A year of Allotment Club

Ella Dunlop (Clinical Medicine) launched an Allotment Club at Green Templeton in March 2021 to bring people together as lockdown restrictions begin to ease, while also promoting sustainability.

Ella received Annual Fund support to help launch the Allotment Club. Through the generosity of donors, the Annual Fund provides grants for academic-related activities and support for college life. Here, Ella shares pictures as she reflects on the club’s first year.

It’s coming up to a year since the allotment was first launched in March 2021 and I’ve been reflecting on the value of creating and caring for wild spaces. Sue Stuart-Smith, psychiatrist and author of The Well Gardened Mind puts it well, outlining how in curating these well-loved physical spaces we also preserve a quiet mental space in which to hear one’s own thoughts. Of course, physically we’ve seen huge changes since the days when broken windows and doors were being hoarded on the site by the previous owner. Cleared of litter and debris the plot has attracted more than just DPhil students, with a resident robin claiming it as his territory.

The most anticipated and prominent change to the visual landscape of the allotment is the recent addition of a 8”x6” FSC Certified Shed. The practical change of being able to securely store and access equipment liberates participants to act independently and tend to their own vegetable beds. It can’t be understated how much more access this allows students, not having to be pseudo-supervised by one of the Allotment Club committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year even more than the last, we’ve benefitted for the organising power and verve of the Graduate Common Room now that events can be hosted more ad hoc. In a recent collaboration with the Welfare Officers, an old wooden bedframe was repurposed, as students from across the curricula found themselves painting ‘GTC Community Allotment’ signage in Stables Bar. Here seen drying off in the main greenhouse, the signs will be sited for proud display in time for Valentine’s day, at the next group outing on Sunday the 13th of February.

The community project offers a fantastic opportunity for different groups in college to intersect. We’re looking forward to reaching more students and staff at the college in the coming weeks as Spring creeps up – if you’d like to come down and join-in please get in touch by email at allotment@gtc.ox.ac.uk.

If you make your way to the allotment in the next few weeks it might be that the cherry tree Summer Sun is in flower! Planted in the autumn of 2020, we saw miraculous clusters of white flowers straight off the whip itself in spring 2021 and are optimistic for a repeat. Though the beautiful white cherry, Prunus avium plena, on the main college grounds sets a high standard, this fruiting tree should one day also provide additional joys in high summer. The college’s double white flowering cherry is a cultivar of the native tree species Prunus avium or wild cherry. Michael Pirie the head gardener planted our specimen about 35 years ago. The best time to see both the allotment cherry and its bigger sister in full flower is throughout April.

The vicarious pleasures of the official Instagram @gtc_allotment have been shared by over 150 spectators, it’s well worth a follow, for updates and progress as we go.

One of the founding aims of the project is to encourage participation among the student families in college. Closer to college a guided tour of the grounds is being formulated between the welfare officer Georgina King and head gardener Michael Pirie. Following this shot of inspiration any budding green-fingered imps are welcome to try their hand at our annual sunflower growing competition starting in March and April.

The next project is to set the annual sowing calendar in motion in the recently formed no-dig vegetable beds. Furthermore there are hopes to paint the new shed a matching shade to the new signs. Plenty to be getting involved with even for those without plant nurturing prowess.