Simon Barefoot has been the President of the Association for quite some years. His hands-on approach includes trimming the hedges, cutting the grass and encouraging the cultivation of flowers, vegetables and fruit on our special site. He runs the seed order scheme and is involved with the poultry ‘co-operative’. Promoting rainwater collection and low-tech crop management are important interests.
This idea came as a result of a visit to an extraordinary village in France during 2023. Have a look at the link (in French, but you can either practise your language skills or mute it!). https://www.ouest-france.fr/centre-val-de-loire/video-chedigny-le-village-jardin-bbc3664c-e88c-4952-a021-e76a1cfe5bf7 There are also some pictures here which will give you a sense of what has been created. Having […]
We held our annual BBQ on Sunday, 28th. August and combined it with an invitation to craft a scarecrow. The results showed lots of imagination and plenty of humour and a deserved winner of ‘Best in Class’.
We aim to use our well water (so carefully stored over the first part of the year) to the maximum, but it should be seen as a fall-back because the stated goal for individual members is unchanged: over the winter months collect all the water you are personally likely to need in one season in […]
Two articles for you to peruse: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/nov/08/its-official-allotments-are-good-for-you-and-for-your-mental-health https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/15/city-allotments-could-be-as-productive-as-conventional-farms-research-finds Round up of news With all the wet weather during November every IBC and storage facility is full. This is also the case for our larger storage tanks. The first manure delivery were been completed ahead of time recently, with a second one due imminently. Seeds all […]
This year marks a couple of milestones in the recent history of our Association, because John Nunn, the Treasurer, will have completed 30 years of membership and I reach the total of 20. We are also in the process of expanding our site for the first time (by leasing a triangle of land beyond our […]
Where there’s a well there’s a way An initiative to reduce potable (tap) water use What did the project involve? Oakham Smallholders Association (the Association) are a small group of like-minded individuals who enjoy growing their own flowers, fruit and vegetables, whilst caring for their environment. Although not totally organic, the Association looks to keep […]
On the allotment we are fortunate to have several sources of water. Most of us have our sheds plumbed to water cubes to collect free rainwater throughout the year. We also have Phil’s ‘well to cube’ (W2C) system and as a final source the central standpipe water system. The standpipe water is treated to be […]
Well project 2019 It was not until the A.G.M. that I realised we had a well, not only that, but it was located at
Reducing the impact of droughtA glance at the details of …