CAPELALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION'S

GUIDE TO GARDENING IN DECEMBER

E-mail info@capelallotments.co.uk

CALLING ALL POLYTUNNEL PLOT HOLDERS

PLEASE CLEAR ALL SUMMER CROPS BY CHRISTMAS DAY

Also cover any over wintering plants as we will be washing down & disinfecting the Tunnel the following week.

Allotment Plots Are Available In Capel St Mary

Half plots are available NOW at £16 per annum plus membership. So if you live in or around Capel and fancy a go at ‘Growing Your Own’ please contact Dennis at site.manager@capelallotments.co.uk.

Season's greetings to all our members and readers.

VEG PLOT: - Continue with your winter digging incorporating recycled garden waste. Mushroom Compost at £30 a ‘Bucket’ load delivered to your plot, phone 310380 or call in to the Mushroom Farm to order a load.  Sow or plant lettuce under cloches. Feed compost heaps with sulphate of ammonia. Check brassicas for white fly & spray as necessary. Harvest sprouts & winter cabbage. Leeks & parsnips can be left in the ground until needed. Check, clean & oil tools including secateurs, lines, watering cans, sprayers & wheelbarrows. Replacements make excellent Christmas presents! Check stored crops for rat or mouse damage (bait sachets £1).

FRUIT: - Apply a Winter Tree Wash (500ml £8.90) to fruit trees and bushes to control over-wintering insect pests. Order & plant trees & bushes with a dusting of bone meal.

GREENHOUSE: - Empty greenhouse & wash down with Jeyes. Line with 1.5m wide bubble plastic (£2 a mtr.). Bring in all frost tender plants. Check for & spray white fly with Insect Gun (£3.40). Sow carrots in a large pot and main crop onions & leeks in pots on Boxing Day.

FLOWERS: - Tidy boarders & mulch with wood chips or chipped bark (80ltrs £5).Ventilate chrysanthemum stools in cold frames. Wrap potted plants in fleece.

LAWNS: - Aerate badly drained areas. Mow with blades set high. Clean & overhaul equipment . Contact Steve Blake for repairs & service on 07813814623 or TGC Garden Machinery Services Tattingstone  for repairs & service & new equipment at very competitive prices on 01473 327737. CARE. STALE FUEL OVER 4 WEEKS OLD can damage carburettors and cause poor starting & engines to run rough. Use fuel additives to keep fuel fresh.

All items are available to our members from a range of quality products provided to meet basic gardening needs. Membership is just £5 per annum. Find an application form on our web site.

ALLOTMENT NEWS

THE HUT-winter closing - THE HUT is now closed for the winter and will reopen on Saturday 2nd February 2019. Members are very welcome to phone Graham any time for any items they require while we are closed.

2018. The long dry summer saw plot holders watering daily for a solid ten week run. The AGM was well attended as were the two work-ins which included path repairs, the construction of a replacement bin to take the road plainings, fence repairs, hedge cutting, wild life area maintenance & many other jobs to keep the site tidy.  We had a stall at Capel Fun Day, played some fun games & enjoyed some great food at the BBQ & despite losing a number of entries in the fruit & veg classes, due to the hot weather, entries for The Flower & Produce Show overall remained buoyant. We also had a promotional stall at Bentley Family Fun Day & a couple of ‘Games Days’ at The Case is Altered at Bentley which went down very well. We facilitated several group visits to our Wildlife Area & Allotments for pond dipping, fruit & veg naming & tasting & hedgerow scavenging. We furthermore supported several other events & organisations by supplying tables & raffle prizes. All in addition to maintaining & running the site & The Hut & the Seed Scheme. Our thanks to all our members for your continued support throughout 2018.

We have a CHRISTMAS STALL @ ST MARY’S on SATURDAY 8^TH  DECEMBER – see you there for Garden Sundries, Christmas Lights, Curly Willow, Bird Food, Cyclamen and Fresh Wreaths. To pre-order a wreath, @ £12  call Sue.

AND finally we hope you have had a productive year and are looking forward to the new season. We have already ordered our stock for ‘The Hut’, planned improvements for the site and we are in advanced stages of preparation for The Show & Summer BBQ. See you in 2019.