Growing in Capel St. Mary
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Hoe weekly to stop weed seeds germinating. Cut down uncultivated areas and spray re-growth with Bio Glyphosate (100ml £1) ready for next season. Scatter slug pellets (845g £2.50). Apply path weed killer (£1.20 a sachet). Water plants thoroughly, do not waste time & water by indiscriminate spraying. Top-dress containers with horticultural 4mm grit (£5). Feed weekly with Maxicrop (£2.50 ltr) or Phostrogen (160 can £4.30). If going on holiday arrange for a friend to water plants in containers, frames, greenhouse, outdoor tomatoes, marrow's, courgettes & cucumbers. Tell them to pick ALL sweet peas, courgettes, french & runner beans as these will stop producing if left on the plant. Stock up with ‘Restaurant Quality’ lump wood charcoal (12kg £9) for those impromptu barbecues.
VEG PLOT: - Plant brassicas & leeks. Sow lettuce & carrots (cover with cloches in October), spring cabbage, pak choi, carrots, radish, spinach, turnips and main crop onions. Pinch outside shoots of non-bush tomatoes, tie plants regularly to their 4' support canes (30p). Feed weekly. Spray potatoes every 14 days with Fruit & Veg Fungal Killer (£1 a sachet) when leaves touch to protect against potato blight.
FRUIT: - Pick soft fruit & tie in new shoots. Tidy strawberry's by removing & burning old leaves, runners & straw. Apply 2 oz. sq. yd. Growmore (5kg £4.50). Dig up three year old stock & destroy. Create a new bed on well manured ground now for a good crop next year.
GREENHOUSE: - Ventilate, provide shade & maintain humidity. Water daily. Take cuttings of heathers, geraniums and fuchsias. Insert into sandy compost (potting grit £5, Compost £5) in pots (from 3p). Full size rigid trays @ £1.30 & half size flexi's @ 10p are available. Control insects with a ready to use Insect Gun (1ltr.£3.80) or Sprayday (30ml £5.80). Tie tomato, cucumber, pepper & aubergine's plants to their support canes with PVC plant rings (100 for £1.90). Feed weekly when fruits begin to swell with tomato feed (£2.50 per ltr.) Tomato plants tend to ‘stress’ through August, in very sunny conditions the leaves fold inwards. Water twice a week with a heaped teaspoon to a 2 gallon watering can of epsom salts (for its magnesium). Feed cucumbers & melons with a teaspoon of dried blood weekly & water in.
FLOWERS:-Order spring bulbs. Remove old heads to keep them flowering. Mulch borders with chipped bark or peat (100ltr bale £9). We have wood chips on site in the south east & north west corners. Please help your self.
LAWNS: - Mow weekly. Apply lawn weed killer (500ml £6.95).
All horticultural products are available to our members from a range of quality commodities provided to meet basic gardening needs.
‘2018 FLOWER & PRODUCE SHOW’ Show Schedules are now available for the Capel St Mary Allotment Association's Annual Show which will take place on the weekend of 1st & 2nd September in the Village Hall. Entries from non-members are welcome to what is one of the Region's best-supported Flower & Produce Shows. Once again, the Show will feature over 120 classes including produce, fruit, handicraft, cookery, photography, mammoth, novelty and children's classes. All sections are open for anyone to enter except the Capel Residents classes that are only open to those who grow flowers and produce in Capel. There is a Fruit section with separate classes for Apples and Pears, Blackberries, Raspberries and Plums. The Flower Arrangement classes will test creative skills and visitors to the Show always enjoy looking at many colourful exhibits. The Photography section is very popular and there are 4 classes, so early planning is advisable. The Cookery classes include some old favourites and jars of jam and preserves. Why not get the children started on the many different options .This year's Capel Allotments Association Annual Show is the 41st to be held, making it one of the longest established Shows from around the Region. Admission is free to members of the public on both days from 11am. Show Schedules are available from the "Hut" at the Association's Allotment Site in Pound Lane, Capel, or from Show Secretary Wendy Russell.
The "PHOTOGRAPHY TROPHY" Subjects for 2018:- A Bridge, Garden Wildlife, Woodland Scene, A picture to Portray a Song (name of song to be stated), Picture of Your Choice. All photographs to be colour, minimum size 150x100mm/6" x 4" and maximum size 190 x 130mm/7.5" x 5" and mounted and taken within the last eighteen months.
OPENING TIMES THE HUT is open 10-12 noon on SATURDAYS through to the end of October.(excluding ‘Show Weekend’ 1st Sept.)
JOIN’N’SAVE Membership is just £5 a year and is open to both plot holders and non-plot holders alike, wherever you live. A visit to ‘THE HUT’ should easily recoup this investment when you take advantage of our special bulk buy prices.
ROTOVATOR AND CULTIVATOR HIRE A rotovator and a cultivator are available for hire for on-site use only. The fee is £10 for the first two hours. Hire time runs from handover and ceases when the machine is returned to the machinery shed. Please give Dennis advance notice to hire this equipment or for any matters relating to the site please contact Dennis.
POND & WILDLIFE AREA Although the water level has dropped this area is looking very good as more plants & shrubs come into flower attracting butterfly’s, hoverflies, bees & other insects. Check the information boards if you see something interesting that you can’t identify.
PLOTS AVAILABLE If you live in or around Capel St Mary and fancy having a go at ‘growing your own’ then contact Dennis now on site.manager@capelallotments.co.uk.
