Little Growers Farm Community

Welcome to Little Growers

Little Growers Farm is a small community allotment and growing club nestled between Witney and Burford in West Oxfordshire. We bring together gardeners, families, and anyone curious about growing their own food in a supportive, down-to-earth environment. Whether you've been digging for decades or you're just starting to wonder what a courgette plant actually looks like, you'll find a home here.

Our site spans three acres of gently sloping land with decent soil, reliable water access, and a mix of sunny and partially shaded plots. We're not a commercial operation or a show garden. We're real people growing real veg, learning as we go, and helping each other out when the slugs get ambitious or the weather turns.

What We Offer

Members rent individual plots ranging from 50 to 150 square metres, depending on availability and what you think you can manage. Plot fees run from £85 to £180 per year, which covers water, basic tool storage in our communal shed, and access to our composting bays. You're free to grow what you like, provided it's legal and doesn't become a nuisance to neighbours. Most people stick to vegetables, soft fruit, and herbs, though we've had a few ambitious flower growers and one chap who insists on cultivating artichokes.

Beyond the plots themselves, we run informal skill-shares throughout the season. Someone who knows their onions, literally, might spend an hour talking about crop rotation. Another member demonstrates how to build a pallet compost bin. It's all quite casual. We also maintain a seed and plant swap table in the shed, where people leave surplus seedlings or spare packets for others to take.

Membership and Getting Started

Membership is open to anyone aged sixteen or over who lives within reasonable distance of the site. We don't have a strict catchment area, but most members come from Witney, Carterton, Burford, and the surrounding villages. There's usually a short waiting list for larger plots, though smaller ones tend to become available more quickly.

When you join, you'll receive a key to the main gate, a copy of our simple site rules, and an introduction from one of our longer-standing members who'll show you around and point out where things are. We ask that you attend at least one communal workday per year, where we tackle bigger jobs like hedge trimming, path maintenance, or clearing the drainage ditches. Most people find these quite sociable.

• Annual membership: £25 per household
• Plot rental: £85 to £180 depending on size
• No joining fee or hidden costs
• Water, tool storage, and compost included
• Bring your own tools and seeds

Community and Events

We're not heavily structured. There's no committee as such, just a small group of volunteers who keep the admin ticking over and make sure the water system doesn't pack in mid-July. Decisions about the site are usually made over a cup of tea during one of our Saturday morning drop-ins, which happen roughly twice a month from March to October.

Each summer we hold a low-key produce show where members bring their best, worst, or most oddly shaped harvests. Categories include things like heaviest marrow, straightest carrot, and most inventive use of a glut of courgettes. Prizes are modest, usually a bag of compost or a token for the local garden centre. It's more about the laughs than the competition. We also organise an autumn clear-up day followed by soup and bread in the barn.

The Land and Facilities

The site is accessed via a gravel track off the Burford Road. There's parking for about ten cars near the entrance, and most plots are within a short walk from there. We have a small barn where we store communal equipment like rotavators, mowers, and bulk bags of manure that members can use freely. One corner of the barn serves as a makeshift social space with a couple of benches and a kettle.

Water comes from a borehole, and there are standpipes distributed across the site so you're never dragging a hose too far. We've also got three large composting areas where you can dump your weeds and spent plants. The perimeter is hedged with hawthorn and blackthorn, which keeps things reasonably sheltered and gives the local birds somewhere to nest.

Practical Details

Plots are let on an annual basis, renewing each January. If you need to give up your plot mid-year, just let us know and we'll find someone to take it over. There's no penalty for leaving, though we do ask for a month's notice so we can get the plot back into decent shape for the next person.

You're welcome to visit the site any day of the week during daylight hours. Most people tend to come at weekends or on summer evenings. We don't have electricity on site, and there are no toilets, so plan accordingly. The nearest facilities are at the petrol station about a mile down the road.

If you're interested in joining or just want to have a look around, drop us an email or give us a ring. We're always happy to show prospective members the site and answer any questions. No hard sell, no pressure. If it suits you, great. If not, no harm done.