getting larger plots then please contact us using the contact form on the site letting us know your name, the number of plots you currently have and what size plot you would want to move across to. Please note these are intended to be in place of your current plots.

Once the council have ideas of numbers they will be able to gauge any possible discount and the possibility to ensure early access to the new plot for manure / extended access to the old plots to run down existing plants where possible.

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14th november - Storm Damage

There has been damage to various plots caused by the high winds with various compost heaps etc blown across the site. If last april /may are anything to go by it may be worth trying to secure anything likely to blow away ready for the winter.

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13th November 2009 - Toilet ordered - plus other news

The council has confirmed that they have ordered a composting toilet for installation in the site. There is no confirmed delivery date as yet but we do know that it will be in it’s own building rather than as part of the proposed main building. Once we get a confirmed delivery date we will be asking for voluteers to assist in the installation of the toilet.

The council are going to raise the idea of having larger plots the other side of the main path at the next SRC meeting.

There are currently no free plots in the middle of the site for OATS to rent in order to place a compost heap and other items on. The council will notify us if one comes available nearer April 2010 when the plots are up for renewal.

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2nd November 2009 - Compost Heap usage

The compost heap at the top of the site was provided by OATS for use by all allotment holders. In the process of digging the material out and moving it to the back of the pile I  dug up several non compostable items - Plastic Bag, drinks bottles, sweet wrappers, rope, plastic netting and plant labels. PLEASE be careful what you throw in the heap after all this is for all of our use to put back into the soil when it is ready and IS NOT shipped off site. - Thanks, Graham

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16th August 2009 - Update on Blight - Lift those potato’s asap!

Blight has well and truly taken over the site this year. The danger now is that if people don’t chop the haulm of the potatos down to the ground soon that it will infect the soil and will remain present for ever more on the site. It will also go down into the potatos and ruin the crop, you cannot store blight infected potatos if it gets into the tubers… Remember, never compost your blighted haulm or potatos, that will simply pass the spores into the compost which will survive there until you reuse it on your plot. The best bet is to dispose of it into the council provided bins at home or burn it.

Link to a blight factsheet: http://www.potato.org.uk/media_files/FAB_GAs/what_is_potato_blight.pdf

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4th August 2009 - Blight season is here

It is worth reading up on blight as the current weather conditions are ideal for the spread of the disease and there have already been reports of both tomatoes and potatoes being infected on the site. A factsheet is available on the link below:

http://www.potato.org.uk/media_files/FAB_GAs/what_is_potato_blight.pdf

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Beware of the brown tailed moth catepillar

We have had reports of brown tailed moth catepillars being found on the site. These catepillars are covered in thousands of tiny hairs which not only cause skin irritation but can also break off and be inhaled causing severe breathing difficulties. Please take a look at the site below for further information. If you do find these catepillars please do not handle them directly but try to bag them up and squash them in the bag - squashing them on the ground / plant could cause the spines to become airboure and be inhaled.

If you think you may have symptoms from contact with one of these please contact your local GP for advice.

http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/living/679.html

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23rd July 2009 - Problems with the contact form - site changes

Anyone using the contact form to contact OATS in the past month or so should resubmit their query, unfortunately your email address was missing from the message so we have been unable to reply to the messages. Apologies for this.

It was found that the download links for the membership forms etc were broken, this has now been resolved. Additionally we have now uploaded meeting agendas, minutes and the constitution.

Use of the forum continues to be very low, we have received comments about the useability and problems with joining them. We will be reviewing the forum software being used so you may see some changes occuring both to the forums and the site format in general over the coming weeks.

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16th June - Keep an eye out for that wildlife

One couple had a surprise recently after finding what looks to be a Wren’s nest in their potatos. Unfortunately the parents didn’t like being disturbed and abandoned the nest so to all please keep an eye out for a surprise nest!

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27th May - Work on the carpark has begun!

Work has started on a more permanent carpark and should be completed by the 5th of June. During this time there may be disruption and difficulty in accessing the site.

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24th May - Lost Trowel

I received this email from a plotholder today, please keep your eyes peeled

Hi.  I am the tenant of plot 45 and 46.  We lost a trowel (very old, pale green with measuring levels on) between the car park and our plots yesterday (Saturday 23rd May)  Could we or you post a sign at the allotments or on the website to see if any kind soul has picked it up?  Many thanks.

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16th May 2009 - Deer loose in the compound…

Can everyone please remember to close the gate when leaving the site, the side gate was left open overnight recently and a deer was able to get in an cause some damage. Deer and rabbits can cause considerable damage to crops, it only takes one to set an entire plot back a year.

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5th May 2009 - Lots of updates to the webpage today - please take a look around. Newsletter now ready for download here

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3rd May 2009 - Forum problems resolved - It seems there was a problem with the verification emails going out to people.  For those who tried to register before you will need to re-register, you will then receive and email confirming registration and with instructions on how to complete the process. Sorry for the inconvenience.

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23rd April 2009 - Important information regarding parking!

In light of the ongoing application for parking would everyone please try to park as close to the hedge adjacent to the road as possible. This will minimise the visual impact of the parked cars. This means turning right immediately after entering the site and parking against that hedge. It should also be noted that this area has not been ploughed and therefore should be a little less soggy after the recent rain.

The site is being set up as we speak with an initial 120 plots set up. There are plans for the following in future:

• Advice on ecologically friendly planting for the site to encourage local wildlife
• Encourage the use of Organic growing methods
• Setup of an Apiary on the site to promote good pollination of the crops and protect the dwindling population