Secretaries' Notes
     Happy New Year to everyone; hope you are all ready for the Spring, fast approaching. Seeds, onions and shallots are now in, so pop into your local Store now. 
     We had our AGM last November which was very well attended with lots of new faces. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Karen had to step down from the committe for personal reasons; a big Thank You to her for all the effort she put in, especially for the Christmas dinner which really was an excellent meal and a very enjoyable talk. Chairman Mike also stood down and has been replaced by Ian. Mike had been Chairman for some time as well as doing the books when we had no treasurer. His efforts are very much appreciated; Good Luck and Thank You, Mike. Many will know Ian from the Tarring Store. He has been Chairman before and we look forward to working together.
     Unfortunately I have to return to a subject I have not spoken about for a while - namely rubbish bins. They are exactly that, RUBBISH bins. They are NOT for soil, they are NOT for stones and they are most definitely
NOT FOR ANY ORGANIC MATTER that can be composted. Remember the "Bin Code".

1. Never, never bring your own rubbish on to the site for disposal.

2. Never leave rubbish on the ground. If it is too big to go in a bin it is your responsiblity to dispose of it elsewhere off site. If the bins are full, wait until they have been emptied. Remember, the bin men clear ONLY THE BINS. Anything left on the ground will stay there.

3. Do NOT put compostable waste in the bins. Put it in your compost heap. "Compostable waste" means virtually all green waste.

4. Do NOT put any soil in the bins. It takes years to produce good top soil and it is needed for future tenants.

5. Do NOT put stones and brick in the bins. It makes them too heavy to handle.

6. When you have finished putting your rubbish into the bin, look around and pick up anything that has fallen.

7. Take pride in your site and think how lucky we are to have such a great facility.

OR

     Do you want the council to carry out their threat to remove the bins and cancel the emptying service?

     Do you want your rent to be increased to pay for contracters to clear up the mess?

     We have decided to provide some half size plots at West Tarring for new tenants who want it. Anyone can have one but there is a limit of only per person. Anyone wanting more space will have to get a full size plot. It will also be possible from now on to have your plot cut in half to form two separate plots on the smaller sites. So, if a full size plot is too much but you still want to continue gardening you can contact Sasha at Worthing Council who will be able to arrange things.

     A talk by John Trimm entitled "All about veg" has been arranged for the 12th May. John is an accomplisehed grower and regularly wins at national level; you will also see him as a judge in the forthcoming TV series "The Great British Vegetable Show". The talk will be about growing for the table as well as the show bench. This event is for association members only - more details in the next Plotholder, which will also contain the application form for our Wisley trip.  

Terry and Jacqui Edwards, Joint Hon. Secretaries

************************************************************************************************

SHOW TIME
A Prize Worth Winning

     As take-up for the Best Kept Allotment and Best Front Garden has dwindled it has been decided that the Association is going to support "Worthing in Bloom" and we are going to sponsor the Best Allotment class.
     This means there is a first prize of £50 up for grabs and four runner-up prizes of £10. So what are you waiting for? Let's get going! With five prizes to be won it must be worth having a go, so watch out for the Entry Form - coming soon. £50.00 ... it could be you!
     By the way, although although last year's show was a big success we were short of floral entries - maybe because of the weather - so this year can we see more flower entries, please?

Jack Powis, Show Secretary

P.S. Have you started your wine yet?

Top of Page

*************************************************************************************************

TRADING NEWS
     At the time of writing this News there are still some onion sets available in the Stores. There are also some spare Wilja seed potatoes. If you are not able to get to Humber Store ask your Storeman and he will arrange for them to be delivered to him for you to collect.
     We will be having Shamrock Multi Compost again soon when stocks of Arthur Bowers Multi have been used and the price will be £3.40 for a 75l bag.
     Come and check out our prices on this year's seeds - probably the best value in town.
     Fleece is also available in all Stores at a very good price; protect your crops of carrots from carrot fly and flea beetle. ("It also works very well at keeping Cabbage White butterflies off your cabbages. It did so well for me last year I took first prize." - John the Webspider)

Peter Everett, Trading Secretary

Top of Page

**************************************************************************************************

PRODUCTS and IDEAS
   PAPER POTTER
     This is a simple gadget that actually works. You cut up strips of newspaper, roll them around a wooden mould, fold the ends over and press it into a matching cup and, hey presto, you have a biogradable seedling pot about 1.5" diameter by 2" long. Fill it with compost, raise your little plant and then plant the whole thing in the ground where the pot degrades with no disturbance of the roots. It is a great way of making pots for free and recycling newspaper at the same time.
     It costs £9.99 and comes from the Nether Wallop Trading Co., Andover. Their website is:

www.netherwalloptrading.com

 **************************************************************************************************

WILDLIFE MATTERS
     This is the first of what we hope will be an ongoing series of articles on the partnership between gardeners and the wildlife that surrounds us. It is all good scientific stuff, straight from English Nature, not the ramblings of some crank!
     Some gardeners may still regard wildlife as the enemy, imagining legions of furry, feathered, slimy and shelled pests with beady eyes fixed on their prize produce. It is true that left uncontrolled many creatures play havoc with a crop, but for every pest there is at least one predator ready to step in on your behalf. Attracting beneficial wildlife makes good sense and over the coming issues of Plotholder we will give many tips for doing so.
     The key is to look after the beneficial creatures that live on your plot or garden and to encourage more and more different ones to settle there. The first step is to reduce your use of toxic chemicals. Most pesticides are non-specific and will kill your friends as well as your foes, meaning that when the next wave of pests blow in they will have a free hand to multiply without check.
     The next step is to create suitable habitat for the right kind of creatures. These can include ponds, nest boxes, overgrown areas, log piles and wildflower and herb patches. More about this later but for now let's think of providing shelter by not being too quick cutting back and clearing and cutting the grass. Berries on ivy and in hedges are very important bird food in Winter, so do not cut them back too soon. If you want the birds to eat your caterpillars in the Summer make sure they survive the Winter.

Nathaniel Titlark

Top of Page

**************************************************************************************************

National Vegetable Society, Southern Branch AGM

     On the 10th January we attended the NVS Branch AGM at Falmer. The only AGM we have ever been to is our own, so we were not sure about going and sitting through someone else's! It was painless and quick - bit like the flu jab. We were a bit put out about the donation "usually £2" but after two cups of tea and a huge plate of savouries and cakes we let them off! They put on the food at every meeting; well worth the visit just for the grub.
     The highlight of the evening was the speaker - John Trimm - who is the Oz Clarke of potatoes. He has won loads of prizes for his spuds and certainly knows his stuff. Watch out for him on the "Village Show" on BBC in April.
     John recommends getting your potatoes from Scottish certified seed; try Castlemill. Go for SE1 and SE2 classification. (SE = Super Elite) If a nursery sells more than 50kg of potatoes they must display a Plant Passport which will give you information about seed potatoes. Avoid AAA.
     Growing for showing? John recommended Winston, Kestrel, Picasso and Harmony. For flavour, try Sharps Express, Maxine and Catriona. Plant first earlies at 12" apart, second earlies 15" apart and main crop 15" apart. You must rotate your potato crops because eel worms can live in the soil from one year to the next.
     John grows his Show potatoes in black bags and waters them with rain water; tap water contains lime which is a cause of scab - not good if you want to show. Winston potatoes take 8-9 weeks to produce a crop of 7-8oz potatoes ideal for showing. At this stage cut off all the haulms and leave in the bags for 3 to 4 days to allow the skins to harden. Cover the bags with newspaper to avoid rain. Just before Show Day turn the potatoes out on to a soft peat base so they do not get damaged, wash them with running water and a soft cloth. Polish off any scab.
     If you want to hear John talk come along on the 12th May. It will be good.                             

As we are an affiliated association any of our members can attend the Society's meetings. £2 is requested as a donation to cover costs.

Jacqui Edwards

**************************************************************************************************

GROWING TIPS 
SOIL FERTILITY
     Soil fertility is the key to successful vegetable growing. Good gardeners always increase the fertility of their soil by incorporating manure and compost.
     Manure is any well-rotted organic material of animal or vegetable origin which is added to the soil in reasonable quantities to improve soil fertility.
     Compost can be made by processing organic waste and is a very valuable addition for your soil. It is simple to do, so, don't rubbish-bin it — COMPOST IT!
     Suitable garden waste includes weeds, vegetable remains, leaves, thin prunings, nettles and comfrey. Perennial weeds should be killed first. Autumn leaves rot very slowly and are best gathered into a heap enclosed in wire netting, or store them in black plastic bags. It is best not to add cooked food to your compost heap, so do not let anyone toss in that half-eaten burger bun!
     Improving soil fertility is bound to be a gradual process. Take care not to undo the good work by cultivating soil which is very wet and avoid treading directly onto cultivated ground - use a board.

AN ONION BED
     Show onions are grown in a permanent bed in order to build up fertility. Kitchen plots should change onion sites annually.
     Onions require an open site and fertile well-drained soil. The soil should have been prepared several months in advance. Work in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost before sowing; onions should not be sown on freshly manured ground.
      Bulb onions are raised from seeds or sets, sets being much easier to grow than seeds which need a long growing season. Sow seeds indoors in January or February, harden off the seedlings and plant out in March or April.
     Plant seeds 4" (10cm) apart with 9" (22-23cm) between rows. Onion sets should be planted 4" apart but shallots need 6" (15cm) of space. For an almost year round supply it is necessary to make two sowings. Plant the first in Spring and the second in Autumn. 

MARCH TIPS
     * Sow in heat, under protection: celeriac, celery, lettuce, parsley, peppers, outdoor tomatoes
     * Sow outdoors, under protection: beetroot, summer cauliflower, carrots, salad plants
     * Sow outdoors: broad beans, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, summer and autumn cabbage, carrots, leeks, turnips

Derek

Top of Page

**************************************************************************************************

GOOD GARDENING AND HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL IN ISSUE No 2