GUIDE TO GARDENING ~ JULY

Hoe weekly to stop weed seeds germinating. Cut down and spray uncultivated areas. Scatter slug pellets responsibly. Water plants. Top-dress containers. Feed weekly. If going on holiday arrange for a friend to water plants. Tell them to pick ALL sweet peas, courgettes, french and runner beans as these will stop producing if left on the plant. Stock up with charcoal for those impromptu barbecues.

VEG PLOT: - Plant brassicas and leeks and 2nd early potatoes for Christmas; earth up when frosts kill tops later in the year. Sow salad crops, parsley, french beans and carrots. Pinch out side shoots on tomatoes, tie in plants. Feed weekly. Spray potatoes and outdoor tomatoes to protect against potato blight. Lift shallots when foliage dies back. Thin seeds sown in June.

FRUIT: - Check for insects and spray responsibly. Protect fruit and plants from bird or butterfly attacks with netting. Pick soft fruit and tie in new shoots. Tidy strawberries by removing and disposing of old leaves, runners and straw. Apply feed at 2 oz. sq. yd. Dig up three year old stock and destroy. Create a new bed on well-manured ground now for a good crop next year.

GREENHOUSE: - Ventilate, provide shade and maintain humidity. Water daily. Take softwood and semi-ripe cuttings - insert into sandy compost. Control insects. Tie tomato, cucumber, pepper and aubergine plants to their supports. Feed weekly with tomato feed when fruits begin to swell. Hand pollinate female flower on melons. Keep main stem dry. Sow Peas/Mange tout/Sugar snaps in guttering, water and slide into a shallow trench outside when 3cm tall.

FLOWERS: - Remove old heads to keep them flowering. Tie in sweet peas. Feed roses after first flush of flowers. Stake tall herbaceous plants. Mulch borders.

LAWNS: - Mow weekly. Apply a granular feed or Lawn weed killer.

THE VILLAGE SHOW

Saturday and Sunday 2nd and 3rd September 2023

The schedule is on our web site or you may have received your personal copy as a previous exhibitor. The Show is open to all amateur growers and crafters wherever you may live. Please do continue to support the Show by entering and visiting to see the stunning exhibits.

The "PHOTOGRAPHY TROPHY" 

Subjects for 2023:- 1.Through a Window, 2.Stormy Weather, 3. A Day Out, 4. A Blot on the Landscape and 5. A Picture of Your Choice.

All photographs to be colour, minimum size 150 x 100mm/6" x 4" and maximum size 190 x 130mm/7.5" x 5" and mounted and taken within the last twelve months.

The "HANDICRAFT CUP"

Subjects for 2022:- 1.Hand Knitted Item of Clothing(Free Choice), 2. Hand Knitted Cushion, 3. Crocheted Small Blanket (Max size 70cm x 70cm), 4 A Christmas Decoration using any Craft, 5. Cross Stitch Card with a Bird on (Max size 250mm x 150mm), 6. Cross Stitch or Tapestry Item (Kit or Freestyle), 7. Any other craft item - hard material craft and 8. Any other craft item - soft material craft. (Please speak with Wendy Russell, Show Secretary, regarding items 7 and 8. via show.secretary@capelallotments.co.uk).

Handicraft items need to have been made in the last twelve months.

Saturday 29 July - from late afternoon - 'PICNIC-ON-THE-PLOT'

For members and their guests only. Join us from 5.30pm at the Pound Lane Allotments Site

ALLOTMENT NEWS

THE HUT   Is open 10 to 12 noon Saturdays only. We are happy to continuelocal on-line deliveries for members living in the local area with limited mobility. Alternatively you can pre-order for collection on Saturday.

POND and WILDLIFE AREA Watch out for damsel and dragon flies, frogs and newts. Check the information boards if you see something interesting that you can’t identify.

JOIN’N’SAVE - Membership is just £5 a year and is open to both plot holders and non-plot holders alike, where ever you live.

SHEDS - The site manager must be contacted before construction commences or alterations to an existing shed take place.