HILLINGDON ALLOTMENT AND HORTICULTURAL FEDERATION

HILLINGDON ALLOTMENT AND HORTICULTURAL FEDERATION
Number 26 Summer 2011 2/11
CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS
Welcome to the summer edition of the newsletter.
There are a number of interesting articles in this edition, giving
advice on dealing with many of the trials and tribulations that affect
allotment holders at this time of year.
I would like to share with you how I’ve finally found peace with one
of the age old enemies of the allotment holder - weeds.
They are the stuff nightmares are made of - constantly growing and
a lot of hard work to get rid of. Just when you think you’ve
conquered them - you turn your back just for a moment - and there
they are again.
However, lately this has changed for me. I have come to have a bit
more of a positive relationship with the likes of dandelions and the
odd thistle.
The reason behind this is the chickens I keep in my back garden at home. I’ve had them since
last summer and they’re easy to care for and a pleasure to look after. ‘My girls’ have done me
proud and have continued to lay eggs right through the winter come snow, rain or sunshine.
Chickens love eating weeds and I now regularly weed the garden and the allotment (bringing a
bag full back with me). It’s great to see them scratching away at the pile of weeds and before
you know it, the pile’s disappeared. I also take great delight in throwing in the odd snail and
slug. This is also a much quicker way of getting rid of the dreaded weeds, rather than
composting or waiting for the council to collect the green bags. In return you get delicious,
organic eggs and, an ‘eggcellent’ fertiliser.
My attitude towards those pesky weeds has definitely changed - I actually enjoy weeding now
as it produces a useful harvest! I’m even contemplating trying to grow some weeds
intentionally, so that the girls can have a ready supply through the winter months (although
this may be taking it a little too far, and I dare say will result in some strange looks from other
plot holders!)
Best wishes,
Vanessa Bonner
Contents
Chairman’s Comments Page 1
Green Spaces Team Page 2/3
The Decline of the English Apple Page 4
Go Green Page 5/6
Useful Website Page 6
Jobs To Do Page 7/8
Storing Your Harvest Page 9/10
Make it Yourself Page 11
Summer Edition Recipe Page 12
Federation News Page 13
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17 June 2011
Dear Allotment Gardeners,
Welcome to the summer edition of The Watering Can.
As I peer out of the office window whilst writing this update I notice that it is raining outside and I am
sure all allotment gardeners are pleased to see this after the very dry spring we experienced!
The ability to provide crops with enough water is an issue that clearly preoccupies the thoughts of
many allotment holders at this time of year and I have been approached by numerous allotment
holders over the past few months about the possibility of installing additional water tanks at their site.
As I am sure most of you appreciate, the council does not have the funds available to carry out work of
this nature at the moment so I thought I would take this opportunity to make some general points
about this very topical issue which may be of use to you all:
� If you have a shed or a green house on your plot consider fitting guttering and a water butt
so that you can harvest rain water.
� If possible, water your crops early in the morning or later in the evening. This will reduce
the amount of water that is lost to evaporation.
� If you are able to get to your allotment during week days (Monday to Friday) you will find
that there are fewer people using the water facilities so you will be better able to draw
water from the tanks.
� Consider having your own water reservoir on your plot. You can fill this up with water from
the communal water tanks and use it as and when you require it. You can obtain black,
plastic water tanks from DIY shops for this task.
� It is more effective to water your crops thoroughly just a few times a week than it is to
spray a relatively small amount of water all over your plot every day.
� When irrigating your crops try to direct the water to the roots of your plants. Try to avoid
just watering the foliage.
� Consider mulching your plot at the appropriate time of the year. This will help to retain
moisture in the ground.
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� Be aware that if you decide to have raised beds, the ground dries out quicker than it does
when you grow crops in the traditional fashion.
� Consider growing crops that are drought resistant.
� Finally, and very importantly, if you notice leaks and problems with the water tanks at your
allotment site report them to the council (or to your site managers in the case of fully
devolved sites) as soon as you possibly can. This will ensure that a swift repair is carried
out the unnecessary loss of water is kept to a minimum. Water leaks on council managed
allotment sites should be reported to the Customer Contact Centre on 01895 556000.
I hope you find this information of some use and I hope it helps you get through the summer months.
Best wishes,
Nicholas Porter – Allotments Officer
The Green SpacesTeam
Planning, Environment, Education and Community
Services
T.01895 277765 F.01895 250646
nporter@hillingdon.gov.uk
London Borough of Hillingdon,
4W 08, Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW
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AN ‘ENGLISH’ APPLE A DAY,
KEEPS THE DECLINE OF ORCHARDS AT BAY by C.Bottello
In 1972, there were 55,000 acres of
eating-apple orchards in England. By
2010 this had fallen to 4,886 acres – a
staggering 95 percent decline over 40
years.
The number of English varieties for sale in
British supermarkets is miniscule: Coxes,
Spartans, Royal Gala and Bramleys.
There are equal numbers of foreign
varieties: French Golden Delicious,
Granny Smiths, Braeburns and Brazilian
Fujis.
In the last 15 years, half of all English
orchards have been lost and applegrowing
is on its knees.
Traditional orchards with endless varieties of evocatively-named apples have almost totally
disappeared, replaced by small, easy to pick trees. The fate of English apples has far wider
implications, too. Apples and apple orchards have the same symbolic importance for the English
landscape and culture as olive groves for the Italians or vineyards for the French. They are a
traditional food source, whose cultivation shapes local landscapes, imagination, diets and wildlife.
It‘s hard to imagine our British landscape without the orchard or gardens without the apple tree.
Nevertheless, if we let things continue the way they have in recent times, this, sadly, will be the reality.
The arrival of cheap imported supermarket fruits – polished impostors with their EU imposed shape
and size – has led to a rapid decline of many orchards with the loss of many old apple varieties.
You can help reverse the decline by planting an English apple tree in your garden or allotment today.
Park Farm Pippin
Meridian
Tydemans Early Worcester
Apple Michaelmans Red
Tydemans Late Orange
Saturn
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GO GREEN by C.Bottello
This summer slugs and snails seem to have
an even more ferocious appetite than usual.
Probably due to the long dry spell we had from
February to June this year – and now they‘re
making up for lost time.
I have my milk delivered by my milkman and
on more than one occasion over the past
month, I‘ve found a slug or two wrapped
around the rim of the bottle fattening itself up
on my organic milk.
There are a number of organic ways of
deterring slugs.
1) Beer - Place commercial traps or old margarine tubs on top of the soil close to the damaged
plants, wait until dusk and then fill them with the cheapest—but freshest—beer you can find. The next
morning, they should be filled with dead drunken slugs. Dump this defeated debris nearby (where it
will attract their cannibalistic pals) and repeat every evening.
2) Coffee - New research has found caffeine to be very effective at dispatching slugs. Save your
dregs and spray them full strength directly on the beasts in the evening. Surround plants under attack
with a mulch of used coffee grounds to deter slugs and feed the plants.
3) Iron phosphate - Turns out that iron is very bad for a slug‘s digestion. Like deadly bad. So a new
generation of products with brand names like ―Sluggo‖ and ―Escar-Go!‖ wrap iron in a slug-attracting
bait. You simply scatter the pellets around plants in peril to wipe out the pests without poisons. (And a
little extra iron is good for your garden soil.)
4) Copper - Slugs get shocked when they touch this shiny metal. You can buy ready-made copper
plant guards or just adorn your raised bed frames with copper flashing. Hot-glue rings of pennies
around the tops of your containers.
5) Diatomaceous earth - Available at garden centers, ‗DE‘ is the mined fossilized remains of
dinosaur-era, sea-going creatures called diatoms. It looks like white flour, but is incredibly sharp on a
microscopic level, dehydrating slugs on contact. Surround plants under attack with protective rings of
DE (be sure to wear a dust mask); freshen them up if they get wet.
6) Boards - Lay some old planks between your garden beds. The vampiric slugs will crawl
underneath to hide from the sun. Come morning, lift the boards and scrape the slugs into a bucket
with a flat piece of metal. Then do with them what you will. Hey—got any pennies?
7) Dog hair - Surround your plants with a protective barrier of dog hair. The slugs will get all tangled
up in it and strangle and the hair will eventually add plant-feeding nitrogen to the soil.
8) Citrus - Leave lemon, orange and grapefruit rinds out overnight near slug prone plants, and then
collect and trash them—covered with slugs—first thing the next morning. Old lettuce leaves work well
too.
9) Vinegar - A spray bottle filled with plain white vinegar is a great cure for slugs that aren‘t on
plants. An extremely effective mollusk dissolver, vinegar is also an herbicide so don‘t spritz the salvia.
10) Toads and Hedgehogs - Avoid all pesticides, provide water low to the ground and a damp
shady spot for them to hide during the heat of the day, and these wonderful nocturnal predators will
eat lots of slugs for you.
11) Rove beetles -These big black bugs don‘t bother plants, but do eat LOTS of slugs and their
eggs.
12) Ducks - Just turn a few loose in the garden—these feathered friends (and natural fertilizer
providers) are among nature‘s FINEST slug-eaters.
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13) Non-Toxic Chemicals - There are non-toxic, earth friendly chemicals that you can also use to get
rid of slugs in your garden such as "Sluggo" or "Escar-Go". These contain iron that is wrapped in a
slug attracting bait. Iron is deadly to slugs, but good for your garden soil. Just scatter the pellets
around plant affected to get rid of the slugs
14) Biological Deterrent - Slug Nematodes are one of the most abundant creatures in the living soil.
They are an essential part of the soil food web. Some of them feed on plants, some feed on dead
organic matter, and others are parasites of other living organisms. Just as there are "bad bacteria" and
"good bacteria" from the human perspective, so there are "bad nematodes" and "good nematodes" in
the soil The nematodes that feed on living plant material can be considered to be "bad nematodes" -
e.g. the potato eelworm. However nematodes that kill other plant pests are considered "good
nematodes" - e.g. the nematode that kills slugs. These microscopic transparent worms feed and
multiply inside the slug, not visible with a hand lens. An infected slug stops feeding within 3 to 5 days
and then displays a typical swelling of the mantle. The nematodes multiply inside the slug and when it
starts to decompose, a new generation of nematodes emerges.
USEFUL WEBSITES
� National Allotments Week is 11 th -17 th August. Run by National Allotment
Gardens Trust and National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners. Find out
more from the National Allotment Gardens Trust website.
� To download a free copy of organic gardening guidelines from the Garden
Organic website please go to http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/pdfs/Organic-
Gardening-Guidelines-2010.pdf
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JOB’S TO DO
July Action Plan
� During this hot and humid month, you turn your back and a dozen new weeds have appeared.
� Many grasses and weedy flowers shed their seeds at this time of year so it is even more important
to stop them in their tracks or you will end up with more in the long term.
� Dig weeds out or, for tougher visitors, carefully paint on a systemic weed killer to prevent
damaging the soil or neighboring plants.
� Bindweed can be grown up canes and treated safely away from beds and vegetables.
� Keep all salad crops well watered in hot weather.
� Be on the lookout for potato blight (see right), as July/August are the months that it thrives in.
To find out if you are likely to suffer blight on your potato crop, sign up for
blight watch alerts from the British potato council. Are you missing out on
key information that may help you improve blight control decisions?
By signing up for this free service you can receive email and text message
alerts for Smith Periods and confirmed outbreaks for up to 10 postcode
districts. To register for Fight Against Blight and Blightwatch alerts go to
www.potato.org.uk/fab_blightwatch. See also BPC blight maps at www.potato.org.uk/blight
� The amount of seeds for sowing this month to crop this year is starting to drop off, amongst the
more popular vegetables are: Broad Beans, Dwarf Beans, Mung Beans, Beetroot, Spring
Cabbage, Carrots (for continuation).
� Sow seed for next year‘s crops: Cauliflowers, Chicory, Coriander (Cilantro), Endive, Kohl Rabi,
Lettuce for continuation and winter lettuce, Pak Choi, Peas, Radicchio, Radish, Turnips.
� Harvest early Bush and Runner Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery,
Coriander, Cucumber, Endive, Kale, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Bulb Onions, Peppers, Rhubarb,
Rocket, Spinach, Strawberry, Swiss Chard, Tomato.
� July is the month that the fruit garden comes into its own, plants laden with ripening fruit and many
a tasty berry being harvested.
� July may have heavy rain showers – but don‘t rely on these to water your fruit garden.
� Thinning fruit trees is the best way to obtain larger and better quality fruit. When thinning, remove
any damaged or poor quality fruit and then remove the remaining fruit so there is at least 5 cm
between each fruit.
� Remove any excessive growth on fruit trees.
� Espalier and dwarf trees will need training and protection from predators.
� In dry weather water fruit trees and apply mulch around the roots.
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� If you are going on holiday this month, remember to ask someone to keep harvesting your fruit and
vegetables, either for themselves or your freezer.
August Action Plan
� When harvesting potatoes, take care to remove all tubers as any left will sprout next year and can
spread disease.
� Keep harvesting the courgettes, don‘t let them get large as they will think that the job is done and they
can stop trying to reproduce. About 10cm (4 inches) is the perfect size for harvesting.
� It‘s your last chance to sow beetroot for an autumn harvest. Sow seed directly in the ground in fertile
soil.
� Water tomato plants daily and increase feeding to ensure healthy fruit. Remove any yellow leaves at
the base by snapping off the stems.
� Pick carrots as soon as they‘re big enough to eat. Choose undamaged roots and store in a cool, dry
place.
� Continue to sow hardy salad seeds for a tasty crop over winter. Mulch around plants to keep the
moisture in.
� Don‘t let high winds damage the sweetcorn, support with a spade of soil around the base and tread well
down.
� Keep the greenhouse ventilated – hang sticky yellow cards as fly traps and perhaps shade the glass
with a whitewash.
� Keep an eye on brassicas and remove any caterpillar eggs from the underside of leaves.
� Use string across the cabbage patch to deter hungry birds from nibbling the leaves.
� Turn compost to distribute heat and speed up the ‗rotting‘ process. If it is very dry, you can add a little
water (urine is very good especially if you have a good aim or a big bucket) but do not soak.
� Keep an eye on crops that bolt in the hot dry weather such as lettuce and brassicas.
� Raise the cutting height of the mower. Taller grass cools the roots and helps to keep the moisture in the
soil longer.
� Take care not to cross the lawn in bare feet as there are plenty of bees and wasps around now
enjoying the clover flowers!
� If you have oregano and marjoram flowering in the garden, now is the best time for drying – cut the
stems, tie with string, and hang upside down somewhere dry, well ventilated and dark (airing cupboard
is good) for about a week, then store in jars for winter.
� You can do a similar thing with flowers such as lavender to make drawer scent bags or potpourri.
� Continue to dead head flowers and pick pea pods to encourage further blooms.
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Careful handling
STORING YOUR HARVEST
Careful handling is essential. Avoid bruising - once harvested, crops have no means of repairing any
damage.
Select the best
Do not store anything that has broken skin or shows any sign of pest or disease.
Storage conditions
Air circulation is important to provide oxygen and carry away the heat and moisture produced. Crops
have different requirements for temperature and humidity (see below).
Location
The storage location must be frost-free, pest free, rain-proof and at a constant temperature. A garden
shed or garage can be used, but may need extra insulation in severe weather.
Frequent health checks
Check stored produce weekly. Remove anything showing signs of decay to prevent rots from
spreading.
Vegetable storage
� Carrots, parsnips, celeriac, beetroot, turnip, swede, kohlrabi, horseradish, salsify:
These crops all require the same conditions. Harvest carefully, taking care to avoid skin damage.
Do not wash unless grown in very heavy soil or pest/disease damage is suspected. Harvest on a
cool day or cool before storage. Remove leaves by twisting off close to crown. Place in layers in
shallow crates/boxes separated with a damp packing material such as leafmould, sand, sieved soil
or sawdust (from untreated wood only).
Ideal temperature: 0°- 4°C.
� Potatoes:
Require slightly different conditions from other root crops. They must be kept dark to prevent them
turning green and protected from low temperatures. If stored below 5°C the starch turns to sugar,
giving them a sweet taste when eaten. Harvest in dry, cool conditions if possible. Remove any
damaged tubers; store good ones in thick paper sacks closed at the neck to conserve moisture.
Do not use plastic sacks - the humidity will be too high, which stimulates sprouting. Give extra
insulation before weather becomes very cold.
Ideal temperature: 5°- 10°C.
� Onions/garlic:
Lift garlic when only 4-6 outer leaves have turned yellow. Leave onions longer, until the tops have
completely died away. Do not bend tops over prematurely. Both need to be dried until skins
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"rustle", either in the sun or under cover. Store in nets, old tights or make into strings (see below),
and hang in a cool, dry place where air can circulate.
Ideal temperature: 2°- 4°C.
How to string onions and or garlic?
1. Knot one end of the cord back onto itself to make a sliding noose. Then tie the other end
onto a strong hook or wooden beam.
2. Wind the tops of three or four onions through the noose to create a 'pendulum' at the
bottom of the cord.
3. Wrap the tops of each of the remaining onions around the cord, then slide them down onto
the pendulum. As the onions stack up, their weight tightens the noose at the bottom and
pinches the onions in place.
� Pumpkins/winter squash/marrows:
Being of sub-tropical origin, these store best at a higher temperature with lower humidity than most
other crops. They are very affected by growing conditions, as they need a few weeks of warm sun
in August/September to develop a tough skin for successful storage. Harvest before the first frost,
leaving as long a stalk as possible. Check for skin blemishes, and store in a dry, airy place,
preferably on slatted shelves or hanging in nets.
Ideal temperature: 10°- 15°C.
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1. Buy/find a baby bath, washing up bowl or
any plastic container big enough to make
into a small pond.
3. Put the pond/plastic bath into the hole.
5. Fill with water.
MAKE IT YOURSELF – Making a Pond
2. Dig a hole big enough to fit the pond into.
4. Put mud and stones around the 'pond'.
6. Add pond weed. You will need a means
of escape for creatures like frogs as they
can‘t scale smooth plastic sides. Rocks, or a
sloping 'ramp' with a textured surface, etc.
will do. And you have a pond!
Safety Tip: Use a piece of strong mesh to cover the pond so that a very small child/toddler falling
face down can't drown in it.
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Ingredients
SUMMER EDITION RECIPE – Apple and Blackberry Pie
You will need a traditional oval 2-litre pie dish that measures about 32cm in length. Serves 6-8. For the
pastry:
250g plain flour
75g butter, cold from the fridge
75g lard, cold from the fridge
ice-cold water
For the filling:
6 large Bramley apples
2 or 3 large handfuls of blackberries
sugar to taste
double cream to serve
Method
Put the flour into a large mixing bowl with a small pinch of salt. Cut the butter and lard into small
chunks and rub into the flour with your thumbs and fingertips. You could do it in the food mixer but I
can't really see why - it only takes a minute by hand. To bring the mixture to a rollable dough, add a
little ice-cold water. Start with a tablespoonful, adding it gingerly (too much is difficult to correct) and
draw the dough in from the sides to form a ball. You may need a couple. You are looking for a dough
that is firm enough to roll but soft enough to demand careful lifting. Set aside in the fridge, covered
with a tea towel, for 30 minutes.
Set the oven at 200 C/gas mark 6. Peel, core and quarter the apples, cutting them into thick slices or
chunks, then put them into the pie dish. Taste the apples to gauge their sweetness. I like my fruit fairly
tart, so just add a surface sprinkling of sugar. The sweet of tooth may want to add anything up to a
tablespoon per apple. Add the blackberries and toss them with the apples and sugar.
Roll the pastry out to fit the top of the dish. You want enough extra pastry around the edge to be able
to cut off and cover the rim of the dish. (Plus a few scraps to make some leaves, if you like that sort of
thing.) The simplest way to do this is to turn the dish upside down on the pastry and score around the
top, then score a second line around the outside as wide as the rim.
Wet the rim of the pie dish - water will do - then fix the outer rim of pastry to it, cutting and pasting to
fit. Wet it with water or egg. Lift the pastry on to the pie, pressing the edge firmly on to the pastry rim.
Crimp it to seal with your thumb and first finger, or by pressing down with the prongs of a fork.
Cut two or three short slits in the centre of the pastry to let out any steam and, if you wish, decorate
the pie with scraps of pastry cut into leaves. Brush with a little milk and dust with caster sugar.
Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and pale gold, covering it as needs be to stop it
browning.
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MEETINGS
Federation evening meetings are open to anyone that would like to attend. In the event that something
comes to a vote remember there is just one vote per member site. If you want to know more (or
anything) about what is going then do come along and contribute.
All meetings are at the Civic Centre commencing at 8pm in Committee Room 3
The General meetings for 2011 are on; January 12 th . March 9 th May 11 th July 13 th and September 14 th
Parking is available
The AGM is on the 9 th of November in the COUNCIL CHAMBER commencing at 7.30pm
No parking is available for this meeting
Web-site
The Federation‘s Web-site www.hahf.org.uk contains all sorts of details of interest: news, events and
photographs in colour, as well as back copies of these newsletters.
There are many links to useful web sites about allotments and vegetables which can give far more tips
or diagnosis of problems than we could ever hope to cover locally in this publication.
If you have any useful links, ideas, contributions, photographs, questions, things wanted or for sale,
enquire about advertising then do contact the site at www.hahf.org.uk or the editor of this newsletter,
Claudia Bottello, Tel: 0208 8240207 Or: cappuccino73@hotmail.com
Copy deadlines for the ‘Watering Can’ are, - 1 st February; 1 st . June and 1 st . November, each
year. Unless otherwise annotated, all items in this newsletter are produced by the editor.
Views expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual
members of the Federation. They do not necessarily reflect
those of either The Federation or The London Borough of
Hillingdon.
This Newsletter is produced by the Hillingdon Allotment
and Horticultural Federation and distributed with the
assistance of the London Borough of Hillingdon.
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