Good afternoon fellow allotmenteers,
I’m not sure that the weather quite knows what to do with itself today. First it’s bright sunshine, then a heavy shower, all accompanied by a sneaky north wind. At least, as far as I can tell, we didn’t get a frost last night which is a blessing for those of us who’d dared to plant out some tender specimens!
Right, grab a cup of tea and on to business…
Firstly,
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who braved the rain and supported our Plant Sale last Saturday.
The total raised so far is £255.02, with a couple more donations still to be handed over. Thank you to everyone who came and bought plants and to all those who donated plants to sell.
What an amazing amount!
There were a few plants left over which are being looked after until we do it all again on Sunday 14th of June from 11 until 1. By then we should have all got to grips with our plots and can see the gaps that need filling and what plants we have spare. There may be more tomatoes and some brassicas and other bits and pieces.
So come along and join us then!
Keith’s Legacy
Many of you will remember our long standing plot holder Keith Warwick. He had worked his plot for over 40 years and was quite a character. After his death last year his family removed what they wanted but when we went to clear the shed we discovered that there were a lot of beautifully cared for tools, with handles that have been smoothed by years of experience.
We think it would be a fitting legacy for Keith if we keep those tools in the communal shed for plot holders to borrow and use if they find they need, for example, a rake or a hoe and haven’t got one on the day.
We’re going to mark them with red tape so that we know what is part of Keith’s collection and keep them there for people to borrow (and return!).
Manure Mining
Keith also left a wheelbarrow and we have decided that this will become the communal manure barrow. Not every plot holder has a barrow, but everyone needs manure, so if you need to excavate some manure and cart it back to your plot, please use the barrow and return it when you’ve finished with it. Manure is £5 a barrow load, please pay by bacs and use your plot number and ‘manure’ as a reference.
(We’ll hopefully get the grass cleared from the top of the heap shortly which will make life easier)
Window Frames
The pile of window frames by the communal plot are free to anyone who can use them for cold frames etc. If they haven’t gone by the end of the month we’ll dispose of them to the tip.
Swap and Share
The system seems to be working well. The free seeds box is being well used. A gentle reminder that if anything else that you leave is still there after a fortnight then please remove and dispose of it.
Big Blue Barrels
We have been offered a number of the large blue barrels similar to the ones located by each water tap. They make very good waterbutts and are excellent for growing carrots. They would be available for £8 each (we need to cover the transport to get them here and raise a little more for the shed).
If you are interested in one(or more) please let me know asap so I can arrange delivery.
Rubbish
A plot holder has let us know that unfortunately someone had left a load of rubbish in a container on their plot. Please remove your own rubbish to keep the site tidy.
Grass Cutting
The grass is growing apace after this bit of rain. Thank you to Mick for keeping the main paths and lawn area cut. Each plot holder is responsible for cutting the grass to the east of their plot, that is, on your right as you stand and face the sewage works.
There are lawn mowers available for you to borrow, at your own risk, in the garage. There is a list of garage keyholders on the noticeboard.
Finally…
We are nearly half way into the growing season and nearly everyone is busy on their plot.
However, there are one or two plots which don’t seem to have had any work done on them at all yet. There are a lot of weed seeds blowing around from these plots and it isn’t helpful to your neighbours.
If one of the neglected plots is yours and there’s a good reason why you can’t keep up with things, please let us know, we may be able to help.
If you really can’t manage your plot anymore then please consider giving it up so that we can give it to someone on the waiting list.
Thank you.
Happy Gardening!