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Newsletter - May 2021

12 May 2021

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Garden News - May 2021

Clear weeds with Weedol £4.90, or ready mixed, 1ltr £3.30 or Bio Glyphosate (100ml £1). Rotovate cleared areas (Cultivator available on site @ £10 for the first two hours). Scatter slug pellets (824g £2.50 & £4). Rake in 4oz sq. yd. Growmore (5kg £4.50) prior to sowing or planting. Kill weeds on paths, patios and drives (Path Clear £2 1ltr rtu). Set up the barbecue (12kg lump wood charcoal £10). Protect fruit & plants from bird attacks with bird netting from 80p per meter. Check the water softener and top up with salt (25kg £8.50 and 2 x 4kg blocks @ £5). Water 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 June at the earliest.

VEG PLOT: - Plant cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, calabrese, kale, main crop potatoes & celery. Sow or plant runner beans to grow up 8' canes (70p) 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 45and through the cross over point to strengthen the structure. Sow salad crops, French beans, marrow, pumpkin, courgette, squashes, cucumbers, sweet corn, turnip, swede & carrots. Cover potatoes if frost is forecast or water early in the morning before the sun damages the frozen leaves. Sow fennel, basil & dill. Harvest broad beans, spouting broccoli, cauliflowers, radish, lettuce & asparagus. We carry a limited range of vegetable seed @ £1 & £1.50 a packet to supplement our autumn seed scheme. Thin seeds sown in April. Gloves from £2.50 are available to protect your hands.

FRUIT: - Spray fruit trees which are affected by mildew, scab, aphids or codling moth (traps from £7.50). Check for caterpillars, black fly and red spider mites and pray with Bug Killer rtu (1ltr £3.50), Bio Sprayday (30ml £6.80) . When fruit has set apply a nitrogen feed & water in dry spells. Put straw around strawberries to protect fruit.

GREENHOUSE: - Ventilate, provide shade & increase humidity. Sow melons, cucumber & sweet corn. Prick out half-hardy annuals into 12, 15 or 40 cell tray inners (10p & 20p) or pots (from 5p). Full size rigid trays (£1.90) & half size flexi's @ 10p are available. Feed established plants weekly with liquid feed (£2.50 per litre), Miracle-Gro (1kg £4). Support plants with 2' green canes (60p per 15). Pinch out tips of fuchsias after two pairs of leaves. Control insect pests with an rtu. Insect Gun @ £2. Plant tomato, cucumber, pepper & aubergine plants in grow bags @ £3. Feed weekly when fruits begin to swell with tomato feed (£2.50 per litre.) Plant melons in cold frames or in pots on greenhouse bench and let trail down, pinch out growing tip at four leaf stage. Keep main stem dry.

FLOWERS: - Move spring bulbs to a temporary site and feed with Growmore or Blood, Fish & Bone. Sow hardy annuals & bi-annuals. Tie in sweet peas to grow up 6' canes (40p each). Cut back flowered heather's & mulch with peat. Plant up containers with summer bedding (75ltr Compost £5.50, and 50ltr peat free £6.50) protect from late frosts with fleece from 30p a meter or make sure you water the plants using a rose before the sun touches them, incorporate slow release feed at £4.70 a kilo. Stake tall herbaceous plants (4' canes 30p) or support with twigs or pea and bean netting @ 30p per mtr. Mulch borders with ornamental chipped bark (75ltrs £7.50).

LAWNS: - Mow weekly. Apply a liquid or granular lawn treatment. 5kg of feed for £6.50 to treat 140sq mtrs or 20kg Weed, Feed & Moss Killer at £28 .When applying a granular treatment remember to water it in if it has not rained within 48 hours of applying. Liquid feed or lawn weed killer available from £2.50 & £8.

All horticultural items are only available to our members from a range of quality products provided to meet basic gardening needs.


Association News

TWO DAY OPENING  - THE HUT is open 10-12 noon Saturdays & Sundays throughout May and June. Free local home delivery available if you cannot get to The Hut.

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

SPRING WORK-IN - Sunday 23rd May from 8.30am. Snack and tea/coffee provided.

AGM Sunday 23rd May from 12.noon.- Please register your  with Pippa on info@capelallotments.co.uk if you are intending to come along to help us facilitate current covid regulations and catering. Refreshments and a light lunch will be provided. PLEASE BRING A MASK. Thank you.

POND & WILDLIFE AREA open to visitors out exercising or working on your plot

Daffodils, Singles, Doubles & Dwarfs, Muscari & Tulips have all performed well, The water level in the pond has risen & fallen depending in the rain harvested from the BBQ roof. Several Newts have been seen out for a swim. Four Ducks have been seen paddling around in the pond & also sleeping on some of the plots. The Snakes Head Fritillars look fantastic as do the Pond Buttercups. Wood Anemones & the  flowering garlic are doing well.


The Show

We are back on Saturday and Sunday 4th and 5th September

The schedule is on our web site or you may have received your personal copy as a previous exhibitor.

Weekly draw at The Hut.As many of our regular sponsors are struggling this year to get their businesses up and running again and as profits from our prize draw cover  a substantial proportion of the costs involved in running the show we are running a weekly draw to cover the cost of prizes . Please pick a square on the current sheet for £1 to win a £5 Hut voucher. Thank you for your support

The"PHOTOGRAPHY TROPHY"

 Photography subjects for 20201

 A Church Tower or Spire, Colourful, Through a Window, Texture, A picture of your choice

All photographs to be colour, minimum size 150x100mm/6”x4” and maximum size 190x130mm/7.5”x5”.  Must be mounted and taken within the last 30 months


VEHICLES, CHILDREN & DOGS ON SITE.

Please drive slowly when taking your vehicle on site and take care especially when reversing. Be aware that we have a number of families with small children who may be on the tractor paths or the green areas.

Parents please supervise your children at all times so as not to cause inconvenience to others. Most of the small North / South paths are for plot holder use only and form part of their allotment plot & as such are not for general use.

Owners are most welcome to bring their dogs with them to the allotments site but please keep them under close control on your plot so as not to inconvenience others.   Thank you

 


‘THE BONFIRE’ - Plot holders please compost as much material as possible including annual weeds, soil, grass cuttings, brassica tops, rhubarb leaves and waste crops.

SITE VISITS - If any groups would like to visit the site and the wildlife area please contact Philippa Brandon on info@capelallotments.co.uk to discuss what is available to you.