Growing in Capel St. Mary
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Clear weeds with Weedol, or Bio Glyphosate. Rotovate cleared areas (Cultivator available on site @ £10 for the first two hours). Rake in 4oz sq. yd. Growmore prior to sowing or planting. Kill weeds on paths, patios and drives. Set up the barbecue. Protect fruit and plants from bird attacks with bird netting. Check the water softener and top up with salt. Water plants thoroughly with an open ended watering can, do not waste time and 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 and celery. Sow or plant runner beans to grow up 8' canes set in two rows 2½ 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 45o and through the cross-over point to strengthen the structure. Sow salad crops, French beans, marrow, pumpkin, courgette, squashes, cucumbers, sweet corn, turnip, swede and carrots. Cover potatoes if frost is forecast or water early in the morning before the sun damages the frozen leaves. Sow fennel, basil and dill. Harvest broad beans, spouting broccoli, cauliflowers, radish, lettuce and asparagus. We sell a range of vegetable seeds to supplement our autumn seed scheme. Thin seeds sown in April. Gloves are available to protect your hands.
FRUIT: - Spray fruit trees which are affected by mildew, scab, aphids or codling moth. Check for caterpillars, black fly and red spider mites and spray with Bug Killer or Bio Sprayday. When fruit has set apply a nitrogen feed and water in dry spells. Put straw around strawberries to protect fruit from slugs.
GREENHOUSE: - Ventilate, provide shade and increase humidity. Sow melons, cucumber and sweet corn. Prick out half-hardy annuals into 12, 15 or 40 cell tray inners or pots. Full size rigid trays and half size flexi's are also available. Feed established plants weekly with liquid feed or Miracle-Gro. Support plants with 2' green canes. Pinch out tips of fuchsias after two pairs of leaves. Control insects and pests with a suitable insecticide. Plant tomato, cucumber, pepper and aubergine plants in grow bags. Feed weekly when fruits begin to swell with tomato feed. 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 and Bone. Sow hardy annuals and bi-annuals. Tie in sweet peas to grow up 6' canes. Cut back flowered heathers and mulch with peat. Plant up containers with summer bedding and protect from late frosts with fleece or make sure you water the plants using a rose before the sun touches them; incorporate slow release feed. Stake tall herbaceous plants or support with twigs or pea and bean netting. Mulch borders with ornamental chipped bark.
LAWNS: - Mow weekly. Apply a liquid or granular lawn treatment. When applying a granular treatment remember to water it in if it has not rained within 48 hours of applying. Various liquid feed or lawn weed killer (including moss control) available from the Hut.
All horticultural items are only available to our members from a range of quality products provided to meet basic gardening needs.
TWO DAY OPENING - THE HUT is open 10-12 noon Saturdays and Sundays throughout May and June. Free local home delivery available if you can’t get to The Hut. Please contact the Hut Manager for more information via hut.manager@capelallotments.co.uk.
Weekly draw at The Hut. As many of our regular sponsors are continuing to struggle to get their businesses back up and running (and as profits from our prize draw cover a substantial proportion of the costs involved in running the show) we are again running a weekly draw to help 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.
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. You do need to be a member to be able to purchase from THE HUT.
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
POND & WILDLIFE AREA open to visitors out exercising or plot holders working on your plot
Daffodils: Singles, Doubles and Dwarfs; Muscari and Tulips have all performed well. The water level in the pond has risen and fallen depending in the rain harvested from the various shed roofs. Several Newts have been seen out for a swim. Ducks have been seen paddling around in the pond and also sleeping on some of the plots. The Snakes Head Fritillary look fantastic as do the Pond Buttercups. Wood Anemones and the flowering garlic are doing well.
Looks like our pet Muntjac has been over the fence and munching on the Bluebell leaves and leaving footprints on several plots.
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 and 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 note that the Bonfire is now closed until early September. Please continue to 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 wild life area please contact info@capelallotments.co.uk to discuss what is available to you.
Saturday and Sunday 3rd and 4th September
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.
Subjects for 2022:-
1.A Single Bloom (in close up),
2. Motion,
3. Depict a TV Programme (please show name),
4. A Gate or Door
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.A hand knitted item of clothing,
2. A hand knitted item containing a variety of stitches (e.g. cable, bobble stitches),
3. A crochet Amigurumi toy (plenty of free patterns on Internet),
4. Decorated bottle jacket using either decoupage, stamping, crochet or any papercraft,
5. Cross Stitch Christmas card (max card size 8 x 6 in /200 x 150mm),
6. Cross Stitch or tapestry item (kit or freestyle),
7. Any other craft item - hard material craft
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.
