Moor Green In Autumn
A flying start to Autumn fellow plotters. Sunshine, big harvests (well,some of it anyway) and loads of stuff happening before the clocks go back and we all wonder where all that good weather went. Biggest event of the season and the year was
The Produce Show
What a show it was - an absolutely amazing range of veg, fruit, flowers and preserves from Moor Green tenants in spite of the worst and longest drought for years. But pity the poor judges who had to decide between the exhibits for best display, best veg, best fruit etc. Here is the roll of honour
Best vegetable Best fruit Best Display
1st Pumpkin- plot 190 1st Grapes-plot 114* 1st Pumpkins-plot 193
2nd Onions-plot 219 2nd Quinces-plot 50 2nd Pair-plots 25 and 134
3rd Chilli Peppers-plot 76 3rd Apples-plot 104 3rd Family-plot 232
*please email madahal.waitinglist@gmail.com to arrange to pick up your prize money
The pictures below give you just a flavour of the quality on show.
And elsewhere on our sprawling estate, we celebrated our 50th Anniversary by opening the Mural - with the cutting of an extremely short ribbon held by our two marvellous local councillors, Izzy Knowles (Moseley) and Jane Baston (Selly Park). Thanks to them and again to Pamina Stewart for creating an artwork which will gives us all joy for years to come.
Rent Collection
A further reminder - especially to those of you who turned up last weekend . WE'RE COLLECTING RENT ON THREE WEEKENDS IN OCTOBER - We've already had one weekend Saturday 10TH and Sunday 11th.
The allotment rent and fee charges 2026/27 as set by the Council (don't blame us) are as specified below.
PLOT CATEGORY | 2026/27 Payable 1 Oct 2026 |
Mini Full Over 65*
|
68.00 37.00 |
Small Full Over 65*
|
85.00 44.00 |
Standard Full Over 65* |
125.00 65.00 |
Large Full Over 65* |
153.00 79.00 |
Raised bed Full Over 65* |
21.00 13.00 |
There is an additional fee for tool lockers and chalets of £1.00. Please note that as usual there is a Late Payment Penalty of £10 which applies to annual rent not settled by 9 November 2026
We will be collecting rents in the Clubhouse between10.00 and midday on the following weekends in October
17th/18th
24th/25th
If you prefer, you can pay directly into our bank account. Just contact us on madahal.treasurer@gmail.com giving your plot number(s) and we'll tell you the amount you owe and the bank transfer details.
Forthcoming Events
Halloween Party: Saturday 31st October 🎃
This year the stars (and the bats) have aligned, and our Halloween Party falls on Halloween itself! Join us at The Clubhouse, Moor Green Allotments, from 5pm till late for a night of ghoulish goings-on.
The Frenzies return for their annual residency, taking to the stage at 8pm, and the spooky disco will keep the cauldron bubbling all evening.
There will be prizes for the best fancy dress, so dig out your capes, stitch up your shrouds and raid the potting shed for inspiration. Warming pumpkin soup will be served, and there’ll be fine ales on hand to raise the spirits (in every sense).
Whether you’re a seasoned plot-holder or a creature of the night, everyone is welcome.
Tell all your FIENDS!
ail.com and we'll email it to you or drop a paper copy off at your plot if you prefer.
BDAC AGM
BDAC is our representative body, taking up the cudgels on our behalf with the City Council, trying to spread good practice and running a whole range of Birmingham-wide events. Any Moor Green plotholder is automatically a member so you're very welcome to come to the meeting.
The agenda has not been finalised but will probably include; reports on constitutional changes, the Management Agreement and rules, changes and update on the Flo Pickering Fund,and other relevant topics. Equally or more important, after refreshments the meeting receives the results and for the Birmingham wide best site and best plot competitions. And we're in for both!
Pie Competition. This is new!
Winter Fair
Save the date - Saturday 28th November 12-5pm. Lots of stalls, tea and cake and bar open till 7pm. We will also have some copies of the wonderful Moor Green Allotments print for sale - see below and if you're lucky we'll still have some t-shirts and tote bags behind the bar. The Chair is modelling the t-shirt in the mural picture above.
Seedstore
It's Anthony here, your seedstore manager. We have exciting news: the seed store will now actually stock seeds—well, it’s in the name, so we had to eventually. We also have a brand-new app, plus fresh stock in the shop based on your lovely feedback. We even have a few winter tips for you... though, of course, they all involve stuff we sell! 😃
The seeds are here!
We are now supplied by King Seeds! We have 47 varieties to pick from. There are only 5 packets of each right now, but we can reorder if we run out—so don't panic or panic buy. (Hold on, maybe do panic buy? It helps our numbers!) The more you support this, the more we can expand what we offer going forward. If you have the app, you can order them starting in a few weeks and we will drop them in a bag at the bar for you to collect if we are closed.
The app
The app is here, hooray! It’s been a long journey, and a massive shout-out goes to Bernard, who worked his butt off to get this out to you. The app is live right now!
You can scan the QR code to download it on posters in the bar and seed store, complete with setup instructions. The bar staff are very helpful, so I’m sure they’ll lend a hand (pro tip: pick a young one).
There is no payment feature on the app just yet—that’s coming later in development. In the meantime, please give us your feedback! If you run into any bugs or problems, we want to know so we can keep improving it.
You can place orders on the app and pick a date to collect them. Over the winter, the seed store will only be open for app order collections. Need seeds? Just order on the app, and you can collect them from the bar.
You said, we did!
Here is what we’ve brought in based on your requests:
Wilkinson Sword Hand Tools: £6.50 each
Early Delivery Compost: In stock now at £6.50 each
Desiree Seed Potatoes: Arriving this spring
Red Onions: Arriving this spring
Please keep the feedback coming! It’s your store, and I want to make it as good as possible for you. I can’t guarantee you’ll always get every single request, but I will take every suggestion on board and do my best to source a supplier if it makes sense.
The hard sell & winter tips
If you haven't completely thrown in the towel on your plot for the year—and even if you have—I’m here to help you get a head start on next season. You’ll thank me later, and with almost no effort required, what’s not to like? So, what am I trying to sell you over the winter? Onion sets, garlic, broad beans, and a bit of fleece for good measure!
Onion tips
It’s not too late to get autumn onion sets in the ground; in fact, timing-wise, it’s just about right. We have red and yellow sets in the shop. These bad boys are "set and forget," and as a bonus, they harvest two months earlier than your maincrop spring planted onions.
The catch? There’s always a catch: they only store for about 3 months. But if you plant some maincrop onions in the spring, they’ll easily bridge the gap until your maincrop is ready which will store for 6-9 months. Be sure to pop into the shop this spring to grab your maincrop onion sets.
How much do you need?
If you want Meal-sized onions Plant 10 cm (4 in) apart in a 2 m x 1 m bed (or 6.5 ft x 3.2 ft in old money) a approx. 300g bag will do you
Large onions: Space them 15 cm (6 in) apart.
Pro-tip: Ever come back to your plot to find your fresh sets plucked out of the dirt? You can thank your local friendly birds. The birds think the fresh shoots are juicy worms! To stop this, cover the bed with fleece for 3 weeks. Once the shoots mature about 2cm tall, the birds will leave them alone. Don't have fleece? We’ve got you covered—we sell it in the shop!
Garlic tips
We have three types of garlic coming to the shop very soon: softneck, hardneck, and elephant garlic.
The same rule applies here as with the onions: cover them with fleece for 3 weeks to stop the birds from pulling them up. Plant softneck and hardneck cloves about 10–15 cm apart (I’d lean toward 15 cm).
What’s the difference?
Hardneck: Has a more complex, robust flavor, but a shorter storage life (about 4–6 months).
Softneck: Delivers that classic garlic flavor and stores longer (6–9 months).
If I were you, I’d buy a bit of both—that complex hardneck flavor is fantastic, but it’s always nice to have softneck garlic that keeps late into the year.
Elephant Garlic: This needs much more room—space them 20–25 cm apart. Botanically, elephant garlic is actually a leek! It produces massive cloves with a milder, sweeter flavor that won't overpower your cooking. It’s easier to grow than standard garlic, handles winter waterlogging much better, and resists rust. If you’ve struggled with normal garlic in the past, give elephant garlic a try.
Broad bean tips
We have a small stock of broad beans available now. Getting them in the ground now gives you a massive head start on the year.
Aquadulce is the absolute best variety for overwintering, as it tolerates cold weather far better than most. Plant them 5 cm deep and 15 cm apart, with 50–60 cm between rows. Getting them established now means the plants will be large and sturdy before the blackfly arrives in spring, giving you a huge advantage—plus an earlier harvest! What’s not to like?
If we’re sold out of any of the items mentioned here—especially the garlic—I can see about ordering more. Please give a staff member your plot number and the quantity you’d like to buy so we can check if there’s enough interest to place an order.
That’s all from the seed store for now, plotters! I hope to see you around soon. Now go download that blinking app and buy some seeds, garlic and onions! We will be in touch in the spring with more hints and tips for your allotment and to let you know what we have in stock.
BDAC/Birmingham University Allotment Survey 2026
A gentle reminder of the great Birmingham Survey of plotholders. It's unique in its scale and scope, gives us a solid platform of evidence on which to promote and protect allotments at local and national level and only takes 10 minutes to fill in! Please complete the form online if you can by just following the link below
If you'd rather complete the form with pen and paper just contact madahal.chair@gm
Winter Water Supply
Please note that the water goes off at the standpipes at around 21st October when the clocks go back and comes back on roughly when they go forward in Spring 2027 - 29th March. We can't be precise about the date because it depends on whether it's at the weekend and/or whether Dan the Water, the committee man with all the keys and spanners, is available.
For the whole of the drought our amazing borehole continued to supply every tenant with gallons of crystal clear water. Please don’t take it for granted. Now's a good time to think about harvesting your own water supply - Winter usually gives you plenty to harvest. Make sure you have guttering on your shed or greenhouse - or build a water collector using any other handy structure. Here are some basic ideas - all from plots on site.
Get a water barrel and ideally channel some water towards it
Or make use of your shed or polytunnel. You'll be amazed at how much falls out of the sky in the next four months....
Gardening tips for Autumn - OZ speaks
Greetings plotters! If you have ground prepared for planting and are looking for what to plant, onions sets, garlic and shallots can be planted now. Also spring cabbage and winter hardy varieties of broad beans. Onions, garlic and broad beans are all available in the seed store and cabbage plants from York Supplies. All of these will need some form of protection from birds.
If you have prepared ground, but no plans for overwintered crops, the best advice is to sow a green manure. Grazing Rye is the recommended choice for Autumn sowing. These choices are valid while the soil remains warm, say until early November.
The next option, which is valid right through the winter is to cover bare soil with a 10 -15cm. layer of fresh or partially decayed leaves. Spread loosely and cover with weed protection fabric. Not plastic sheeting. The soil needs to breathe. The covering keeps the leaves from blowing away, being disturbed by foxes and badgers, and protects the worms etc that process the leaves into soil organic matter. In the new year the leaves can be cultivated in or removed to compost heap. This option is suitable for all areas without deep rooted perennial weeds.
Where there is a perennial weed problem, it is more case of 'slow and steady'. When weather conditions are suitable for working, put in a 2 hour session of thorough digging, removing as much of the weeds as possible. The removed underground parts should be laid out where they can dehydrate before adding to compost heap. Mulch as above as you progress. The part you dig and mulch before Christmas will be your prepared ground for spring planting/sowing.. What you cover between New Year and Easter will be your prepared ground for summer planting/sowing. Enjoy your plot ! Oz
Pavilion Improvements
The observant among you will have noticed that something is going on with the Pavilion windows. We're slowly double glazing every panel so that we can enjoy a pint in a warm room in the coldest of seasons - and save a bob or two on the gas bills. Longer term we're looking at insulating the walls and installing a ground source heat pump. A full report on what the costs and benefits are is going to the Committee meeting in December. Watch this space.
That's all for now - happy Autumn plotting!
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