March Newsletter 2008
Sad Sad News
I am sorry to have to announce that Pat Aherne passed away on Sunday 9th March.
Pat was a very gentle and kind man and will be missed by all who knew him.
Our deepest sympathy is with his family and friends at this time.
May God rest his soul.
Good News
We have purchased the Atilla 51 brushcutter with the aid of the grant from the fosse and New Parks Area Committee. This has already been put to work clearing some plots ready for prospective plot holders. It is quite a formidable piece of machinery, despite it looking like an expensive lawn mower!!
Sheds
We have purchased 5 sheds which are now being rented. There will probably be more shortly available for £15 a year.
Website
Our own website is now up and running. If you have any pictures that you might want to put on the gallery, please feel free to contact me.
If you get the chance, please pass on our web address to whoever you think may be interested.
We have also had a brief article in the Leicester Mercury in the community section, as we are always looking for new members.
Tips for the Month
The Vegetable year starts in earnest this month, but do not rush to sow all the early season vegetables if the soil is still very wet and cold. March is the peak time for sowing Broad Beans, Brussels sprouts, leeks, onions, parsnips, early peas and early turnips. It is also the month for sowing various crops under glass – capsicum, celeriac, celery, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Plant early potatoes and onion sets. Summer cabbage can be sown under cloches and so can early carrots. Top dress spring cabbage with fertiliser. Plant tomatoes and cucumber seedlings into pots or growing bags in a heated greenhouse.
Feeding your plants
There a number of nutrients which are vital for vegetables – nitrogen for leaf growth, phosphates for root development and potash for strengthening resistance to disease and poor conditions. This group is required in relatively large amounts, and compound fertilisers contain all three.
One of the most important uses for the compound fertilisers is to provide a base dressing just before sowing or planting.
Growmore is the old favourite (which we stock in the shop)
Crops which take a long time to mature will require one or more top dressings during the growing season. Take care to keep the fertiliser off the leaves
Brassicas. Add some Manure or compost at digging time. Lime the soil unless you know it is already alkaline. Rake in a general purpose fertiliser a week or so before planting or sowing.
Roots. No lime and No Manure. Rake in a general purpose fertiliser a week or so before planting or sowing.
Others. Add some Manure or compost at digging time. Lime the soil if you know that it is acid. Rake in a general purpose fertiliser a week or so before planting or sowing.
Preparing a proper seed bed
In early spring the soil will become workable – moist but not too sticky. Now is the time to make the seed bed. First job is to break down the clods – use a hand cultivator, garden fork or rotavator. Rake in a dressing of fertiliser and then walk over the surface with a rake, using the implement not your feet to fill in the hollows and to break down the mounds. Pick up debris and small stones. The final step is to use the rake in a push – pull fashion to produce a smooth and level seed bed.
In Season Food
Green Cabbage: from the brassicas family that protects against cancer.
Leeks: sulphur – based compounds fight prostate, colon and stomach cancer. They also help prevent high blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol levels.
Mushrooms: may contain chemicals which slow breast and prostate cancers. Their pantothenic acid helps make hormones and regulate the nervous system.
Cauliflower: It contains sulforaphane which helps protect the skin against sun damage.
New Members.
Please extend your usual warm welcome to our new members. Ian Collett who has taken plot F8, Bonny Smart, who has taken G12, Steven Creighton who takes plot E5, and Suzanne Hall who takes plot G15
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting will take place on Sunday March 30th at . All members are requested to attend.
We would hope that the meeting will take approx 1 – 1 ½ hours.
This will be at New Parks Allotments on
The agenda accompanies this newsletter.
Scarecrow Competition
A reminder that we shall be running a scarecrow competition.
There will be a £1.00 entry fee, and the prize will be one years’ free rent for a plot, and a children’s prize of a voucher. Judging will hopefully be on the weekend of our open day (August 3rd). Is this the right time to start your scarecrow with all the seedlings starting to poke through soon?
Weather by Dave Morgan
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Feb-07
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Feb-08
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max temp degrees C
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13
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14
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min temp degrees C
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7
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7
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Average temp degrees C
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6.1
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5
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rainfall this month
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69.5
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37
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total rainfall this year to date
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134.5
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total frosts in month
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8
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14
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Please will all members remember to lock the main gate after them. It has been left open a few times, and with the wind, blows wide open.
One to rot and one to grow,
One for the pigeon and one for the crow.
An old English planting rhyme
A garden should be in a constant state of fluid change, expansion, experiment, adventure; above all it should be an inquisitive, loving but self-critical journey on the part of its owner,
H.E. Bates