Summer 2024 Newsletter
Welcome to the Summer edition of the Turvey Allotment Newsletter. A long wet Spring has thankfully passed and we have started to see a semblance of some Summer weather arrive over the last number of weeks along with an occasional shower which we won’t complain about. Hopefully the potatoes are shooting up and you have some onions, brassicas and a few salads moving along also. The next number of months can be the most enjoyable on our plots as a lot of the groundwork and heavy lifting has been done and we can get some time to watch our plot grow and blossom into something gratifying and worthwhile.
Competition time:
The AGM, horticultural competition, sunflower competition and barbecue will take place this year on Sunday the 18th of August. We had a great day last year with lots of families and friends getting their barbecues going and we also had activities for anyone who wanted to bring their children along. We hope to see a great turn out this year again, it is always a great day to catch up and socialise with other plotholders without a spade in our hands or our gloves on!!
There will be lots of prizes for the horticultural competitions, some of the competitions to be held are funniest vegetable, best basket of five, rudest vegetable, best plot etc.
Noise Levels
We had a number of complaints in regard to noise levels on site. While it is acceptable to have a radio at an acceptable noise level, please be mindful of your neighbours and if you are listening a radio/device and your neighbour is nearby it may not be any harm to ask them if it is at an acceptable level. A lot of plotholders attend the site for some peace and tranquility and it would be unfair on them if this was to be disturbed. We thank you for your cooperation with this matter.
SunSmart Sunscreen Dispenser
We were delighted to have been accepted to pilot sunscreen dispensers on the allotment site. I’m sure we are aware of the dangers to our skin and overall health of not using sunscreen during long periods on our plots so we would encourage you to make use of them. On your first time to use it scan the QR code and complete the survey in due course.
Seed and Plant Swaps:
We had our final plant and seed swap days last Saturday from at the polytunnel on the Jimmy Johnston plot. We will look at running this on an annual basis if the demand is there. In a similar vein to the above, we get occasional emails offering sheds/polytunnels, etc., if you have something on your plot and it is in fairly good condition and you are looking to get rid of it, email the committee and we will circulate an email offering it to plotholders.
Jimmy Johnston Plot Tidy Up:
We are going to do a tidy up of the Jimmy Johnstone plot at the centre of the main car park from 11 to 1 on Saturday June the 15th. Many hands make light work so if you are free for an hour or two this Saturday, your help would be much appreciated.
Blight:
We are now approaching blight season which occurs from mid-July onwards and it is good to be aware of the signs and symptoms. Weather conditions which favour the spread of the disease occur when temperatures rise above 10C and relative humidity rises above 95%. The initial symptoms of blight on potato plants are small, dark spots or lesions on leaflets, usually on the margins. During humid conditions, a fine white downy growth may be seen around the edge of the lesion, on the underside of the leaflets. These plants can act as a source of infection for nearby potato crops. Destroy all potato dumps by applying Glyphosate or Diquat based products, and make sure that only blight free tubers are sown.
Lock the gate
We kindly ask everyone to lock the gate correctly when entering and exiting the allotments even if you are only calling in for a few minutes We must be aware that there may be people loitering around later in the evening when there is nobody present in the allotments and could easily damage polytunnels, greenhouses or sheds.
