CAPEL ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION'S

GUIDE TO GARDENING ~ JUNE 

VEG & FLOWER PLANTS & BUNCHES OF FLOWERS  on SATURDAY  AT THE HUT AS & WHEN AVAILABLE or contact  Sue  via hut.manager@Capel Allotments.co.uk  for a £3 bunch of seasonal flowers or table centre or a presentation arrangement & price.

ALLOTMENT NEWS

THE ALLOTMENT SITE.  Remains open. Please remember to social distance & use the hand washing facilities near The Hut & at the BBQ area.

THE HUT.   

1.     THE HUT is open 9-12 noon Saturdays & 10 – 12 Sundays throughout June.

2.      HUT STOCK– We are well stocked for most items including Composts however we are currently unable to replenish stocks of some items including :-  Bark, Grow-Bags,  Mirical Gro feed (we have Phostrogen which is an excellent substitute),  Lime,  12m wide net, 6’ Canes, Farmyard Manure  & Seeds.

3.     Price Rise. 75ltr Clover Multi-Purpose now £5.30

We are happy to continue local on-line deliveries for members living in the local area who continue to self-isolate or if you wish to pre-order for collection on Saturday from 9.30am or Sunday from 10am please order by Friday evening. More details below.

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 advance notice to hire this equipment or for any matters relating to the site please contact Dennis on site.manager@capelallotments.co.uk

POND & WILDLIFE AREA

The Purple Allium are looking stunning at the moment. The bank is covered with Pink Campion and the rough prickly leaves of Teazles. Some Shrubs are in flower. There is an established stock of Newts in the deeper water & a myriad of pond skaters, numerous diving beetles, water snails & dragon fly larvae.  Please make sure children are supervised if visiting the area, we are sure they will find the information boards very helpful to identify pond life, butterfly’s & other wild life in this corner of the Allotments Site.

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. A visit to ‘THE HUT’ should easily recoup this investment when you take advantage of our special bulk buy prices. Go to our web site an complete the form.

SHEDS

If you are thinking of erecting a shed on your plot there are a few regulations that need to be followed. The shed must be of appropriate construction, no larger than 6’ x 4’ x 8’ high, gable ended with the ridge running East West, be in the corner of the full plot, be adjacent to the central foot path (plots behind the Polytunnel, on the east end) and the door must open onto your plot so as not to inconvenience others. All sheds must be securely anchored to the ground by metal or wooden posts & painted brown. The site manager must be contacted before construction commences or alterations to an existing shed take place.

‘THE BONFIRE’

Please compost grass cuttings, annual weeds, waste veg, soft pruning’s,

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.

SEPTEMBER SHOW. Regrettably we have decided to cancel this year’s event.

PICNIC ON THE PLOT. Presently on hold.

Online Sales From "The Hut"

Preferably payment will be by Bank Transfer (BACS) to Capel St Mary Allotments Association, Lloyds Bank, Sort Code 30-94-55 Account Number 01298209 with your name in the reference box or by card or cash for those who do not use online banking.

1.   Members can place your order by email to hut.manager@capelallotments.co.uk stating the exact description of each item, the price, how many are required and the total price of the item. The total cost of the whole order must also be included. Please also include a contact number and your address and indicate how you wish to pay.

2.     You will receive confirmation of your order by email and delivery information for members living in the local area.

STAY SAFE. SOCIAL DISTANCE, EAT FRESH HEALTHY FOOD. EXERCISE.

Members please check your emails & our web site for COVID 19 updates.

JOBS FOR JUNE

Hoe weekly to keep weeds at bay or apply Weedol or Bio Glyphosate (100ml £1). Scatter slug pellets (800g £2.50). Rake in 4oz sq. yd. Growmore (5kg £4.50) or Chicken Pellets (20kg £11) prior to sowing or planting. Kill weeds on paths and drives (£2 rtu. ). Top-dress containers with grit (£5.50). Feed weekly with Maxicrop (£2.50 ltr) or Phostrogen (160 can half our normal price while stocks last, only £4.60). Stock up with lump wood charcoal (12kg £10) for those impromptu barbecues.

Please make an effort to save water by watering plants thoroughly with an open ended watering can, do not waste time & water by indiscriminate spraying by using a rose once seedlings have emerged. Seed potatoes will not need watering until July at the earliest.

.

THE VEG PLOT: - Plant cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, sweet corn, leeks & celery. Sow or plant runner beans to grow up 8' canes (60p) set in two rows 2 ½  to 3 feet apart, cross canes as low as 3 feet from the ground to allow the maximum number of beans to hang outwards and grow straight for easy picking and for the show bench. Tie in other canes at 45^o and through the cross over point to strengthen the structure. Sow salad crops; french beans, carrots & swede. Plant marrows, courgettes & tomatoes. Earth up potatoes. Harvest asparagus, new potatoes, carrots, peas & broad beans & Japanese onions. Thin seeds sown in May.

FRUIT: - Protect fruit trees against codling moth (trap £5.50) and plum moth (trap £5.50). Check for green fly and spray with Sprayday (30 ml £5.90) or Bug Killer (400ml £6.20). On soft fruit apply Py powder ten days after flowering to protect against raspberry beetle and red spider mites. Protect fruit & plants from bird attacks with netting. 8m wide £2.80 per linier meter .

GREENHOUSE: - Ventilate, provide shade & maintain humidity. Water daily. Take softwood & semi-ripe cuttings, rooting powder £1.50. Insert into sandy compost (potting grit £5.50 or use john Innes seed £4) in pots (from 5p). Sow hardy perennials. Full size rigid trays and gravel trays @ £1.70 & half size flexi's @ 10p are available. Support plants with 2' green canes (70p per 15). Control insect pests with Bug Gun (£3.50). Plant tomato, cucumber, pepper & aubergines in 10 or 14ltr pots of Multi-purpose compost (75ltr £5.30). Feed weekly when fruits begin to swell with tomato feed (£2.50 per ltr.) Pinch out all but four side shoots on melon plants & stop these when they reach the corners of the cold frame or tops of netting or tumble off a shelf or bench. Hand pollinate (brushes 10p) when each shoot has a female flower. Keep the main stem dry.

FLOWERS: - Plant out half-hardy annuals. Tie in sweet peas. Cut back flowered heather's & mulch with peat (100ltr £9). Plant containers with summer bedding (75ltr Compost £5.30, 50ltr Peat Free compost £6 or 20 kg John Innes £4) incorporate slow release granules, £4.60 for 1kg. Stake tall herbaceous plants using 4' canes at 30p (cane caps 10p) & pea & bean netting at 30p a mtr. Mulch borders with chipped bark.

LAWNS: - Mow weekly. Apply a feed to treat 140sq mtrs @ £5.50. Weed, Feed & Moss Killer 5kg bag @ £7.50 or Weedol (Verdone) Lawn weed killer, 500ml £8.

All horticultural products are available to our members from a range of quality commodities provided to meet basic gardening needs. Please note that you need to be a member (£5) to purchase items from The Hut.