Dear Member,
🎃 With Hallowe’en approaching, thoughts turn to ghosts and ghouls. You may already be choosing home-grown pumpkins to carve into spooky faces for the night.
To pick the best pumpkin for carving, look for a firm, deep-orange pumpkin with a sturdy, healthy stem and a flat bottom so it sits steadily without wobbling.
🎃 Ready to Store Your Squashes
To prepare squash and pumpkins for storage:
✅ Harvest them when fully mature, leaving a short length of stem attached.
✅ Handle them carefully to avoid cuts or bruises.
✅ Wipe away loose soil with a dry cloth rather than washing them.
✅ Cure them in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place for 7 to 14 days to harden the skin and seal minor scratches.
✅ Inspect each one and use any damaged or soft specimens first.
✅ Store sound squash and pumpkins in a cool, dry, frost-free area with good air circulation.
✅ Keep them off damp floors and slightly apart so rot cannot spread easily.
🔍 Check them regularly and remove any showing mould, soft spots, or decay.
🏡 Hut Opening Hours Update
⚠️ Please note: As most members know, we move to Saturday-only opening during November and December.
October
📅 Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th October
🕤 Open as normal: 9:30am to 12 noon
📅 Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th October
🕤 Open as normal: 9:30am to 12 noon
Then it changes to:
📅 Saturday 31st October
🕤 Open 9:30am to 12 noon
❌ Sunday 1st November
Closed
November
📅 Saturdays 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th November
🕤 Open 9:30am to 12 noon
December
📅 Saturdays 5th and 12th December
🕤 Open 9:30am to 12 noon
🔒 After these dates we are CLOSED.
🌱 We reopen on Saturday 9th January 2027, returning to normal Saturday and Sunday opening.
🕤 Opening hours will be 9:30am to 12 noon until 30th May.
🌱 What You Can Sow Now
🥬 Vegetables
- Cauliflower ‘Barcelona’
- Cauliflower ‘All The Year Round’
- Winter-hardy spring onions
- Spinach ‘Colusa’
- Pea shoots (‘Serge’)
🌿 Sow Outdoors
- Pea ‘Douce Provence’
- Pea ‘Meteor’
🌸 Flowers
- Achillea ‘Summer Berries’
- Delphinium ‘Magic Fountains’
- Sweet Peas
🥔 Check Your Stored Produce
🔍 Keep checking any onions or potatoes you are storing for winter and remove any that are starting to spoil.
🐭 Check any recently purchased onion or shallot sets that have not yet been planted to ensure nothing is nibbling them.
💡 Top Tips for October
🛒 Check garden centres and other stores for end-of-season bargains.
🪵 Collect bean poles and garden supports, clean them, and store them ready for next year.
♻️ Fill compost bins as you clear the plot and allow material to rot down for next year’s mulch.
🌱 Check your seed stocks and expiry dates. Many older seeds will still germinate, but success rates may be lower.
🧅 If you sowed Senshyu onions in August, October is a good time to plant them out on the plot.
🍂 Collect fallen leaves and make leaf mould. Simply place them in a black bag, make a few holes, and leave it at the back of the plot.
🧼 Once the greenhouse is empty, give it a thorough clean. The same applies to polytunnels.
🍅 Tough Skins on My Tomatoes
I was recently asked why some tomatoes develop tough skins. It turns out several factors can be responsible:
☀️ Heat and Sun
High temperatures and strong sunshine can cause tomatoes to develop thicker skins to reduce moisture loss and protect against sunscald.
💧 Inconsistent Watering
Allowing plants to dry out completely before heavy watering can stress the plant and produce tougher skins.
🧬 Genetics
Some varieties, such as Roma, plum, cherry, and crack-resistant types, naturally have thicker skins.
🧪 Over-Feeding
Too much high-potash or unbalanced fertiliser can lead to tougher fruit skins.
🐦 Special Offer
🎉 10% OFF from October through December
🐦 All bird feeders and bird food
🌻 Happy Gardening!
Mick Goodman
Membership Secretary
