Blog

Whatever the weather brings in September the season definitely begins to wind down. The bulk of the harvest starts to come home now & gaps start to appear on your allotment plot.  You can still sow winter hardy spring onions, & also plant Japanese winter onion sets for harvesting from June next year. This is the last chance to sow spinach & winter lettuce, a few last minute radishes may give you a final crop until the end of the year. Now is the time to plant new strawberry plants, either those you have bought or propagated from runners. You can also transplant Spring cabbages for harvesting next year. You still need to keep those weeds down with the hoe before they get established. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, will need continuous feeding, & should be ready for picking.

The second early potatoes should have been lifted by now, if all the stalks have died off then there is no food been supplied to the tubers, so they wont grow anymore. Your main crop carrots should be ready for pulling some time this month. Sweet corn should also be ready to make sure it is remove some outer leaves & put your finger nail into the kernel if its milky they are ready. Pumpkins should also be ready cut the stalks a few centimeters from the fruit & leave in the sun to continuing hardening off.

Blog By Mark Burton (Site Secretary)

We “Old Lane Allotments” are hosting our own Macmillan coffee morning to raise money for people living with cancer. This is a yearly event and we have decided to be involved. We are holding this event Saturday 8th October between 10.30 – 12.30. We are looking for volunteers to do some baking for our event or even helping as a volunteer on the day. Lucy Moore plot plot 37N and Kathryn Thornton plot 12/13W are organising the event & feel free to speak to them on site. We have put posters up on the front window of the hut building with all the details for our plot holders. Let us all help to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. So put this date and time in your diary either to be a volunteer on the day or, to do some baking for the event. Or come along to buy a cake and a coffee to raise funds & bring your family and friends with you

Blog created by Mark Burton Allotment Secretary) Event organisers Lucy Moore & Kathryn Thornton

Somebody has dumped all this produce that has gone to seed, or plants that don’t contain anything edible, at the back of plot 12w & 13w Nick Thyer and Kathryn Thornton’s plot at the parameter fence. The plot belongs to them up to the back of the fence and SHOULD NOT be used to dispose of items that should be composted by whoever has put them there. It looks to be about three wheelbarrow loads. If anyone has seen somebody do this can you let Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary) know please. This goes against allotment Etiquette.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Harvesting produce

Sunjeeda, Dani, and Abdul have been busy harvesting there produce on plot 46SB they have been working really hard since April on there plot. The pictures make everything worth while, fresh produce and the joy of allotment gardening.

Blog created by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary) Pictures by Sunjeeda

There will be NO Annual General Meeting again this year due to ongoing high Covid infection rates. To pay your plot fees etc will be outlined in your rent statement for the 2022/2023 growing season which starts on the 1st October. We will be distributing statements to members at the end of August early September.

There will be an option to pay on line , we will also be setting up some dates to pay on site in our hut office. Instructions and dates will be included in your rent statements.

Blog created by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

August with a bit of luck, brings us the best of the summer weather but being the traditional holiday month,  it can be hard keeping on top of your allotment with a fortnights holiday. Early potatoes should be dug up now, its best to harvest potatoes early in the day rinse them & leave them to dry,  in the sunlight for a day to harden the skins before storage.

Vegetables you can still sow in August

Spring cabbage, Spring onions, radish, beetroot, turnips, Spinach, Swiss chard, carrots, Kale for Winter & Spring cropping, parsley, coriander & chervil can be sown in the greenhouse for growing throughout winter. Plant out summer  Cauliflowers early this month for an Autumn harvest

Stop tomato plants growing now to encourage fruit to swell, keep side shoots in check, you want tomato’s & don’t want a mass of green foliage.   Keep an eye on your brassicas for butterfly eggs & caterpillars. Most of these will be under the leaves in clusters of little yellow/white balls. Pick or wash them off before they develop & dine on your dinner. Turn your compost the warm weather will help break it down, water it if it’s really dry.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

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

There is definitely a divide with gardeners/allotment members when it comes to using weedkillers. Chemicals can be dangerous to the environment including pets and wildlife. If weedkillers are not used properly, it can damage your own crops as well as neighbouring plots on the allotment. The pathways between plots have to be managed & maintained by plot holders, so having good communication with your neighbours is essential. Weedkiller on pathways looks really unsightly . To keep our pathways like a greenspace the best way to do this is to cut the grass with garden shears, otherwise put down weed suppressant over the grass to keep it under control. Weedkiller damage can occur in different ways, from drift when spray is applied during windy conditions. Leaching of residual weedkillers into adjacent beds. Also when the application of weedkiller is exceeded and has penetrated deeper into the soil. If you need to use weed killer as a last resort then glyphosate is acceptable. I think we have a duty to discuss this with neighbouring plot members especially if you want to apply weedkiller to pathways between plots, If you have to use weedkiller follow the instructions on the product label & apply weedkiller at the stated rate. it is a legal requirement to comply with the statutory conditions indicated on the label. Weeds can also be controlled by good cultivation techniques such as hoeing, mulching , digging ,which is a big part of allotment gardening

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary

Grow Organic is a 100% organic fertiliser, it improves soil & breaks clay. I have included some pictures so plot members can read what it can be used for, & what the benefits are. We stock a minimum quantity and the price is £7.50 & would cover  1/2 plot if spread out & dug in. People who use it say it is as good as cow manure without all the hassle of delivery & off course the mess. It can be used for different applications.

All monies taken go towards the up keep of the site.

OLD LANE ALLOTMENTS COMMITTEE

 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 seem to be appearing & they are being used as weed control on plots,which is not allowed. They are also being used on walkways between plots & these become really slippy & hazardous 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 is breaching our site rules

Thank You

Old Lane Allotments Association