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PLOT INFORMATION
There are currently no plots free for rent. If you know of anyone interested in a plot, there are plots available for rental at other sites. The Secretary has contact details for other allotment sites.
NEW MEMBERS
May I take this opportunity to welcome the following plotholders who have recently joined us on the site:-
It is with sincere sympathy to the relatives that we record the passing away of both Clive Atkinson and John Cassleton.
NEWSLETTER ARTICLES
Many thanks to all those who contributed to this newsletter. If any plot holder has an interesting article or would like to share information about growing crops on the allotment, please forward them to the Secretary.
QED (Quality Environment for Dartford)
Distributed with this newsletter, there is your personal copy of the QED Allotments newsletter. Detailed in the newsletter are all the current activities of the allotment group. If you would like to join any of the QED groups (Waste Management, Health, Transport, Biodiversity, etc), contact Alan Cremer at Dartford Borough Council on (01322) 343250. The next meeting for Transport will be held at the council offices on 28th April, 1999 at 7:30pm.
NATURAL PREDATORS
Below are listed a number of insects that should be encouraged into gardens to suppress naturally the insects that adversely affect the development of attractive healthy plant material.
Ground Beetles
These insects eat Aphids, Caterpillars and Fly Larvae. They live around piles of logs, undisturbed hedgerows, perennial plants, lawns and leaves.
Rove Beetles
Eat Aphids, Caterpillars, Fly Larvae, slugs and other insects. They live in similar conditions to the Ground Beetle, but also inhabit manure and compost heaps.
Ladybirds
Eat Aphids and some scale insects. They inhabit areas containing nettles, and they over-winter in stone dead material, bark and walls.
Hoverflies
Eat Aphids. Encourage numbers by planting Poached Egg Plant (Limnanthes Douglasii), Marigold (Calendula spp), Cornflower (Centaurea spp) and Golden Rod (Solidago spp).
Lacewings
Eat Aphids, scale insects and Caterpillars. The adults are attracted to flowers.
To encourage natural predators into allotment areas, plant flowering plants such as Marigolds, Asters and Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hirta). Rosemary and Lavender are excellent for providing sources of nectar and pollen and break up the scent of the vegetables.
Companion planting reduces the movement of pests throughout the vegetable plot. Soil covering is important to prevent the soil becoming baked and killing these valuable insects within the soil.
If you would like further sources of reference for information on Natural Predators, please contact the Secretary.
WEST DARTFORD ALLOTMENT & GARDEN SOCIETY
The West Dartford Allotment and Garden Society's Trading Hut is located at the Devonshire Road entrance to the site. Membership still costs only £1 for the year (please note this is not included in Dartford Road Allotments Annual Rental). As a member you can make savings on purchases of seeds, fertilisers, insecticides, etc. You can also attend many of their social activities for the year. The Trading Hut is currently open on Saturdays from 2pm until 3.30pm and on Sundays from 10:30am to 11:30am. A list of the trading times is displayed on the hut door.
The Society is currently organising a trip to visit Sheffield Park Gardens on Saturday 22nd May, 1999. Entrance to the gardens is free to RHS and National Trust members. An entrance fee of £4.20 is payable by non-members. Facilities are available for lunches in a tea room adjacent to the car park. There is also a picnic area close by. The gardens are situated close to the Bluebell Steam Railway (approximately half a mile).
A coach has been arranged for anyone who is interested. The cost of the coach (NOT including entrance to the gardens) is £5.00 per person. If you would like to go on the trip, please complete a form at the Trading Hut or contact a member of the West Dartford Allotment & Garden Society's committee.
It is also anticipated that a further visit will take place later in the year to the Hampton Court Flower Show in July.
DATES OF INTEREST
7th April History, Horticulture & Management of Greenwich Park
(by Joe Woodcock) - 8pm Christchurch Hall (WDAGS)
24th April Barber Shop Chorus + The Bordergates
(Saturday) - details from WDAGS
5th May "Aspects of Fuchsias"
(by Ron Holmes) - 8pm Christchurch Hall (WDAGS)
4th September Annual Autumn Open Show
(All welcome to enter ) - Dartford Grammar School for Boys
THE ALLOTMENT & LEISURE GARDENER
The Association also receives copies of the National Society's journal, the Allotment and Leisure Gardener. Please contact the Secretary if you would like to read the latest edition, which includes articles on allotment sites around the regions, the History of the Carrot and Beekeeping on Allotments. All the recent issues are also available.
RECIPE CORNER
**** If anyone has a favourite recipe that they would like to share with others, please forward it to the Secretary for inclusion in the next newsletter. ****
Minestrone Soup
Ingredients:
Method:
Finely chop bacon and fry gently in oil in large saucepan, add finely chopped onion and leek and continue to fry until they are soft, add tomatoes, carrots and celery, also finely chopped and stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about half an hour. Add the white cabbage, pasta and red wine and cook for another ten minutes, or until the pasta is al dente, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Spicy Courgettes
Ingredients:
Method:
Sweat off the onions and garlic in a small quantity of oil in a medium saucepan, add the sliced courgettes, tomatoes and juice(add a pinch of sugar to counter the acidity of the tomatoes) and stock(the stock is not necessary if the courgettes are young and just picked), simmer for about ten minutes with the pan lid on. Add a dash or two of soy and Worcester sauce, season with salt and pepper, simmer for a couple more minutes and serve.
WATER SUPPLY
The water supply will be restored by 1st April, 1999.
JOB GUIDE FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS
March
Sow:- Broad Beans, Summer Cabbage and Cauliflower, Spring Onions, Parsnips, Radish, Turnips. Plant Shallots and Onion Sets. Plant Early Potatoes at the end of the month.
April
Sow:- Beetroot, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Savoy Cabbage, Calabrese, Carrots, Corn Salad, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Radish, Salsisfy, Summer and Perpetual Spinach and Turnips. Plant Maincrop Potatoes.
May
Sow:- French Beans, Runner Beans, Beetroot, Leaf Beet, Broccoli, Calebrese, Carrots, Chicory, Endive, Kale, Kohlrabi, Land Cress, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Pumpkins, Radish, Salisfy, Summer Spinach, Swede, Sweet Corn and Turnips.
June
Sow:- French Beans, Runner Beans, Beetroot, Leaf Beet, Calebrese, Carrots, Chicory, Endive, Kale, Kohlrabi, Land Cress, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Peas, Radish, Swede and Turnips.
July
Sow:- French Beans, Beetroot, Spring Cabbage, Carrots, Chicory, Endive, Kohlrabi, Land Cress, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Peas, Radish, Perpetual Spinach and Turnips.
August
Sow:- Spring Cabbage, Corn Salad, Endive, Kohlrabi, Land Cress, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Japanese Onions, Radish, Winter Spinach and Turnips. Plant Autumn Onion Sets in the middle of the month.
RENTS & RENTALS
In the face of rising costs and a need to increase the water supply contingency, the committee has decided that rents will now increase to £2.50 per rod with effect from 1st April, 1999, as previously noted in the Spring Newsletter of 1998.
COMPOST
Composting replaces organic matter in the soil by breaking down household and garden waste and releasing their nutrients into the soil. The result is a cost free, chemical free soil enricher which provides your plants with the needed nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to promote healthy growth. You can use it as mulch around plants to smother weeds and prevent soil from drying out.
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You can compost household and garden waste such as leaves, grass clippings, weeds (before they have seeded) and disease free garden plants. Kitchen scraps such as fruit and vegetable peels and trimmings, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, and even recycled paper products (as long as they haven't been bleached or coloured) can all be composted. You can compost wood ashes in thin layers, however, you must not compost charcoal or coal ashes. Do not include meat, bones or fatty foods such as cheese, salad dressing or cooking oil as this may attract animal visitors. Also, never compost pet waste.
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You can construct your own compost heap which should be placed in an unobtrusive position in your garden. It should not be anywhere that is damp, very shaded or closed in because air and moisture conditions will be unfavourable. Ideally a compost heap should be about 1 metre high by 1 metre wide and one metre deep, the pile of waste material will shrink considerably as it turns to compost. Build it from timber posts and planks as shown in the drawing.
The waste material in a compost heap is decomposed by bacteria and fungi. The rate of decay can be increased by adding fertiliser such as sulphate of ammonia or nitrochalk to the heap. Another way is to add high quality, fresh animal manure between layers of garden waste.
Keep the material moist, but not wet and turn the pile once a week (more regularly in the summer) so it's well aerated.
Larger prunings may not rot as easily as smaller items but they can be useful in the bottom of the pile to assist drainage and aeration.
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Temperature - the micro organisms in a compost heap will soon generate sufficient heat to make conditions ideal irrespective of the temperature around it. So there is no need to worry about this. Moisture - unlike the temperature, you do need to watch that the compost heap neither dries out, nor becomes too wet. If it is exposed to a lot of rain the nutrients will be washed away and the heap could begin to give off an unpleasant smell. Aeration - The only way to supply oxygen to your heap is to turn it regularly with a garden fork.
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Finished compost should be dark and crumbly. Mix it with equal amounts of soil for house plants or spread a layer over flower and vegetable gardens and dig in well, or use it to make compost tea to water flowers and vegetables.
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Symptom |
Problem |
Solution |
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The compost has a bad odour |
Not enough air, or too wet |
Turn it |
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The centre of the pile is dry |
Not enough water |
Moisten while turning the pile |
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Damp and warm in the middle but not elsewhere |
Too small |
Collect more material and mix into a new pile |
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Damp and sweet smelling but still will not heat up |
Lack of nitrogen |
Mix in grass clippings, fresh meal or a commercial fertiliser high in nitrogen |
Composting is a great habit to get into and everyone benefits. Your plants and gardens will be healthy, your soil will be richer and well nourished.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Association's Annual General Meeting will be held at Christchurch Hall on Wednesday 26th May, 1999 from 8:15pm. The Agenda will be posted on the notice boards at the main entrances to the site two weeks in advance of the meeting. Additional items for the agenda and nominations for the committee should be sent to the Secretary by Wednesday 19th May, 1999.
SKIP SERVICE
The next skip for the disposal of non-compostable, non-combustible wastes by plotholders will be provided on SATURDAY 3rd April, 1999, at the Devonshire Avenue entrance to the site. The skip should be used for the disposal of scrap metal, glass, plastic, foam, rubble, diseased plant material, and SOIL FREE roots of brassica plants and couch grass only. If you cannot be present on 3rd April and have materials to dispose of, please ask another plotholder to dispose of it for you or contact the Secretary.
SITE ADMINISTRATION
On behalf of the three Trustees of Dartford Road Allotments who retire on 31st March, 1999 (Adam Philip, Phil Chattenton and myself), I would like to thank all past and present members of the committee and many other plotholders who have helped us to discharge our responsibilities over the past seven years. We wish the new Trustees (Graeme Laidlaw, John Bourne, Alan Griggs and Barry Palmer) every success in the future.
Richard Wiltshire (Secretary 1991-1999)
I would just like to express my thanks to the retiring trustees for all their assistence and dedication to ensuring that we have a fully tenanted, well managed allotment site.
Graeme Laidlaw (Secretary 1999 - ????)
BONFIRES
The period for which bonfires are permitted has now expired. Please refrain from lighting a bonfire during the summer months. The next permitted weekend is in November, the weekend of the 6th and 7th of November. If you have any materials that you have difficulty disposing of, please contact the Secretary.
ALLOTMENTS COMPETITION
This year, as with other years, the Allotments Competition is again being run in conjunction with the Dartford Festival. Please find below a form that should be completed and enclosed with your rental payment only if you DO NOT wish to be entered into this competition.
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I do not wish to be entered into the Dartford Festival Allotments Competition
Name:..........................................
Signed:.........................................
Plot No(s):..................................
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