news - Ashford Allotments

Poster putter-upper for Beaver allotments needed.

26/9/2014

Beaver Fields allotment site currently has no rep. This makes it difficult to get posters put up on the notice board. Would any of the Beaver plotholders be happy just to be listed as a poster-putter-upper? This would mean occasionally receiving a poster from the council to put up on the noticeboard. No other duties would be demanded! Wye already has a similar arrangement.

If you would be happy to put posters up at Beaver please email me at ashforallotments@yahoo.co.uk, use the contact form, or email Eileen on eileen.law@ashford.gov.uk

Committee Meeting on Weds 24th Sept

26/9/2014

Full minutes of the meeting will be posted on the 'Official Stuff' page when received from the Secretary, and you'll be notified here that they are ready. Meanwhile, here's the gist.

Site reps for Burton Farm, Orion Way, Bybrook, William and Jemmett, Cryol Road and Henwood attended. Apologies for absence were sent.

Wisley trip: Penny has been unable to contact Pat to arrange this for September and a date in early-mid March is now being considered. Wisley has a lot to offer in early spring and the season there is slightly ahead of here in Kent. If you would be interested in going on this coach trip, contact me on ashforallotments.org.uk so we can get an idea of numbers.

Trading Store: as Geoff is sunning himself in Italy, Tony Fagg gave the figures on his behalf. Turnover is up significantly on the 2013 season, with sales of £5521 compared with £3078 last year. New members have signed up. Please remember that the Trading Store membership is open to all, so do tell any friends who are keen gardeners that they can join and take advantage of the savings.

Treasurer. Three well-qualified people - Brain Stamp, Stevie Boutell and Penny Carey - attended to offer themselves for the post of treasurer, which fell vacant again as Martin Marsh was moving out of Ashford. Penny, Tony and Carol explained that the current account provider (Santander) is unwieldly and obstructive to deal with and they are looking into using an alternative bank. The three candidates will be contacted further and the committee hopes to have a treasurer firmly in post by the AGM.

Show Secretary's report: the 2014 show was a success, as you'll have seen from the report elsewhere on the website (click here to go to it). In general discussion it was agreed that the late date this year made things more difficult than they might have been, and that a larger hall was needed. A vote was taken and it was agreed to try to book the large hall at Kennington Junior School for a date in mid July. Thanks were expressed for all the volunteers who did so much to make the day a success, especially Vivienne Lawson, Sophia Hubball , Mr & Mrs King, and Brian Spencer. A sensible sum was raised by the book stall, produce stall, raffle, and the refreshments. After expenses were deducted the remainder will be set aside to enable the planning of the 2015 show. Further money-raising events will hopefully add to the total.

The Pumpkin Show is on 1st November and further details will be given in a separate post on this News page, also those on email will receive an email.

Eileen Law gave the Allotment Officer's report and showed an impressive grasp of both the figures and the current problems raised by the reps. Copies of a spreadsheet showing the number of vacancies, terminations, non-cultivation notices and new lettings for each site were provided for everyone attending.

Under Any Other Business, the subject of providing a waterproof awning or gazebo for the Trading Store was raised. This would allow more events during all weather. A caravan awning was suggested as this could protect the otherwise woefully-exposed entrance in wet weather. It was agreed that it would be appropriate to use some of the show funds for this project, but that second-hand or free options should be investigated before money was spent.

The Trading Store (above) currently has a garage-type door which lifts up and over. When it rains, there is no protection for the front as when the door is closed, no-one can get in!

Water leak on Christchurch Road

23/9/2014

The long-running water leak on Christchurch Road allotments has now been located. Unfortunately, because the area was so saturated, it had become necessary to turn the water off at the water point. A whole section of pipe has failed and it will be necessary to replace this from the stopcock to the water point. The work will be undertaken as soon as Southern Water can schedule it.

The easiest access to another source of water is at the tank just inside the gate to William Road allotments, on the track from William Road to the playing field. Your key will also fit these gates. Obviously this isn't ideal but if you are unable to bring water from your house it is the best that is possible at present.

Spring cabbage plants available to plotholders

22/9/2014

Spring cabbage plants are available now to plotholders and Trading Store members. Please click here to go to 'Swap Shop' page.

New caterpillar on brassicas

20/9/2014

Picture silver y moth caterpillar east brassicas

Never seen this one before. It is present in ones and twos (unlike the Large White Butterfly caterpillar which comes not in single spies but in battalions)(Shakespeare) but is definitely a Very Hungry Caterpillar and is doing quite a lot of damage.

For a fascinating article on this moth and caterpillar click on the picture.

It is time for a 'search and destroy' mission on your brassicas. There are fewer caterpillars around than last year, thank goodness, but even a few can do a lot of damage when they concentrate their attentions on the young leaves, as this species seems to do.

You may also have grey aphid - usually spotted only when you are on a caterpillar hunt. Aphid control is always a problem but one of the newer suitable pesticides is Provado ultimate bug killer, which is suitable for use on brassicas.

You should not use soap-based contact insecticides on brassicas as they remove the essential waxy coating on the leaves and the plant is often killed or severely damaged.

Weed-infested fruit bushes? Oh dear, never mind, it's easy to clean them up.

20/9/2014

Autumn is coming, the leaves will soon be falling, but the weeds just keep on growing, eh? Never mind, if you have perennial weeds amongst your soft fruit, you can turn this to your advantage.

Nothing makes an allotment look scruffier than fruit bushes with couch grass, dandelions and dock growing under and between them. But these weeds don't just look unsightly, they are robbing your fruit of essential water and nutrients. Get rid of the weeds and the bushes will reward you with stronger growth and bumper crops.

"I've tried!" we hear you wail - "I've dug them out but the roots are amongst the fruit and they just keep coming back!" The answer isn't hand-weeding (doomed to failure) but judicious use of the correct modern weedkiller. Glyphosate - available in many different brands but best-known as 'Round-Up' - only kills where it touches green leaf. This means you can wait till all the leaves have fallen, then water on your glyphosate all over the couch and dandelions. They will die and the bushes be unharmed.

For more about this solution to one of life's more annoying problems, click here.

Got a problem? Try our advice pages and see if we have the answer. Try the FRUIT & VEG A-Z, and the ADSVICE & INFORMATION pages for other topics. Doing well? Send us your tips for success! They will be included in our advice so we can all benefit.

Garlic for Autumn planting

19/9/2014

The Trading Store won't be doing garlic this year, after so much of last year's had to be written off as a loss. Keen garlic growers may like to look at Marshall's selection. Click on the picture (or here) to go to their website.

garlic Picture

Water being turned off for the winter on all sites soon - read this.

19/9/2014

Eileen Law, the Council's Allotment Officer, has let us know that the water will be being turned off for the winter soon. The council workman will be going round the sites in the week running up to the beginning of October.

If you need water during the autumn for greenhouses or polytunnels, please fill your tanks or water butts before the water is turned off.

Water will be turned back on again at the beginning of March, assuming the weather permits. If we are having a very cold spell, turning the water back on will be deferred.

Giant Pot Leek Show at well-known seaside resort

15/9/2014

That is a ten pence piece next to that leek, folks. So, as you can see, this wasn't a giant show, it was a show of giant leeks! The black mark is magic marker, denoting the height above the roots where the girth of this monster was to be measured.

Pot leeks are grown for girth, not length, and some exhibits were disqualified because the distance between roots and the 'button' - the point where the leaves divide - was too long.

Where was this stunning variation on the village flower show? At Seahouses on the Northumbrian coast, a lovely little fishing port amongst stunning beaches just a few miles from Bamburgh Castle. The show was in a marquee in the garden of the Old Ship Inn, overlooking the harbour, as you can see from the photos on the left. Too far to pop up for the day, sadly - though a lovely spot for a holiday.

Produce show at SeahousesPicture

Seahouses harbour from the Old Ship InnPicture

It was a real thrill to stumble upon this show - literally we just saw a blackboard with the worlds 'Leek Show Marquee' chalked on them and an arrow pointing past the pub. For two keen allotmenteers it was the icing on the cake. So read on to see more of the Giant Leeks, not to mention onions the size of cabbages and Chrysanthemums as big as your head.

show crysanths at seahousesPicture

Show chrysanths at seahousesure

Here we have the biggest Chrysanths you've ever seen. And, on the right, the same in pink, just in case you couldn't believe your eyes. Both by the same grower, who also won the prize for the leeks - and several of the other classes. We didn't ask the secret of his success as we thought it highly unlikely he'd tell us! But, believe me, we were awe-struck. But more about those leeks . . . here is a selection of photos to give you a faint idea of their stunning hugeness.

Picture A Warnaby's giant leeks

The leek nearest the camera is the same one as in the first photo, with the 10p coin next to it. Scary!

And if you want something other than leeks, here are a few other scary vegetables . . .

I admit it, there are few leeks there too. But spot below the 'Disaster Class' Perhaps we should have this for our summer show next year? What do you think?

Picture R Nelson Jnr forked carrot

Mr R Nelson Jnr was very keen to claim proud ownership of this spectacularly unsuccessful carrot. One wonders if he inherited his specialist skills at carrot-nobbling from R Nelson Snr? An example to all of us and proof that there is hope of prize success for everyone. I should say thaT Mr Nelson's other entries were superb, by the way! We've got to run a 'Disaster Class' next year, surely!

For the show report in the Northumberland Gazette click here.

Tragic end to West Allotment Celtic's cup dream

15/9/2014

Yes, fans, the Whitley Bay giant-killers were beaten 5 -nil by Lancaster. Yes, we accept that Knaresborough hardly constitutes a giant, but never mind, eh?