news - Ashford Allotments

Allotment BRING AND BUY in May!

16/5/2015

Back by popular demand, this May there are 3 'bring and buy' dates at the Trading Store,
May 2nd, 16th, 30th

We have vintage tools, gardening books, and spare plants for sale to raise money for Show funds. Bring your spare plants, unwanted gardening books and any surplus tools to help swell the Show Kitty! Pick up a bargain for yourself too.

There are still some seed potatoes left (at the time of writing this) and they are now at bargain prices. If you have a bit of spare ground you've not been able to prepare to your satisfaction this spring, why not quickly pop some extra spuds in! Potatoes are very tolerant and their fine roots break up the soil while the top growth of lush foliage smothers out the weeds.

Produce Stall at the Summer Show

20/8/2014

Don't forget we are having a produce stall at the Summer Show, so whether you're coming in the morning to take part, or in the afternoon to admire, do bring your surplus produce to help us raise a few quid towards costs.

As you'll have seen earlier this month, the produce stall at the Pilgrim's Hospice raised a good amount. We don't expect quite so many people at the Summer Show (we haven't got a minibus laid on or anything like that) but all money raised will be very useful, so please do take a few minutes to walk over your plot and scoop up your surplus of whatever you have a lot of. All contributions incredibly welcome!

Results of the 'Best Plot' competition, plus all the photos we could get, are now there for you to see. Certificates will be awarded, plus the vintage silver cup for Best Plot, at the Summer Show on Saturday.

Best ever fund-raising at the Hospice Fair

4/8/2014

Picture ashford Pilgrim's Hopsice Summer Fair

Chairwoman Penny and Show Secretary Tony manned the stall at the Hospice Fair on Saturday 2nd August, and turned your surplus fruit, vegetables and jam into much-needed funds for the Hospice.

Above: If you don't grow courgettes yourself, then this is a sight to make the mouth water at this time of year!

Penny writes: "We had a very successful day and raised £97.70, our best total yet. We had a wonderful selection of fruit, vegetables and flowers together with lovely homemade jams. Thanks to all who helped and donated in particular plotholders at Musgrove, Cryol Road, Henwood, William Road and Repton. The day was sunny and perfect for the fete with over 2000 visitors and (a couple of very large marrows aside) we only had a few courgettes over which were given to the kitchen. So very successful!"

Nearly-new, old, secondhand and vintage gardening books wanted for the 23rd August

2/8/2014

At this year's summer show on 23rd August, there will be a secondhand gardening book stall to raise money. So we urgently want your unwanted garden and gardening books! they do not need to be specifically fruit and veg - all gardening books are welcome, also books on related subjects such as country crafts, cooking with vegetables, jams and preserves and so on. We are advertising it as vintage, secondhand and antiquarian, so do not worry if your books are past the first flush of youth or are even older than you are!

Books can be brought to the Trading Store on the 9th of August, or can be brought along to the show on the day. If you have books and can't deliver them on either of those two dates, get in touch and we'll arrange something.

Support the Pilgrim's Hospice Summer Fair by bringing your surplus produce to our fund-raising stall on August 2nd

23/7/2014

For many years now the Allotment Society has supported the Pilgrim's Hospice with a stall selling surplus fruit, veg and plants to raise funds. Plotholders please take the time to pick some of whatever you can spare for the stall, to make a good show, raise loads of money and show off the lovely stuff we grow.

The hospice Summer Fair is on August 2nd; you all know the hospice, it is just past Tesco Crooksfoot on the A20 towards the garden centre, after junction 10. Set your satnav for TN24 0NE

You should bring your produce direct to the hospice Summer Fair for about 9.30 to 9.45am, where Penny will be waiting to receive it and set it out. You can park in field opposite the hospice, but to deliver only (there is a free 'park & ride' for anyone coming to the fete). Anything sells well, so bring cut flowers, spare plants and of course vegetables and fruit. All the money made goes to the charity.

The Summer Fair is free and starts at 12 noon. (Closes at 4pm) There is a huge range of fun for all. To save traffic chaos, the Hospice is operating a free 'park & ride' to the hospice gates - leave your car safely at the 'Secret Garden' carpark a little further down the A20 at Mersham Le Hatch and hop on the bus! Click here to go to the Hospice website - scroll down the page to see details of the Fair.

Bring and buy day a success

21/6/2014

Today's 'Grand Allotment Bring and Buy' (that "Grand" was meant to be ironic, by the way) has been judged a success, with lots of tools and kit - both vintage and new - finding new homes where it was needed. Plants of tomatoes, kohl rabi, celeriac, cayenne pepper, kale, courgettes, summer and butternut squash and four huge, beautiful 'Marketmore' cucumbers were brought in and have now found good homes.

Donations of gardening books were outstanding, with some really super brand new books alongside more vintage titles. While a lot have sold, there is still a wide choice of titles which will be available the next time the Trading Store is open.

There will also be a book stall at the Summer Show, so please turn out all your surplus gardening books and bring them to the Trading Store so we can keep the ball rolling.

The money raised will go towards show expenses - it will be very good to start organising the Show with a petty cash kitty to call on, rather than asking individual helpers to lend the Society money!

A big thank you to all those who donated stuff, all those who turned up and bought, and the volunteers who helped keep everything running smoothly when we were so busy!

Gardening Bring & Buy

29/5/2014

Ashford Allotment Society will be running a GARDENING BRING AND BUY at the Trading Store on 21st June, during the normal opening hours of 10am to 2pm. It’s like a jumble sale, but for all allotment-related stuff!!!

This is a splendid chance to find good homes for surplus tools, seed trays, cloches, mini-greenhouses, small square propagating pots, really large pots, heaters, propagators, nice plants, gardening books, and so on. Spare plants will also be welcome. Come along, bring your surplus stuff and pick up a bargain!

Please bring your donations to the Trading Store either on May 31st or June 7th during normal opening hours, or on the day itself, as early as possible. ALL THE MONEY RAISED WILL GO TO EXPENSES FOR OUR SUPER SUMMER SHOW.

Please bring things people can use, which they will be prepared to pay small sums for. We know you've got more sense than to bring stuff which is only fit for the dump!

Allotment photograph competition

15/5/2014

Summer is coming and the allotments are starting to look really good. Up till now, the photographs on this website have mostly been taken by the compiler. And I have no hesitation in saying that most of them are rubbish! Photography is certainly not one of my talents.

Now, we're sure you can do better. On the left is the fabulous photo of Henwood taken by one of the plotholders last summer. Below is another stunner by the same photographer.

We want to see your very best photos. Send a mouthwatering pic of your site (it doesn't have to be your plot, mind!) to our email address, ashfordallotments@
yahoo.co.uk

Christine's gorgeous shed photo

As many of the photos as possible will be used on the website. Photos will be used to head up the page on each site, and other photos will be used as illustrations. The best photo of each site will be displayed at the Summer Show, and the best of all will get a modest prize. So get snapping!

SPARE PLANTS SWAP

29/4/2014

SPARE PLANTS: BRING AND BUY

Bring your spare plants up to the Trading Store this Saturday May 3rd, to find them good homes and raise some money for the Summer Show. If you haven't got spare plants, come to the Trading Store and buy some! Who knows what you'll find, it'll all depend what turns up on the day. Some may be rarer ones you've never tried!

If you are bringing plants, please bring them before 11am if possible (the earlier the better in fact). All plants should be in clean compost and should be labelled - just the way you'd like to buy them. If you'd like any unsold plants back please call back just before the Trading Store closes.
You don't need to be a member of the bulk buying scheme to take part.

All the money raised will go towards Summer Show expenses. The Trading Store is, as I'm sure you all know, at Westrees allotments on Quantock Drive.

Volunteers please step forward!

22/3/2014

Our busy and thriving Trading Store
is looking for some volunteers.

Would you like to meet fellow gardeners in a jolly setting? The Trading Store would very much like to welcome volunteers who could spare a couple of hours on a Saturday morning.

You would find yourself helping Trading Store members by weighing out plant foods, helping load cars with composts, and measuring out weed control fabric, netting and so on.

You would not need to come every time the seed shed is open. It would be nice to have volunteers who could come once a month through the summer, but any help will be welcome.

If you'd like to see what's involved and talk to the Trading Store crew, come down on one of the days the Trading Store is open. Things are busiest from 10-12am, so this would be the time volunteers would be most valuable.

To see OPENING TIMES and more about the Trading Store, CLICK HERE.