This one is next on my list to get hold of!

The main theme of the book is that you just give your plot 30 mins, 5 days a week to your allotment/garden, with weekends off. Or you dedicate the same time, 2.5 hours at weekends.

This practical and inspirational handbook is aimed at the new generation of gardeners who want to enjoy the taste and health benefits of growing their own food, but who have little time to spare. Expert advice and innovative techniques show you how to grow the right quantities of the fruit and vegetables you love, and enjoy the satisfactions of tending an allotment or vegetable garden without becoming a slave to your plot. Tested by fruit-grower Will Sibley and author Lia Leendertz on their own allotments, these methods will enable you to get the best results in half an hour per day, or even less.

The book covers all aspects of allotmenteering and vegetable gardening, including the practicalities of obtaining and maintaining a site, choosing what to grow, designing the plot and advanced projects such as building paths and shelters. A section on harvesting, storing and cooking shows you what to do when your crop is ripe and ready.

AN allotment holder has been kicked off his plot after he complained that he was being plagued by bees.

James Flemming, 61, had been gardening at Old Basford Allotments for several months when bees from hives on a neighbouring plot started swarming and stinging him regularly.

AS MANY as six sheds each week are being torched at Birmingham allotments

But Ealing and District Bee Keepers’ Association carried out research in 1998 and recommended no more than two hives on an allotment plot. It said hives should be placed in the centre of a plot so they were not close to the boundaries with a neighbour.

Gardeners rush to sign up for new allotments in Plymouth – exciting idea – The community scheme on the National Trust’s Saltram Estate, near Plymouth, was first mooted last year as part of a national scheme to create 1,000 new allotments.
Will create 40-50 new allotments and is already oversubscribed.

Seaton Allotmenters stand firm – threat of closure

And elsewhere:Shoppers at Crowle market can now get seeds, plants, fresh vegetables and handmade produce at the new North Axholme Allotment Society stall.

What are slug gone pellets made from?
They are made from the fleece of sheep.

How does this work?
Wool fibres have very fine scales with small barbs on the tip called cuticle cells. These cause wool fibres to felt and matt together. Wool fibres are very hygroscopic and this plus the sand and grit already in the compound and the potassium salts from the sweat glands of the sheep absorb some of the slime from the slug’s foot to cause irritation, resulting in the slug finding easier feeding methods.

‘Slug Gone’ wool pellets are composed of 100% natural materials including phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium. As soon as water is added the fibres swell to form a barrier or insulation blanket. When slugs climb onto the fibres it irritates the foot and causes it to seek easier feeding elsewhere.

‘Slug Gone’ wool pellets are ideal for organic gardening and can be used in pots, flower beds, borders, allotments, herb gardens, nurseries, garden centres, green houses and vegetable plots.

How do you use these slug gone pellets?
To Use: Clean the area around the plant and place the pellets to fill the surface of the pot, or in a 6″ circle around the plant. Make sure all the pellets are touching. Water well and soon the pellets will swell and bind together to form both a prtotective and insulating blanket.

Contains: Nitrogen 3.6% Phosphorus 0.4% Potassiu8m 3.1%
These elements are slow released as the pellets biodegrade, taking up to 12 months

Is it safe?
This product is entirely safe for children, pets and wildlife. Not only do the pellets keep Slugs and Snails at bay, the pellets are also a good mix and balance for growing plants, fruit and vegetables.

And there’s more…
The pellets hold twice their own weight in water so they act as an excellent mulch, a weed suppressant, a soil conditioner and slow release fertiliser! Slug Gone is 100% natural, ideal for organic gardening and is safe for children, animals and garden wildlife.

Costs?
Slug Gone – Organic Natural Pure Wool Pelletts Slug Repellant (20 Litre Bag) – Price: £21.99
At Amazon – Slug Gone – Organic Natural Pure Wool Pelletts Slug Repellant (20 Litre Bag)

Also available in a white version from Crocus

borage (borage – organic) £1.99
Position: full sun or light shade Soil: fertile and moist Rate of growth: fast Hardiness: hardy annual (it will die within one year) A wonderfully useful as well as decorative plant. The young leaves and vivid blue flowers of this annual herb have a fresh cucumber-like flavour, so are often used in salads, soups, chilled drinks or simply as a garnish. The flowers attract bees and other beneficial insects, while the foliage has been known to reduce attacks of hornworm when planted between tomato plants. At the end of the year, add the plants to the compost heap as they will promote many beneficial minerals. Borage is an annual plant, but it will self-seed readily in good conditions. If you don’t want more plants, dead-head the flowers as soon as they fade. Garden care: Form shallow drills at 30cm intervals in a well prepared bed, and sow thinly, just covering the seed before watering well. The seeds have a higher germination rate when temperatures are between 15 – 25C, so early sowings can be covered with a cloche. When big enough to handle, thin the seedlings to 25cm. Sow: March – May Flowering: June – September Approximate quantity: 75 seeds.

white borage (white borage) £1.99
Position: full sun or light shade Soil: fertile and moist Rate of growth: fast Hardiness: fully hardy The white flowers of this borage make a fresh change to the more traditional blue. The bees will still flock to the nectar-rich blooms, and if picked, the petals can be used to decorate ice bowls and dress soups and salads. The young leaves of this annual have a cucumber-like flavour and can be added to many recipes. They are often used in pasta dishes, while the flowers can be used in ice cubes, salads and even dipped in batter and deep fried. Plant them between your tomatoes to reduce attacks of hornworm. At the end of the year, add the plants to the compost heap as they will promote many beneficial minerals. Borage is an annual plant, but it will self-seed readily in good conditions. If you don’t want more plants, dead-head the flowers as soon as they fade. Garden care: Form shallow drills at 30cm intervals in a well prepared bed, and sow thinly, just covering the seed before watering well. The seeds have a higher germination rate when temperatures are between 15 – 25C, so early sowings can be covered with a cloche. When big enough to handle, thin the seedlings to 25cm. Sow: March – May Flowering: June – September Approximate quantity: 75 seeds.

St Anns Allotments have a vacancy for a part time horticulturalist. Responsibilities include the setting out and management of our heritage display garden, recruitment and management of volunteers, propagation and selling plants for sale. This is a one year contract, 12 hours a week, including some weekends . Hours may be seasonally adjusted, and the position may be extended subject to income generation. Salary £10.50 per hour.
The funding for the post has been given by The Finnis Scott Foundation.

Garden/Land Manager
Type of job: full time
About the Job:
Required in south Oxfordshire, on 22 acre estate comprising semi-formal gardens, small orchard, woodland and fields, with Grade II Listed Barns (in need of development).

Position requires:

(i) organic gardening, knowledge of trees & shrubs, care of land

(ii) basic financial/organisational skills, eg preparing budgets and spread-sheets

(iii) creativity/imagination in order to realise potential of property & develop projects with owner, beneficial to the local community.

Accommodation available.

Salary negotiable.

Contact: anthea@antrus.co.uk

more jobs listed here

Somebody keeps putting soil on my allotment each night. It’s a complete mystery. The plot thickens…..

This first video shows that I’ve put a layer of grass clippings all over the section of the bed at the end.

I’ve put out the seed potatoes in three rows along the grass cuttings and started to cover it up with top soil.

The potatoes are all covered up with top soil now.

What I might do with one end of the bed is mulch it up with straw, and mulch the other end of the potato bed with grass clippings. It’ll be a great chance to see if there’s any difference between the two.