Ashford Allotments
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Potato Blight Alert

23/5/2014

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This spring your publicity officer signed up for 'Blightwatch', the service which informs farmers when conditions are such that potato blight attacks are probable. These are particular weather conditions which favour blight - they do not mean blight is actually present.

However the past few years have been especially prone to blight and there are a lot of spores around.

I have just received an alert for this area. This means the conditions are right for blight to strike and you should watch your potatoes and any outdoor tomatoes for signs of early blight spots.

This is very early in the season for such problems and some of the traditional remedies are not appropriate. You may, however, wish to give a preventative spray with Bordeaux Mixture. This would need to be re-applied after heavy rain.

What a pain, eh?
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New slug product at the Trading Store

19/4/2014

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"Slug Gone" from Vitax

This new product is made of pelleted sheep's wool and traces of sheep manure. It prevents slugs from reaching your treasured plants, and at the same time slowly releases nutrients into the soil.

After application it swells to produce a mat that slugs just can't cross. It's particularly good for hostas!
FULLY ORGANIC AND SOIL ASSOCIATION APPROVED!


The Trading Store has stocked this after determined popular demand from gardeners who've already tried it and found it highly effective. Click here for more details

RRP from Vitax is £5.99. Trading store price is £4.30. You may find it cheaper online but when you add on the cost of postage this is a jolly good deal.

STILL NOT GOT ALL YOUR SPUDS IN? There are a few bags of seed potatoes - nice varieties - left at the Trading Store - but hurry!
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Spring is getting a move on - act fast

7/4/2014

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Still available from the Trading Store

The next opening of the Trading Store is April 19th, Easter Saturday. It is bound to be busy and if you can spare two hours from 10 to 12 to volunteer please come along - it's great fun and you'll be helping everyone.

There are still some SEED POTATOES left - a modest choice of varieties, so if you're all behindhand, you still have a chance to catch up.

A few onion sets - red - are available and there is still time to plant. If you have a small allotment, buy just a few!

Shallots can go in till the end of April and there are still some golden shallots at the Trading Store to buy by weight - as few or as many as you like.

This is the ideal time of year to tackle the weeds on a neglected corner of your plot; you can use a glyphosate weedkiller now, as soon as the weeds turn yellow you can strip them off or dig them in, knowing the roots are killed and the soil ready to plant with no harmful after-effects. You can fork over or rotovate the soil and it will be ready to sow runner beans, french beans, late peas, or plant out courgettes or tomatoes. No need to sweat and strain, let glyphosate do the hard work for you. A bottle of concentrate which, diluted down, is enough to clear a whole plot, is just £4.95 from the Trading Store!

For more about using weedkiller, click here!
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Have you discovered Kent Wool Growers yet? If not, you're really missing something!

20/3/2014

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Kent Wool Growers is a farmers' supply store which is also open to the ordinary public. For now, it's still in Tannery Lane, next to the Post Office sorting office - though it will be moving to new larger premises soon. Check out the lovely down-to-earth atmosphere and find the many bargains in store.

KWG has an excellent range of garden tools - all very good quality and very reasonably priced, so anyone buying tools should check them out. You'll be agreeably surprised, and, like me, find some unexpected bargains too.

Kent Wool Growers stock Bulldog Tools, True Temper, and their own range as well. Their own tools include very desirable stainless steel spades, forks, rakes and edgers and so on with well-made wooden handles. The mark of a good tool - they are light and well-balanced, a joy to use. Spades and forks are £16.60, the beautifully made rake just £11.92.

Felco secateurs are also available. These are the professional's choice, worth every penny as they last a lifetime. I still have the pair I bought 30 years ago and use them everyday. KWG stock a range of replacement blades and springs, so you never need to buy another pair. Spare blades for Felco folding pruning saws are also in stock.


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New section added to A-Z

16/3/2014

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A new section on POTATOES has just been added to the Fruit & Veg A-Z with a range of info and tips.

Click here to see it.
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    This website is happy to publicise all garden-related events.
    All the news, views and information posted on this website are produced and written by the website compiler, unless it says otherwise.

    Use the CONTACT box or click on the envelope at the top of the page to send us an item you'd like to see on our news page. Use "Add Comment" to comment on a news item.
    Or email the compiler at ashfordallotments@
    yahoo.co.uk

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