May - Gardening Tips and Allotment News
Clear weeds with Weedol (£1. a
sachet) or Bio Glyphosate (350ml £4.90). Rotovate cleared areas
(Rotovator available on site @ £4 an hour ). Scatter slug pellets
(500g £1.25 or organic 750g £3) . Rake in 4oz sq yd Growmore ( 5kg
£1.50 ) prior to sowing or planting. Kill weeds on paths, patios
and drives (£1 a sachet). Set up the barbecue ( 11kg lump wood
charcoal £6.50 ). Protect fruit & plants from bird attacks with
bird netting from £1.50p per meter. Check the water softener and
top up with salt ( 25kg £6 and 2 x 4kg blocks @ £3 )
VEG PLOT:- Plant
cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, calabrese, kale, main crop potatoes
& celery. Sow runner beans to grow up 8' canes (35p). Sow salad
crops, French beans, marrow, pumpkin, courgette, squashes,
cucumbers, sweet corn, turnip, swede & carrots. Cover potatoes
if frost is forecast. Sow fennel, basil & dill. Harvest broad
beans, spouting broccoli, cauliflowers, radish, lettuce &
asparagus. We carry a limited range of vegetable seed @ 70p &
£1 a packet to supplement our autumn seed scheme. Thin seeds sown
in April.
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 (300 ml £6.50) or Bio Sprayday ( 200ml £95) organic
bug killer 500ml £3.80. 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 15, 24
or 40 pot tray inners (15p) or pots (from 3p). Full size rigid
trays (70p) & half size flexi's @ 5p are available. Feed
established plants weekly with liquid feed (£2.20 per litre ),
Phostrogen ( 1kg £3 ) or Miracle-Gro ( 500g £2.50). Support plants
with 2' green canes (25p per 15). Pinch out tips of fuchsias after
two pairs of leaves. Control insect pests with an rtu. Insect Gun @
£2.70 or organic insect killer @ £2.60. Plant tomato, cucumber,
pepper & aubergine plants in grow bags @ £1.30. Feed weekly
when fruits begin to swell with tomato feed (£2.20 per litre.)
Plant melons in cold frames, pinch out growing tip at four leaf
stage. Keep main stem dry.
FLOWERS:- Move
spring bulbs to a temporary site and feed with Growmore. Sow hardy
annuals & bi-annuals. Tie in sweet peas to grow up 6' canes
(20p each). Cut back flowered heather's & mulch with peat
(200ltr £7 ). Plant up containers with summer bedding ( 75ltr
Compost part peat £3.20, full peat £3.50 and peat free £5.35 ),
protect from late frosts, incorporate slow release clusters @ 5p
each or slow release feed @ £3.95 a kilo. Stake tall herbaceous
plants (4' canes 15p) or support with twigs or pea and bean netting
@ 15p per mtr. Mulch borders with ornamental chipped bark (100ltr
£3.80). Water beds with liquid slug killer ( 250ml £1.50 ). Sow
SUNFLOWER SEEDS now and enter our September Show.
LAWNS:- Mow weekly.
Apply a feed or weed & feed, treat 73sq mtrs from £2.40 or Bio
Top Lawn weed killer, 500ml £4.70.
All horticultural products are
available to our members from a range of quality commodities
provided to meet basic gardening needs. Please note, you need to be
a member to purchase items from The Hut.
ALLOTMENT NEWS
TWO DAY OPENING:- THE HUT is open 10-12
noon Saturdays & Sundays throughout May and
June.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:- This years BBQ is planned for
9th August.
JOIN’N’SAVE:-Membership is just £3 a year and is open to
both plot holders and non-plot holders alike, where ever you live.
A visit to ‘THE HUT’ should easily recoup this investment when you
take advantage of our special bulk buy prices.
PHOTOS 2008:-
T o give you as much time as possible here is the list of subjects
for this years photography classes: - WILDLIFE, CHIMNEYS, GOING
GREEN and A BOOK TITLE (title to be shown). All photographs to be
in colour, minimum size 150x100mm/6" x 4" and maximum size
190x130mm/7.5" x 5" and mounted and taken within the last eighteen
months.
FREE SEEDS:- Thompson and Morgan will again generously supply
SUNFLOWER SEEDS for our September Show. Schedules and
free seeds are available from “The Hut” while stocks last or
email Charles
ROTOVATOR AND CULTIVATOR HIRE:- A rotovator and a cultivator
are available for hire for on site use only. The fee is £4 an hour
or £12 for four hours. To hire this equipment or for any matters
relating to the site please
email Clive.
SPRING WORK-IN and AGM:-Thanks to every one who helped at the
work-ins over the weekend of April 19/20
th. We cleared
all the jobs plus some but don’t despair if you missed out as we
now have some painting to do. Also thanks to every one who joined
us for refreshments and a buffet lunch at the AGM on the Allotment
Site.