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Nurturing the land, and your wellbeing, at Woodclyffe Allotments, Wargrave
Discover the beauty and fun of allotment gardening at Woodclyffe Allotments, Wargrave.
Gifted to the parish of Wargrave by local benefactor Harriette Cook Smith in 1903, the allotments will be celebrating 125 years of providing food growing space and community to local families in 2028!
Scroll for more information on securing your own plot, notification of events and growing advice from our experienced plotholders.
Click here for latest news and events
and here for growing resources
The Successful Start Guide
A successful plot begins with patience and observation. Before your first sow, clear perennial weeds meticulously and observe the sun’s path across your soil. We recommend a ‘no-dig’ approach: lay a thick mulch of rotted organic matter to suppress weeds while feeding the soil biology below. Start with hardy basics, broad beans, onions, and potatoes, to build momentum throughout your first season.
Last Frost Window: Typically early-May. Monitor night forecasts carefully after early warm spells; a late frost can set your season back by weeks.
Hydration Routine: Focus on deep morning watering. Providing humidity to the roots before midday heat ensures your new starts established deep root systems.
Come to our Autumn Stall for Pumpkins, Flowers & Chutneys on Oct 17th 8-10am
LOCAL CLIMATE DATA
What we're sowing
October is ushering in Autumn, with cooler mornings, shorter days and the last of the summer crops making way for autumn and winter planting. Now is a good time to sow hardy broad beans, winter salads, spinach and lamb’s lettuce, as well as planting garlic, overwintering onion sets and spring cabbages.
It is also the perfect month to protect and improve our soil. Empty beds can be covered with well-rotted manure, compost or mulch, while green manures can be sown where ground will be left unused. Spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses and alliums can also be planted now to provide a welcome splash of colour, and valuable early food for pollinators.
What we're harvesting
There is still plenty to gather from the plots this month. Pumpkins and winter squash are reaching their final stages, and should be harvested before the first hard frost, leaving a good length of stalk attached. Maincrop potatoes, carrots, beetroot, leeks, chard and spinach are also providing wonderful autumn harvests and plotholders are reporting the tomatoes are still ripening and doing really with recent warm weather.
There are still a few beans to pick, and apples and pears are ripening too. October is a time to enjoy the last of the season’s abundance, whether it is turned into warming soups, hearty stews, chutneys or something delicious for the freezer.
What we're up to
As the summer crops finish, we are clearing beds, adding healthy plant material to the compost heaps and preparing the allotment for winter. We will be tidying up, but not too much: leaving some seedheads, hollow stems and undisturbed corners provides valuable food and shelter for wildlife over the colder months.
October is also a good time to reflect on the growing season and begin planning for next year. We will be thinking about what worked well, what could be improved, and how we can continue to build a more resilient allotment through better soil care, water management and thoughtful planting.
We were delighted by the success of our September Produce Stall, which sold out within just two hours! Wargrave residents flocked to the main gates from 8am, and it was wonderful to share our home-grown produce with the local community.
The success of the stall means we will be holding another one with an autumn focus, including plenty of pumpkins, on Saturday 17 October at the main gates on Victoria Road. We hope to see you there!
What's going on in October
Allotment Gatherings & Events
Informative workshops, seasonal gatherings, and community seed swaps.
Upcoming Events
Autumn Produce SrallSat 17 OctWoodclyffe Allotments
Plotholders Shortest Day CelebrationsSun 20 DecWoodclyffe Allotments
Woodclyffe Allotments Society
The Woodclyffe Allotments Society (WAS) is at the heart of our community.
We manage communications between plotholders and the Parish Council ensuring Woodclyffe remains a thriving, sustainable space for everyone.
Our role is to:
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Promote and raise awareness of the allotments
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Work towards ensuring the site is preserved for future generations
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Represent allotment holders in Wargrave
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Act as a forum to bring allotment holders together
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Support allotment holders in any way necessary
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Ensure that the sites are maintained satisfactorily
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Hold events to raise money to support improvements at the allotments
For information on WAS membership and any other matters relating to the allotments, please contact our friendly society members below. Please note, Rowena is our most experienced member who works tirelessly to keep everything running smoothly and can answer most queries.
Secretary
Rowena Perry
woodclyffeas@gmail.com
Acting Chair
Julia Kendell
hello@woodclyffeallotments.com
Treasurer
Stephanie Brown
woodclyffeas@gmail.com
Site Coordinators
Annie & Ffion hello@woodclyffeallotments.com