IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY A MEMBER, PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING – ITS ONLY £5.25 A YEAR!!
ChAS Newsletter 3/08
November/December
Welcome to this Newsletter. What a
wet Autumn its been so far! In spite
of that, we hope you are well
advanced with your autumn work,
and looking forward to Christmas.
Committee contacts: Bill Taylor (Plot
8, Bay Horse), Chair 01257 262130
Elaine Kearsley (16, Crosse Hall)
Treasurer
Wendy Gaskell (10a Windsor Road)
Louise Beaven (6, Bay Horse) Vincent
Taylor (Crosse Hall)
Ken Brindle (14,
Crosse Hall). NEW COMMITTEE
MEMBER – Estelle Bryers
CHRISTMAS SOCIAL
Please come and join us for a few
drinks and a bite to eat at the
SPINNERS ARMS, Cowling Brow.
7.30 onwards on 11 December. You
can have a free drink on the Society
and we’ll have some bingo etc. ALSO
a SEED SWAP – so bring those
spare packets and see what you get!
Bring a guest if you like – we’d love
to see you there.
QUIZ – A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS £10
PRIZE – SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO
BILL TAYLOR, 16, DELPH WAY,
WHITTLE LE WOODS, PR6 7TG to
arrive by 15th December. If it’s a tie, the
winner will be drawn from a hat. Don’t
forget to put your name and address on
the answer sheet. And try not to use the
internet – its cheating!!
1) What are Edward VII, Epicure and
Arthur Turner?
2) When geese were walked from
Norfolk to London pre-Christmas,
how were their feet treated before
the journey?
3) What is the height of the tallest
sunflowers ever grown – worldwide
and in the UK?
4) What are Seigerrebe, Leon Millot
and Madresfield Court?
5) What would you eat if you were to
‘Dine with Duke Humphrey’?
Answers to last quiz:
1) ‘S’ herbs – Sorrel, Sage, Savory,
Salad Burnet, Sweet Cicely
2) They grew a British record Pumpkin
in 2004 (now beaten in 2008).
3) The figures are the pH values of the
foods
4) Prince Charles.
Hello and Welcome to Compost
Corner ! My name is Estelle Bryers.
I've joined the Allotment Society, but I
haven't got an allotment yet !
I'm very keen on Green Issues. I'm a
Compost Guru, a volunteer who helps
and advises people about home
composting.
I'm hoping pass on a few hints and tips
in each Newsletter from now on. I will
mostly be writing about composting, but
I will add a few ideas about
moneysaving and keeping things away
from landfill.
In November, the rotting process will
slow down as the weather cools. If you
are really keen, and need to keep things
going, wrap the bin in bubble wrap or
old carpet to keep the heat inside. I've
even seen old sleeping bags + coats
used this way.
You can still add wastes from your
kitchen, but how about composting the
fluff from your vaccum cleaner? Dust is
mostly human skin flakes and composts
very quickly. Any artificial fibres present
will not interfere with decay and can be
sieved out later on.
I collect ash from bonfires to put around
stems of plants and shrub bases. Slugs
don't like ash on their tummies! Of
course it will wash into the soil very
quickly. Do look out for nails etc in the
ash that might cause a problem later on.
Thanks to all contributors for their
work and to CBC for distribution
For more information contact Bill Taylor at billandrosie.taylor@virgin.net or 01257 262130
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY A MEMBER, PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING – ITS ONLY £5.25 A YEAR!!
TIPS FOR BEGINNERS.
This section is meant for those who are new to allotments or vegetable growing. Or
those who did it so long ago they have forgotten most of it. I am not trying to
teach your granny to suck eggs. So if you are experienced you can pass on your
excellent tips to my email address, along with your name or have a chat with me.
Prior to having an allotment, I had only ever grown a hyacinth and a broad bean in a
jar at school. So I know if you have never grown vegetables before or had so much
space, it can be a bit daunting.
Start off growing some easy things or the vegetables you really like to eat. You can
always add to your repertoire the following year as you become more confident.
FOR AUTUMN/WINTER.
* Start strimming and clearing beds now so your work is done before you are due to
plant things in spring. It means you can do a bit at a time. Let the frost do the hard
work and break it up for you.
* Add some horse manure as mulch. It will rot down making the soil more fertile and
you only have to turn the ground over once. A big thick layer not only adds
nutrients, it encourages worms and other useful soil creatures, it stops the light
getting through and keeps weeds down. It works for me. I only dig it in when
planting things in a particular spot. This manages to keep many weeds down over a
lot of the summer. Many stables let you take it away for free.
* Make a plan of what you are going to grow and where. I grow mine in 3 different
beds and I swap them about each year. I even draw a map of what I plant where,
how many rows, the variety (in case they are brilliant and I want to grow them
again) and the date (this might help next season). This allows you to buy only the
seeds you are going to use, believe me, there is a great temptation to buy lots of
seeds and then never use them. Don’t forget about flowers. They will attract the
bees, butterflies and hoverflies which, will pollinate your plants and give you a
better yield.
* Got a brilliant tip for the spring newsletter or a problem you want advice on (I’ll
ask the experts)? Send me an email to chorley_bury@yahoo.co.uk or see me on
plot 16 Crosse Hall.
Recipe: Lancashire Cheese and Onion Soup – From Wendy Gaskell
Ingredients: 2lb White onions, 2 oz butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 veg or chicken
stock cubes, salt and pepper, 8oz crumbly Lancashire cheese, crusty bread.
Method: Fry off onions in large pan using oil and butter until brown. Add 2 pints water
and stock cubes, season, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
Crumble in cheese just before serving with warm crusty bread. Enjoy it on a winter’s
evening!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY ALLOTMENTEERING NEW YEAR
For more information contact Bill Taylor at billandrosie.taylor@virgin.net or 01257 262130