HwDAA NewsletterSeptember 2007Editor: Heather Jenne email
0117 973 3451
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Note: You will also receive a copy of this newsletter in the post within the next few days as it is sent out with the invoice for next year's rent. |
Chairman’s CommentsPLOT RENTSYour bill for the coming year (1st Oct 07 – 30th Sept 08) is enclosed with this newsletter. The Treasurer (Dave Brice) prefers to receive payment in the form of cheques by post but, if you want to pay cash, he will be available to collect cash payments on these 2 Sunday morningsBower Ashton Store 10.30 – 11.30 on 7th Oct 07, Alderman Moore's Store 10.30 – 11.30 on 15th Oct 07 . Please note that your Tenancy is automatically terminated if the treasurer has not received your payment by 14th November 07, and your plot will be re-let.We will try to keep the rates the same for the following year (1st October 2008 to 30th September 2009). However in case it becomes necessary to have an increase, the Committee hereby gives notice that the rents may be raised to the following:-• Large Plots £44, (from £42) • Medium Plots £33 (from £32) • Small Plots £23 (from £22) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Association AGM will be held at the Alderman Moore's Store on Thursday 17th January 2008. Please be seated by 7.30pm, when the President will open the meeting.
SEED PURCHASES - different arrangementsThe usual Kings’ seed catalogues have been delivered to every shed (2 copies where shed is shared). It’s really worth setting aside the time to look at it thoroughly because, although it’s a no frills catalogue, it has lots of varieties on offer at unbeatable prices. Please return completed orders by 15th October 2007, plus postage, to Stan, as detailed on the front of the catalogue. Your seed order will be available for collection from early November from the Alderman Moore's Store only.In addition, from early October, we will be selling packets of Kings seeds, and their organic range under the ‘Suffolk Herbs’ label, in Alderman Moore's Store. Each packet will be a few pence dearer than the catalogue prices and, although there will be a good selection, we will not stock every variety listed in the catalogue. So, if the particular variety is important to you, make sure you order through the catalogue. But if you have afterthoughts, all is not lost – you will be able to browse for seeds in the stores. NB. Please do not order seed potatoes from Kings – there are postage difficulties if we try ordering seeds and seed potatoes. We obtain seed potatoes locally in bulk at a cheaper price and will have a selection of varieties available in both the Alderman Moore's and the Bower Ashton stores in the second week of February ‘08. Please speak to Roy Davis on 0117 963 2102 if there are any particular varieties you would like stocked and we will do our best to get them. WATER TROUGHSPlease note that the troughs are intended as dipping troughs. The water should be kept uncontaminated so that watering cans and buckets can be filled without any worry of water-borne plant diseases etc. Therefore please don’t use the troughs for washing veg or hands, or let your children use them for water play – please scoop out a bit of water into a separate container for these things.SECURITYThere have been several recent incidents of youths getting into sites and attempting to steal car keys and cash. Sadly, I have to recommend that you lock your vehicles and keep keys and valuables near your person. We are doing our best to beef up the fencing but these wretched people can be very agile and determined, so precautions are necessary. I have also heard of a strimmer left in a shed being stolen. So beware – it’s best not to leave anything valuable /resalable in sheds. Please also be scrupulous about locking site gates after you EVERY time.Here are a few commonsense suggestions if you see anyone you are not sure about. Firstly, check with someone else on the site if they agree with you and then, if you feel happy about it, both can approach the person to ask if they have a connection with the site (e.g., ‘Excuse me, I don’t recognise you – could you tell me which plot you are going to? What gardening are you planning to do today?’). If they have no connection with the site, you have the right to ask them to leave forthwith and, if you feel the situation calls for it, you can walk with them to the gate and lock them out. If you are still concerned and you have a mobile telephone call me on 0117 923 1643 and / or the police on 0845 456 7000 Do not risk confrontation if you are alone. It’s very useful if you can recall any peculiarity of dress or features or are able (without any risk of aggression) to capture them in a photo. I believe this sort of criminals rarely operates alone, so there may be a lookout nearby. Please tell me about it soon after the event - I need as much detail as possible - particularly as to their means of access and escape. ASHTON STORERoy Davis does a wonderful job in staffing the Bower Ashton store pretty much single-handed but he now feels he needs some more help.It is currently only open between 10.30 and 11.30 on Sunday mornings and, with enough volunteers, we hope that people would only need to commit an hour every six weeks or so. Roy will provide support, and such training as is necessary. Please let me know if you can help out. – preferably by the end of September. (my phone no again- 0117 923 1643) If we can’t get enough helpers, we may have to close the store, which would be a shame as it is a handy source of allotment items for the five local sites – within walking / wheelbarrowing distance. Remember that Alderman Moore's store is open on both Saturday and Sunday mornings 10.30 – 12 noon (and bank holiday Mondays). This is a facility for all members of the association – your site key will fit the lock on the Alderman Moore's gate. You can come in to buy things, or to look at the reference books, or just relax with a hot drink; in fact, it is rapidly turning into a great social club – lots of chat and not so much gardening! GIFT VOUCHERSBoth stores have gift vouchers in denominations of £5, £10 and £20 available – redeemable at the allotment stores.SCARECROW COMPETITIONAlthough the Bristol Flower Show was cancelled, the class for Best Scarecrow on any Bristol Allotment site, was kept going by the Council allotments Office. Amazingly, HW&DAA entries swept the board by winning 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th prizes. Photos on the last page of the newsletter.Janet Wigley of Plot 4 Kennel Lodge 2 was the overall winner and her entry will be on display at The Riverside Garden Centre. Well done Janet. Also congratulations to Nigel Perkins for gaining 3rd place in the Best Kept Allotment in Bristol competition – another well-deserved success two years in succession. IN MEMORIAMIt is with great regret that I report the untimely death of Kevin Fenlon of Alderman Moore's. His funeral was well attended and his many friends paid tribute to this unflustered and likeable character.BOB FRANKS From your EditorFor Computer UsersA reminder that our webmaster Bob Corfield on email would like you to send him your email address for general allotment business only (eg sending newsletters), and so that the committee can make swift and secure personal contact on matters affecting your plot. This will not be made available to anyone outside the committee.HWDAA website has lots of useful information such as contact details for committee members, who to contact for rat infestations, stores’ opening times and details of stock and prices. It also has a notice board, pictures page, topical newspaper articles, blog and useful links to the BBC 24 hour and 5 day Bristol weather forecasts and other sites. During the summer, it had links to web pages that explained road closures around Ashton Court during the various festivals. Check it out! If you have digital photos of interest to other plot holders, email them to Bob C to post on the website. Talking of photos, there was a lovely double spread in the Saturday Guardian recently, featuring Alderman Moore's allotments, taken from a balloon during the Balloon Fiesta. One member kindly laminated it and it is on display in the Alderman Moore's stores. PALLETSRiverside Garden Centre (website here) have pallets from time to time which are available free to anyone who wants one (or more) and can collect it themselves. There are a couple of provisos. Firstly, please don’t ask about them at busy times – try quiet weekdays. Secondly, be aware that sometimes they have them, sometimes they don’t.Reminder - Riverside allow a 10% discount to allotment holders on plants only (not other items). Produce your allotment membership card and ask for the discount before they start ringing up the till. It’s coming up to the Autumn – a good time to plant bare rooted soft fruit bushes – and they usually get in a good selection. I understand they also have quite a few container plants of fruit trees on dwarf rooting stocks as required for fruit trees planted on the allotment (see June 2006 newsletter for a list of dwarf rooting stocks). VACUUM-PACK MACHINESOne of the problems of an allotment (after weather, weeds and wee beasties) is what to do with surplus produce. It's lovely to give it to grateful friends and neighbours but also it's good to have it available out of season.I have been told in glowing terms about a high tech storage solution from a couple of fellow allotment holders – vacuum pack + freeze. The produce is dry-packed straight from the allotment (after cleaning where necessary) using a vacuum pack machine, and then frozen. They use it for everything they can, which so far includes mange touts, carrots (sliced), spinach, fennel, runner beans (sliced), broad beans, french beans (sliced). It’s easy, saves all that blanching, stops freezer burn and gives maximum shelf life. They are very pleased with their home vacuum packer machine, the FoodSaver 550, obtainable from Best Direct (www.bestdirect.tv) for £100 with extras, £70 without. A smaller model, FoodSaver 420, costs £50. Has anyone else any tips to share on storage? SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHt feels intuitively right that organic vegtables grown on the allotment should be better for you than conventionally grown food. And now there is some scientific research to back this up and explain why.A 10 year study at the University of California comparing organic and non-organic tomatoes has found that the organic ones have almost twice the quantity of antioxidants (called flavonoids) - which help to prevent high blood pressure, thus reducing the likelihood of heart disease and strokes. Flavonoids are produced by the plants as a defence mechanism where levels of nutrients in the soil are low. Conventional fertilisers mean nutrient levels are too high to promote flavonoid production, which is why farm grown crops with fertilisers are less rich in these antioxidants. A European Union research programme reached similar conclusions about organic peaches, apples and tomatoes, all of which contained higher levels of vitamin C and flavonoids, as well as polyphenols (which can protect against cancer). WEATHER MISCELLANYOfficially, we’ve just had the wettest summer since records began in 1914. The damp warm summer following a mild winter produced ideal breeding conditions for slugs and snails. In some areas, scientists found up to 1,000 slugs per sq m. I’ve found masses in my beer traps. Let’s hope for a frosty winter and dry summer next year.In Lancashire, an enterprising nursery has started a pick-your-own lemongrass, ginger, chillies and cardamom. Has anyone down here grown these exotica successfully? Send me tips to pass on… Allotments course starts 19th September 2007City of Bristol College’s special course for allotment holders - Organic growing for allotments and gardens – is just about to start but there is still time to race for a place! There’s theory on Wednesday evenings (City of Bristol’s Ashley Down Centre) and practical on Saturday mornings (Ashley Vale allotment site). Get a brochure or go to their web site for details, or phone Andy Coombe 312 5884 with queries. There is a discount for HWDAA (and all Bristol) allotment holders – you pay for the course, then reclaim the appropriate discount from the City Council Allotments Office.See June newsletter (on our website if you’ve lost it) for information about other horticultural courses starting September 2007 – there are quite a few run by Filton College (at Bristol Zoo), City of Bristol College (at various sites), University Botanic Gardens. SEASONAL RECIPE
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