Growing in Capel St. Mary
Share this article:
Hoe weekly to stop weed seeds germinating. Cut down uncultivated areas and spray re-growth with Bio Glyphosate ready for next season. Scatter slug pellets. Apply path weed killer. Water plants thoroughly, do not waste time & water by indiscriminate spraying. Top-dress containers with horticultural 4mm grit. Feed weekly with Maxicrop or Phostrogen. If going on holiday arrange for a friend to water plants in containers, frames, greenhouse, outdoor tomatoes, marrows, courgettes & cucumbers. Encourage 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 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. Feed weekly. Spray potatoes every 14 days with Fruit & Veg Fungal Killer when leaves touch to protect against potato blight.
FRUIT: - Pick soft fruit & tie in new shoots. Tidy strawberry plants by removing & burning old leaves, runners & straw. Apply 2 oz. sq. yd. Growmore . 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 in pots. Control insects with a ready to use Insect Gun or Sprayday. Tie tomato, cucumber, pepper & aubergine plants to their support canes with PVC plant rings. Feed weekly when fruits begin to swell with tomato feed. 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:- Remove old heads to keep them flowering. Mulch borders with chipped bark or peat.
LAWNS: - Mow weekly. Apply lawn weed killer.
All horticultural products are available to our members from a range of quality commodities provided to meet basic gardening needs. Check the current price list on-line at our website
THE HUT - Is open 10 to 12 noon Saturdays only through to the end of October. Plants and surplus veg available throughout the week.
A limited supply of £4 bunches of seasonal flowers are available on Saturdays and Sundays. Alternatively, you may pre-order, including table centres or a presentation arrangement. Contact Sue Whybrow via 07708 480791 for further information and prices.
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.
CULTIVATOR HIRE - A cultivator is 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 Smith, site manager, advance notice to hire this equipment or for any matters relating to the site please contact Dennis.
THE ALLOTMENT SITE - Please remember to social distance & use the hand washing facilities near The Hut & at the BBQ area.
SHEDS - The site manager must be contacted before construction commences or alterations to an existing shed take place.
PLOTS - The site is full & we have a waiting list for vacated plots. Please complete the form on our web site to add your name to the waiting list. Should a plot become available the site manager will then contact you to see if you are still interested.
POND & WILDLIFE AREA - The water level has remained constant, this area is looking very good as more plants & shrubs come into flower attracting butterflies, hoverflies, bees & other insects. Check the information boards if you see something interesting that you can’t identify.
‘2021 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 4th & 5th September in the Village Hall. Entries from non-members are welcome to what is one of the Region's best-supported Flower & Produce Shows. Show Schedules have been delivered to previous participants and are also available to view on-line or from show secretary show.secretary@capelallotments.co.uk). On-line entries may be submitted from 1st August with a closing date of Tuesday 31st August. Please contact the show secretary for paper entry forms.
Once again, the Show will feature over 130 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. These 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 5 classes, so early planning is advisable. The Cookery classes include some old favourites such as jars of jam and preserves and this year includes a bottle of fruit liqueur. Why not get the children interested on the many different options with 3 different age classes. Although the Show was not held in 2020 it is one of the longest established Shows from around the Region. Admission is free to members of the public on both days from 11am.
