Another year dawns, and the light at the end of the tunnel keeps disappearing. As of 5th January, we’re back where we were last March, and more worryingly, the new strain of the virus is apparently spreading a lot faster than the old one. On the plus side, the Covid 19 vaccine is being rolled out and while this will make a difference long-term, it will take many months before we can feel safe just going about our everyday lives. So, if the general rule is that we must all stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives, what … Read More
”I have had an allotment at the Ward End Gardeners Association in Birmingham now for several years. It has been a lifeline during lockdown where I have been able to come as part of daily exercise allowance” – Allotment Holder
Can I firstly give you a hearty welcome you to the website of the Ward End Gardeners Association (WEGA) – a Birmingham allotment association which manages 5 sites in Ward End, B8. The first aim of this website is to tell newcomers all about our beautiful sites in the heart of Birmingham, where they are, what they have to offer, how much they cost and how to rent one. You can explore the menu on the left hand side to view the comprehensive information that we have provided. We invite you to do so.
The second aim is to serve as a community hub, as a repository for the sharing of information and for plot holders to raise issues, to contribute ideas or to help with the overall management of our facilities. There is also a “members only” forum where you can raise your issues . If you are a plot holder, we encourage you to join the forum and contribute!
The association is voluntarily and democratically run entirely by the plot holders themselves. Everyone is welcome to contribute ideas and help if you feel inclined to do so. There are many things to get involved with from helping with site maintenance, administration or contributing for fundraisers and events
The days are getting shorter, it’s damp if not raining, dark and with all the restrictions in place, you’d be forgiven for having the winter blues. Cheer up, brighten up your days with Christmassy things and plan for next year’s blooms, eats and treats. Gifts for loved ones – or ... Read More
Source: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus From Thursday 5th November until Wednesday 2nd December 2020, there are new restrictions on movement and day-to-day contact with other people because of the rapidly rising numbers of Covid-19 cases across the UK. The aim of these new measures is to reduce the growth rate of the virus, ... Read More
Unlike some sites in Birmingham, Ward End Gardeners Association sites are not full and don’t have waiting lists. At least they don’t at the moment, but things are changing since lots more people have discovered the joys of gardening during the Covid 19 lock-down. Currently all our five sites have ... Read More
It’s no accident that for gardeners, the year starts now, not January. And that’s because this is the most important season when it comes to developing a fine garden and producing wonderful vegetables, fruit and flowers. Just published is a survey by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS -www.rhs.org.uk/press/releases/RHS-launches-Grow-at-Home-this-autumn ) which ... Read More
You’re a new plotholder fired up and wanting to get something into the ground? Or you’ve had a plot for a while and want to organise it for year-round production to keep your kitchen stocked with fresh fruit and veg. Any which way, the question is: is there anything I ... Read More
Everyone has different reasons for wanting to have an allotment, but for most, it’s the prospect of growing your own fruit and vegetables which appeals. “They taste different” is the comment allotment holders get most when their friends and neighbours try their tomatoes or strawberries or potatoes. Or “I’ve never ... Read More
We couldn’t let National Allotment Week go by without doing something, so at Northleigh Road site in Ward End, Birmingham, we organised last minute a get-together-and-jobs day just for plotholders and their families on Saturday 15th August. More chatting, eating and drinking than anything else, it was a chance to ... Read More
With temperatures soaring this week and heat waves becoming more common, plotholders need to be aware of the dangers of over-doing it when it’s very hot. Yesterday one of our members at Northleigh Road, Ward End, Birmingham, had heat exhaustion after spending all day on her plot weeding and tending ... Read More
10 to 16 August 2020 This year the National Allotment Society is celebrating National Allotments Week by sharing the allotment stories of plot-holders, across the UK, who enjoy growing food for health and well-being. The stories are being entered into a competition, winners to be announced on 10th August – ... Read More
Another new venture is about to start at our hideaway site – St.Margarets Road. This is the smallest of the Ward End Gardeners Association sites in East Birmingham, but it’s packing a punch with all the developments there. This is the result of the partnership between the Association and Unity ... Read More
Allotments are hard work. There is no doubt about that. But they do not have to be punishing. A friend once said that his allotment had become an intolerable labour camp! One of the major reasons that people give up on allotments, is because they feel they have become unmanageable, ... Read More
You've heard of roof gardens, vertical gardens, water gardens, indoor/outdoor gardens. So why not mobile gardens? ones that you can take with you for a bit of instant green therapy wherever you are. Here's a couple of examples from the Gardeners World Live Show in 2019 where there was a ... Read More
How many of us older folks bemoan the time that youngsters spend on their mobiles and video games? Back in the good old days, we say, kids used to be outdoors playing and finding out what the real world was all about. But if you watch young children who haven’t ... Read More
A year ago, St Margarets Rd Allotments, the smallest of our five allotment sites in Ward End, Birmingham, only had 6 plotholders and just over a third of its 22 plots occupied. The site has no signboard and is near enough invisible as it’s accessed by an unsightly track between ... Read More
our Grow Your Own at Home Lockdown kit Daily life has changed for all of us, some more than most, and being in social isolation can be grim if you can’t do all the things you’re used to. For people with allotments who are used to the outdoors and the ... Read More
You can’t move for information, advice and instructions at the moment, but a lot of them are general and it’s hard to take in when you’re thinking – Does this really apply to me? Quite a few of us plotholders are over 70, or have health problems of one sort ... Read More
The association is voluntarily and democratically run entirely by the plot holders themselves. Everyone is welcome to contribute ideas and help if you feel inclined to do so. There are many things to get involved with from helping with site maintenance, administration or contributing for fundraisers and events
Since the Government imposed further restrictions to prevent Coronavirus from spreading so rapidly, we've been advised to close and limit ... Read More