Latest News

I start this newsletter with some sad news to share, namely the death of Keith Warwick, who possibly was the plot holder who had been on the site for longest. I understand that he had followed his father and grandfather onto the site.

I met him when I first got my plot, nine years ago, and he told me he had been gardening on the site for the past forty years. He commented that my newly erected greenhouse was ‘the wrong way round’ and that he had the worst plot on the site, ‘Nothing ever grows’ he told me. I did wonder why he kept growing but I later discovered that this was just his very dry sense of humour.

He always said hello as he walked round the site and once told me my plot was ‘very tidy’ – I felt as if I’d won a gold medal at the Chelsea flower show!

Peter Sanderson shared another story about Keith…

When his wife was alive he used to go to allotment for a smoke. If his wife commented on the smell he used to tell her that he had been talking to Bill Lodge in his shed and Bill had been smoking.

One day Keith’s milkman called for his money and Keith happened to mention he had an allotment at the bottom of Bachelor Gardens.

The milkman said ‘So you will know Bill Lodge’ and Keith’s wife said ‘Don’t talk to me about Bill Lodge. Keith comes back from allotment stinking of his smoke.’ The milkman said ‘That’s funny, I’ve known Bill for 50 years and I never knew he smoked.’

We’re going to send farewell flowers from the allotment which will hopefully include some of the produce from his plot.

RIP Keith, you’ll be missed.

Plot planning

It’s that time of year when thoughts turn to seed orders and planning for next year. Beds are turned over, manure is spread, tools are cleaned and greenhouses and sheds are tidied.

As you may know our site is judged each year by the Harrogate District Allotment Federation (HDAF). For several years historically, we won the trophy for the best kept site in the district but we haven’t had that accolade recently. This year we were commended on several areas but we have still got some things that we can improve upon.

I thought it might be of interest to share the judging criteria so that anyone planning to have a move around, re organise or re think could possibly bear some simple things in mind to help us regain our crown!

As you can see, there are various different areas that we can all address. I’m certainly going to take a look at my plot with the criteria in mind and see what I can do to address any ‘areas for improvement’! I hope that this information might be useful.

Maintenance update

The gate at the bottom of Bachelor Road has been mended and the posts replaced as they were rotten. The main gate on the central path has been repaired and rehung so that it no longer drags along the ground.

The council have been approached to trim the hedge along the top path- watch this space!

It’s almost the time of year when we can stop mowing the grass. Many thanks to those of you who have taken a turn at mowing the communal paths, it’s much appreciated.

Communal shed

As you will have seen, great progress has been made on the construction of the communal shed which, when finished, will be a welcome space for all plot holders to use. Gary and James have done a terrific job so far.

The committee are hoping to finalise the anticipated costings to complete the work very soon, which will allow us to have a final push to raise the necessary funds needed.

Useful bits and bobs

Jobs for November

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/allotment-jobs-for-november/

https://hub.suttons.co.uk/allotment-advice/what-to-do-in-your-allotment-in-november

https://www.allotmentonline.co.uk/november

Happy gardening!

If you have used any manure from the recent delivery then you can pay online to the NOAA Account at the same time as you pay your rent for next year.

The manure is much better quality than that of recent years and applying some now will ensure better crops next year.

It is only £5 for a level barrow load.

You can also make a contribution towards the cost of any hosepipe use this past dry summer.

So here we are and it’s October…where did the year go?

It has been an ‘interesting’ year for us gardeners, to say the least! After a wettish spring we have had the driest summer of recent years which has presented some challenging growing conditions.

The early spring pollination season was perfect which has resulted in bumper crops of apples and pears.

(Side note…if you have spare fruit that you are not going to use then please feel free to put on the Swap and Share trolley by the main gate rather than letting it go to waste. There are sure to be plenty of happy recipients)

There are lots of jobs that we can be getting on with now before the weather closes in and we don’t fancy a trip to the plot…here are some ideas from the National Allotment Society:

https://thenas.org.uk/October-Gardening-Checklist

If you fancy a new challenge and a way of saving money then why not try saving some seeds?

https://thenas.org.uk/Seed-Saving

We’re have a Seed Swap and Share at the AGM on the 20th of October so now might be the time to give it a go!

Whilst we are on the subject of saving money, here’s a link to a free thrifty gardening guide:

https://www.gardenersworld.com/register/free-thrifty-gardener-guide/?

Now is the time to be doing some garden maintenance so here’s a guide to Autumn Pruning from Gardener’s World:

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plants-to-prune-in-autumn/

And to finish here’s my favourite recipe for a delicious tomato sauce. It’s perfect for using up the tomato glut and works well with pasta or you can let it down with some stock to make a lovely tomato soup…perfect for cold days! It freezes very well too!

The annual AGM will be at Bilton Cricket Club on Monday 20th October from 7 pm. All plot holders are encouraged to attend as every plot holder is a member of the association and has a vote.

You can meet the current committee, hear site and financial updates, local issues affecting us and elect new committee members if necessary.

There will also be a presentation of the trophy to the best plot.

This year we will also be having a Seed Swap and Share at the meeting. This is your chance to go through your stash of seeds and share any spares with other plot holders in exchange for some new varieties before you put your order in with Peter for next year’s seeds. Peter organises the communal order for King’s Seeds at the start of December and we get a 50% discount as allotment members.

Rents can be paid on the night in cash or by bank transfer (details to be sent out shortly).