CHILDREN'S MARIGOLD COMPETITION

Each year we hold a children's competition which starts in early summer and ends with a display at our annual show - this year on Saturday, 5th September. The competition is open to all children - that is the children and grandchildren of members, their cousins, their friends, in fact all children. The more the merrier.

This year the competition is to grow tagetes in a pot and bring it along to the show for judging. Tagetes are small, pretty members of the marigold family and we will choose a variety that produces a lot of flowers (I hope!). As usual Janice Shambrook will do all the hard work raising and potting the seedlings for me to hand out in early summer. The children, not the adults, then care for them and bring them along to the show, where certificates and prizes will be handed out. No child leaves empty handed!

So, don't hold back, register your entrants with me, Jack Powis, 38 The Boulevard, Worthing, BN13 1LB, phone 243216 or email jackpowis@hotmail.co.uk. I will then contact you when the little plants are ready for you to collect or me to deliver. You can also pick up plants at WHS's show on Saturday, 27th June (see above). There will, of course, be other children's events in our show and these will be detailed in the Show Schedule which will be issued later. Please encourage your children to have a go - it is so much fun and adds so much to the Show.

(07/05/09)

New Co-worker Scheme

Worthing Borough Council has launched an initiative which enables two people to share an allotment, providing one of them is already a tenant. For full details of the scheme see our "Allotments Stuff" page.

(29/04/09)

Best Front Garden Competition

Every year the Association holds a "Best Front Garden" competition for its members. The exact details of how to enter and the entry form will be in your next Plotholder but what I can reveal is that the judging will be in July so if you want to win aim for a good show in July. You could be this year's trophy winner. Pictured below are a previous winner and his winning entry.

                                                                       (20/04/09)

Findon Spring Show

Report to follow                                                                                                                                                                    (18/04/09)

Yesterday (Saturday) was Worthing Horticultural Society's Spring Show in the Methodist Church Hall by Broadwater Green. You certainly couldn't argue with the entry fee of 60p and there were some lovely flowers. Obviously daffodils proliferated but there were also tulips, camellias and hyacinths among others. Also arrangements on various themes, baking and curd making, vegetable competition, stalls selling a variety of wares, tombola and refreshments. As for the prizes, the names Janice Shambrook and Linda Charmain seemed to crop up quite frequently on the red cards but there were lots of other winners too including a gentleman in one of the baking sections. Well done, that man! We had to test the refreshments bar as well and enjoyed our cake and a cup of tea. I have to say, that although it was obviously competitive, there was a lovely friendly atmosphere.
WHS have a summer show on Saturday, 27th June so put the date in your diary now. Meantime, here are a few pictures from yesterday's show.

                        

      

(29/03/09)

The Bins Are Going!

We can now officially advise you that Worthing Borough Council have confirmed that the rubbish bins and the weekly rubbish collection service will be withdrawn from Friday 3rd July 2009. Therefore the Association would urge all plot holders, if they have not already done so, to build or create a compost bin on their plot as soon as possible. To aid the building of compost bins, wooden pallets will be available free of charge to plot holders. These will be available from Chesswood Farm, Humber Avenue and West Tarring sites on a first come first served basis. Anyone having difficulty obtaining pallets should contact the Association Secretary Peter Webb on 523828

(27/03/09)

Joe Riggs

It is with some sadness that I write today of the death this weekend of Joe Riggs. The name may not ring a bell. If you had an allotment at West Tarring you may have known him as Dorset Joe, Portland Joe or just Joe but if you had a plot near the Bolsover Road entrance you would have known him. I've had a neighbouring plot for 5 yearsand I never found out his last name until this week.
Joe was a character. I don't know how old he was (but getting on) or how long he'd had an allotment because everybody you ask just says he was there when they arrived. He wasn't always conventional but he was very sociable and loved a yarn - he had more tall stories than Hans Christian Andersen. One thing is sure: now he's gone there'll be a few chuckles less in the allotment world.

(14/03/09)

Composting Talk/Demonstration

Well the prospects didn't look good, with wind and rain forecast and an open air talk on composting not really making me want to leave my bed on a Sunday morning. How wrong I was! As some people gathered at West Tarring the sun was shining and it felt like Spring was upon us. Peter Hill arrived and proceeded to talk on various aspects of composting and answered many questions put to him by the people that attended.

Peter was very informative and breathed life into a subject that by its nature is a bit boring and grimy. Over thirty people came along and I think we all learnt something. So there is no reason at all to see anything organic in the bins any more!! Presuming of course that those who didn't attend already know how to compost everything!!!! Well, I'm still dreaming, I think. I never realised how good Sunday mornings could be!

Terry (13/03/09)

Can you help?

We are still looking for overseers for the allotment sites at Haynes Road and St Andrew's Road. If you think you would like to give it a go, please get in touch or contact Fiona direct at Continental Landscapes. Remember: you get a plot rent-free!

(04/03/09)

Worthing in Bloom

The closing date for entries for The Best Kept Allotment competition is the 6th June. Judging will take place sometime during the week 8th - 14th June. CASH PRIZES!

(04/03/09)

Association Annual Dinner

The dinner was held this year at the Windsor House Hotel on Friday, 20th February and a wise choice of venue it was too. One has to pass through the bar on the way to the function room which is a fine piece of planning and a pleasant bar area it is. Ned tested the beer, the wine and the shorts and enjoyed them all. Around 60 diners turned up and enjoyed a 3-course dinner plus coffee and mints. Service was very efficient and the welcome very friendly. The "lucky ticket" winner received a book on Sussex gardens and the winning quiz team various packets of seeds which seemed highly appropropriate. A raffle followed and photographs were taken throughout the evening, many of them appearing below. If you would like any - up to any size you like - let us know rather than trying to download them from here as the quality has been reduced to make them load more quickly.

    

  

                   

            

                                                      

                      

                                                         

(22/02/09)

 

West Tarring Pylons Latest

This is to confirm that the remaining concrete bases and steelwork that have been left by the contractors at West Tarring will be removed to a metre below ground level; this work is scheduled for this coming week and should be complete by the end of the month. Other remedial work is also in hand. Any Association members unhappy please contact Peter Webb via this site or at secretary@worthingallotments.co.uk or by phone.

(18/02/09)

Stores News

Potatoes are now in so please come and collect them at the stores. There could be one or two spares if you under-ordered, or forgot to order, but not Charlotte. Onions are in too and there are plenty of reds and some extra shallots. We have also made a bulk purchase of Shamrock compost as it is due to go up shortly. Our price: £4.15p for 75 litres.

(05/02/09)

Secretary Contact

Our secretary, Peter Webb, can now be contacted directly if you want him on particular on:
                                                                                               secretary@worthingallotments.co.uk
For anyone else on the committee just click on the "Contact us" button.                                                                         (05/02/09)

Stores News

Shallots (Yellow Moon) and onion sets, both red (Red Baron) and white (Sturon), are now in the stores waiting for you to buy at the bargain price of 95p per lb. Shamrock multi Compost is about to disappear from our suppliers due to extreme price increases, but we have secured a 42 pallet for each of the stores which should carry us on for some time. Seed potatoes will be in this weekend, but there will be a small delay in issuing them as there are 31 bags to be weighed up. There will be some spare stock but this will have to wait until all orders have been dealt with. This season's seeds are also in.

(22/01/09)

New Year's Day Walk

Seven hardy souls* made the walk on New Year's Day. It was a bit grey and chilly but hardly any wind. We wandered our way to Nepcote Green and then past the site of the convent before coming to the big stables. Onwards and upwards along the broad chalk path that eventually came out to the Cissbury / Chanctonbury track. The muddy section had almost dried out and was still frozen so the caution for sturdy footwear was a bit unnecessary.

Heading north towards Chanctonbury and trying to be aware of the countryside, we spotted small white piles of soil and it was decided that they were the result of moles who must have a hard time looking for worms in such chalky surrounds. Having done our nature watch we were able to get back to putting the world to rights and reminiscing over how thing were done better in our youth.

We turned off the main path before the South Downs Way and headed down towards North Farm which meant that we were able to freewheel down the hill. At the foot of the hill is Pest House which in times past acted as an isolation house for those stricken by disease who were banished from the village. Continuing along the road towards the A24 we turned up a short hill to Gallops Farm before heading back towards Findon.

Instead of walking along the main road in Findon we sauntered along Cross Street with its mixture of houses and then back for a beer and a bite to eat at that Black Horse. The pub was heavily booked for lunch but they laid up another table and we all ate more than we had walked off. It was pleasant way to start the New Year, but perhaps not a good way to start the diets.
(*But not as hardy/daft as those running in the sea - See Photo Page - Ed)

(05/01/09)

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