A local farmer in Beverley, Tamara Hall, is providing 4 acres of land for allotments.
There was a waiting list of over 300 for allotments in Beverley, but that has now been drastically reduced as 64 people have signed up for the new allotments at the Molescroft Grange Community Allotments.
- Full sized plots will be available for those with previous experience, half sized plots for those who are less experienced or with less time available.
- Long term it is hoped that local schools and day care centres will visit the allotments to learn about how their food is grown.
- Disabled access will be provided with an allotment specifically designed for people with reduced mobility.
- An orchard is planned with heritage varieties of various fruit trees and a pollen and nectar bee-friendly area will also be included.
Beverley are lucky to have such a forward looking local farmer who is interested in providing allotments for the local community.
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Building a Productive Greenhouse – a guest post by Caitlin Smythe
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Many gardeners use greenhouses to cultivate exotic, heat-loving or tender plants, to get seedlings ready for re-planting or to extend the seasons and make use of the waning autumn sun. Even gardeners with small, unheated greenhouses can make the most of the sun’s warmth to produce vegetables that are nutritious and tasty. Start by having a look at some of the best public greenhouses available in your area.
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One of the most impressive greenhouses open to the public is in
Kew Gardens in London. The Princess of Wales Conservatory is divided into ten computer-controlled micro-climactic zones and populated with Dry Tropics and Wet Tropics plants. Every inch of this conservatory is covered in plant life – from ferns clinging to rock faces to climbers twisting up columns – so that visitors can spend hours taking in the subtle and fragile details of beautiful collections of orchids, cacti and bromeliads. It’s certainly worth the visit for budding gardeners but remember to look for voucher codes before paying full entrance fees.
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Naturally, not every home garden is equipped with the kind of resources available at Kew; however, it’s possible to have a productive greenhouse for most of the year. Electrically heated greenhouses provide optimum temperatures for growing vegetables but they do tend to weigh heavily on homeowners’ utilities bills. A warm greenhouse is an excellent place to grow fragile vegetables such as aubergines, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, and while these are fun to prune and harvest, they’re great to serve at the dinner table as well.
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For home gardeners just starting out, it’s important to insulate greenhouses, whatever the mode of heating you choose. Begin by sealing cracks, replacing panes and ensuring that doors fit snugly. It’s really important to protect plants from frost and experts recommend draping fleecing over plants or covering the whole greenhouse with roll-down blinds during cold snaps.
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Name of author: Caitlin Smythe
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Rainfall in the TopVeg garden in 2011 was 413 ml
- January 12.5 ml
- February 60 ml
- March 9.5 ml
- April 1 ml
- May 25 ml
- June 43 ml
- July 51.5 ml
- August 71.75 ml
- Sept 15.5 ml
- Oct 62 ml
- Nov 15 ml
- Dec 46 ml
The annual rainfall in the TopVeg Garden:
The annual rainfall in 2011 was the lowest we have had in the TopVeg garden in 6 years, even lower than 2010. What was yours?
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Courgette ‘Black Forest’ is a climbing Zucchini; an F1 Hybrid, latin name Cucurbita pepo.
This climbing Courgette is an ideal variety for growing in containers on the patio. As it grows upwards it saves space and is more ‘controlable’.
The long stems are tied onto a trellis or netting to help them grow upwards.
courgette black forest
Courgette Black Forest:
- produces heavy yields
- dark green, smooth, cylindrical 15cm (6”) courgettes
- height: 120cm (48″)
- spread: 60cm (24″)
- sow in April, May or June
- flowers June – August
- likes full sun
Click this link to buy some seed of the climbing Zucchini Courgette Black Forest.
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Every vegetable is unique – and so able to be identified by their growers!
Two men were caught in Brampton, acting suspiciously & carrying bags of vegetables. The police lined the veg up on the roadside & held an identity parade. A marrow with distinctive stripes was recognised by one allotment grower!
The story of how the unique vegetables were identified is written in today’s Daily Telegraph.
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A carefully chosen watering can will add to the enjoyment of growing your own vegetables.
The watering can should be:
well balanced, easy to handle, durable, long lasting, value for money, & decorative
A watering can needs:
* a handle in a balanced position – to hold when carrying the can without spillage
* a handle in a ‘backward’ position – to hold when pouring from the rose
* a removable rose so that the can may be used without a rose and so that the rose can be cleared when blocked (the rose is the perforated attachment at the end of the spout). Roses can be either round or oval. The shape and angle of the rose will determine the force of the stream of water from the rose.
* a spout which is slightly higher than the height of the body of the can to allow the watering can to be filled to the brim.
Watering cans may be made of:
- galvanized iron (heavy, more expensive, longer lasting, may rust)
- plastic – light, cheap and durable . Plastic has smoother edges & is therefore less likely to bruise your legs.
Specifications of watering cans
*1. Spouts-
- Long spouted ( long reach) cans are useful to reach to the back of the vegetable garden, or if you are going to be spraying seedlings with finer sprayheads.
- Shorter spouted cans are suitable for general watering jobs around the garden especially pot watering and spraying established plants. They are also easier to store.
- Curved spouts have been designed especially for accurate spot-on watering of individual plants & plant pots
*2. Size – Two smaller watering cans, instead of one big one, are easier to carry. Water is heavy. Carrying two smaller cans distributes the weight more evenly as there is a can in each hand.
*3. Colour – have different coloured cans to avoid the risk of contamination with weedkillers. Have one red plastic watering can for soluble fertilizers or weed killers; plastic because some chemicals should not be used in galvanised watering cans. A green watering can be kept for pure water
*4. Shape – Narrow-profile rectangular watering cans may be held closer to the body than round ones, allowing better posture and causing less strain for the gardener.
Click this link to buy a Hawes watering can from Thompson & Morgan.
Haws Watering Cans are generally accepted as being the best watering cans you can buy.
Watering cans make a perfect present for the gardener.
There are still a lot of jobs to do in the garden in November, particularly in this mild weather; there are seeds to sow, crops to harvest & there is the general tidying up of the vegetable garden.
Sow in November:
broad-bean-rows-seedlings
Plant in November:
November Harvest:
fresh-celery
big-sprouts-below
Other gardening jobs to be done in November:
dig
- digging, if it is not too wet, otherwise leave till the new year
- applying well rotted farm yard manure or compost to ground where next year’s crop will be peas, beans, onions, leeks, celery or spinach
- clear fallen leaves and put them on the compost heap
- collect, clean and store bean supports
- check stored crops & remove any which are starting to decay
- keep an eye out for pigeons & slugs which may be a problem in November
http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2283&awinaffid=86595&clickref=&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thompson-morgan.com%2Fseeds1%2Fproduct%2F138%2F2.html
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Work in a Blossoming Industry by visiting author, Emma Walker
There are many reasons why being a vegetable enthusiast is a great hobby, not only do you get to spend your days outdoors but you also get to eat your produce. There are hundreds of garden enthusiasts out there who produce some of the most spectacular veg in the country, but many of them have never considered turning their hobby into a full-time job. There are hundreds of garden jobs out there, with roles ranging from working in agriculture to setting up kitchen gardens, the possibilities are endless. Whether you are set on working with veg or looking to diversify and work with fruit the world is your oyster.
With vineyards in this country increasing in number there are many opportunities to work within this blossoming industry. Whether you help to grow the grapes or assist in the picking, being involved in the production of wine can be an exciting activity.
There are also many stimulating possibilities abroad and if you are willing to give your time you can be involved with projects in Africa and other countries across the world. Living in harsh environments many African communities rely on the food they eat to survive, so charities like FARM provide the expertise needed to empower communities to control their own destinies. Producing food is one of the most important things that a person can do and being self-sufficient is a remarkable feat. So bringing the expertise learned from pootling around the garden can give you the knowledge needed to bridge the gap between a hobby and a job.
In the end people should do what they enjoy, whether you enjoy growing herbs or tomatoes there is a job in the industry for you. You could even sell some of your own produce to a local shop or market stall owner. Remember growing veg is not just a hobby; it can be a job opportunity.
Emma Walker
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Aluminium is an ideal material for planters as it does not rust and needs no painting or treatments. Aluminium is a very light metal so is the perfect metal for window boxes which are fixed to the wall.
mounted aluminium planter
The boat shaped planter in the photos is made by Matthew of Aluminium Art.
flowers in aluminium planter
The planters would make an ideal herb trough, similar to the one below which is growing mint, chives, thyme, oregano and borage.
herb-trough
The planters come with ready made drainage holes, so just need filling with compost before planting out.
There is great potential for growing fruit and veg, too. Strawberries grow well in containers, and tumbling tomatoes look spectacular. Click this link for more ideas for which veg to grow in containers.
Matthew builds each aluminium planter himself from scratch so is able to alter the size to suit. Free-standing aluminium planters look stunning and make an excellent present for a gardener. Traditional 10th wedding anniversary gifts have a theme of aluminium, so the planter would be most appropriate.
For more information click Aluminium Art; the aluminium planters make a welcome present which needs no aftercare!
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