🌱 Preparing for the Busy Season Ahead

Dear Member,

As summer approaches, we all become busy preparing the ground for the plants sown over the last month or two.

🌡️ Be aware: we may still get a few cold nights, so keep tender plants — tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers — indoors a little longer if you plan to grow them outside.

🥔 Potatoes – Frost Damage

If your potato plants have been caught by frost, don’t panic.

• ❌ Remove blackened or damaged foliage
• 🌱 Plants usually produce new shoots within 10–14 days
• 🕒 Expect a slight delay to your harvest
• 🛡️ Protect remaining growth by:
  • Earthing up soil
  • Using fleece, plastic or sheets to prevent further damage

🌿 Plants for Sale This Weekend

Due to demand, I sowed more Big Daddy tomatoes 3–4 weeks ago, so I’ll be bringing around 60 plants to The Hut this weekend.

I also have a small number of Tomato Principe Borghese (a cherry plum type) — only about a dozen.

Also available:

• 🍅 A range of tomatoes
• 🥒 Cucumbers
• 🍈 Melons

💙 25p from every plant sold is donated to Willen Hospice.

💙 Willen Hospice Fundraising Update

We continue to raise money for Willen Hospice.

If you’d like to donate or round up your purchase, please let us know.

🌟 Plant sales have already raised over £200, and when added to our 50th anniversary donation, we have now raised just over £1,000 this year.

🪴 Container Growing Tips

May can bring very warm days, and pots dry out quickly.

• 💧 Keep a close eye on watering
• 🌼 Begin feeding with a dilute liquid fertiliser, especially for flowering or fruiting plants
• 🪣 For late spring sowings:
  • Line containers with polythene
  • Add water‑retaining granules
  • This reduces how often you need to water

🍈 Growing Melons – A Challenge!

I’ve decided to try growing a melon at home this year — and it seems many of you have too.

🌱 Planting

• When plants reach 10cm (4 inches), move them to large pots or growbags under glass
• Provide support and tie stems as needed
• 🌼 Hand pollination is required
• Remove male flowers after use

🌿 Training

• When the main stem reaches 60cm (24 inches), pinch out the tip
• Select the four strongest side shoots
• Pinch each out after three leaves
• New side breaks: pinch out after two leaves, then again after one leaf

Now you know what’s involved — good luck!

🌽 Time to Sow (May)

May is a great month to sow:

• 🥒 Courgettes
• 🎃 Squashes
• 🌽 Sweetcorn
• 🫘 Runner beans (I sow mine mid‑May and put up the canes at the same time)
• 🫘 Dwarf beans — stagger sowings:
  • Five now
  • Five in three weeks
  • This avoids a glut and keeps the neighbours safe from surprise veg deliveries

🍓 Fruits of Your Labour

This is a key time for fruit set and swelling.

💧 Keep plants well watered to avoid checks in growth that can reduce yields.

🌻 Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

🌼 Bringing Colour to the Plot This Spring

Dear Member,

My allotment gardening always focuses on the vegetables I can grow — I leave the flowers to my wife. As a result, most of my weekly articles are veg‑based, but there’s always room for flowers to brighten up the plot.

🌸 Cosmos

Add some cheer to your garden or allotment with these wonderful blooms — they’re great for attracting pollinators too.

Cosmos are half‑hardy annuals, meaning they flower all summer but cannot withstand frost.

• 🌱 Sow under cover in April for earlier, more abundant blooms
• 🌤️ Outdoor sowing from May to early June, once frost risk has passed
• 🐝 Excellent for bees and beneficial insects

🌻 Sunflowers

Growing sunflowers from seed is easy — all you need is a sunny, sheltered spot and good soil.

• 🌱 Enrich soil with compost or well‑rotted manure
• 🐌 Protect young plants from slugs and snails
• 💧 Water regularly
• 🪢 Stake if growing in an exposed position

Choose your variety carefully:

• Dwarf types: ~50cm
• Tall varieties: up to 3m

Sow seeds in pots from April and plant out a few weeks later.

For height, feed weekly with a nitrogen‑rich fertiliser and stake taller varieties.

💐 Cut Flower Seeds – New at The Hut

New this year is a range of cut‑flower seeds ideal for growing at home or on the allotment.

• ✂️ Cut mature stems for vases, bouquets or arrangements
• 🌈 Mix colours, shapes and textures for beautiful displays
• 🔁 Many varieties flower again when regularly cut

A great way to bring colour indoors and support pollinators outdoors.

🪴 Plants for Sale

The first vegetable plants went on sale last weekend — lots of interest and lots sold.

I still have plenty of stock, so there will be more available at The Hut this weekend.

🥕 Carrot Root Fly

Carrot root fly is a tiny insect that attacks carrots, celery, celeriac and parsnips.

They become active in May, so now is the time to protect April sowings.

• 🕸️ Cover with fine vegetable mesh
• 🌱 Drape over hoops or lay directly on the ground
• 🚫 Ensure no gaps for flies to enter

I’ve never done this myself, but I may give it a try this year.

🐦 Feeding the Birds – New RSPB Advice

The RSPB now advises not feeding birds using feeders between May and October due to the spread of disease.

✔️ Do:

• 🧼 Clean feeders and water baths weekly
• 🔄 Move feeders regularly to prevent disease build‑up

❌ Avoid:

• Flat surfaces such as tables or tray‑style feeders

🌿 Instead, plant bird‑friendly species:

• 🌻 Sunflowers
• 🌾 Teasels
• 🌿 Ivy

These provide natural food sources and support healthy bird populations.

🌻 Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary

🎉 50th Anniversary Celebration – This Weekend!

Dear Member,

It has finally arrived — WE WILL BE CELEBRATING OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY THIS WEEKEND!

What better time to stock up on essentials such as tomato food, slug pellets, MP compost and netting? Most of you have already bought your seeds for this year, but with an extra 5% or 10% off this weekend, why not stock up for next year too?

EVERYTHING is reduced, depending on which day you visit The Hut.

We expect some items — especially composts — to sell out quickly, but we’ve done our best to meet demand.

All competitions are now closed, and the list of winners will be announced this weekend.

📅 Weekend Schedule

Saturday 11th April – 5% Discount

🕙 Open 10am–12 noon

All members receive 5% off all purchases.

Sunday 12th April – 10% Discount

🕙 Open 10am–2pm

⭐ 10% off all purchases

🥨 Light nibbles available

🏆 Competition results announced

🎖️ The Mayor will visit around midday

💙 A representative from Willen Hospice will attend to receive the total donations raised so far

Please make every effort to come along and celebrate with us.

🛒 Back in Stock

• 🌱 Thatcher’s 60L compost (60L) is now available again — but with this weekend’s discounts, it may not last long.
• 🌿 Replacement for Erin compost is now Clover.

🌿 Growing Tips from Mick

🌱 Broad Beans

My broad beans, planted a few weeks ago, are now growing well. Soon they’ll need support to prevent them falling over.

I place 4ft canes at 3ft intervals around the double row, then use string or twine to tie along and across the row. As they grow taller, I add more string to support the tops.

🥒 Courgettes

Courgettes are easy to grow from seed, and just a few plants will keep you well supplied all summer.

I recommend no more than three plants.

Try different varieties:

• 💛 Atena Polka (yellow)
• 💚 Zucchini (green)
• 🟢 Boldenice F1 (round green)

🫘 Runner Beans

Many people plant out runner beans in May, meaning they were sown in April — a risk, as they dislike the cold.

I sow mine in mid‑May, two seeds per jiffy pot. They’re ready to plant out in early June.

To protect them from cold or wind, I place 2ft-high plastic sheeting around the outside and remove it once the weather warms.

🌼 Plants for Sale

There will be no plant sales this weekend due to the anniversary celebrations.

Most plants need another two weeks of growth anyway.

The big rush will begin Saturday 18th April, when we’ll have:

• 🌶️ Peppers
• 🍅 Tomatoes
• 🍆 Aubergines

Cucumbers were sown later due to limited greenhouse space, so they may need an extra week.

🌻 Happy Gardening

Mick Goodman

Membership Secretary