Dear Member,

Things are in full swing now, and it’s a busy time on the allotments. Many of you will be preparing beds, sowing seeds, or transplanting seedlings started in the greenhouse a few weeks ago. Early seed potatoes can be planted out if you haven’t already done so. Successional sowings of beetroot, carrots, and lettuces will help keep a steady supply and avoid gluts later in the season. It’s also the right moment to think about sowing parsnips, leeks, and turnips.

🌐 Our New‑Look Website

Have you visited the WHGAA website recently? It’s had a major refresh and now includes much more information, updates, and resources for members.

Take a look: whgaa.org

🥔 Growing Better Swedes

It’s been a long time since many of us have managed a really good swede crop. Last year’s bought‑in plants didn’t perform well, and advice online is mixed: some say swedes must be sown directly into the soil, while others recommend starting them in pots or modules.

Swede is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that can be grown at home. Grow them yourself for organic produce with better flavour than shop-bought swedes. Sown in late spring, they’ll be ready to harvest for warming and hearty meals in the depths of winter.

Here’s a simple, reliable method:

• Create a shallow drill using a trowel or even your finger along a straight edge.
• Place labels at each end so you can find your row later—sticks will do if labels aren’t handy.
• Water the drill gently.
• Sow seeds about 5cm apart.
• Once seedlings are growing well, thin them to 20cm spacing.
• Cover lightly with soil and hope for the best.

As swedes are brassicas, remember to net them—pigeons love a nibble.

🌿 Sowing Peas

Starting peas undercover in modules or jiffy pots helps ensure good germination and protects them from rodents. When seedlings reach around 10cm tall, using a dibber or trowel, plant out the whole clump of three seedlings:

• Space clumps 8cm apart in a row.
• For double rows, leave 30cm between rows.
• Support with twigs or netting as they grow.

🎟️ Members’ Prize Draw

Only two more draws remain, and several prizes are still unclaimed. Pop down to the hut to check your numbers—and while you’re there, why not enter our competitions?

🌱 Plants for Sale

Peppers, aubergines, and tomatoes are growing well and should be available around the third week of April. Tomato varieties Harbinger and Moneymaker have shown poor germination this year—has anyone else noticed the same?

Plants this year will be 75p each, with 25p donated to Willen Hospice. Based on last year’s sales, we expect to raise over £300.

Cucumbers and melons will follow in early May.

🏆 Competitions Update

Just three weeks left to enter any of our three fundraising competitions:

• Treasure Map – pick five squares for £1; there are 23 prizes available
• Guess the Beans in the Jar – win £10
• Guess the Weight of the Cake – and win the cake itself

All entry fees go directly to Willen Hospice. Join in the fun and support a great cause.

🎉 50th Anniversary Celebrations

The secret’s out! If you’ve visited the website, you’ll know we’re offering:

Saturday 11th April

🛒 5% discount on all purchases

🕙 Open 10am–12 noon

Sunday 12th April – Our 50th Anniversary!

🎉 10% discount on all purchases

🕙 Open 10am–2pm

👋 The Mayor and a representative from Willen Hospice will join us around midday to receive this year’s fundraising total.

🍪 Light nibbles will be available, and competition winners will be announced.

Please mark the date—we’d love to celebrate with you.

🧪 Fertiliser Offers

Our 10% discount on all WHGAA‑bagged fertilisers continues until the end of March.

We’ve also reduced prices on all 2.5kg, 5kg, and 25kg bags.

Dear Member,

March is a busy month for sowing but be aware that we may still get some cold nights so any seeds sown may need protection. March is the time to start sowing vegetables outdoors like peas, carrots and beetroot. I like to also sow the spring onions out now as they take a while to mature. There is still time to sow broad beans direct into the ground and you may be considering starting your parsnips. 

Membership prize draw: 

Winning numbers still not claimed. If these three numbers appear on your membership card in this order, 30?4, 32?0. 32?0 or 33?3 then maybe you should get to The Hut. There’s a £10 voucher to spend in The Hut if you are a winner. More next week.

Onion and Shallot sets and Garlic: 

Get planting onion, shallot and garlic sets now for a bit of punchy flavour in your future meals. Keep checking the onions as the birds may mistake the tops for worms and pull them up out of the ground. If you have bought garlic them break down the bulb and plant each clove individually.

In the greenhouse: 

If you covered your greenhouse in bubble wrap or another kind of insulation, consider taking it down now to allow more light to pour in. Watch the weather though as we may just get some more cold days yet.

Cutting the lawn: 

If you are intending to cut your grass then keep the mower blades high to start with, lowering them gradually over the next few cuts as the ground warms up and dries out. It’s also worth doing a spot of weeding in the lawn now so that the grass has a chance to root into the gaps you make.

Don’t forget the hedgehogs: 

I keep hearing that members have hedgehogs that visit their garden, March is the time when they come out of hibernation and they may need supplementary food. Boost hedgehog food sources by making piles of leaves and wood to attract beetles. 

The vegetable patch: 

You can plant bare root asparagus crowns this month, providing that the soil is draining well. Choose an open sunny space but be prepared to wait, they take a couple of years to get established. If you have planted cabbages or any other brassicas outside, now is a good time to give them a dose of nitrogen-rich fertiliser to help them along. If you are preparing your brassica bed, then you could spread some lime in the area to increase the Ph value which they thrive on.

Competitions update: 

All three competitions are now in full swing with the results to be announced on Sunday April 12^th. Most interest appears to be with the treasure map and all you must do is pick five squares on the map for a £1 entry fee, there are 23 prizes on offer.

The ‘guess the beans in the jar’ continues and the final competition which started last weekend was to guess the weight of the cake (to win it).

ALL entry fees will be donated to the Willen Hospice so please enter the fun by having a go.

50^th anniversary celebrations: 

On Sunday April 12^th The Hut will be open between 10am and 2pm as we are hoping that many of you will be joining in with the celebrations planned. The results of the competitions will be announced, and we are expecting the mayor to attend as well as the presentation to Willen Hospice of the money raised so far. We would love to see you there so please make a note in your diary now. Keep an eye on the weekly newsletter for special offer updates.

The 10% off all WHGAA bagged fertiliser has been extended for March.

We have reduced the price of all 2.5Kg and 5Kg bags of fertilisers as well as the 25Kg bags.

If you do not want to receive this weekly email, then you need to let me know by emailing me using: whgaa2801@gmail.com.

Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

Dear Member,

We continue to draw three member numbers each weekend, but we still have 15 unclaimed £10 vouchers. For this week, if these three numbers appear on your membership card in this order, 33?4, 34?9. 35?0 or 37?0 then maybe you should get to The Hut. More next week.

The 50^th anniversary competitions are now in full swing.

Treasure map: 

Just pick five locations on the map of Milton Keynes for £1. There are 26 prizes on offer.

Guess the number of beans in the jar:

50p a guess to win a £10 voucher to spend in The Hut.

And the last competition was started last weekend:

Guess the weight of the cake: 

50p a guess to win the cake. A very fruity, boozy cake I am told.

All entry fees will go towards the Willen Hospice so please support these when you next visit The Hut.

Round it up for charity:

So many of you are ‘donating’ your change by rounding up your purchase to the nearest pound. Many thanks to those that have donated so far.

Growing parsnips: 

We all have methods to ensure we grow a good parsnip. Some like to spread the seed on kitchen paper, keep it moist and leave in a warm place until planting on. Others like to use the root trainers which can work but you need to plant them out once you see two leaves forming. Sowing indoors is generally not recommended, as parsnips form a tap root that doesn’t transplant well but with care it can work.

Parsnips have a reputation for being tricky to germinate, but if you wait until the soil has warmed up in mid-spring, use fresh seeds and sow plenty, you should have good results. Sowings made in March and April, and even early May, tend to do much better. Covering the soil with cloches for a couple of weeks before sowing also helps to dry it out and warm up the soil.  Prepare the soil by removing as many stones as possible and loosen heavy clay or compacted soil, so your parsnips grow long, straight roots that don’t fork. Don’t dig in any organic manure immediately before sowing, as this can also cause roots to branch and fork.

Sowing Seeds yet?

I have sown all the peppers (chilli and sweet) which will be on sale in mid-April but due to the lack of sun you need to be very careful with watering. Overwatering tiny seedlings can lead to serious problems. Young crops need plenty of moisture but saturating soil on a regular basis can encourage soil borne fungi to spread. If you notice brown patches on the stems, then it’s likely this is the problem. Last year I lost a lot of plants and because of the lack of sun so far, I have a few dying back.

Plenty of flower and vegetable crops can be sown in March, as the days begin to lengthen and become warmer. March is a good time to sow hardy vegetables (peas, broad beans, carrots, beetroot, salad leaves, parsnips) and planting onion/garlic sets. Under cover, start heat-loving seeds like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

Seed Potatoes: 

Keep an eye on your seed potatoes, assuming you are chitting them, but don’t be too hasty to plant them in the ground. Plant them too early and any growth may appear when there are still frosts around meaning you will have to cover them with fleece to protect them or rake earth over them to cover. 

As a guide:

    First earlies – plant around late March

    Second earlies – plant in early to mid-April

    Maincrops – plant in mid-April to early May

If you don’t have space in the ground, you can grow potatoes in large containers, where they’ll produce a decent crop. Early varieties are the most suitable, as the plants are smaller and mature more quickly.

Hardy annuals such as cornflowers and poppies can also now be sown direct outside, where they are to flower. These do best on ‘poor’ soil, so don’t enrich it with fertiliser. Half-hardy annuals such as dahlias, zinnias and perennials are best sown under glass and should be planted out into fertile soil after all risk of frost has passed.

The 10% off all WHGAA bagged fertiliser has been extended for March.

We have reduced the price of all 2.5Kg and 5Kg bags of fertilisers as well as the 25Kg bags.

If you do not want to receive this weekly email, then you need to let me know by emailing me using: whgaa2801@gmail.com.

Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary