First Prize!

What inspires anyone to take the responsibility of running an allotment site? More than that, what inspires them to continue year after year? Could it be because of the enjoyment of being moaned at by other plot holders when all you want to do is get away from life and get on with a bit of work on your own plot? Would it be for the pleasure of spending time writing letters to people who take a plot but who don’t then use it? Would it be the death threat directed to our Secretary when a young man was evicted from his plot for using it as a storage facility for his building supplies? How about the aggressive encounters with other plot holders not particularly wanting to work a plot (but wanting an allotment anyway) and not being happy about letters reminding them of their obligation?

    What is it about the human psyche that gives someone every enthusiasm for an allotment but without the commitment to do anything with it? What makes people sign up to a tenancy agreement outlining minimum standards of plot upkeep and usage when the intention may be good but in practice they just can’t maintain the minimum standard and rarely pitch up on site? We’ve seen many over the years and had many an unpleasant situation to deal with but we still come back for more.

   We do it for the sense of satisfaction of a job well done, as well as the fact that we steward the site and keep it safe and viable for future generations of people in the South Norwood area who may look for an allotment.  We get satisfaction not only from having tidy and productive plots ourselves but also having a well run site. It is the pleasure of seeing those who are committed gardeners with well kept plots getting pleasure from their time on site. It is the satisfaction of articulating a standard and working towards maintaining that standard. Of seeing the turnaround of our small site from being unkempt and un-managed to being relatively well kept and well managed. Of having processes in place to ensure that plot holders are treated fairly (although it is usually the perception of someone losing their plot that they are being treated unfairly).  The satisfaction of moving people off whose intentions may be good, but in practice not followed through in action and bringing new people in to have the opportunity to grow their own.

   The pinnacle, then, of our achievement in terms of the hard work and dedication that comes with running our site, was in the attendance at the Croydon Federation AGM on the 17^th November to receive 1^st prize in the Amenity competition. This competition is a measure of how well managed a site is overall and it is the first time since 1976 that SNAHA won this award (although we did get 2^nd place last year).  Our site is considered to be the best managed in Croydon and that feels good and makes the hard work and aggravation worthwhile. Photo below of Tony, our secretary, collecting the cup from the Mayor and the committee with the first prize.

 

 

 

 

 

 Trevor, Tony, Gary and Anita

 

 

 

Bonfire Night

We were lucky that it remained dry on the 3rd of November, so that we could hold our annual bonfire, on the allotment site. This is everyone's opportunity to get rid of their burnable rubbish and an enjoyable evening for those who like a good fire and a drink.


The bonfire requires a bit of planning and we start building it a few weeks before and keep it covered to keep everything dry. This leaves us with the task of a hedgehog hunt before lighting up, however we haven't found any yet!

Here are a few more pictures of our bonfire:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's Getting CHILLY!

First of all we welcome new members Elias, Mary and Lorna who take their plots just at the right time of year to get ready for planting in spring.

It is around this time of year that some allotment sites get ready to close up for winter.  We stay open all year round for those few hardy individuals (ourselves included) who wish to brave the cold and wet to get some jobs done on the plot. Saying that there are lots of things to do on a plot over winter. We  clear, dig, manure and compost and cover those areas to prevent the rain and wind leaching the goodness out of the soil. It is amazing what the worms achieve under cover in taking the manure and compost down through the soil when everything else comes to a standstill.

Raised beds always need attention and it is during winter that bits and pieces of woodwork are sensible to get done like building a bigger compost bin, another raised bed, a support structure for raspberries or  blackberries, repairing a shed. Greenhouses need cleaning and weeding (not the best job in the world) and a bit of insulation if the intention is to grow in them over winter.

Sweet peas, cuttings of herbs and perennials and next year’s broccoli plants always need a bit of love and care in the greenhouse and we find it is good for the soul to see a few bits growing during a time of year when everything looks bleak.

Sowing in November - Sweet peas and broad beans. Sweet peas from an autumn sowing are always stronger and more sturdy plants than those that are spring sown. I like to think we get more flowers from them and certainly they flower earlier than their spring sown counterparts. Don’t forget to plant garlic. Autumn planted garlic always produces a bigger end result and it needs to go in before December to make a difference.

Already planted and basking in our cold greenhouse  – calabrese for early planting in March and the first broccoli to cut in May / June.  We sow Belstar because it is the only one that seems to survive overwinter with a bit of protection. We have some winter cauli’s as small plants ready to plant out in March. These are a trial as they should have gone in the ground in October or earlier. Let’s see whether they produce anything in spring.  

Growing undercover now – mixed salad leaves (a trial to see how long they will survive the cold and short days) and winter lettuce in window boxes and plant pots. We still have some chilli plants struggling away in the hope that they might ripen. Think we may be settling for green chillis from now on. Couple of chilli plants have made it home to be overwintered for an earlier and bigger crop next summer. We did this last year for the first time and we did indeed get earlier and bigger crops from the already established plants. It's worth a try on a coolish windowsill with reduced watering and feeding.

Cuttings of semi ripe woody perennials and herbs such as thyme and rosemary always seem to do well over winter in the greenhouse. We always plant more than needed to allow for the inevitable losses.

Where does the time go? Thankfully it seems in winter, in terms of allotment gardening – very quickly. Sitting on our laurels in early  November thinking that there is ages to get things done as we put our mental list together, we always find that January is upon us before we know it and we haven’t done a quarter of what we intended to do and then it’s March and time to start planting.

Better get on with those jobs then ..................................