Rose Hill allotments give a taste of home (From The Oxford Times)

Rose Hill allotments give a taste of home

8:10am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Leisure

Three years ago, Askumar Limbu was jogging in Rose Hill and was drawn to the large open steel gates of the Lenthall Road Rose Hill Allotment Association (LRRHAA).

A native of Nepal and a former Gurkha, Mr. Limbu had relocated to Rose Hill in December 2008 and was curious about the allotment and the possibility of growing produce from his homeland.

After an impromptu tour of the allotment and an interview with the then Field Secretary Michael Fernandes, Mr Limbu and his nephew, Noor, were each given a 10-pole plot.

Today, there are now more than 10 members of the Nepalese community with plots at the site, featuring raised beds and traditional outdoor brick ovens. They have successfully grown many vegetables, including pumpkins, dudhi (calabash), cucumbers, coriander, garlic, onions and tomatoes.

“We are trying to grow vegetables that we had back home. It has become an oasis for us where we have created a plot similar to a typical plot in Nepal “ This is a part of a home from home for us,” said Mr Limbu, who won the Brewster Cup trophy for ‘best plot’ in his first year.

Mr Fernandes is pleased to have cultivated a blossoming relationship with Rose Hill’s burgeoning Nepalese community and the LRRHAA.

He said: “They and their families are very hard working and contribute greatly to the allotment gardening knowledge and the community here.” Mr Limbu holds one of 88 plots at the site and is part of its diverse and eclectic community of gardeners from 16 different countries from China to Zambia.

He is also one of the many allotees who has benefited from the allotment’s £10,000 Big Lottery Fund grant which overhauled the site, erecting six communal sheds, provided secure storage, launched an education programme, introduced water conservation and upgraded the allotment shop.

Spanning 6.7 acres, the site offers dramatic views of Boars Hill and the city’s Dreaming Spires, and with its clay soil, the site slopes westward towards Iffley Village.

Affiliated to the Federation of Allotment Associations, the site’s Allotment Association is run by an elected volunteer-led committee and holds regular volunteer events such as work parties and an annual summer and winter party.

To enquire about a plot, please contact the lettings secretary on 01865 715112 or email gslowboat@aol.com