Two articles for you to peruse:
Round up of news
With all the wet weather during the autumn and winter every IBC and storage facility is full. This is also the case for our larger storage tanks.
The first manure delivery were been completed ahead of time, with a second pile for those who needed more.
Seeds all delivered, along with onion sets and garlic. We will receive the seed potatoes in January.
Our waiting list is quite short, but we are still looking to find plots for various people. This is not an issue for our Association only, as you will see from the links to articles which appeared in the national press.
Looking ahead, if you are at a loose end, here are some jobs to do:
- bonfire ‘etiquette’: if you plan to have anything burnt, you need to plan ahead … wait for word from the Committee when we are certain that a fire is possible and we will light and look after the fire.
- pruning (apples, pears, autumn fruiting raspberries}: if you are not confident about what / how to prune, I am happy to offer advice / practical tips.
- shredding: we have a large machine which deals very effectively with prunings, sprout stalks, raspberry canes, dead sunflowers etc. Let me know if you have stuff to shred.
- Sow broad beans (inside if it gets very cold), sweet peas, peas, mangetout.
- Plan the coming season’s sowing and planting.
- Dig or ‘no dig’? Talk to Allen and Ralph to get both sides of the story.
- Plant fruit trees, gooseberries and raspberries while they are dormant.
- Ensure your water collectors are working at full capacity with no leaks etc. Consider installing more if you have lots of irrigation to do in the summer.
- Take note of the snowdrops and daffodils beginning to show: they can get trampled on if you are not careful. Plenty of new bulbs and primroses were planted during the autumn and should produce a good show.
You will be able to see that the hard at work creating a wildlife pond (with a suitable barrier for Health and Safety reasons) has been a success and there is plenty of life in the pond, with frogs, newts and other aquatic insects.
