Blog

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)

Carpets & Rugs

Dear plot members,

Please can you not bring carpets/rugs on the allotments. It states in the Leeds City Council rules & regulations that they shouldn’t be brought on site for health & safety reasons.

. They are being used on walkways between plots & these become really icy & hazardous to walk on in the bad weather. Health & safety  is everyone’s responsibility. I know some carpets have been on site a long time & have been left by tenants that are no longer members. Bringing them to site now is breaching our site rules

Thank You

Old Lane Allotments Association

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beetroot contains betaine , a substance which relaxes the mind & is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains trytophan which is also found in chocolate believed to promote a self of well being. Recent claims suggest that it helps to lower blood pressure,beetroot is a good source of iron & folate – natural occurring folic – acid. It’s belived that beets originated somewhere in ancient Eygypt during the reign of the 3rd dynasty.

The Victorians used the juice of beetroot to dye there hair & as a form of make-up to put on there cheeks to make them rosy. Beetroot is one of the sweetest vegetables often with a ten percent level of sugar, which gradually releases into the body. Did you know that eating 200g of cooked beeroot has the same health benefits as drinking 500ml of fresh juice. Beetroot grows best in well drained, fertile soil thats had well rotted garden compost or manure. Before sowing add a handful of general purpose fertilizer per square meter.

Always remember to read the sowing instructions on seed packets

Blog & Research  by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Etiquette the customary code of polite behaviour amongst members in a profession or group . Each allotment has an unspoken law that develops over years, the kind of etiquette that should be followed.

• Keep Your Plot Tidy – Keeping your plot tidy has a real significance on the allotment but you wont make any friends if your plot is untidy & unruly. A messy plot is a magnet for pests & diseases that spread & cause problems for other plot holders. Be as tidy as possible.
• Deal With Weeds – Weedy plots are a pain for neighbouring plot members, weeds spread via both underground roots & seeds. These seeds spread via the wind, so by not weeding you will be causing work for your neighbours.
• Tackle Diseases – Always deal with any disease attacks as soon as possible, as you know disease will spread quickly to other plots. Dispose of any infected plant material off the site to limit the spread of disease. Also tell your neighbours so they can set up defences on their plot & be on the guard.
• Keep Paths Clear – Always make sure that other plot members can get past your plot, and the access is clear especially if they are pushing a wheelbarrow.
• Respect Other Peoples Space – Firstly not everyone wants to chat, some people come to there allotment for peace & tranquillity. Never take short cuts over someone’s plot , it can be annoying if someone walks over your seedlings which become damaged. If people want to chat they will.
• Help Your Neighbours – The big rule helping your neighbours, as allotments are all about community & helping each other. If your neighbour is going on holiday offer to water there plants, and they sure will do the same for you. Sharing tips & ideas can be useful for us all.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Path ways between plots must be maintained

To All Plot Members

Just a reminder that pathways have to be clear for access. It is the responsibility of plot holders to keep the grass cut on adjacent paths between plots to keep the site well maintained.

Thank you

Old Lane Allotments Committee

Calabrese which crops in Summer & Autumn is called broccoli, in supermarkets it is known as ‘super foods’. They are part of the brassica family originally cultivated in Italy, where the name broccoli is from the Latin word brachium which means branch or arm. It was named Calabrese after the Italian province of Calabria where it was first grown. It is a great source of vitamins K & C, good source of folate (folic acid) it also provides potassium, fibre. Vitamin C –  builds collagen, which forms body tissue & bone,  helps cuts & wounds heal. It is also very low on the calorie intake, it also can prevent constipation & for you to maintain a healthy digestive tract. Now we all know why are parents wanted us to eat broccoli.

These plants require moisture retentive soil & a reasonably sunny position when transplanted as young plants. They are best started of in pots undercover, use brassica collars at the bottom of the plants base to eradicate cabbage root fly.

When planting seeds always read the growing instructions

Blog & Research Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

SEED POTATOES

WHAT TO GROW

There are dozens of different seed potato varieties you can buy, usually described as early, second early,  & maincrop potatoes. These names indicate when they crop and also give you an idea of the space you will need to plant them. You should concentrate on the earlier types if your short of  space, its worth mentioning that earlies are less likely to encounter pest problems as you can lift them much earlier in the year.

First earlies should be ready 10 weeks after planting, second earlies take 16 to 17 weeks to mature after planting, so you should be able to harvest them from very late June through to the start of August. Maincrop seed potatoes will be ready 18 to 20 weeks after planting, so they can be lifted from late August through to October. These varieties tend to be the best for storage.

CHITTING

Chitting simply means encouraging the seed potatoes to sprout before planting, you should start chitting in late February, about 6 weeks before you intend planting your potatoes. Each seed potato  has a number of eyes, stand the tubers (seed potatoes) in trays or old egg boxes, with plenty of natural light. The seed potatoes are ready to be planted out when the eye shoots are 1.5 – 2.5 centimetres long.

Find out in my next blog – How to plant your seed potatoes

and how to harvest them

Blog created by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Start with the soil, healthy soil leads to healthy growing plants with fewer problems. Follow a crop rotation (Even a simple one) to prevent a build up of pests & problems. Be vigilant most problems can be dealt with early. Keep plants healthy water when required , don’t overcrowd plants. Grow a wide variety of plants , big areas where you have one specific vegetable growing allows pests & diseases to find their host plants with ease.

Diseased plants should be thrown away not composted. When choosing plants & seeds look for disease resistant varieties. Pest & disease problems with plants vary from year to year so always try again sometimes the result’s can be different.  Attacks from pests & diseases can be demoralising for any gardener. You can however minimise the problems by looking after your soil & plants.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Seed potatoes have arrived and we are in the process of weighing them out in to 4 KG bags. These will be ready for collection from Wednesday the 22nd of February. Can I advise our members to pick them up on the said stores days and times please, which were outlined in yesterdays blog – regarding new opening hours for our stores shop.

Blog created by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

These will be the new stores opening days and times from 20th February 2023. Mondays 9am – 11.30am Tuesdays closed. Wednesday 9am – 11.30am Thursdays closed Friday 9am – 11.30am Saturday 9am -11.30am Sunday closed.

Can members please arrive at the stores on these set days and times please. All of the committee undertake duties on a voluntary basis aswel as cultivating our own plots.

Blog created by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)