December 2006

Editor: HeatherJenne hjenne@blueyonder.co.uk 0117 973 3451
Date: Dec 2006
Correspondence to : Registered Office, 2 Kennel Lodge Road, Bower Ashton, Bristol BS3 2JT

Chairman’s Comments

AGM reminder

Thursday 18th January 2007 at 7.30 pm The AGM will be held as usual at Ashton Park School. From Ashton direction, take the Winterstoke underpass towards Portishead A369 and turn immediately left at the roundabout into Blackmoor Lane. The short road is a cul-de-sac leading directly to the school and is signed. (From Clifton direction come down Rownham Hill to the roundabout just before the Winterstoke underpass and turn right into Blackmoor Lane) All members are most welcome. Please come and support your Committee. We need your feedback on last year and your thoughts about the coming year.

Bonfire Smoke

I highlighted the difficulties about bonfire smoke last newsletter. The problem is caused by burning damp or green waste, waste that can in almost every case be composted to re-energise the soil. Burning not only creates a potential health and environmental hazard, but also deprives the plot of nutrients as the ash has only limited benefits. With some forethought, it is not necessary to have bonfires. The only things that present a problem in the compost heap are (1) diseased plants, (2) twiggy material and (3) pernicious perennial weeds like bindweed roots, ground elder etc. The way to deal with them are:
(1) remove them from your site and use the Council’s new garden waste collection
arrangements or the kitchen waste bins
(2) either remove them from site as above, or borrow or hire a shredder and put the chips on the compost heap, or bury them
(3) compost perennial weeds separately by keeping them in old fertilizer bags for a year or two to rot down, before then adding the bag contents to the main heap — the more you can dry them out (eg on a windy sunny day on a sheet of black plastic before putting them in bags), the better. If you do decide to have a bonfire, please follow the guidelines on the site gates and above all, dry out your material first so the fire doesn’t produce nasty thick smoke. The way to do this is to put it loosely (so the air can circulate) on black plastic, for several months, turning occasionally and the sun and wind will gradually take out the moisture. Buy or borrow an incinerator as this makes it hotter and tidier (you can ask your site rep if they know who you can borrow one from).
Incinerators are available from Morrisons, Bedminster, for less than £14 Thick, good quality, cheap, Black Plastic is available from the stores.

Getting ready for winter

The water on all sites has been turned off until the Spring.
Bower Ashton Stores are closed till Sunday February 11th but Roy Davis is happy to open by arrangement if you want anything specific — phone him on Bristol 963 2102.
Alderman Moores stores likewise — but, to open by arrangement, contact Dave Brice (983 0102), Amy Gorrigan (963 4811) or Angie Tonge (902 0948).

Trees

Trees on allotment plots are banned unless they are fruit trees on dwarf rooting stock (maximum height of 12 feet). In addition, it is not permitted to cover more than, say, 10% of the area with such trees (and the ground around them must be kept free of weeds). We do not have orchards. Trees in hedgerows are an acceptable aid to biodiversity provided they do not impact adversely on plot holders’ attempts to manage their plots (for example, blackthorn and other prunus varieties spread readily and really need to be kept back, and, unfortunately, trees such as mature oaks can extract thousands of gallons of water from the soil up to and beyond the drip line as well as depriving plants of light). From time to time it becomes necessary for such trees to be pruned so that they present less of a hazard I nuisance to members and sheds.
A subcommittee has identified [a] non-fruit trees that are growing on plots and must be removed and [b] hedgerow trees that require some management intervention.
I will be writing to the plot holders concerned about removing the former. Where the trees have got too large for the plot holder to dig them out, we will assist with their removal. For future reference, if tree seedlings develop, it’s obviously best to take them out when small!

New Store/Meeting Room at Alderman Moores

At the time of going to press, the building has been completed and externally decorated. The electric wiring has been installed and tested. (We are currently purchasing a generator to run the electricity). It awaits the doors and roller shutters for the windows and the next thing is fitting out. The formal opening is likely to be in the Spring. As well as being used for stores, we anticipate using it to run courses and provide an allotment reference library for members.

Store items

There will always be limitations on the items available in the stores, either because of lack of demand or because we can’t purchase them at competitive prices. However, since there will be more space available, it is important that we stock items that you want to buy. Will you therefore please drop a line, e-mail or phone with your ideas to the Editor or myself. We cannot guarantee to satisfy all wishes; but we’ll try to meet any demand that seems reasonably widespread.

Guttering

Not having any response from the June newsletter item, I thought I’d ask again if any of you know of a cheap source of gutters and fixing brackets, pipes, water butts and recycled timber to put up guttering on sheds. I’d really welcome any ideas. bob.franks—ltfs@assureweb.com

Environmental Policy

After some representation and much discussion, the Committee has formulated an Environmental Policy. We have been constrained by what is practicable and within our ability to influence, and mindful of our Rules of Association. A copy of the policy statement is attached to this Newsletter. Gill Crawley (Md 19) will take on the role of environment policy representative on the Committee in addition to her job as site rep. For support and guidance (see 3.3) email her on gcrawl@aol .com

In Memorium

It is with deep regret that I report the death of Ann Woodcock of KLT, a former member of the Committee whose input was so influential. The funeral service was a reminder of the impact she had on the community and her dedicated work for the disadvantaged.

Bob Franks

The mystery of White City Ground
by John Holland

I have been told by a person who lived in Bedminster before and during the War that the White City allotments are situated on the site of a prisoner of war camp. Apparently the camp was used to house Italian soldiers who, fed up with the gloomy English weather, obtained some limewash from the whitening yard in Aston Vale and painted the huts white to brighten the place up! From then on, local people referred to it as the ‘White City’. Assuming this story to be true, where exactly was the camp situated? I have asked several people who know the area well, but no one seems to know. There is a line of what look like very old concrete fence posts which still support a section of fence running along the hauling way nearest the entrance gate. Could the hauling way have originally been the main way into the camp? Or perhaps the camp was located where the stone works currently is. Either way, the camp must have been quite cramped as the line to Portishead and former marshalling yard would have been obvious boundaries. In addition, a searchlight and AA gun emplacement was situated to the north of the site — on a mound just outside the current pedestrian entrance to the allotments from Hotwells.
I’m really interested in finding out more about the history behind White City Ground. If anyone can offer more information, please contact me at Plot 53 WC, or
holland.john@hotmail.co.uk

From your Editor

eMail Addresses

We would love to have your email address to deliver newsletters and details of stores bargains and stock + price lists by email. This would save site reps trudging from shed to shed, and avoid the possibility of this exciting literature being damaged by water. Of course, it would also save on printing costs and, in a tiny way, help environmentally. If you are happy to receive this electronically, please email our IT specialist Bob Corfield - bob.corfield@blueyonder.co.uk
- with HWDAA and your plot number in the subject box

Tips + Dilemmas - Good varieties

Potato Milva:

Dutch organic all-round spud. Yellow waxy flesh, like a salad spud, when lifted early, June - July. Great to bake, boil, & mash if left till Aug. Sold as a main crop but I’ve found you can plant it as an early, and it’s good hot or cold as a salad spud. Great cropper, and very easy to lift as all spuds very near surface. Been growing them for at least 5 years now. Fantastic. Available from Chase Organics, Riverdene Business Park, Mosely Road, Hersham, Surrey KTI2 4RG www.organiccatalog.com (thanks Pete)

Aubergine ‘Rosa Bianca’ (aka Gourmet’s Choice):

fruits are white with pink glow — very creamy taste — grow in polytunnel (thanks Angie)Butternut squash: excellent flavour, lots of ways to cook them (nb for an outstanding crop give the plant lots of well-rotted farmyard manure for water retention and fertilizer, plus chicken pellets + fish blood and bone for quick feed + slow- release feed) (thanks Dave)

French bean ‘Algarve’:

this is a flat climbing French bean so looks like a runner bean but is genuinely stringless. Tasty, longish cropping season and French beans seem to do better in dry weather than runners (thanks Mike). Other recommended climbing French bean varieties: Blue Lake (pencil-podded green),Corona d’Oro (yellow, delicate flavour), Cosse de Violette (purple, but go green when cooked).

Courgette Fl Jemmer:

lovely yellow courgette, good flavour, prolific, seems to be hardier than some other varieties as was still cropping at the end of this October (before the frosts)

Seed orders

King’s 2006 Seed Catalogue + Order Forms will shortly be put in your sheds (shared sheds will receive 2 copies — if you need another, some spares are available from the stores). Please complete and send your orders to: Roy Davis,15 Breach Road,
Ashton, Bristol, BS3 2BD
by no later than 12th January 2007, together with the correct money for the seeds PLUS the sum of 90p to cover post, packing and handling (make cheque payable to HW&DAA)

Seed Potato Orders

We advise members not to order seed potatoes through Kings, as they come too late for planting ‘earlies’ and the postage is expensive. Instead, Roy orders seed potatoes separately from another supplier in Bristol which works out significantly cheaper than Kings. This year,we intend to order the following varieties :- Earlies: Foremost, Winston Main: Desiree, Cara Salad: Pink Fir Apple, Belle de Fontenay. A notice will go up on the gate when they are available. Make a note to get them as soon as possible because we are operating a first come, first served, policy. Next year, we will be asking members to order in advance so that we can plan our bulk purchase accurately. If you would like us to stock varieties other than the above,please let us know now, so we can put them on the list for next Autumn.

DVD ‘The Allotment’ (ITV series1)

This DVD is available from Wildfire Bristol for £14.99 + £2 P & P. Send cheque for £16.99 (payable to Wildfire Bristol) to Wildfire Bristol,85 Effingham Road, St Andrews, Bristol BS6 5AY

Courses.

RHS Certificate in Horticulture course

is taught (from Sept - June) by the following organizations at the following locations:
The University Botanic Gardens (The Holmes, off Stoke Park Road, top of the Downs)
City of Bristol College (at Ashley Down Centre and Bedminster Centre)
Filton College (at Bristol Zoo, Clifton)
The Botanic Gardens are starting to put people on a waiting list for September 2007, so if you’re really keen to do it with them, it’s worth getting in touch with them sooner rather than later. You can also take the course by distance learning from Learning Curve
www. learningcurveuk.com/gardenschool
University of Bristol Botanic Garden are thinking about running some courses from Spring 2007 when they have opened a study room. The possibilities include: An Introduction to Organic Vegetable Gardening, Summer Vegetables and Salads, Viticulture, Waterwise Gardening, Health and Well Being with Medicinal Plants. To find out more, check their website from time to time www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/BotanicGardensAlternative viewpoints

Planting by the phases of the moon

The theory of lunar planting is that the moon exerts a gravitational pull on the earth’s water table, which is highest during the full moon and lowest during the new moon. One obvious example is the rise and fall of tides, but - importantly for gardeners - it also affects the water table under the soil. During the first half of the lunar month, as the moon grows from new to full (ie a thin crescent to a round), its gravitational pull upon the ground beneath the gardener’s feet increases. During the lunar month’s second half, as the moon dies (i.e. from round back to thin crescent), its gravitational pull decreases. This unfailing (roughly 4 weekly) phenomenon creates predictable conditions in the garden’s soil. From new moon to full moon (the first half), the moisture in Earth’s crust moves upwards under pressure from the rising water table, so there is an increased amount in the top soil. This benefits the seed sown and the plant inserted at that time. Also, the same upward pressure encourages enhanced moisture absorption by seed and plant so the chances of germination and plant survival are increased. From full moon to the next new moon (the second half), the pressure upon root systems exerted by the prevailing moisture reduces as the water table falls. It is the ideal time to prune, because the reduced pressure causes reduced bleeding of cut branches; and to incorporate manure (and other feed) into the top soil, because the decreasing gravitational pull encourages additives to be more deeply absorbed; and to harvest root vegetable, when their moisture content is at their lowest so they store longer. Before modem methods of farming were introduced after WW2, farmers apparently used the phases of the moon as a major indicator of when to sow. It is still used by at least one head gardener with 40 years experience — R. J. Harris on Tresillian estate Cornwall — with great success. He never needs to water his crops, though it is fair to say that he achieves this, not only using lunar planting, but also extremely thorough preparation of the soil in his veg beds in the preceding Autumn (he has a four year rotation plan and the first year involves massive excavation of soil and replacement with twiggy material, kitchen waste and well rotted manure in layers — and he aims to have the bed slightly lower than the surrounding soil when the mixture has decomposed, so rainwater drains into it). www.moongardening.cwc.net gives further information, dates of the moon’s phases and details of how to buy the book: R.J. Harris’s Moon Gardening: Vegetables and Soft Fruit

SEASONAL RECIPE

My family can’t get enough Patatas Bravas, but I am very mean and refuse to cook them till we are eating stored main crop potatoes!

- Pre-heat oven to 225C / Gas mark 7
- Add enough (olive/vegetable) oil to cover a large roasting tin and put this in the oven for 5 mins to heat up the oil. Peel about 2 lbs / 1 kilo of potatoes and cut into wedges.
- Stir 2 tablespoons paprika and 1 teaspoon cayenne into the hot oil, add the potato wedges and stir so the potatoes are covered in the spicy oil. (or vary the spice amounts to taste — some people swear by 1 tablespoon of each)
- Roast until golden (about an hour), stirring once or twice to stop the potatoes sticking.