Plants Mean Prizes

Just letting members know that we have been judging plots over this growing season the winners & Runners up will be announced in September. Best kept plot 1st prize £35 Second prize £25. Also the best newcomer to the site £35 runner up prize £25.

Old Lane allotments Committee

Vegetable Growing – June

June is a very busy time on the allotment the nights should now be frost free, and daylight hours are longer which should give you plenty of time to get on with jobs that need doing. Now is the time to protect your strawberries by mulching around them with straw to keep mud splashes off, & keep birds of your precious ripening strawberries by cover your plants with netting.

Keeping on top of the weeds is still very important hoe between rows & let them dry out on top of the soil. Continue sowing beetroot, This is the last chance to sow main crop variety carrots that will be ready to harvest in September/October. Courgettes, Summer squash, & marrows if you don’t already have young plants you have raised in pots, you can sow the seed direct outside now the soil has warmed up. The beginning of June will be the last chance to grow maincrop peas, towards the end of the month switch to early fast maturing peas which should be ready to harvest in September. Outdoor cucumbers are usually started off earlier in pots, but if you sow them direct this month they should give you a crop in August/September.

Sow Outdoors now – beetroot, broccoli, Carrots, French beans, kale, pumpkins & Winter squash, runner beans, swede, Swiss chard, turnips, radish, Spring onions, continue succession of salad leaves, cucumbers, herbs.

                                          Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

 

Very Important Information – Regarding St Anthony’s Drive gate entrance.

This is the new padlock that will be going on St Anthony’s Drive gate entrance at some point tommorow morning. USE THE SAME combination code that you know. Tilt the lock to the side to put in the code as per picture above. Once you have entered the code there is a button under the lock to release the shackle as per picture above. Remember to push this button or the lock will not open . On entry please remember to put the lock the correct way so people can gain entry from inside and outside of the allotment gates, then scramble the numbers as before. The Old Lane entrance gate is still the same lock as it was, however this will have to be replaced in time when it eventually goes faulty with a lock as per picture above. As I have said You will have to press the release button to open the lock (do not try and open the shackle by yanking it when you have put the code in – or you will damage it). Remember the release button at the underside of the lock. Any problems contact me. If you can’t gain entry use the other entrance and Come and see me and I will go through the process.

Kind Regards (Mark Burton) Allotment Secretary

Vegetable Growing – May

Lighter evenings means we get more time on our allotment plots & with temperatures rising in May we should see some really vibrant sunny days.  Watch out there is still a danger of frost even in May which will kill tender young plants. The soil should be warming up now so this is a time for some direct sowing of seeds but remember to stagger them to spread out your Harvests. Remember to harden off young plants this is where you gradually acclimatize the plants to outside temperatures & conditions over a two or three week period.

Continue to sow main-crop peas,  sow sweetcorn directly outside always sow in blocks rather than rows to ensure pollination. Root vegetables can now been sown outside carrots, beetroot, swedes, parsnips & turnips.

Sow outdoors under cover – beetroot, cucumbers, French beans, Runner beans, sweetcorn.

Sow Outdoors – Beetroot, Brussels sprout, Cabbages (Summer), carrots, cauliflower, French beans, kale, lettuce, oriental leaves, lettuce, radish, rocket, runner beans, spring onions,swede, salad leaves, broccoli, Swiss chard, spinach.

Sow Indoors – Cabbages Summer, autumn winter & red, chillies & peppers, pumpkins & winter squash, courgettes, kale, marrows, sprouting broccoli.

Herbs – Succession sow further small batches of seed such as basil, coriander,chervil, dill, parsley, sorrel – may need protecting still with covers or cloches.

You may need to earth up potatoes & keep that hoe going for the continual weeds.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Onion fertilizer – Give your onions the boost they deserve.

Give your onions a boost with our onion fertilizers to grow the best onions. Onions are heavy feeders so giving them a boost of fertiliser will keep them healthy. All dry fertilisers should be worked or watered into the top 3 to 5 inches of soil. Using a hoe gently work the fertilizer into the soil so it can leach down towards the plant root zones. You have to be careful and not damage the onions when working fertilizers into the soil.

We sell onion fertilizer at a stores shop at £1.75 per KG. All money taken goes back into the running of the site

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Potatoe fertilizer – Give your seed potatoes a boost

Give your potatoe plants a boost with granular fertilizer. This can be applied to the soil and either watered in, or using a hoe to leach down towards the plant root zones. For bumper crops and healthy potatoes.

We sell potatoe fertilizer at our stores shop priced at £1.60 per KG. All money taken goes back in to the running of the site.

Blog created by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Who is responsible for doing this today

Dear Members

We want to know who is responsible for fly tipping this wood on the embankment opposite the allotment gates on St Anthony’s Drive. We have an agreement with Leeds City Council if any trees are cut on the parimeter fence which hinders parents and children accessing St Anthony’s drive to go to school, they will take them away which they have done recently. Someone has placed all these rotten pallets and wood on the embankment which is totally unacceptable. Whoever has done this needs to remove them as this is actually fly tipping and our site will possibly be fined. It also might suggest to people that anybody can dump rubbish there and they certainly must not. I arrived on site at 8.30 this morning and all the wood wasn’t there. I came back on site at 2pm and it was there. Can the person or persons responsible move it as a matter of urgency. This isn’t a good look for our site.

Blog ccreated by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Entrance Gate St Anthony’s Drive

Dear Members

We are in the process of the gate being looked at again by Andy Rowell at Leeds City Council. The bar that you pull accross where the lock sits is difficult to open. Leeds City Council have been to the gate and cemented the gate post last week as it became loose in the ground. Sorry for any inconvenience caused. We have another entrance to the site if members prefer that option. The committee are aware of the situation.

Blig ccreated by Mark Burton(Allotment Secretary)