Author: oldlanelottswp

 

Making The Land Work For You

Vacant land, that is land without a crop on it, in the spring or summer the weeds will happily grow on vacant land. So working the land will not only benefit you with higher yields, you wont be pointlessly weeding on vacant land. After the early potatoes have been harvested in June/July you could replace them with (green manures) or sow maybe French beans which provide their own nitrogen if PH levels in the soil are low.

Intercropping can be another way to maximise crop production. Its important to observe crop spacing’s between plants, These distances have been calculated to produce the most from a given space. Overcrowding will not produce more crops from the space, but you can share the space between rows of slow growing crops with faster growing crops, that will be ready before shading out. Early carrot & turnip varieties will be ready in 8 – 10 weeks from being sown, allowing time for them to develop before say the broad beans have covered them.  So making the land work has numerous benefits on your allotment plot.

 

Blog By Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

 

February is often the coldest winter month & what you can do on your allotment in February often depends on the weather. Do not slavishly follow instruction’s to sow or plant outside in February: think of the conditions, cold & wet ground will not germinate seeds it will just kill them off. If the weather allows,  you can direct sow broad beans along with early peas best chance would be to start them in a cold frame and plant outside later. Onion seeds can now be started off indoors or in a heated greenhouse at home, they need to be 15 degrees C to get them going for planting out later. The greenhouse border can be brought into productive use, a row or two of early carrots can come out in eight to ten weeks,  by this time the beds will be needed for tomatoes & so on.

If you didn’t plant your garlic out last November pop them in now, they like a cold spell so frost will not harm them. Conventional advice is to sow parsnips now but you will get much better germination rates in March, they will still be ready by the time the next frost arrives. Hardy lettuce can be started under glass, to provide an early salad crop along with rocket & some radish varieties.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Cold Snap

 

These pictures were taken by our Mick Cooper 31/1/19. The attention to detail on the spiders web is quite stunning.

It’s been the coldest day of the year so far.

Thanks Mick for sending in the pictures for the website

 

Blog created by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary) Photography by Mick Cooper

The  Second World War

Once again Britain was blockaded and food shortages were normal. The pressure was greater than of the first world war even public parks were pressed into use for food production. The famous “Dig For Victory Campaign” educated the general public to produce there own food & save shipping needed for war Materials. Food rationing kept up the demand for allotments & home grown food.

The Allotment Act 1950

The result of demands for more & more building land saw the re-establishment of the Allotments Advisory Body which in 1949 recommended a scale of provision  of 4 acres per 1,000 head of population. This resulted in the allotment act of 1950.

Current Situation

By 1996 it was stated there were around 297,000 plots vacant and, although definite figures do not appear available there has again been an upsurge in interest of growing food crops. Concerns about genetic modification of foodstuffs, chemical pollution & contamination of our food & the desire for the ultimate in freshness, has seen empty plots filled & waiting lists appear for sites that had previously had high vacancy rates.

Blog & research by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Photos enhanced by      Mick Cooper  (Plot 12 E )

 

 

Small Holdings & Allotments Act 1908

The small holdings and Allotment Act 1907 imposed responsibilities on parish, urban district & borough councils to provide allotments & further legislation in 1908 consolidated previous acts & resolved various anomalies.

First World War 1914 – 1918

During the first World War Germanys blockade caused food shortages which increased the demand for allotments. One source of land suitable for allotments but not large enough for general agriculture use was the land owned by railway companies. These strips of land were often allotted to railway workers this is the reason that you will often see allotments by railway lines today. Following the First World War there was a decrease in a demand for allotments and this, combined with increased demand for building land for housing reduced the number of allotments.

Blog & Research Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary) 

Photos enhanced by Mick Cooper (Plot 12E)

 

History of Allotments – To be continued …..

WHAT TO GROW

 

One of the srangest things I have come across is a grower that has a crop that he or she doesn’t like. So the first rule is to grow what you like to eat. Although this may seem obvious , often it can be strangely ignored. Write down what you or your family like to eat. Think seasonally Summer most people like salads & in Winter most families like root hardy vegetables. When you go shopping see which fruit & vegetables are the most expensive (so you can save money). Having eventually made a list of what you want to eat. You can then choose the varieties you want to grow. It’s easy to get carried away when your planning, be realistic about the time you have available ; think about how much time you will have in a good week, and in a bad week. Pick plants & seeds that are happy with that & grow them in the right place. On the other hand do try crops that you haven’t eaten before. The worst case is you waste a packet of seeds & a small patch of land.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Winter Digging / Getting ready for Spring

 

We have noticed some plots have not yet been dug over & weeded ready for this years growing season.  When it comes to sowing & planting in Spring you will not be ready, resulting in playing catch up when the growing season is in full swing.

Winter digging will give you a good start as Spring is just around the corner, enabling  you to make maximum use of your land for growing.

 

Old Lane Allotments Committee

Further to our blog published on the 9th January 2019 stores opening days & times have not changed, however we will not be opening the stores officially until this years growing season begins. So the said times & days will not take effect until the end of February beginning of March  weather permitting.

However when seed potatoes are delivered by our supplier in the middle of February, these will be distributed accordingly. We will inform our members of Pick up days/times for seed potatoes via our website.

Thank you

Mark Burton / Tony Paine

For & On Behalf Of Old Lane Allotments Association

 

 

 

 

Dear Plot Members,

Depuy Synthes who occupy plot 28 on our allotment site, will be CONTINUING with the gardening club working with Hugh Gaitskell School.  It will  run every Wednesday on their allotment garden between 12 o’clock & 2.30 pm. There will be two different groups who will be between seven & ten years old.  Two teachers & staff from Depuy will be supervising the children. Depuy volunteers already do some fantastic work in our community they want to educate children from the school working in a gardening environment,  learning them  how to grow fruit, vegetable’s, and flowers.

WE WANT TO WISH THEM WELL FOR THEIR GARDENING PROJECTS FOR 2019

OLD LANE  ALLOTMENTS COMMITTEE

Safety

According to the (Royal Society For The Prevention Of Accidents) around 300,000 people go to hospital each year after been injured in the garden. Around 87,000 are actually injured while actively doing garden tasks. Below are some tips to reduce risks from injuries whilst gardening.

Gloves – Its always worth investing in a good quality pair of gardening gloves, to protect your hands from scratches, prickles & general wear & tear.

Boots – You need a good pair of safety shoes/boots to protect your feet whilst gardening, also to prevent any slips & falls on muddy wet ground. Especially when you are using sharp gardening tools  (forks & spades) . 

Knee pads – Knee protection is very useful on stony or cold ground. You can buy a traditional kneeling pad or knee pads that actually strap on to your knees.

.   Always wash your hands thoroughly after gardening.

.   Don’t store liquids in fizzy pop bottles if there is a risk of confusing        It’s contents.

.   Store tools  properly its only funny in cartoons when someone steps      on a rake or brush.

.   Tidying away the hosepipe to prevent trips.

.   Use cane toppers on canes to protect your eyes

.   Keep a first aid kit handy in your shed, greenhouse, or car

.   Long sleeves & trousers may seem unnecessary in the Summrtime          but they can act as a barrier from scratches & bites.

As we all know Health & safety is mostly common sense but we can all forget when we get busy on our plots

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)