Allotments

Although there are slight fluctuations from plot to plot, the soil on the Sunningdale site is generally light and sandy. The advantages are that it is relatively easy to work and free draining; the disadvantage is that it can dry out quickly. In very dry periods, such as July 2006, the soil becomes very fine and it can take a reasonable amount of rain to “re-hydrate” it. The soil tends to be marginally on the acidic side of the ph divide. One final point of note is that the land is quite stony, which means that some extra work can be required to remove the stones if long straight root crops are required, particularly parsnips.

There are many underground streams in the local area; a number of properties on Church Road used to have wells in their back gardens. In wet winters some plots can become unworkable for periods of time although the sandy nature of the soil means that periods of forced inactivity are seldom lengthy. Some improvements were made by the Parish Council in the early 1990s to limit the amount of water run-off from the school and the car park to the plots by running a drain down the main path to the ditch. The areas that suffer from water run-off are: some adjacent plots to the school playing field; plots in a direct line from the car parks; and some plots that are in a direct line to the three large properties on Church Road.