Moor Green in July
- Moor Green
- Jul 15
- 5 min read
Greetings fellow plotters! Summer's here in a very big way isn’t it? We're at peak growing time - which means peak watering time. So the plots are looking productive but a bit parched
and there's already some harvesting...
And the grapes are loving it..
And the insects are active too. Bees love echinops. And sunflowers
Hosepipes
Well of course it's dry and of course that means the conscientious plotholder needs to water the plants regularly - especially if you have a greenhouse or polytunnel. And unlike any other site in the city we have a borehole which means we don’t have to ration water or face massive bills. But
PLEASE don't water your plot with a hosepipe
It's selfish - while you're attached to the standpipe other people can't fill their watering cans
Even if you can't see anyone else watering you're lowering the supply pressure so people elsewhere on site have their water supply reduced. If three or four people are using a hosepipe at the same time this is a real problem: in some zones the water from the standpipe is reduced to a trickle as a result
It's wasteful. Spraying water all over the plot is massively wasteful compared to using a watering can.
It's a breach of the rules which you agreed to when you took up your tenancy. We don’t like doing this but will take action against anyone repeatedly breaking this rule. Or if - unbelievable but true - someone is reported as using our water supply to wash their car.
Collect your own water. Most people have water barrels (good) and collect water from their sheds/greenhouses/polytunnels etc (even better). You can buy second-hand water containers on Ebay and Gumtree cheap as chips. Even better we'll be stocking them in the Seedstore shortly - see below.
Recent Events
Scarecrow Competition
Well we’ll definitely be doing this again - start planning for early May 2027. What a brilliant bit of community creativity this turned out to be - and practical too. If I were a pigeon or crow I'd be terrified. For those of you who missed the competition entries from all over the site (it's hard to see how you could miss some of these) here are the contenders.
Many congratulations to the winners pictured below. Winning entries - from left to right
1st Siobhan and John plot 193
2nd Carol and Chris plot 236
3rd Severine and family plot 220 (apologies - I seem to have decapitated your entry - ed)
Out of the Blue Jazz
Lovely evening - 19th June - always is. Perfect weather so there was an overflow outdoors . But the main event was that great big band sound and the amazing Vic Hamblett on vocals.
Summer Fair
What a day that was. Perfect weather, great stalls, good food and a thirsty crowd. The bar did amazingly well - and ran out of Batham's of course. We should remind readers that just getting Bathams involves driving to Brierley Hill and back, loading and unloading a barrel and then keeping it in good condition until it gets totally consumed by the grateful Moor Green fanbase (including your editor). Thanks in particular to Jon and the bar crew for that. The cake stall made £420! Many thanks to Britt and her crew for that. The outdoor kitchen sold out of flatbreads, flatbread toppings and sausages by the end of the afternoon. Many thanks to Sabrina, Howie and crew for that. And thanks above all to Debs for making the whole thing happen. Here are some highlights
Produce Show - Date for your Diary
It's Sunday 6th September - and it's going to be great. Start selecting your veg and flowers to enter the competition now. There's a set of rules and classes for competition entry here Useful Documents.
In addition the bar will be open from midday and the Outdoor Kitchen will be offering its usual oven and barbecue winners!
Finally we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary with the official opening of our new gable end mural. Here's what it looks like now - it will be even better by the time Pam has finished with it. Big thanks to Pam for continuing to paint in this blistering heat - often getting down to the site at 7.00 in the morning to crack on with the job.
Also available at the Produce Show will be this fabulous limited edition print - second in the series - of Moor Green Allotments. Full disclosure - apart from loving the exceptional quality of the print, the Association gets £10 for every copy sold.
Exciting Changes Coming to the Allotment Seed Store!
Hi everyone,
My name is Anthony, and I’ve taken over the running of the allotment seed store. A massive thank you to Phil for his hard work over the last few years running the seed store—without him, there wouldn’t be a store at all! We have some big changes coming up, and I want to share our plans going forward. Howard’s worked hard on improving the inside of the seeds store so I thought I would give you a sneaky peek inside.
Grand Re-Opening: September 2026
To kick things off, the store will open for the last two Saturdays in September and 1st two in October to coincide with the allotment’s 50th anniversary! Come down, check out the new layout, and see our new stock.
When: 19th & 26th September, 3rd and 10th October
Hours: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
What’s New:
New Stock Lines: We are introducing 40 new products, starting with essentials like fleece, netting, and fertilizer. For September, we’ll have over-winter onions, shallots, garlic, netting, and winter seeds, so hold off on buying those elsewhere! We are also sourcing blue water barrels and will take community feedback on what else you want to see.
The Seed Store App: Big shout-out to Bernard, who is developing our new app! Launching in September, you will be able to scan a QR code at the store and bar to download it. Even better, you'll get a 10% discount on your first app order.
Click & Collect: you can use the app to order mid-week and collect on weekends. When the store is not open Smaller items will be left at the back of the bar, and we will open up for larger item collections at set times.
New Opening Times: starting next year (2027) we are shifting weekend hours to 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. We feel this is more convenient for most plot holders if you run out of supplies during a morning session.
To help keep the store running smoothly, we are looking for new volunteers to join the team. As a huge thank you for your time, all store volunteers will receive a 15% discount on everything in the store if you are doing 4 shifts or more. If you would like to get involved at this exciting time for the seed store, please get in touch on madahal.seedstore@gmail.com
Thank you all for your support during this transition. See you in September! Best regards,
Anthony, Seed Store Manager
That's all for this month folks. Happy plotting (and weeding and watering...)
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