Terms & Conditions to be considered before applying to go onthe waiting list.
To maintain anonymity, you will be given a unique code number when you are added to the list.
Code numbers are incremental, so you will be given a number one higher than the previous applicant.
If you submit multiple applications only the first will be considered.
Due to the nature of the allotment system, we are unable to give any indication of how often a plot will be made available.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to notify us of any change in details for example change in telephone number, address or email, as any out of date details which enable us not being able to contact the applicant will result in the allocation going to the next incremental number on the list. In addition please advise us if you no longer wish to be on the waiting list so that your details can be removed.
Allotment allocation cannot be held for any future date due to the demand, once you have been notified of the vacant plot you will have 10 days to accept before it is allocated to the next incremental number.
When allotments become available you must be able to take the allotment at that time, if you cannot, the allocation will go to the next incremental number on the list.
Welcome to Yoker Allotments
In Yoker the allotment site: Sandholm Place has 25 plots, a communal shed/store and a toilet. Plot holders at the sites will be required to join Yoker Allotments Association.
How large is a plot?
Plots come in a variety of sises and vary from 70 to 125m2 which includes one pathway.
How much will it cost?
Rental costs are based on the size of an individual plot which are usually 3 (75m2).
Is there a waiting list?
There is a waiting list. The length of time you may need to wait is dependant on the total number of plots available, but we will try to give you an idea when you first enquire.
How do I rent an allotment?
You can telephone the Secertary on (0141) 954 2784 or email them at
When you are offered a plot you will be required to sign a simple tenancy agreement, which sets out your rights and responsibilities. You will be expected to keep your plot cultivated and tidy. Before you take on a plot, why not visit your chosen site one Sunday morning, a popular time when other plot-holders will be around to help with advice or answer any questions you may have.
A Plot of Your Own
York allotments show a wide variety of garden styles. You can be as imaginative as you like with your allotment garden, but in planning your plot, please bear these guidelines in mind:
· you are expected to care for all of your allotment garden and keep weeds under control
· you are responsible for maintaining your boundary fence and any existing structures
· you may plant fruit trees or bushes on your plot but not larger forest trees
· you must obtain permission before erecting a shed, greenhouse or other structure on your allotment
· you must obtain permission before starting to keep any livestock on your allotment
· allotments should be productive, so most of your allotments should be cultivated with vegetables, fruit or flowers. Simply putting a seat in the middle of a thistle patch and watching the butterflies doesn't count as allotment gardening
Getting Started - top tips
Many new gardeners dig over their entire plot, feel exhausted and then panic when the weeds begin to grow.
These tips may help you get started:
· plan ahead, draw a sketch map of the plot and plan what you are going to tackle in your first few months
· mark out and dig four large beds to start with and keep the rest of the plot mown, strimmed or mulched until you are ready to tackle it
· buy a gardening book that helps you identify weeds and tells you what gardening jobs to do each month
· buy a hoe and use it regularly to keep your newly dug beds free of weeds
· little and often is better than an occasional all day session. If you put in a couple of hours every week you will be amazed by the results you get
· if you belong to an allotment association, ask whether they hire out useful tools, sell seeds or organise bulk orders for manure
· look out for allotment gardening courses and weekend workshops. Contact the Allotments Officer for further details
· if you are finding it takes more time thanyou have, talk to the Allotments Officer. She can offer advice or arrange for you to reduce to a smaller plot, so you have less gardening to do.
Tackling Weeds
· Identify your weeds. Annual weeds, such as chickweed, just need hoeing and they die, perennials such as docks, dandelions and bindweed will keep growing back unless you fork out the roots.
· Areas of problem weeds can be mulched. The lack of light weakens weeds and they either die or can be dug out easily. Suitable mulches include woodchips, black plastic, shredded prunings and straw.
· Regular hoeing really helps to keep on top of weeds.
· Compost your weeds to feed the soil. A working compost bin will break down most weeds but you may prefer to dispose of the roots of perennial weeds in the skips provided on your site.
· Weed-killers aren't an answer to all weed problems. Glyphosate (sold as Roundup or Tumbleweed) is taken down into the roots and kills them but it only works in spring or summer when the weeds are growing strongly.
· The tough shoots of mare's tail are resistant to most weed-killers. The roots can't be dug out fully as they grow deep into the soil. Mulch to weaken the plants, dig out as much as you can and then keep hoeing.
Wildlife - Friend or Foe?
Your new allotment may be home to many different kinds of wildlife. You'll probably welcome a robin searching for grubs or tortoiseshell butterflies feeding from bramble flowers, but what about the white butterflies homing in on your cabbages or blackbirds eyeing up your raspberries?
Left uncontrolled, many creatures can play havoc with a crop, but for every pest there is at least one predator species ready to step in and tackle it on your behalf. Spraying against pests will often kill predators as well and allow the next generation of pests to multiply unchecked.
Physical barriers can discourage pests without harming beneficial wildlife. Horticulture fleece can keep root fly off your carrots. Mini-greenhouses, made from clear bottles with the top cut off, help transplanted seedlings establish quickly and also keep pests away when the plants are at their most vulnerable.
Brightly coloured flowers such as marigolds will attract hoverflies to your plot. The adult hoverfly feeds only on nectar but its grubs feed on aphids - a major plant pest. Blue tits feed their young on caterpillars, so putting up a nest box may save your cabbages.
Natural England have produced an excellent guide to encourage beneficial wildlife while discouraging the pests which can be downloaded from the Natural England website.
Gardening with Children
Many children enjoy helping with a family allotment garden or cultivating a small patch of their own. Most young children love getting muddy. Whatever your age, gardening teaches you a lot about the world around you and may encourage children to take a new interest in eating fruit and vegetables.
Allotments can be fascinating places for children to explore but there are many potential hazards. To keep children safe, please remember to:
· keep your children supervised at all times
· keep tools and garden chemicals in a safe place - don't leave them lying around the plot
· remind children to wash their hands after gardening
· don't let children go onto other allotment gardens: there may be hazards that you don't know about
There is a special children's plot at Low Moor Allotments. The Community Kid's Allotment is looked after by a children's gardening club and hosts visits from local schools. For more information contact Angela Johnson on (01904) 654357
The Gardening Year
Allotment gardening is a year-round activity. This list of jobs for each month of the year will help you plan your gardening, but seasons do vary from year to year. If it is too cold or too wet to to get a job done in the month when it is listed, try the next month instead.
January
Plan what you will grow. Make bean trenches, sow sweet peas indoors, complete pruning of apples and pears.
February
Sow broad beans in a cold frame, chit potatoes, plant Jerusalem artichokes, onions and shallots.
March
Sow parsnips, broad beans, carrots, spring onions and early peas outdoors. Sow marrows, runner beans, pumpkins and cucumbers indoors. Plant early potatoes.
April
Sow broccoli, spinach, cabbage, beetroot, lettuce, radish, turnips, leeks and more peas outdoors. Sow courgettes and sweetcorn indoors, Plant out main crop potatoes.
May
Sow more carrots, put up frames for beans, sow French beans, Swedes, radishes, kohl rabi, and peas, stake broad beans, plant out runner beans, tomatoes and leeks.
June
Pull first rhubarb, sow more carrots, plant out cabbage, leeks, broccoli, kale, pumpkins, marrows, courgettes, lettuce and celery, prune cherry trees.
July
Pinch tops out of broad beans, sow radishes, cabbages, lettuce, sow turnips, dig up first potatoes.
August
Harvest garlic, sow winter lettuces, pick soft fruit, cut canes on finished raspberries, plant new strawberries.
September
Lift onions and shallots, harvest main crop potatoes, cut down Jerusalem artichoke tops, sow green manure crops and broad beans, plant out spring cabbages.
October
Dig over and mulch/manure beds. Cut back hedges, tie in brambles, cut out old fruited wood on currants and raspberries, plant garlic.
November
Mend fences, gates, shed and give a coat of paint, winter prune apple and pear trees, make a leaf mulch bin.
December
Make sure next year's seed list is sent off, finish digging over and tidying the garden.
Waste and Recycling
A well-run allotment produces very little waste. Most weeds and crop residues can be composted. Prunings and hedge trimmings can be chipped for use as a mulch, or stacked in an out of the way corner as a habitat for beetles and millipedes.
If you take on a neglected plot you may find you have a lot of rubbish to get rid of. Allotment gardeners are great recyclers. The previous tenant on your plot may have made a greenhouse out of old window frames or a compost bin from For Sale boards, but over the years useful garden structures can become rickety eyesores.
Skips are provided on most sites 3 or 4 times a year.
· general rubbish skips - usually yellow - are for waste that must be sent to landfill
· green waste skips - usually painted bright green - are for woody garden waste or perennial weeds that you can't compost on your own plot. The waste from these skips is chipped and composted
· a skip schedule may be posted on your site notice board. If not, ask your site secretary when the next skip is due.