‘March’ Hares and the Market Square…
Welcome to a Newsletter that is full of spring pace, busy-ness and plans for the
gardening year. It’s been a great winter, but now it’s definitely time to get cracking!
We’ve finally been out hiking and saw some exceedingly frisky (or plain violent?) hares,
doing their spring sparring. I think this is the most thrilling sight of the spring and it’s a
real privilege to be out and about watching these mythical and magic creatures.
Just as frisky and frolicsome, but not at all pugnacious, NOGs committee members
have had some lively meetings and have been thinking hard about how best to serve
our members. We are pleased that we have a very diverse membership in terms of
gardening experience, from people who have been gardening organically for decades,
to complete beginners. This, indeed, is the whole point. We exchange ideas and learn
from each other. But it does make it tricky to put on a programme that will suit
everyone. We try for a mix of meetings, ranging from the practical to the inspirational,
and of course we won’t please everyone all the time. But in particular we want to make
sure that if you’ve joined NOGs to learn how to grow fruit and vegetables organically,
you will do. So to supplement practical topics, which sit alongside more campaigning
topics, talks on local gardens, wildlife and so on, we have decided to offer training
workshops at our own allotment. We’re still at the planning stage with this, but the
thought is to have small groups and hands-on sessions on particular gardening tasks,
such as crop rotation and seed sowing. The workshops will be led by experienced
gardeners like Karen who also run training events in their professional lives.
In addition, we’re going to have a regular slot in the Newsletter aimed at beginners with
articles on the basics of growing fruit and vegetables. These will be written by
members, and (having at least made a lot of mistakes) I’ve contributed the first one on
growing potatoes. Let us know what further topics you would like to see covered.
Finally a great piece of news to report – we’ve finally had a NOGs stand in the Market
Square! We were invited to participate in the launch of Nottingham in Bloom 2010. This
was an excellent opportunity to speak to lots of people, give away/sell some of our last
seed potatoes (first 3 free), and generally to encourage people to have a go at growing
their own. Karen, Malcolm, Mike, Vanessa and the team had a fantastic day –
congratulations to all.
Visit to RHS Harlow Carr
We have provisionally booked a visit to the RHS garden at Harlow Carr on Sunday 20
June. They are wonderful gardens with a huge amount to see, and a great amount to
teach us too. The gardeners there pride themselves on stunning contemporary planting
in the main borders, and have a kitchen garden designed to offer practical advice. But
with such an extensive site there is much more on offer: woodland, a wildflower
meadow, an exhibit on the history of gardening, a scented garden, and of course, an
excellent plant centre. We can picnic or there’s a top-class eaterie – Betty’s tea room
(which means proper teas and heavenly cakes). Admission will be free as we are
affiliated to the RHS. The cost of the coach for each of us is likely to be about £10. So
hurry up and sign up – we’re going to have a great day out!
Contact Barrie for further information – phone him on 9602324, or, new for 2010: email!
The address is barrie.ward123@googlemail.com
2
The Thoughts of Chairman Barrie
(MAY A THOUSAND FLOWERS BLOOM!)
Pete (Newton) mentioned to me the other day how the Whitemoor hens are so friendly
they follow him around like the Pied Piper. Of course, it’s not difficult to see Pete in that
role, and not only with hens, but it does remind me how satisfying keeping hens really
is.
Some long time ago now, we kept hens under the fruit trees at the bottom of the
garden, some speckled Morans, a lovely Rhode Island Red, and a very vociferous
cockerel. I used to like to go down to their run and just watch their apparently
inconsequential meanderings. It was all very calming and tranquil, unless, as
sometimes happened in season, a ripe pear fell on an unsuspecting hen.
These thoughts about keeping free range hens have been encouraged not just by Pete,
but also by recent news of a proposed new unit at Nolton near Lincoln, not for hens, but
for keeping milking cows. According to reports, the idea is that up to 9000 cows will be
housed in enormous units where, according to its proponents their every need will be
met, including deep straw bedding and milking on demand. There’s an element of
doubt as to whether they will ever be allowed outside: one report suggests a period of
pastorage after lactation. So battery production is to be extended to dairy cows. But
aren’t they essentially a ruminant breed? Don’t they prosper in the deep lush grass of
an English summer and aren’t they part of the essential organic replenishment of the
soil? And, by the way, aren’t they also a quintessential part of our landscape?
According to the Soil Association, this so-called ‘super dairy’ is an ‘industrialisation of a
traditionally based pasturable system likely to cause lameness, poor body condition
and infertility.’ I will leave the last word to Patrick Holden: ‘This is the relentless
industrialisation and centralisation of our food and farming system driven by short term
profit.’
Over to you!
Barrie Ward
The Weather is always in control
Well the clocks have gone forward and so it must be spring. No-one has told the
weather yet! The first allotment work party after the clocks changed we were so
pleased that we had jobs to do inside the shed and the polytunnel as it was cold and
raining. So what I can say is that the shed has its first coat of paint inside and the
polytunnel has had all the green manure cut down and the beds prepared for the
summer crops. We have peas and broad beans ready to harden off but the weather is
so cold it’s difficult to do when there is no-one there all the time.
Easter Saturday work party was a very busy time – we had about 10 of us and Sprouts
working on the lawn area, preparing the ground for seed sowing which will hopefully
have happened by the time you receive this newsletter. In addition the early potatoes
went in with a lovely symmetry to the seasons as, after all the work, we sat down to
3
vegetable soup using the last of the stored potatoes from last year with a sprinkle of
fresh herbs from inside the polytunnel – the first of the season.
Once the lawn is sown that will be the last of the major infrastructure projects which
would have been done over the winter if plans had not been so rudely interrupted by
the snow. We can now get down to some ‘proper’ gardening. The next few weeks will
see a lot of planting and sowing in the formal and the informal beds. The main concept
behind the allotment is for it to be a demonstration allotment, demonstrating different
organic practices so we are intending to mix fruit, flowers, herbs and vegetables in the
informal beds.
The majority of the vegetables we grow are used for lunches for the work parties and
so as our work party size has grown over the last few months we must put our minds to
trying to grow more stuff that we can store and use over the winter months to try to be
more self sufficient – this necessity makes us think hard about using the polytunnel to
stretch the seasons and using some other ‘tricks’ or techniques to enable us to be able
to eat from the plot all year round. This in turn should also mean that we are able to
demonstrate more methods of growing and so be of more interest to our visitors. If you
haven’t visited the allotment yet, please come along on any work party day and have a
good look around – and work if you would like to. Alternatively, we hope to see lots of
you for the summer barbeque.
Request – we would like some globe artichokes for the informal areas. Could anyone
provide any root cuttings for us please?
If you have any questions or anything about the allotment please get in touch with me –
rospither@hotmail.co.uk or ring on the number on the back of the newsletter.
Subscriptions … a message from the Treasurer!
Subscriptions are due January each year. If it has slipped your mind or you would like
to join us, here’s how to pay up!
Post a cheque payable to
Nottingham Organic Gardeners:
Mike Spalton
108 Repton Road
West Bridgford
Nottingham
NG2 7EL
The subscription rates are:
Waged
Individual
Family
£10.00
£15.00
Concessions
Individual
Family
£7.00
£12.00
Or – a greener way to pay – email
me for details of how to set up a
standing order:
It would be even better just to see you at a
meeting or an allotment work party!
Thanks for your support.
michael.spalton@ntlworld.com
Mike Spalton, Treasurer
4
Growing Potatoes
What type of potatoes should I grow? You should grow proper seed potatoes that
have been certified disease-free. Lots of different varieties are available. As well as
flavour, the consistency and cooking quality of the variety are important, in particular
how floury or how waxy it is. Typically, floury potatoes are used for roast potatoes,
baked potatoes and chips. Very floury potatoes fall apart if boiled: for boiled spuds or
salads, a waxy variety works much better. So think about what you want them for.
Gardeners are always on the lookout for the perfect variety, with excellent flavour,
yield, consistency, and resistance to pests and diseases. You will probably find that you
have to compromise on something, though!
There are 1st earlies, 2nd earlies, and maincrops – usually subdivided into early
maincrop and late maincrop. These names have nothing to do with when to plant them
– it refers to the time they take from planting to harvest. First earlies will mature fastest.
They are ready in 12 weeks or so. Second earlies take 16-17 weeks. And maincrops
will need 18-20 weeks, so you won’t be lifting them until August or September.
What is chitting, and how do I do this? Is it necessary? Chitting is where you keep
seed potatoes in a cool, light, frost-free place (such as a garage or shed windowsill)
before you plant them to allow strong, dark shoots (chits) to emerge from the eyes of
the potato. The theory is that this gives them a headstart when planted. Small trials on
Gardeners’ World suggested that chitting was a definite advantage for first earlies, less
important for second earlies, and did not increase yields for maincrop varieties. An
ideal container is an egg box, but any shallow box or box lid will do. Place them with
the eyes to the light. Cool, light conditions mean that the chits will be strong and dark
green or deep red (depending on variety).
When do I plant seed potatoes? Potatoes are tender and there is not much point
planting them until the soil has warmed up a bit – but you don’t have to wait for the end
of the frosts as the soil will protect them in the early stages. Good Friday used to be a
traditional day for planting potatoes on allotments. From the end of March into the first
half of April is a good time to plant potatoes, depending on how cold the winter has
been. But even if you’re later – into May – you will still probably get a crop. Plant earlies
and maincrops at the same time.
How do I plant them? If at all possible, rotate the area you use to grow potatoes. A 3
or 4 year rotation should help prevent a build-up of potato pests. Potatoes prefer a spot
with some sun.
The classic method is to plant them about a spade spit down into trenches with some
well rotted manure or compost in the bottom. Potatoes are a hungry crop and
appreciate a soil rich in nutrients. Space first and second earlies 30cm / 12” apart along
the row, and allow 45cm / 18” between rows. If you can allow a wider row spacing of
50-60cm / 20-24” for second earlies, you should harvest bigger tubers. Maincrop
potatoes need more space: 37cm / 15” between tubers and 67 cm / 2’3” between rows.
Cover them over carefully so they are 10-15cm / 4”-6” down (a bit deeper works OK
too) down in the soil. Be careful not to break the chits as you plant them.
5
How should I look after them when they are growing? Watch out for late frosts
when the foliage has appeared. If frost is forecast, you could protect plants with
horticultural fleece, or old sheets etc. If the foliage does get frosted (blackened, curled
leaves), don’t panic. The plants will usually recover.
As the shoots emerge you should ‘earth them up’. This will also help protect against
frost, and it ensures that tubers develop away from the light – light turns tubers green,
and green tubers are toxic. Draw soil up around the plants with a rake or use a spade
carefully to take soil from between the rows to create a ridge with the top leaves of the
growing plants still visible at the top. Don’t cover the tops of the plants completely.
Clearly there’s a limit to how high you can earth them up, but if you can do this two or
three times in the early stages, it is beneficial.
Potatoes are pretty vigorous plants and will out-compete most weeds. Once they get
going, there’s not much to do. You might water them in dry periods, as they are thirsty
as well as hungry. Better a good soaking once in a dry fortnight than a little bit here and
there. But it’s not always practical to water a lot (on allotments, for example). And don’t
worry about this too much - in normal summers they will grow in the ground pretty well
without additional watering.
What about other methods of cultivation?
No-dig: in this method, you don’t really bury the seed potatoes at all, but place them
onto the surface of the soil or plant them just below the surface. You then cover them
over with a thick layer of straw, grass cuttings, compost, manure and so on, or a mix of
such material. Use the same spacing. Instead of earthing them up, add material around
them – more straw, manure, leafmould etc. The advantage is that this is physically
easier – less strain on the gardener’s back! Lifting them is also easier, as the tubers
form close to the surface. You can just root around with your hands and fish them out,
rather than using a fork (you inevitably damage a few with the fork). But it can be tricky
to keep the light off them, so you can have more green ones, and when I tried it, I found
that slug damage was significantly worse. Yields were fine, though, and this technique
certainly has its place.
Container growing: use a large container. A large compost bag or dustbin with
drainage holes is fine. You can also buy sacks designed for container growing. Don’t
be tempted to put too many tubers in – 3 is fine for a large compost bag. Start with
about 6-8” of compost and manure in your container (roll the top of the bag down). Put
the tubers in and cover with a few inches more compost and manure. As the shoots
appear, add more compost, manure or soil around them, leaving the top of the plant
visible, until you have got to the top of your container. Be aware that you will have to
water container grown spuds regularly. The first spuds I ever grew were in containers
and yields were respectable. They were also very clean, with little slug damage.
What is blight, and how do I cope with it? There are two sorts of potato blight – early
and late. Early blight has similar symptoms, but is less damaging to tubers – it is late
blight that growers are most worried about, a fungal disease that can devastate your
crop. This is the disease that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s and it also
affects tomatoes (the same family as potatoes). Blight spores are airborne and need
certain weather conditions to thrive – a period of 48 hours where humidity remains at
least 90% and temperatures do not drop below 10ºC. Our recent very wet summers
have made blight a big issue for potato growers. Blight is usually a disease of late
summer, but if the conditions are right (such as in 2007, a really dreadful early summer)
6
it can develop earlier – which is a problem as you lose the foliage before tubers have
reached a decent size. Blight is recognizable on the leaves and stalks of the potato
plants. Brown patches develop on the leaves, sometimes with a discernible paler or
yellow edge to the patch. You often see brown patches on the stalks too. If left, the
foliage goes completely brown and shrivelled and looks very dead. The disease
progresses via the foliage to the tubers. Infected tubers go soft and rotten with a
horrible smell. There are often white spots on the skin of the tuber. Some varieties are
more resistant than others, so this is something to weigh up in your choice of seed
potatoes. It’s heartening to learn that Charlotte, for example, a popular waxy variety,
has quite good resistance.
So here’s how to still get a crop – all learnt from bitter experience! Don’t delay too
long in getting your spuds in. It is easier to protect them against frost at the beginning
of the season than to protect them against blight at the end. Remove ‘volunteers’ from
previous year’s growing – these could harbour disease. Earth up – the soil might help
prevent or slow down rates of infection. If you water, try not to spray the foliage, but
water to the base of the plant as spores can be washed down through the soil and
infect tubers. Keep an eye on the foliage, particularly in August. When blight hits, it
progresses fast – watch what’s happening on other gardens. Lower leaves are often
the first to be infected. Remove blighted foliage as you spot it to try and prevent the
disease getting to the tubers. Don’t compost blighted material – burn it or get rid of it
away from the garden. Once 50% of the foliage has been removed, the tubers are not
going to grow any more anyway, so you might as well cut the whole haulm (stem) off at
the base. When you harvest, try to get all the tubers out to prevent diseased material
remaining in the soil. But do not lift the tubers immediately. Leave them be for 10-14
days. With the foliage removed, the blight spores should die off; they do not live in the
soil, but in living plant material. This will help you avoid infecting tubers as you lift them.
The skins of the tubers will also develop, which is important for good storage and will
give some protection as you harvest. Check tubers you have lifted every week or so for
a few weeks. There might be some blighted tubers that were not obvious as you lifted
them. After a few checks you should be rid of infected tubers. The remaining potatoes
should store normally and are fine to eat. In time you get used to recognizing blight and
monitoring your plants at the crucial time, and will find you’re able to get a crop in all
but the worst years.
If maincrop potatoes are more vulnerable to blight, why do people grow them?
Maincrop potatoes store longer than early varieties. If you are aiming to be selfsufficient in potatoes, then you should grow some maincrops so that you have some
decent spuds in March & April when the earlies are getting a bit soft, and starting to
sprout (they can still be eaten in this state – up to a point – though take longer to cook
& are harder to peel). If you’re only growing a few and don’t expect your crop to last
beyond Jan/Feb, you could concentrate on earlies to avoid problems with blight.
Are there any other problems I should be aware of? There are admittedly lots of
other problems that potatoes suffer from. Internet and book sources catalogue them in
depressing detail (and I will not give a list here), but don’t be put off, because despite
all the potential horrors, you usually get a crop. Some so-called problems do not affect
the potatoes much at all – scab on the skin is only really a cosmetic problem – these
potatoes are fine to eat. Certainly slugs and wireworms can be a problem, as they eat
holes into your potatoes. Some varieties are more susceptible than others. Potatoeating slugs are already in the soil in great numbers, though, so there’s no point at all
trying to fend them off with such things as beer traps etc. Nematodes might be effective
7
(I have never tried), but are very expensive. Check your crop for tell-tale little holes,
and eat these spuds first, cutting off the bad bits.
When are they ready for lifting? First earlies are said to be ready when they flower –
but not all varieties flower! Be guided by the time they’ve had in the soil. If you’re not
sure you can gently check the soil around the plant and feel how big the tubers are. If
the tubers are still too small, just firm the soil back around them and let them carry on
growing for a bit longer. After about 10-12 weeks there should be some decent tubers –
leaving them slightly longer will help them grow a bit bigger, but you may prefer to eat
some varieties small with loose skin. Lift them fresh as required. The foliage will
probably still be green at this stage. For second earlies and maincrops leave them
longer in the ground (16-17 weeks or 18-20 weeks as a guide). You can treat second
earlies like first earlies and lift fresh as required. But if you want to store them, then
follow the procedure for maincrops: cut off the foliage at the ground (it may have died
back anyway) and leave tubers in the ground for 10-14 days to let the skins develop.
Then lift them carefully with a fork, starting a little way from the centre of the plant and
working your way in gradually, trying not to damage them. Try not to leave them in the
ground longer than 14 days or so, as they will just become slug fodder. Store your crop
in a cool (but frostfree), dark place, like a cellar, shed or garage.
Winter and early spring meetings
We have had three excellent and well attended talks this year with, of course, more to
come. On 12 January we met with Jane Turner, Senior Gardener at Clumber Park’s
kitchen garden. We thought this would be a good opener for the New Year and we
weren’t disappointed.
Jane explained that the garden was designed and created in 1772. It’s a traditional
walled garden on a grand scale originally intended to supply the big house but now a
major supplier of fresh organic produce to the restaurant nearby. It has the largest
glasshouse in National Trust ownership, 450’ long and much refurbished in recent
times. The soil is reclaimed heathland and very sandy. Jane says that they are using all
the organic material and animal manure they can get hold of to grow a wide and often
unusual range of fruit and veg. For instance, there’s Tomato Black Russian, ‘if you’ve
never tried it, then do – it tastes like smoky bacon’. Or take the potato Burgundy Red,
which makes a rich pink mash which is a favourite with kids. Or did you know you can
grow black raspberries? ‘More of a bush type and they are delicious, but don’t confuse
them with blackberries,’ Jane advises.
They are building a collection of apple trees native to the East Midlands, again with
some forgotten varieties and they are guardians to the Garden Organic Heritage Seed
Library as well as doing their own seed saving. The gardens open mid-March with
plenty to see for visitors and a warm welcome for volunteers.
On 9 February, Ken Dyke of Roots Natural Foods and a medicinal herbalist introduced
us to sampling a wide selection of herbal remedies, thus far with no ill effects that I
know of! We tried – gingerly in some cases – a) horsetail, which Ken described as a
‘cooling astringent’, b) yarrow, for ‘toning the blood vessels’, and also a good remedy
8
for stopping nose bleed, c) goosegrass, a blood purifier used for a lot of skin conditions,
d) chickweed, another cooling herb good for itching and good for piles, but ‘the only
herb I’ve come across that goats won’t eat’ said Ken. Finally, we tried e) dandelion, a
proficient diuretic ‘old gardeners used to chew a root to get their waterworks working
properly,’ but it has many more uses, and f) nettle whose roots go down really deep
and which is said to ‘cleanse the whole body’. Among a multitude of uses, Ken
explained, a large bunch of freshly harvested nettles is good for male impotency and, to
even things out, is also ‘supposed to give women an ample bust’. Not, of course, that
either remedy was called for in the gathering that intriguing evening!
Most recently, on 9 March, Mo and Mark from the St Anns Allotment Association
gave us a little of the history of the gardens and their very vibrant present. The
essential layout of the gardens originally in 1835-1840 hasn’t changed much. They
were intended as leisure gardens for the city better off who very often would pay a
gardener to cultivate them. By the end of the 19th century, with the textile industry
depressed, it was the city’s working classes who moved in, encouraged by the likes of
a local philanthropist, the Reverend Orange, who really pushed to get land released to
the poor ‘so that they could grow for themselves and improve their moral fibre’.
This was the time of the golden age of the St Anns Rose Show, which started in the
1860s and was famous well beyond Nottingham. ‘There is evidence,’ Mo said, ‘of sales
of flowers to Liverpool and Manchester.’ During World War II the allotments produced
50% of the city’s requirements for fruit and veg.
After the war came the decline, with many gardens difficult to let and 40% of plots
empty. As Mo said, ‘it looked as if the end was in sight and the land would be sold off
for housing.’ But then, by the energetic efforts of some committed tenants in 2001 the
allotments were awarded Grade 2 listing with English Heritage, which secured a
measure of protection against development. It took another nine years to achieve
substantial funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which means that there is now a 30
year lease in place and plans can be made for the future. Mo paid tribute to ‘a massive
campaign’ to achieve the turnaround in the allotments’ fortunes.
Now anyone who visits can see how the allotments are actively and fully used. Of the
670 plots, 10% are tended by community groups. A further 10% of the site is set aside
for conservation and wildlife and there are 460 tenants with over 100 on the waiting list.
Mark’s special interest is the conservation and development of the fruit trees on the
site. A survey last spring revealed about 2000 with many old varieties. There is a
project to generate some of these old varieties onto new rootstock planted this spring,
thus bringing back to life grand old French and Belgian varieties lost to the present day
nursery. An exciting project to get involved in if you’re not too busy on the NOGs plot!
Barrie Ward
14 January 2010
The treasurer reported that there was a significant amount of grant money to be spent.
Ros and Karen are now additional bank signatories. We also discussed setting up a
standing order for members to pay their subs, and decided to give this a try. The
committee expressed thanks to Sarah Baker for auditing our accounts again this year.
9
The allotment is progressing well with an excellent turnout at the first work party of the
year. Work on the shed continues, with Pete leading on this. Sprout volunteers start
again in February after uni exams. Ros is drawing up an action plan for volunteer work
at the allotment.
The final planning for Potato Day was discussed. We decided to provisionally book a
reserve date in case our stocks could not be delivered in time due to adverse weather
conditions. We welcomed the excellent response from members – 25 had volunteered
to help. Press releases would be sent as soon as we were sure the event would be
going ahead on 30 Jan. Copies of the Alan Romans book would be available for
display, and Kate, Karen and Ros were revamping the NOGs display boards. Prices
would be the same as last year. We agreed to have a prep session the evening before
the event, and discussed options for sale of remaining stock afterwards.
11 February 2010
The committee noted the fabulous job that Pete has done on the allotment shed, with
help from Dave. The first Sprouts session of the season was well supported and
enjoyed by the volunteers. Ros and the allotment sub-committee will allocate the
remaining grant money at their next session.
The Potato Day had been a great success, both financially and in publicizing the
group. There was a fantastic atmosphere again. We had fewer seed potatoes left over
this year, so had done slightly better in predicting demand. We discussed aspects that
could be improved for next year, such as how much stock of each variety we should
order. It was acknowledged that we will never be able to maintain a perfect stock level
on all varieties as our aim is to sell out – or as near as possible. 50 Kg of Charlotte
potatoes were sold in about an hour, but this does not necessarily mean that we would
sell 75 Kg – or if we did, it might well mean we would have to reduce the overall
number of varieties. Come early for particular varieties! We agreed to discuss further
ideas for improving the potato day in August and the committee thanked the potato
sub-committee for its work on the event. Remaining stock would be sold at a stall on
the Transition Market at Sneinton.
Barrie introduced a discussion on the balance of meetings, as it had been suggested to
him that we didn’t do enough for members who are not allotment gardeners, and
should include more practical topics. Some concern was expressed that we did not
cater well enough for members who do not wish to get involved in the NOGs allotment.
It was suggested that we consider another ‘big project’ for such members. It was noted
that we hadn’t attended as many events and shows since we had started the allotment
project. However, it was also noted that before the allotment project had begun we had
decided to concentrate on Nottingham events and scale down – partly because of a
lack of volunteers. We discussed the difficulty of providing a good programme to suit
members of years’ standing and brand new members. We agreed that it was probably
time to revisit some popular topics for the benefit of newer members. We also agreed
that training workshops at the allotment might help to meet the needs of
inexperienced members – and would also be an excellent use of the allotment, which
the committee overall felt had great potential to benefit all members.
Possible summer visits were discussed and it was agreed to consult members on the
suggestions of Chelsea Physic Garden, RHS Harlow Carr, and Cambridge Botanical
Gardens. A number of ideas were raised very briefly as needing further discussion…
10
the committee was flagging at this point! These included: another ceilidh with Sullivan
Sword, an organic horticultural show, an autumn produce swap, and ways of
establishing links with the communities of Hyson Green and Radford.
18 March 2010
The committee was in efficient mood and made short work of the agenda to the great
relief of your correspondent! The Treasurer confirmed that profit from the potato day
had been approximately £950 – some monies were still to come in. The Transition
Market stall had yielded £40 profit.
We agreed to accept members’ classifieds in the Newsletter towards photocopying
costs, obviously with the Editor retaining discretion on anything we deem to be contrary
to our values. It was decided to charge £2.50 for a small insertion. Apply to the editor
for further details.
Allotment news: The shed is progressing very well and we agreed to invite the Gardento-Plate group to hold a meeting there in May. We will be participating in a Federation of
City Farms (we are affiliated to this group) open weekend on 3-4 September. We are
now getting repeat visits from ‘Sprouts’ who seem to be enjoying themselves very much.
We discussed preparation for the Nottingham in Bloom launch event on 1 April,
including photocopying needs, delivery of seed potatoes to Market Square. It was
agreed we would produce a basic guide to growing potatoes to give away.
It was agreed that we would arrange a coach trip to visit RHS Harlow Carr on June 20
(having first checked England football fixtures). More local visits would include
Vitalearth (May), a member’s garden (June) and a visit to Clumber Park kitchen
garden in July. We also discussed the year’s meetings, and while we have several ideas
for the autumn, do get in touch with Brian if you want to suggest a speaker or topic.
Handyman Services Able Handyman Services offers a wide range of services in and
around home and garden specialising in small repairs and improvements, carpentry,
minor decorating, brickwork, fencing, basic plumbing/electrics, garden or garage
clearance, delivery/removals assistance, furniture/cabinet assembly, general advice
and design ideas. Rates per hour, ½ day or per day. Contact Eric Orger:
07710 69 88 60 or 0115 9262684 (answerphone) or ablehandy1@yahoo.co.uk.
Holiday House, France, Charente Maritime Traditional Charentais house in centre of
very quiet small village near Cognac, 4 bedrooms, 2 double (one on ground floor), 1
single (or small twin), one large twin/games room, 2 w/c and shower (one on ground
floor), dining room, sitting room, modernised kitchen, parking, adjacent to village
gardens, shops 2 & 6 miles, Cognac town 30 mins, coast 90 mins. Walking/cycling
through fields, woods, vines direct from house. Several airports from 90 mins, rail(TGV
Lille-Bordeaux 40 mins), Channel ports from 5 hrs easy driving. Rates £300 euro per
week or pro rata, flexible arrival/departure. Contact Eric and Clare Orger, Woodthorpe
Nottingham tel: 0115 9262684, brochure and DVD available.
11
Tuesday meetings: Hotel Deux, Clumber Ave at 7.30 pm, unless otherwise noted
13 April
11 May
8 June
13 July
10 August
Visit
20 June
Karina Wells, The Shared Garden Project, West Bridgford
Sharing the Load the Biodynamic Way
Annual Plant and Seed Swap
Mike Davey, Nottingham University:
Plant Genetic Engineering
Propagation (tbc, to be held at NOGs allotment)
BBQ at NOGs allotment
Coach trip to RHS Harlow Carr
Contact Barrie Ward for details
NOGs Allotment Work Parties, 10am-2pm
Plot no. 6, Whitemoor (entrance on Wilkinson St)
Saturday 17 April
Monday 26 April
Saturday 1 May
Monday 10 May
Saturday 15 May
Monday 24 May
Saturday 29 May
Monday 7 June
Saturday 12 June
Monday 21 June
Saturday 26 June
Monday 5 July
Saturday 10 July
Monday 19 July
Saturday 24 July
Next Newsletter
Please pass all your letters, articles, questions and so on to me by (or before!) 30 June
for inclusion in the summer newsletter. Handwritten or word-processed is fine. Give me
a call if you need my address. Many thanks.
Rachel Palfreyman
rachel.palfreyman@nottingham.ac.uk
Committee Members
Karen Fry
Brian Hobby
Malcolm Lewis
Kate Newton (Secretary)
Rachel Palfreyman
Ros Pither
Mike Spalton (Treasurer)
Barrie Ward (Chair)
karenafry@hotmail.com
9306457
9652753
9625297
9621016
9625099
9231631
9602324
Website address: http://www.nogs.btik.com
12