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Feedback from pre/post-Allotment AGM poster session – canvassing members’ views

Water Project – Feedback:

• “Really good initiative – we support it” • “Well done!” • “Would there be a way to convey water

from the main source (troughs or whatever) to individual allotments? – hard work carrying cans”

• “Great project” • “Very good job”

Allotment Shop – Feedback:

• “Agree about stocking sheet materials but think plastic membrane should be phased out – cardboard?”

• “Can’t we re-use pots? I have a garage full looking for a home!”

• “I would buy more hard to transport materials if available in the shop”

• “Can we buy the reusable pots + trays in the shop please> Would love those”

• “Weed suppressant fabric + fleece of plot width please – would love those too”

• “Sell bulk municipal waste compost” • “Cuttings offer/swaps” • Yes to hard to source items being sold” • Plant plugs: celery, celeriac, parsley (flat-

leaved) or maybe we can canvas members about what plants would be useful?”

• Netting to allotment widths would be good in the shop”

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Website & Email – Feedback:

• “Recipes?” • “Watering when away on holiday – checking

to see who can water?” • “Forum for advice” • “Cuttings swap” • “Expert garden diaries/blog specific to

Twenty Pound/West Oxford” • “Ways of distributing/swapping excess

harvest?” • “What to plant when One email a month Wildlife ”

• “We could have 2 different newsletter lists – 1 for news + announcements for all (AGMs, rent etc.) + a more frequent one for gardening topics:

• What to plant each month; questions/requests for advice etc.; Mailchimp is a free & easy way to manage such a thing – I might be able to help (Athene). Best way is to have short notice in newsletter linked to longer notice on website”

Other Issues – Feedback:

• “Occasional workshops – carpentry, making a compost heap, recycling etc.”

• “Making compost” • “Would be in favour of more work parties to

maintain site – as part of membership?” • “Pruning workshop was excellent – I’d be

very keen to attend and pay for other workshops”

• “Bulk buying of compost (farm/mushroom)” • “Noticeboard for “allotmenteers” e.g. For

Sale; Wanted; Tools to loan; Events etc. – a pin board in the shop?”

• “Online and alternative times for shop” • “A few of us have a WhatsApp group set up

+ we let each other know if we’re on the plot to help water/open greenhouses for each other + share offers we’ve spotted on websites etc.”

• “Buddy system – for new allotment holders (helpful advice needed)”

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Peat-Free Compost – Feedback:

• “Sell peat-free compost please” • Yes to peat-free compost (good for the

environment and hard for allotmenteers to find and transport) In fact we should not sell peat at all”

• Important to get good peat-free compost but if we can find it then it would be great to ditch the peat

• If we only had peat-free in the shop, more people would buy it and people who really care about peat can find it everywhere else

• Agree about phasing out composts containing peat but quality now too coarse for sowing fine seed – something finer needed

• No peat! No to peat! • Yes to shop selling peat-free compost • Bulk supply of municipal compost? • Shop should not sell peat compost • Compost without peat is every bit as good as with peat. And peat is a carbon sink – we need it to retain CO2”

Glyphosate – Feedback:

• No peat + No glyphosate – Paul S-L • Ban glyphosate – I don’t want to risk it being in the air I breath on the allotment • No to Glyph! • It would be good to have a ban on using glyphosate (or other herbicides) on ground next to

neighbouring allotments • No glyphosate in the shop – VD • Given the difficulties of regulating herbicide use, and the seriousness of the risk, we should ban it • Glyphosate destroys the larval forms of water invertebrates which are needed by the fish. Evil stuff –

Ban it now • Don’t sell any non-organic pesticide • Stop selling in shop – sell good alternative • Stop the use of glyphosate