What a Show!
I'm referring to the Produce Show on 5th September - though as I write on Monday 19th there's a (slightly) more significant show going on in London. We can't match the pomp and circumstance but we certainly had some great displays. Isn't this beautiful? It won first prize.
The one pictured below didn't get first prize but won the Oscar (sorry Oscar - couldnt resist)
And because we can't resist the temptation to raise a few quid we also had (also courtesy of Oscar) some sumptuous food on offer
And the Norwegian apple cake lady turned up with a gang of helpers (and cakes) and made hundreds of pounds!
Thanks Britt!
And somebody entered the gents toilets in an unusual way while driving a car but we won't dwell on that ....
What a Do!
And the following week just to prove we can pack the festivities in we had a do to celebrate the new roof. Many thanks to Max and others (but mainly Max) for organising the day . And whoever organised the lovely weather...
Lovely beer - see below. A tribute to the enthusiasm of Jon Hiller and the inventiveness of Glasshouse Brewery. Look out for their new raspberry, cactus and marmite stout ( or I may have made that up)
Lovely food - the pizza wagon back in town!
And Carol in majestic control of the barbie as usual!
Lovely music - though at this point half of them had been tempted away by the lovely beer...
Lovely music inside the bar (smart move lads - easier to mix business and pleasure)
Rent Collection
Into each life a little rain must fall - which is good if you're a plotholder. And a little rent must fall due - which is not so good. We will be collecting rents in the clubhouse on the weekends of 8th/9th and 16th/17th October 12.00 - 3.00 pm. Please pay by card or cheque if at all possible. We don't want to be hunting about for 99 p change if at all possible. Incidentally we are going to complain (again) about these madly precise figures which are based on last years figures plus inflation. If everything was rounded up or down to the nearest pound the Council would actually make money on the deal.
RENT RATES
1 October 2022
FULL 65 and over
Small Plots 66.35 34.75
Standard Plot 97.95 50.55
Large Plot 119.01 61.09
Foodbank
Full marks to Paul Rooney who in addition to actually managing the site, collects for the B30 food bank every Thursday. We are the major source of fresh produce for the food bank and a huge asset at this time of the year in particular. So the Foodbank is delighted that you kept those spuds, cabbages, courgettes and beans coming! Last year we contributed half a metric tonne of produce to the bank - it's still being totted up for this year!
Management Agreement
The saga of the management agreement with the Council drags on. We're still waiting for a reponse to our comments/amendments to their draft which we sent to them in May. The good news is that we now have a meeting with Darren Share, director of Street Scene which includes the allotment service - in early October. We might even have something new to report in the next Newsletter!
September Masterclass
A message from Oz "My apologies if you came expecting me this morning (10th September) . I was marooned at home waiting for the AA. Car battery problems." Here is a brief summary of our intended Masterclass discussion.
If you have bare soil, empty troughs or containers, now is a good time to sow
quick growing salad types. Including oriental greens. These could be sown from
now into October. If you can give some protection, eg Fleece or Cloche even later.
October is a better month for sowing/planting hardy types to overwinter.
If you have bare soil, and are not intending to grow stuff, it is worth investing
in ‘Weed Prevention Matting’. Laid over cleared soil this will smother newly
germinated seedling weeds and some larger weeds. It is less effective against
strong perennials. Better, if you have it, is a 2inch layer of compost spread over ground and under
the matting. An alternative to compost is a thick layer of leaves, and a sprinkling of nitrogen fertilizer. In both cases biological activity keeps the ground slightly warmer, and both can
be tilled into the top layer of soil when making a seed bed in the spring. There will, barring incidents, be a Masterclass the second Saturday in October - the nominated topic being winter pruning and other winter works.