All posts by ydennekm

Newsletter – April 2021

30th MARCH 2021 – NEWSLETTER APRIL 2021

Dear Plot holder,

Just to let you all know what is going on as some people seem under the impression that hose pipes are banned this year, or that you have to ask someone to unlock a tap before you can use one.

We have put 9 water troughs in place at Rosedale Road – as you use the water they will automatically be refilled. DO NOT WASH PRODUCE/BOOTS IN THESE, USE A BUCKET PLEASE OR THEY WILL FILL WITH MUD.  These will be plumbed in ready for use very soon.  Many thanks to the people who turned up to help with this – you know who you are!

It seems that some of you did not receive he e-mail asking for help. I will have to make sure that you do in future! Many hands make socially distanced light work.

Hose pipes are not banned during this growing season 2021, and you will not have to ask a committee member to remove locks. THE LOCKS ON THE TAPS THAT FEED THE TROUGHS MUST NOT BE REMOVED. Some taps will remain open, a few have had to be blocked because of problems with feeds or access.

HOWEVER, HOSEPIPES MUST ONLY BE USED SPARINGLY BEFORE 10 A.M. AND AFTER 6 P.M as stated in your tenancy agreement. If you are found to be using hose pipes outside these hours you will receive a first warning letter.  Hopefully with your co-operation none will have to be sent.  Conservation of water is important in this day and age, and if we save on the water bills, we will be able to do more on site, e.g., maybe hire a skip from time to time for rubbish from the site.

This will give you one growing season to sort out water storage on your plot, and a winter to have them fill with rainwater.

 From October 2021 hosepipes will be banned, and taps either taken away or locked off. After this date a delegated person/s will fill up your IBC or barrels for a charge to be decided, probably £4-£5 for an IBC tank full.

This is a much fairer system.

Before the date that subs are due you will be sent a new agreement which will include any changes. When that agreement is signed and returned you will be sent your invoice for the year.

Chairman: Andrew Klecha – 01375 386452

Treasurer: Elaine Stevens -01375 380581

Secretary: Chris Collins – 078408 21758

Membership: Sheila Cheeseman – 01375 382679

Committee Members: Clive Cheeseman – 01375 382679                                     Dean Smith – 07708 949657

Meeting APRIL 2021

MEETING APRIL 2021

Present:

C. Cheeseman, S. Cheeseman, D. Smith, A. Klecha, C. Collins E. Stevens.

Sheila found a gold wedding ring in the Bull Meadow Area,

Clive Robertson has lots of tadpoles if anyone wants some for their pond

Notices to be put by troughs DO NOT WASH PRODUCE IN THE TROUGHS as this will cause them to fill with mud, please use a container.

Nine troughs have been put up at Rosedale Road, 2 tanks at Bull Meadow to be adapted with ball cocks. A work party to help will be needed at Bull Meadow, date to be arranged.

 There will be dedicated taps at either end of Rosedale for hand washing/drinking water only, not for hosepipes. Thank you for your co-operation. It was agreed that the cost for filling an IBC will be set at £3 (barrels price to be arranged, obviously lower cost) from October.

Andrew and Clive will speak to John Wakeley for advice in putting up a shed to keep rotavators

in at Bull Meadow. Andrew will take the broken rotavator to see if it can be mended. If it cannot, it was agreed that we purchase a second hand one when there is a shed to keep it in.

Our contingency fund needs to be around £4,000 in case of large water bills etc and unforeseen repair cost and purchase of any machines needed.

There is around £500 of the Lottery Grant left, a few more invoices to be paid from this.

New plots will be inspected after 6 weeks to make sure they are being worked, also if a tenant receives 3 letters regarding the non-cultivation or the state of their plot during one growing season i.e., March – October they will be evicted. Let us know if you have any difficulties before it gets to this please.

New agreements will be put in place in July/August incorporating the new water use rules, this will need to be signed before invoices for the plots are given out. Dean will be on site for a number of days in August to enable plot holders to sign. Dates to be arranged.

It was agreed that trees must preferably be no higher than 7 ft, however if trees or any other tall plant/growing frame is more than 12 ft tall and this causes a problem with neighbouring plots e.g., shade or spreading roots, a majority vote of the committee will decide on the action to be taken.

Thank you to Gareth for obtaining the IBCs and to John for picking them up for us. The next lot are for Rosedale Road, and thanks to you all for putting them on your plot to conserve water.

Thank you all for your co-operation.

Troughs

16th March 2021 – Troughs

Hi all,

There are 4 troughs at Rosedale that are now connected (tested) I know we cannot have a proper work party because of the covid rules, but we need another 4 installed, if anyone can give a socially distanced hand on Saturday 20th around 9.30 (depending on the weather) it would be appreciated. It would just involve levelling the ground and putting in 2 slabs, blocks and placing a pallet (already cut thanks to Clive R) it would be appreciated, if you would prefer to do this before Saturday, see Clive R or Alan for where they are to go.

Thanks

Chris

p..s. When the are up and running if you need to wash produce, could you do it from a bucket and not in the trough as it will cause a build up of mud. Thanks again.

Water Conservation

WATER CONSERVATION – MARCH 2021

Save labour, save waste, save trouble…

The summers of both 2013 and 2014 were unusually wet, and if you’ve only recently got your allotment you may not realise how hard a typical dry Kentish summer can be. Droughts are more common than floods, and a drought can mean no rain at all for over 2 months. In such circumstances even the most water-conscious gardener will need to use the watering can, as hosepipe bans are not that uncommon.

However watering everything isn’t actually good gardening, so you can save yourself a lot of hard work by following our experts’ tips

Avoid watering unnecessarily:

  • Only water plants which need it. Carrots don’t need water, and onions need it only when they are young; later it will cause rotting. Courgettes, on the other hand, are very thirsty plants, as are runner beans.
  • Don’t assume that because the surface looks dry, watering is needed. Take a spade and dig a couple of inches down. If the soil there is moist, there will be no need to water most things.
  • Watch the weather forecast. Nothing is more galling – and wasteful – than to spend the evening watering only for a summer storm to soak everything overnight.

Make the best use of the water you do put on:

  • Water in the evening, so it has a chance to soak in overnight rather than just evaporating off in the sun. (the exception is leeks, which are best watered in the morning to avoid problems with rust.
  • Put water directly onto the roots. Soak the area immediately round the stem of the plant, don’t spread it over the soil surface. Instead of giving water little and often, soak well about once a week. The exception is newly emerged seedlings and transplanted stuff, which can’t be allowed to dry out.
  • Use a watering can not a hose. Recent changes in rules mean hoses are not allowed anyway, but using a hose, it is hard to gauge how much water you’ve given. If you have physical problems carrying lots of cans, use the hose to fill a butt or dip-tank on your plot. To gain an idea of how little water a hose will actually deliver in a given period, fill a can from the hose – see how long it takes for a hose to fill a gallon can and you’ll have an idea how little water you were actually putting on in a given time using the hose.

Collect rainwater whenever possible.

While Kent is a dry area with as little as 26ins of rain some years, it makes sense to collect what you can. Not only can you cut down on the amount of drinking water which is used, rainwater is better for many plants.

Any water butt you fit should have a lid. This will help cut down on mosquitos and will save the danger of wildlife or pets drowning. It will keep out falling leaves and help keep the water sweet and clean.

Fit guttering to sheds, and polytunnels.

Learn clever tricks:

  • When sowing seed, water the drill before the seed goes in. Don’t water on the surface – that can cause a caked layer which baby leaves find hard to break through.
  • Prepare a trench for thirsty plants like courgettes or runner beans. Bury a layer of home-made compost about 6ins (15cm) down where it will hold water like a sponge. See ‘How to improve your soil’
  • Use water-retaining-gel crystals (the kind that are sold for hanging baskets) when preparing the soil for seeds or plants. While there is an obvious benefit in using them for soft fruit bushes, you may be surprised to learn how useful they are for other crops like lettuce. Controlled experiments show they extend the time between waterings by 5 – 7 times – that’s watering once or twice a week instead of every day. Although the initial expense may be off-putting, the crystals stay in the soil making your plot more water-retentive for season after season.
  • Make sure squash, courgettes and runner beans get water right where they need it by sinking an old flower pot next to the stem at planting time, or down the middle of your row of beans. You can then pour water into these and none will be lost by evaporation. This will also encourage deep-rooting, which surface watering discourages.
  • Use mulches where you can. Mulches are suitable for permanent plants like fruit bushes, and long-term crops like runner beans. Make sure the soil is thoroughly wet before mulching, and add a high-nitrate fertiliser to the soil surface, as mulches tned to strip the soil of nitrates as they are broken down by soil bacteria. Grass clippings make a good mulch (but not if you’ve recently used a “feed and weed” lawn dressing). Bark is not a good mulch for allotments. Home-made compost is good but you will need to promptly hoe out any weeds that germinate.

Avoid problems caused by ill-advised use of water!

  • Over-watering can kill plants (peppers are particularly vulnerable). Fungal diseases thrive in waterlogged soil.
  • Splashing foliage with water also encourages fungal disease. You can use a ‘foliar feed’ with seaweed extract which helps keep plants healthy (Seaweed Extract is available from the Trading Store) But in general, keep water off foliage. Don’t spray plants with a hose. and don’t use a sprinkler on your watering can except for very small seedlings.
  • Careless watering destroys soil structure, especially on clay soils where a pale smooth ‘pan’ easily forms. Water evaporates quickly from this surface and much of your water is wasted. On free-draining soil, too much water robs the soil of nutrients.

Help your soil to conserve moisture!

  • Use a hoe all through summer to fluff up the soil surface. This helps keep water round the roots where it is needed. It also keeps weeds right down!
  • Add as much organic matter as you can, it will hold water like a sponge. Home-made compost, spent compost from hanging baskets, manure, mushroom compost – use whatever you can get.
  • Winter-dig clay soil to break it up. Clay is good at holding onto water but not when it is compacted and has all the air squashed out of it!.

Water costs money!

Last, but not least, remember all the water supplied to the allotments is mains water, metered and paid for. The cost of supplying water is the single largest cost to the local authority in running the allotments. Wasting water isn’t just immoral, stupid and bad for the planet, it contributes to the size of your allotment rent! As water costs rise, the council is forced to look again at the way it charges for allotments. So fit a water-butt to that shed and help keep unnecessary costs down.

Newsletter – March 2021

7th March 2021 – NEWSLETTER MARCH 2021

HI all,

Just an update for you all, water troughs have been purchased, along with slabs, blocks and fittings, just 3 more to order.

It appears that some of you have your worries over this change. Most sites do not allow the use of hosepipes and haven’t done for some years – I guess we have been spoiled!

Just to let you know that not all taps will be taken away/locked this year, to allow for the filling by rainwater of the IBC tanks, which you can run a hosepipe from, and to bring this change in gradually, but the tap water should be used sparingly and only before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. I re-iterate SPARINGLY. We cannot have another water bill of over £1,200. Not only about the money, but conserving water as we are all advised to do.

Please contact the committee if you feel that you will be unable to cope with these changes, perhaps for medical reasons and we will try to work with you. Please note the site managers cannot answer questions regarding this.

At a future date, there will be a small charge for re-filling your tanks, that way the members who use the most water pay the most – a fairer way of charging.

 If you have not returned your signed slip from the new agreements yet, can you please do so, return to Sheila, or Elaine. If you have lost them, Sheila will get another to you.

We are on a learning curve here, and changes can be made if and when problems arise, thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

We are arranging a work party this month for help in siting the tanks. DTBA probably on a Saturday morning.

We will arrange a meeting as soon as we are allowed even if it is on site.

Any problems, please contact a committee member.

I am including an article from another allotment site regarding water usage which makes interesting reading. This can be found in the ALLOTMENT TIPS section of our website

Now is the time to get your plot ready for planting, don’t forget inspections are on-going, if you are having problems please contact us to let us know before it becomes overgrown/unworkable.

Regards

Chris (on behalf of the committee)

Fires

17th February 2021 – Fires

Hi all,

Please do not put anymore branches etc for burning on the end plot as this is being cleared, if you need to, have a small fire on your own plot, taking neighbours and wind direction into consideration, also do not burn wet stuff, compost it, as this is what causes the smoke

Thank you

Chris

Scaffold Boards

25th January 2021 – SCAFFOLD BOARDS

Hi all,

Tony will be putting in  order for scaffold boards £1 each, cash on collection. If you are interested please let me know so that I can get a list together for him.

Regards Chris

Funding

25th January 2021 – FUNDING

Hi all,

Just to let you know that I have managed to get funding from the National Lottery to cover the cost of our water troughs, £1,550, when they are installed lots of help will be needed please

Regards

Chris