Blog

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)

Dear Members

Just to let members know that seed potatoes that were ordered are now ready for collection on Monday 28th February , Wednesday 2nd March through to Saturday 5th March between 9am – 11.00am to give them out to members. So if you could collect them between these dates & times that would be good.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

For & on behalf of Old Lane Allotments Association

The Allotment Diary

One of the most useful things for any gardener is a diary. Unless you are blessed with a photographic memory it will prove invaluable for the years ahead. In the diary you can keep a record of conditions, your actions, & of course your results. Make a record of what you sow, the date & the variety and also where you have sown on your plot. Make a note of what the weather is like , when the first & lasts frost occur which is useful recorded information. Its also worth recording quantities in your harvest & acceptability. When you come to order your seeds the following year you know what has grown well for you & whats not grown so good. It can be very confusing what you have grown & where recording your information will help you keep track. A diary is also useful to remind yourself of jobs that need completing writing a brief note over the growing season. Organisation & planning is key to a thriving allotment.

Blog 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 for any gardener. You can however minimise the problems by looking after your soil & plants.

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)

Seed potatoe delivery

Dear Members

Just to let you all know our seed potatoes are arriving on Thursday 24th February in full 20kg sacks. The committee will then weigh them into 4kg bags to fulfil members orders. I will write another blog giving members a date when there ready to collect.

Blog by Mark burton (Allotment Secretary)

LCC Power To Inspect Allotments

Dear Members,

Leeds City Council authorised officers are entitled to inspect allotment sites whether they are administered by Leeds City Council, or leased to a self administered association like our site. We have received information that over the growing season authorised officers will be inspecting allotment sites to see if members are,  cultivating to a satisfactory standard & are utilising the land for growing purposes.  As the new growing season is about to start soon we wanted plot holders to be aware of this information, & adhere to the site rules.

 

Old Lane Allotments Association

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/froglife-33039628713

If you go on line using the above E mail address you can access allotment workshops. One hour sessions on building homes for wildlife, tips on creating a wildlife pond. Also gardening methods for companion planting & wildlife friendly pest control. Working with Leeds City Council & the Yorkshire T.O.A.D project. Those who attend a workshop & complete the simple feedback form will be entered into the draw to win £100 to spend on wildlife gardening products at a local garden centre.

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)

We have a large quantity of plant pots that have been donated by Bernard Lovell to raise money for allotment funds, If you want any come and see me Mark Burton on site, take some plant pots & just give a small donation.

Thanks

Blog by Mark Burton (Allotment Secretary)