Welcome to
Sidegate Lane Allotments
A MESSAGE FROM THE COUNCIL
Dear Allotment Tenants,
We are writing to all our allotment tenants to remind you of the allotment garden rules and to raise some recent issues that have been occurring across many fields regarding driving and parking around allotments. Please see attached to this email, a copy of the Allotment Garden Rules which we would encourage you to familiarise yourself with.
Please be reminded that allotment tenants should drive at 5mph when driving around the allotment fields and should take care when entering and exiting the fields. This is for the safety of local residents, other tenants, including children, and also for any animals/pets that may be on the field. We have had a couple of incidents of cats being hit by cars on allotments recently, so we would encourage you to check around your car before driving off on the allotment and drive at 5mph to enable you to stop quickly if an animal were to run in front of your vehicle.
When entering and exiting the field please also do this at a sensible speed to avoid the track surface being damaged. We would also like to take this opportunity to ask you to be considerate of local residents when entering and exiting an allotment field. Leaving your vehicle engine idling at the entrance not only contributes to pollution and the health of residents, but can also be a disturbance to local residents especially if visiting your allotment earlier in the morning or later in the evening to water your plots etc.
If you are not parking within the field and are leaving a vehicle by an entrance, or have a delivery entering the field, please ensure this does not obstruct neighbouring properties or any vital street features i.e. water hydrants, electrical boxes etc.
Thank you for your co-operation,
Ipswich Borough Council Countryside and Wildlife Team
ONION SETS
Unfortunately, we will not now have any onion sets available for autumn planting.
The sets on offer represented poor value, so we decided not to stock them.
We apologise for any disappointment this may cause.
SEED POTATOES
We have ordered seed potatoes for sale in the shed.
There will be a choice of 8 popular varieties, packed in 2kg bags.
If these arrive before Christmas, we may re-open the shed. Watch this space and the shed noticeboard for updates.
SHED SEASONAL CLOSURE 2026
The shed will remain open on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of October.
The last open day is Sunday 25th October.
It will reopen in the New Year - date to be announced.
AUTUMN SOWING
It's time to start thinking about sowing Broad Beans and Peas for an earlier crop next year. The ideal time to sow these is November or late October. (Too early, and you risk plants getting too tall and being blown over by winter winds).
Ideal varieties for autumn sowing are: Broad Bean Aquadulce and Pea Douce Provence. These are available to buy in the shed now.
HOSEPIPE BAN
The Ban imposed by Anglian Water remains in place until further notice.
The ban applies at home as well as on the allotments.
You may continue to water crops using a watering-can or bucket. Please see the AW website for more information.
Please Note: Some individuals may have an Exemption from the ban. So, if you see someone using a hose, please do not confront them. Instead, if you have concerns, please raise the matter with Field Secretary David or other committee member.