Recent E-Petition Follow Up (Save Our Plots)

I recently received the following email with reference to the e-petition taking place to save our plots.

	Dear Rooko, The e-petition 'Tell Eric Pickles that allotments must not be sold off!' signed by you recently reached 18,821 signatures and a response has been made to it. As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response: An e-petition has been suggesting that the Department for Communities and Local Government is examining plans to remove council duties to provide allotments. This is completely untrue and has no basis in fact. In 2011, the Government compiled a list of statutory duties that councils must follow, but Ministers made very clear to Parliament there were no plans to change any of the duties on allotments (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110524/text/110524w0008.htm#1105257001663). This remains the case. Local authorities continue to have a specific responsibility for the management and provision of allotments in their area, ensuring those who want to start an allotment can do so. There are no plans to change this, and the e-petition’s claims are simply false. In January 2014, the Department published Allotment Disposal Guidance: Safeguards and alternatives (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allotment-disposal-guidance-safeguards-and-alternatives), replacing the previous guidance from 2002. The new guidance strengthens allotment protection, as the requirement for waiting lists to be taken into account must now be rigorously applied to all that council’s waiting lists, not just the waiting list for the site to be disposed of. This aims to ensure that poorly maintained sites are not used to justify disposal. The Government has introduced a range of measures to help communities who want land to grow fruit and vegetables. Through new community rights, local residents have increased opportunities to protect existing allotments from development and increase provision of green spaces. For example, in Thame, in Oxfordshire, their new neighbourhood plan will create an additional hectare of allotment land. Allotments have also been listed as assets of community value. As part of our commitment to supporting local community groups, the Department has also published a best practice guide for community groups wanting to find land to grow fruit and vegetables (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide) and an additional guide on establishing community orchards and other spaces for food growing (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-orchards-a-how-to-guide). This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold. View the response to the e-petition Thanks, HM Government e-petitions http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

Rooko's May Top 10 Tips & Tryouts

1. Mint plants will deter slugs. Why not grow mint in pots/containers which can be easily moved around your garden/plot to areas where slugs are prevalent. Keeping mint in containers will also stop it spreading far and wide, as it surely will if planted directly into the ground.

2. Seed sowing in May can consist of the following vegetables: (outdoors under covers) Cucumber, French beans, Runner beans, Sweetcorn. (outdoors) but be aware of late frosts: Brussels sprouts, Cabbage (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Red), Carrots, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohl-rabi, Lettuce, Peas Radishes, Rocket, Spring onions, Swede, Turnips. (indoors) Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chillies, French beans, Marrows, Peppers, Pumpkins, Runner beans, Squashes.

3.Many flower and vegetable gardeners grow Lavender. May is the time to trim these plants back. Cut off any old flower growth and trim back about 1 inch (2.5cm) of new growth too.

4. If you have rodents or rabbits causing problems in your garden try growing some Peppermint which should deter them.

5. Next year I will be undertaking the task of improving the texture of 2 vegetable beds which currently consist of heavy clay. If you suffer from untreated areas of heavy clay in your garden/plot, I hope the following tips will be useful. First check the clay for pH and have the results tested. Add 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5cm) of compost, manure or mushroom compost to the surface area and dig or rotorvate it in well. During the growing season add organic matter to the surface again, (mulches). Cover crops can be grown over the Winter period and worked into the clay in the following Spring. This process may have to be repeated over several years before a good soil structure is obtained.
I have heard conflicting advice about adding sand to heavy clay in order to lighten it. I would appreciate any comments from anyone who has experience of using this method.

6. Horsetail (Equisetum Arvense), can be a real pain when it spreads into your garden or plot and is difficult to get rid of. Despite this, it is a herb with many virtues. I thought this link interesting and well worth reading. - Click Here.

 7. Black ant infestations can be dealt with by using sprays made from Tomato or Rhubarb foliage. Remember the use of homemade sprays (U.K.) may be unlawful.

8. Slugs and snails are becoming a nuisance on and around my plots due to the continuing rainy weather. One solution, (I used it last year successfully), is to spread oatmeal around areas frequented by slugs & snails. This method is especially effective on dry areas of ground, for example inside greenhouses/poly tunnels etc. Cheaper than slug pellets too.

9. Tools for Schools
Tools Shed is a garden tool recycling project which collects old tools for refurbishment by local prisons. The spruced up tools are then given free to schools and community groups.

The scheme is operated by the Conservation Foundation and HM Prisons. Click here to find out more.

10. Check your seedlings growth regularly if they are growing in warm conditions, (for example under propagators), before they get "leggy". Moving them into cooler conditions will slow down growth.

 

Is It April Already (Time for a Video Then)

With Spring seeming to be flying by and daily visits to my plots since my post of  22nd March, I thought it was about time to start another blog post before I forget how. Busy is an understatement since the middle of last month and my plots are still not fully prepared for sowing and planting yet. The weather here has been reasonable lately with plenty of fine sunny days, ideal for gardening. Most of the other allotment blogs I have read lately are brimming with the normal Spring planting and sowing details, putting me to shame with their pictures of germinating seeds, well prepared vegetable and flower beds and other allotment projects in various stages of progress. This season and due to the wet Winter I decided to make sure that both my plots had their ground re-cultivated before any other tasks, including sowing and planting took place. So far I have completed the cultivation and feeding of most of N1 Plot and with only 2 half beds on N2 Plot to complete, I should be back on track by the end of this week, although there will be some delay in "turning over" parts of two of the lower reaches of the beds on N2 Plot, which are, at the moment, still too wet to work on.

Number 1 Bed N2 Plot Broad beans & Peas (14/April/14)

 In fact as seed sowing goes I actually have had time to sow various seeds, mainly into pots and trays, during those rainy spells of weather when outdoor working was out of the question. To date I have 50 Runner bean plants (Enorma & Scarlet emperor), 20 Tomato plants (Gardeners delight), 34 Sweetcorn plants (Lark), several Squashes and Cucumbers growing well so far. Outside the Broad beans (Aquadulche), are growing well with 6 rows of Peas (Hurst greenshaft), coming along nicely, apart from 1 row which is looking a bit sparse at the moment. 2 rows of Carrots + 1 row of Beetroot (Golden globe) have yet to germinate. I expect the Beetroot will take a while to do so as they were only sown earlier this afternoon before I left the plot.

Since the beginning of this week I have been lifting and turning the clay soil on number 2 bed of Plot 2, breaking the clay down and forking in horse manure which was spread over the bed during last Autumn. The bed has been extended by about a meter and a half at the top (northern) end by digging out the turf from part of the parking area which was a tad too large. To date 50% of this bed is fully cultivated but today I reached the area lower down the sloping bed, towards the south which is still wet from Winter flooding, so tomorrow I will find out if it has dried out enough to cultivate. This bed is to be used for Potato planting this season, so I might just make the traditional potato planting weekend of a late Easter, good planning that, (not). To give you some idea just how damp some of the ground still is, last week while I was forking over another vegetable bed on N2 Plot I unearthed 2 more Horse leeches. They were in the soil approximately 20 meters from the nearest water source, which is the drainage ditch at the, lower southern end of my plots.


Many different wild life species have been making appearances lately due to the welcome sunnier weather. The drainage ditch at the southern end of my plots is currently teaming with tadpoles. Hopefully they will all change into frogs, helping to keep down the pests that attack my veggies later in the year. Many Ladybirds have been out and about for some time now, another voracious consumer of aphids and other pests. Lots of various types of Bumble bees have been gathering pollen on and around my plots and compared with last year I have already seen several Honey bees flying around. At least half a dozen different types of Butterflies have also been sighted. Despite the extremely wet Winter weather there seems to be an absence of slugs on my plots at the moment, which is unusual. Offsetting that, Garden snails seem to be out and about in ever increasing numbers. Another surprising none event whilst I have been digging and forking over my vegetable beds, is the lack of the more common garden birds coming down to soil level hunting for worms and insects. In fact to date none have bothered, even during the warmer sunnier days of late. Perhaps they are still busy constructing their nests at the moment.

Tadpoles in the Drainage Ditch (14/April/14)

 Well I started writing this post over a week ago, since then Easter weekend has come and gone. Since last week 12 ranks of Potatoes have been planted into bed 2 of N2 Plot with another 5 ranks to be fitted into the same bed. Most beds are now ready for sowing and planting but for the past 2 days some heavy rain showers have halted work down the plots. Along with helping one of my family members move house over last weekend progress down the plots has been minimal. My first 2 rows of carrots have germinated along with the golden globe beetroot sown on N1 Plot and the Spring onions are just showing through in one of my raised beds at the lower end of N2 Plot. Hopefully lots more seed sowing will be completed this week. Another reason for not publishing this post is the lack of photographs I have taken recently, due to my camera playing up again. Text posts are fine but a picture speaks a thousand words in most cases.

Remember, when you are gardening take 2 steps forwards and 1 step back, because the weeds will always come up behind you!!

There's Always Tomorrow!! 

E- Petition (save our plots)

Tell Eric Pickles that allotments MUST NOT be sold off

E-PETITION LINK

(Click on the above link to go to the petition signing page)

Rooko's April Top 10 Tryouts & Tips

1. My local weather forecast this evening was of wind and rain showers over this coming weekend. Also mentioning sub-tropical conditions prior to some frosty conditions next week. Make sure you have got some cloches or other protective coverings handy, to protect those delicate seedlings that may already be growing on your plot or in your garden. Late frosts can still be a problem well into May.

2. If you have a garden pond containing various aquatic plants, April is the time to divide water lilies and other plants. Re-plant the divided plants into pots of aquatic compost.

3. April is a good time to start planting Summer flowering bulbs. Beware of planting them into wet ground or add sharp sand to the planting area if it is wet.

4. Start making up those home made sprays to combat aphids, more of which will start to appear as the weather becomes, (hopefully warmer). Or alternatively plant some of the following that should deter aphids, Onions, Radish, Petunias, Garlic, Coriander, Chives, Anise.

5. A good time to sow vegetable seeds, after the ground has been prepared, is during showery or misty weather. "Watering in" the seeds should then not be necessary.

6. Strawberry plants being grown outside can be covered with cloches to encourage earlier fruiting.

7. FREE TOMATO SEEDS (from Heinz Ketchup U.K.). You have to "like" their facebook page.
CLICK HERE (to go to the linking page).

8. Go to beneva.com for your monthly chance to win some roses (U.S. and Canada).
CLICK HERE to go to their page.

9. New lawns can be sown in April and established lawns will benefit from having any bare patches re-seeded this month.

10.

SOWING/PLANTING IN APRIL

1. Sow the following: Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chard, Kale, Kohl-Rabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Peas, Radish, Rocket, Spinach. Potatoes, Onion and shallot sets.
2.  Artichokes and Asparagus can be planted.
3. Outdoor cucumbers & tomatoes can be sown & kept in the warm.
4. Plant French Beans, Lettuce & Sweetcorn under cloches.
5.  This is a good time to plant Strawberries.

OTHER JOBS IN APRIL

1. Keep an eye on the weather as ground frost is still likely this month.
2. Keep areas of ground warmer with fleece/polythene to aid later planting.
3. Weeds are starting to appear, so hoe them off before they set seed.
4. Now is the time to erect barriers around your carrots 2 to 3ft high to combat the dreaded Carrot fly. Alternatively cover your Carrots with fleece but ensure all edges are well covered with soil. Keep Carrots earthed up.
5. Plant Onions between rows of Carrots or other plants that might repel the Carrot fly.
6. Slugs & snails will be coming out now. Combat them by: Keep the soil hoed and loose, use beer traps, spread coarse grit, pine needles, straw, sawdust around your plants.

Now And Then

10 days ago the main road between Taunton, where I live, and Glastonbury (across the Somerset Levels), was passable for the first time since the flooding began across Somerset, before Christmas. Many householders not far from here are just returning to their flooded properties for the first time this week. It still takes a lot of imagination to realize just how much rainwater has been soaked up into the ground. As my regular readers will know, both my plots are at the lower south end of a gentle slope on our allotments. The weather for the past 2 weeks or so has been without rain, mostly sunny and breezy, except for the past few days with some rain and hail showers and lowering temperatures Sowing and planting this year for me is later than usual, as most of the soil on my plots is still wet and compacted. Having prepared all the beds, ready for sowing and planting by the end of last November,  I am currently having to repeat most of that preparation. The soil on most of the plots has been well compacted by rain and flooding since November last. Aerating,  turning and lifting the soil on the majority of beds is a priority at the moment so that it eventually dries out proportionately. Since the heavy Winter rain stopped I have spent most days down my plots resurrecting the soil conditions of last November. For the first time in 5 years I had carried out very few visits to my plots over the Winter period and D.I.Y at home became a priority, out of the rain.

From November 3rd 2013 the following calendar of unplanned events unfolded.
3rd & 4th November 13 (raining).
5th November 13 - cleaned bamboo canes, composted 2014 Brassicas bed N1 Plot.
6th 7th 8th 9th November 13 (raining).
10th November 13 - Removed Runner bean plants & their supports (canes) N1 Plot.
11th November (raining).
12th November 13 - 2nd batch of Onion sets planted, tidied up rubbish from plots.
13th November 13 - Filled final raised bed with soil N2 Plot.
14th November 13 - Cold weather stayed home.
15th November 13 - Cleared walkway around shed N2 Plot of debris, constructed a rainwater butt, cleaned more bamboo canes.
16th November 13 - Broad beans sown N2 Plot.
17th November to 29th November 13 - (raining).
30th November to 5th December 13 - Digging L-Shaped bed N1 Plot, leaf clearing, cane cleaning.
9th December to 13th December 13- Fence painting back garden.
14th to 18th December 13 - (raining).
18th to 26th December 13 - Christmas arrangements, (mainly raining).
27th December 13 - Checked plots for flooding and other damage, (raining).
28th December 13 - Tidied up debris and compost heaps.
29th December 13 to 1st January 14 - (raining).
2nd January 14 - Checked plots added more compost to Brassicas bed N1 Plot.
3rd January 14 to 6th February 14 - (raining).
7th February 14 - Checked on plots.
8th February 14 to 14th February 14 - (raining).
15th February 14 - Checked on plots.
16th February 14 to 18th February 14 (Sunny).
19th February 14 - Dug 1st Runner bean trench. Turned compost heaps.
20th & 21st February 14 - (rained).
22nd February 14 - Runner beans potted up.
23rd to 26th February 14 - D.I. Y.
27th & 28th February 14 - Heavy overnight rain.
1st March 14 - Ground too wet to work on again.
2nd March 14 - Fine weather a.m. Potting p.m.
3rd & 4th March 14 - (raining) D.I.Y.
5th to 8th March 14 - Turned and lifted roots bed N1 Plot.
10th March 14 - Thinned overwintered Onions, turned Leek/Onion bed N1 Plot.
11th March 14 - Fixed some storm damage both plots.
12th & 13th March 14 - Cleared main bed N2 Plot of annual weeds.
14th March 14 - Cleared Brassica bed of annual weeds. Dug 2nd Runner bean trench.
15th March 14 - Strimming grass, rotorvating, weeding, potting.
16th March 14 - Rotorvating, Pea sowing.
17th March 14 - Top bed (Roots) turned N1 Plot.
18th March 14 - Potting various seeds. (weather damp & drizzly).
19th March 14 -Turning top bed (Roots) N1 Plot, potting seeds, turned soil in raised beds & weeded.
20th March 14 - Turning top bed (Roots) N1 Plot, potting seeds. Added more soil to the last raised bed.
21st March 14 - Planted Primroses in front garden border a.m. Turning top bed (Roots) N1 Plot, p.m.
22nd March 14 - Turning top bed (Roots) N1 Plot. (Sunny, breezy, cold, hailstones).

During the "rainy season days" 57 individual D.I.Y. tasks were completed around my house and on my cars and garage, plus another 23. The list goes on.

2014 Roots Bed N1 Plot Weeded Turned & Lifted Drying Out Well 22/3/14

Leek & Onion Bed N1 Plot Still Wet Compacted From Flooding (22/3/14)

Leeks Looking Good Now They Have Had Some Sunshine (22/3/14)

Rhubarb Looking Good N2 Plot (22/3/14)

Strawberry Bed N1 Plot Being Aerated/Lifted After It Was Flooded You May Be Able to See the Green Algae On the Area of Soil Which Hasn't Been Dug  (22/3/14)

Last Years Roots Bed Top of N1 Plot This is in Good Condition Despite Being Waterlogged (22/3/14)

Where There Was Grass Paths Now It's Moss Lower Part of N1 Plot (22/3/14)

Bluebells Daffodils & Cowslip on the Drainage Ditch Bank Bed (22/3/14)

There Are Still Quite a Few Caterpillars Around Despite the Wet Weather (22/3/14)

One of the D.I.Y. Tasks I Mentioned, My Old Astra Up and Running Again With the Back Seats Removed. Ideal for Lugging Allotment Equipment Around In and Other Tools etc (22/3/14)

There's Always Tomorrow!!

Slippery When Wet

Its no use moaning about the wet weather here seeing as the t.v. cameramen and politicians have trickled away from the area now, just a pity they didn't take the rain with them. With a few sunny days last week and the waters on the Somerset levels beginning to recede at last, I continued indoors with some more D.I.Y. mainly clearing out junk from my garage and painting its walls white to brighten the dingy interior. With some more extremely heavy rains overnight on Thursday and Friday and intermittent showers and drizzle in between, my plots are still too wet to achieve any substantial work on them. Saturday was dry, as was this morning, so just before midday I toddled off down to the allotments to pot up various seeds. The drizzly rain started again as I arrived at the allotment gate, I assume just to test my patience further. After donning my wellies and depositing 3 bags of kitchen waste onto my compost heaps, I drained the rusty water from my shed padlocks and unlocked the sheds before tidying up one of my sheds on N2 Plot, so as to give me some extra elbow room to lay out various pots and trays, before adding potting compost to them, (the pots & trays that is, not the elbows).

After potting up several trays full of pots with Runner beans and deciding that open ground would be too wet for any sowing for some time to come, I decided to lift the remaining Carrots from 1 of my raised beds. This raised bed will be covered over with plastic sheeting at my first opportunity and used for more protected seed sowing later. Having finished lifting a reasonable harvest of medium sized and baby Carrots I removed some more of those annual weeds that seem to appear, whatever the weather throws at them, at this time of the year. Using a hand cultivator and working from the grass paths alongside this years potato bed on N2 Plot the majority of weeds were removed within about half an hour or so. By the time I had finished with the weeding even the grass paths were becoming muddy and slippery where I had been walking on them. So even using walking boards across open soil would have been a mistake. At least no sink holes have appeared yet.

Overall the majority of allotments are looking windswept and desolate, with many of them still having various items of gardening equipment strewn around them, after the storms of late. Only 2 or 3 other allotment holders paid short visits to their plots on another dreary, damp afternoon. The lack of bird life was again evident, except for a few Seagulls circling overhead. Probably too rough out over the sea I thought. By 3 p.m. the rain had made a come back so it was time for home. It's 10-30 p.m. now and the heavy rain has just stopped, not for long I fear. I'm listening to the local weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow as I type, more thundery rain overnight and snow tomorrow. Just going to check Google maps to make sure I'm definitely still living in sunny Somerset.

There's Always Tomorrow!!