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How To Do Crop Rotation

Divide your allotment into equal sections of equal size (depending on how much of each crop you want to grow), plus an extra section for perennial crops such as rhubarb & asparagus. Brassicas : sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, kohl-rabbi , oriental greens, turnips, swede & radish. Legumes : Peas, broad beans, French & runner beans suffer from fewer soil problems & can be grown wherever. Onions : onions, garlic, shallot, leek. Potato Family : potato, tomato, (pepper & aubergine suffer from fewer problems & can be grown anywhere in the rotation).  Roots : beetroot, carrot, celeriac, fennel, parsley, parsnip. (& all other root crops except for turnip & swede which are brassicas). Move each section of the plot a step forward each year so that for example : brassicas follow legumes, onions & roots, legumes, onions & roots follow potatoes & potatoes follow brassicas. Below is a typical three rotation where potatoes & brassicas are important crops.

Year one section one : Potatoes  section two : Legumes, onions & roots, section three : brassicas.

Year two section one : Legumes, onions & roots, section two : brassicas, section three : potatoes

Year three section one : brassicas.   section two potatoes, section three : Legumes, onions & roots.

Blog & research By Mark Burton ( Allotment Secretary)

Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is to grow specific groups of  vegetable’s on a different part of your allotment garden each year. This helps to reduce a build up of pests & diseases & it organises groups of crops according to their cultivation needs.

Benefits of crop rotation

Soil fertility : different crops have different nutrient requirements. Changing crops annualy reduces the chance of a particular soil deficiencies developing as the balance of nutrients removed from the soil evens itself out over time.  Weed control – Some crops like potatoes & squashes with dense foliage or large leaves, suppress weeds, thus reducing maintenance & weed problems in following crops. Pest & disease control : Soil pests & diseases will attack specific plant families over & over again. By rotating crops between sites the pests will decline in the period when their host plants are absent which helps reduce build of spores, eggs, & pests.  Common diseases like club root in brassicas & onion white rot can be avoided.

To be continued – crop rotation part 2 to follow

Blog & research By Mark Burton ( Allotment Secretary)

Our love affair with tomatoes has never been stronger, it is only recently that their health – enhancing properties are being noticed. Tomato  plants come in either determinate (bush) or indeterminate (vine) types. The botanical name for the tomato is  Lycopersicon which translates from the Greeks as ‘wolf peach’. It comes originally from western South America, but it was first cultivated in Mexico & other parts of central America.  The tomato reached Britain in the 1590s but we are not quite sure how it arrived or who brought it to our shores.

Tomatoes contain lycopene one of the most powerful antioxidants, they have good sources of vitamin A, & C, fresh tomatoes are rich in potassium  Indoors- when first flowers appear transfer to pots, growing bags or greenhouse border. Outdoors – accustom them to outside conditions 2-3 weeks before planting, when last frost has passed. For indeterminate types which need supporting & side shooting whether grown in a greenhouse or outdoors. For determinate types which grow as bushes & do not need supporting or side shooting grow outdoors.

Always read sowing instructions on the seed packet

Blog & Research by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

The parsnip has been cultivated since at least the Roman times, it was said that Emperor Tiberius regarded parsnips so highly that he allowed Germany to pay part of its tax to him with parsnips. We believe that frost improves flavour of parsnips, making the roots sweeter. They were used as a sweetening agent before the arrival of sugar in Europe. In Tudor times parsnips were a common ingredient in bread. In France it is often regarded as cattle fodder, while in Italy parsnips were fed to pigs. Parsnips are said to improve cardiovascular health, they contain high levels of potassium which helps to reduce blood pressure & stress on the heart.

They are very low in calories & contain high levels of dietary fibre, as well as being reasonably high in vitamins, B,C,E & K, manganese & Iron. Parsnips require an open position growing well in light, but in deep well cultivated soil. Do not sow seed on recently manured ground as this will cause the roots to ‘fork’ . The addition of a general purpose fertiliser shortly before sowing will be beneficial.

Always read sowing instructions on seed packets.

Blog & research by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

The lock has become faulty on the top gate St Anthonys Drive. The shackle comes out from the body of the lock when the code is entered and opened. To lock the gate put the shackle back into the body of the lock and continue as you would normally lock it, then scramble the numbers and make sure it is locked.

Both entrance gate locks now have the same fault. Ive seen members put the code in and then yank with force to open the shackle. We believe with this type of force being used is damaging the ball bearings inside the lock mechanism. We have had advice from Geo Spence where we purchased the locks from, they have said unnecessary force is being used for this type of frequent fault. Can we make sure we are treating the locks on the entrance gates with due care so this doesnt keep happening. The locks are over £60 each.

Blog Created By Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Plot 4 Marie, Jim, and Michelle came up with this idea of putting socks over the sweetcorn once it becomes established. I believe the rats and magpies can’t get at the corn to strip it all. So many sweetcorn plants have been eaten this year. So, give it a try.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary) Photograph Marie Darlow

You don’t need a compost bin to make compost, you can simply make a compost heap. A compost bin makes your garden or allotment a lot tidier. Plastic compost bins are useful making good use of space. Ideally a compost bin sits on soil in a sunny position, as placing one in the shade takes the compost longer to form.

Hot Composting – You construct the compost heap carefully with the right materials in even layers. You wait for it to heat up, then start to cool down , then you have to turn it to mix up the layers. And then do it all again, finally you can relax then let it mature for several weeks before use.

Cold Composting – Most people don’t have time to make a hot compost or they don’t have the right mix of materials. You can take a more relaxed approach with cold composting. You throw things in as & when you have them & let it decompose in its own time.

Things To Compost –  Compost breaks down because bacteria, fungi & mini beasts eat organic matter. They need a balanced diet of browns & greens (equal amounts by volume) .  Browns – Carbon Rich Materials – Twigs, dead leaves, cardboard, newspaper, straw, hay, wood shavings.  Greens – Full Of Nitrogen – Fresh leaves & stems, grass cuttings, vegetable peelings, Apple cores, tea leaves, coffee grounds, faeces from vegetarian animals. You can also add egg shells for calcium but crush them up first as they are slow to break down.

Blog By Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Potato blight is a disease caused by a fungus like organism that spreads rapidly in the foliage and in potato tubers in wet humid weather, causing collapse & decay. The initial symptom of blight on potatoes is a rapidly spreading, watery rot of leaves, that shrivel & turn brown, also causing brown lesions on the stems. If allowed to spread unchecked, the disease will reach the tubers, affected tubers will have a reddish brown decay below the skin, firm at first but soon developing into a soft rot as the tissues are invaded by bacteria. Blight is airborne & travels at rapid speeds.

Keep a close eye on your potatoe patch for any signs of blight, and remove any infected leaves as you see them. Obviously the more diligent you are in this respect the longer you can prevent the spread of the disease. Removing infected leaves is particularly successful if the weather turns dry after doing it. If over 10 % of the foliage is affected cut of all the growth at soil level, this should prevent the tubers in the ground from infection. infected foliage should be removed or burned. There is no chemical spray on the market to prevent the disease but these good hygiene tips could help

• Always buy your seed potatoes from a reputable supplier
• If watering is required apply to the base of the plant
• Blight spores on foliage are washed down through the soil & will infect tubers, earthing up potatoes can reduce levels of infection.
• Crop rotation

Blog & Research by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

The Development Of The Allotment – Part 2

• 1975 An interest in self-sufficiency & the popular television show “The good life” caused a rise in interest in allotments in the 1970s.
• 2002 Organic growing got a big boost as Monty Don took over presenting “gardeners world”
•  Many people nowadays are determined to” grow their own”. The new allotmenteer is younger, and is usually female, than in times gone by.
• Modern allotment & kitchen gardeners have found support from celebrity chefs , many who are happy to get their hands dirty in search of fresh organic edibles.
• Even children are starting to “grow their own” with a number of local & national campaigns supporting in the development of school vegetable gardening clubs.

Blog & Research by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

The Development Of The Allotment

• AD410 in the Saxon times, communities cleared land together, sharing out ‘allotted land’ areas between themselves.
• 1066 Following the Norman conquest , land ownership was confined to lords of the manor & the church.
• 1600 During the reign of Elizabeth the first the first evidence of allotments is made, as land is given to the poor to compensate them for the enclosure of common land.
• 1845 The general enclosure act included a requirement to provide land for allotments where common ground was enclosed.
• 1887 The allotments & cottage gardens for compensation for crops act obliged local authorities to provide allotments, if there was a required demand.
• 1907 the small holdings & allotment act clarified the responsibilities of local authorities to provide allotments.
• 1914 Germanys blockade during the first world war led to an increased demand for allotments , although after the war it fell again.
• 1939 The second world war , and its ‘DIG FOR VICTORY’ campaign brought allotments & gardening to the forefront of British life. The amount of allotments in the British Isles peaked at 1.5 million.
• 1960 Disuse & development led to a decrease in allotments that were available.

                        Blog & Research by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

                                        To be Continued   ……