Allotments and Community Gardens
Allotment news. By Courtesy of Liz Armitage from her article in the March Parish Magazine. Springtime is a time for hope and planning for a new year and new beginnings and that is certainly the case up on the Tatsfield Allotments. There is a gradual trickle of plotters returning after the cold and wet weather to start preparing for the planting season.
Lots of work has been done over the quiet winter months by our dedicated team of volunteers. The perimeter hedge that acts as a windbreak on the farm side has grown beautifully, but needed a trim - so the farmer very kindly did this for us, although we kept the silver birch trees as a focal point, Meanwhile we took care of the overgrown hedge along the footpath at the village end. Mike has sprayed all the perimeter pathways and does so regularly. Most of the interior paths are laid with woodchip.
Plans are going ahead to build a holding pen for manure and woodchip - which we are often given free of charge - at the “pointy end”. There will also be a turning circle for cars using this facility.
Alan, Mike & Ian spent 2 days tidying the storage container and putting up shelves for the numerous tools and “boys things” we have accumulated. Additionally, you may remember that the old water containers were replaced with standpipes last year, so the wire cages that enclosed them were dismantled and taken to the Biggin Hill scrapyard - and we received an amazing £35 to boost our funds - every little helps!
Even more exciting - Dilo and Chris are about to construct an eco-toilet. Before you sigh with relief (!) this will be a simple “Dunny” for when you are desperate - a rustic shed with some sort of seating arrangement covering a straw-filled gulley - obviously for “liquid waste” only!
Our AGM in January was well attended and we were all pleased to hear the Treasurer's report that funds were healthy, so there was no need to increase the rents - they remain the same as when we started 10 years ago, which is amazing. However, we never get complacent, there are always things to buy, equipment to replace, petrol for machinery, occasional maintenance when the job is too big for us.
We are lucky that so many people offer their goods and services free, often as a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Remember we are a “Community Garden” to be enjoyed by all. We have Barbecue's and social events whenever the weather permits, and a plant swap day, although most plot holders are constantly sharing and helping others throughout the year.
Sadly, we had a small act of vandalism - the first ever. A bench seat was deliberately broken by some unauthorised “night-visitors” but it is now being repaired by our team. We ask that you contact Alan on 07899 725 944 if you see anything suspicious, especially at night when there should not be anyone there. In view of this, we have had to re-set the padlock on the pedestrian gate, so hopefully this will not happen again.
So we continue to flourish as a society. Whenever a plot becomes vacant they are snapped up immediately, and its very heartening to see so many people from the village and surrounding areas working together, enjoying the fresh air and the community spirit that the allotments bring, and we are all doing our small bit to save the planet.
Liz Armitage
March 2022
On a lovely sunny Sunday in August we had our allotment BBQ. The forecast wasn’t good, but the stalwart hard-core crowd turned up anyway and the sun shone, the beer flowed and the food….well - as a one-off special, Dilo cooked Sri Lankan curries for everyone. His lovely wife Alison made three amazing puddings, all eaten so quickly there was no time for photos! Jim Mullen brought his guitar, and sang and played to us all afternoon - we were totally spoilt.
In September when I went to the THS Autumn Show, I wondered why so many beautiful flowers we had seen at the allotments weren't entered in the show - a thousand verbena left to sway in the wind, vibrant marigolds only amusing themselves, giant sunflowers impressing no-one, not to mention runner beans running rampant, raspberries and blackcurrants drying on their stalks. Any one of these could have easily taken 1st prize - remember, the flower show isn't for “professionals” only, its for fun! We all know Covid has taken its toll, but we need to retain our village traditions, else they will be lost forever, and the flower show is such a demonstration of our community spirit.
Earlier that day I had walked around the village with my granddaughter as she needed to take photos of “an interesting place” for her university project. So I looked at our Village through different eyes…. She took photos of the village pond, the Tatol bed, the trim trail by the swings - and the wildflower display beside it. Sheree’s Tea rooms and the Charity shop with their flower baskets, the mini vineyard outside The Bakery, and the allotments with its bee hives. She remarked on the tranquillity of the place, how peaceful it all seemed and how she intends to live here when she is older! We walked up to see the Charity Wagon, then onto the alpacas & emus. We never got as far as the churchyard with its stunning views, or the horses on the way, or the golf club (and we are still looking for the Treacle Mines!) But it made me realise that we probably don’t stop often enough and remember what a beautiful and interesting village we live in. How many things we take for granted that are not readily available to anyone else not living here in this wonderful place. We love Tatsfield.
Report by Liz Armitage as first reported in the Tatsfield Parish Magazine of October 2021
Liz Armitage
Tatsfield allotments are located on Approach Road just West of the village centre. There are over 60 plots and, nearly all are rented by local people. A small plot is 4.5m x 4.5m and a large one is 10m x 10m. If you are interested in renting a plot when one becomes available please contact Alan Armitage (07899725944.). Click here if you would like to access the allotment blog written by Peter Maynard http://tattyveg.blogspot.co.uk/
Lots of work has been done over the quiet winter months by our dedicated team of volunteers. The perimeter hedge that acts as a windbreak on the farm side has grown beautifully, but needed a trim - so the farmer very kindly did this for us, although we kept the silver birch trees as a focal point, Meanwhile we took care of the overgrown hedge along the footpath at the village end. Mike has sprayed all the perimeter pathways and does so regularly. Most of the interior paths are laid with woodchip.
Plans are going ahead to build a holding pen for manure and woodchip - which we are often given free of charge - at the “pointy end”. There will also be a turning circle for cars using this facility.
Alan, Mike & Ian spent 2 days tidying the storage container and putting up shelves for the numerous tools and “boys things” we have accumulated. Additionally, you may remember that the old water containers were replaced with standpipes last year, so the wire cages that enclosed them were dismantled and taken to the Biggin Hill scrapyard - and we received an amazing £35 to boost our funds - every little helps!
Even more exciting - Dilo and Chris are about to construct an eco-toilet. Before you sigh with relief (!) this will be a simple “Dunny” for when you are desperate - a rustic shed with some sort of seating arrangement covering a straw-filled gulley - obviously for “liquid waste” only!
Our AGM in January was well attended and we were all pleased to hear the Treasurer's report that funds were healthy, so there was no need to increase the rents - they remain the same as when we started 10 years ago, which is amazing. However, we never get complacent, there are always things to buy, equipment to replace, petrol for machinery, occasional maintenance when the job is too big for us.
We are lucky that so many people offer their goods and services free, often as a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Remember we are a “Community Garden” to be enjoyed by all. We have Barbecue's and social events whenever the weather permits, and a plant swap day, although most plot holders are constantly sharing and helping others throughout the year.
Sadly, we had a small act of vandalism - the first ever. A bench seat was deliberately broken by some unauthorised “night-visitors” but it is now being repaired by our team. We ask that you contact Alan on 07899 725 944 if you see anything suspicious, especially at night when there should not be anyone there. In view of this, we have had to re-set the padlock on the pedestrian gate, so hopefully this will not happen again.
So we continue to flourish as a society. Whenever a plot becomes vacant they are snapped up immediately, and its very heartening to see so many people from the village and surrounding areas working together, enjoying the fresh air and the community spirit that the allotments bring, and we are all doing our small bit to save the planet.
Liz Armitage
March 2022
On a lovely sunny Sunday in August we had our allotment BBQ. The forecast wasn’t good, but the stalwart hard-core crowd turned up anyway and the sun shone, the beer flowed and the food….well - as a one-off special, Dilo cooked Sri Lankan curries for everyone. His lovely wife Alison made three amazing puddings, all eaten so quickly there was no time for photos! Jim Mullen brought his guitar, and sang and played to us all afternoon - we were totally spoilt.
In September when I went to the THS Autumn Show, I wondered why so many beautiful flowers we had seen at the allotments weren't entered in the show - a thousand verbena left to sway in the wind, vibrant marigolds only amusing themselves, giant sunflowers impressing no-one, not to mention runner beans running rampant, raspberries and blackcurrants drying on their stalks. Any one of these could have easily taken 1st prize - remember, the flower show isn't for “professionals” only, its for fun! We all know Covid has taken its toll, but we need to retain our village traditions, else they will be lost forever, and the flower show is such a demonstration of our community spirit.
Earlier that day I had walked around the village with my granddaughter as she needed to take photos of “an interesting place” for her university project. So I looked at our Village through different eyes…. She took photos of the village pond, the Tatol bed, the trim trail by the swings - and the wildflower display beside it. Sheree’s Tea rooms and the Charity shop with their flower baskets, the mini vineyard outside The Bakery, and the allotments with its bee hives. She remarked on the tranquillity of the place, how peaceful it all seemed and how she intends to live here when she is older! We walked up to see the Charity Wagon, then onto the alpacas & emus. We never got as far as the churchyard with its stunning views, or the horses on the way, or the golf club (and we are still looking for the Treacle Mines!) But it made me realise that we probably don’t stop often enough and remember what a beautiful and interesting village we live in. How many things we take for granted that are not readily available to anyone else not living here in this wonderful place. We love Tatsfield.
Report by Liz Armitage as first reported in the Tatsfield Parish Magazine of October 2021
Liz Armitage
Tatsfield allotments are located on Approach Road just West of the village centre. There are over 60 plots and, nearly all are rented by local people. A small plot is 4.5m x 4.5m and a large one is 10m x 10m. If you are interested in renting a plot when one becomes available please contact Alan Armitage (07899725944.). Click here if you would like to access the allotment blog written by Peter Maynard http://tattyveg.blogspot.co.uk/
ALLOTMENTS
This is the second in a series of monthly articles on gardening and related topics written by members of the Tatsfield Horticultural Society committee. So if this article stimulates your interest or just raises some questions that need answering then email [email protected] and it will be passed to the relevant person to respond to.
Allotments were an important part of the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign in WW2; back then Tatsfield Allotments were sited directly opposite the present site in what is now part of the gardens of Crane Cottage. Parish Council records show that it was Tom Rushen who rented a large number of the allotments producing mainly vegetables for the local community. Tom was a regular exhibitor at our shows and won many prizes; he is remembered by THS in the annual award of the Tom Rushen Cup. These allotments fell into disuse and were abandoned in the early 1960’s.”
So we all know home grown fruit and vegetables is a lot fresher tastier and better for you than anything you can buy that has probably already been previously frozen. But there are also limitations to what you can grow in a small garden or even smaller window boxes or pots and grow bags.
So the answer is to find yourself an allotment, autumn is the time when finding one should be easier as this is the time when people have come to the conclusion that it is not for them and the plots are released and ready to be re-let. Although it is known that the waiting lists nationally grow longer as some allotments are lost to the much needed housing it is still worth getting on to any list that you can if you are really determined. You can see the details regarding the Allotments in the village that are run and managed by the Tatsfield Allotment and Community garden committee at the bottom of the page.
Did you know that a “standard allotment” is 10 rods (the land is still measured in old terminology?) which equates to a sixteenth of an acre, but you do not have to take a full plot you could either take a smaller plot or of course share the load with some other person or neighbour to share the load, but of course that will mean sharing the produce.
Rents vary all over the nation and you can expect to pay anything between £20 and £ 100 per year. But for this you will get the use of the plot for growing whatever fruit, vegetables, salads or flowers that you can use to decorate your house with.
They can be planted up in any way that you want, like little gardens that you may not have at home or just in the traditional row format there may also be opportunities to even grow vines for home brewing. You can see that the Tatsfield in Bloom volunteers have successfully grown grapes for a few years now on the Bakery bed, so it is an option in Tatsfield.
When starting out don’t leave it too late to start work, and definitely before spring. If the plot has been left vacant you may have to do a good thorough weed or at least a good clean up. But if you are lucky you may be allocated a plot that has been regularly turned and composted and will be easy to get ready quickly. If not dig the ground over take out all the roots you find then invest in lots of well-rotted manure or compost from the compost site and start to work it in. As you do this perhaps over time go back with your hoe to remove any new growth that you do not want.
If you can only prepare half the plot then start with vegetables in the first year and then sow the rest with a green manure crop such as Lucerne or red clover in April and cut it regularly. This way you will improve the soil and reduce the weeds that you will have to deal with next year.
Remember allotments need to be done on a much bigger scale than what you could do in your garden , you do not have to plant close together, and you should also think about staggering your planting so that they do not all “fruit” at the same time or choose crops that can be frozen. Also
Don’t forget that when you remove your summer crop you can then start planting your winter crop in the same plot with a little preparation beforehand.
We are lucky that we have an allotment site in the village which is located on Approach Road just West of the village centre. There are over 60 plots and, nearly all are rented by local people. A small plot is 4.5m x 4.5m and a large one is 10m x 10m. If you are interested in renting a plot when one becomes available please contact Alan Armitage ( 07899725944.).
Remember the benefits of where the Allotments are sited is the fact that the Compost site is on the same site so only a wheelbarrow ride away to your plot, so why not take advantage of the outdoor life, some physical work but fresher , tastier and better crops. Also when normality returns you can exhibit your crops through the two Shows that the Horticultural Society puts on, with every hope that September may be allowed to go ahead this year.
And then of course there is the very enjoyable social side of the Allotment members as seen in this picture.
Allotments were an important part of the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign in WW2; back then Tatsfield Allotments were sited directly opposite the present site in what is now part of the gardens of Crane Cottage. Parish Council records show that it was Tom Rushen who rented a large number of the allotments producing mainly vegetables for the local community. Tom was a regular exhibitor at our shows and won many prizes; he is remembered by THS in the annual award of the Tom Rushen Cup. These allotments fell into disuse and were abandoned in the early 1960’s.”
So we all know home grown fruit and vegetables is a lot fresher tastier and better for you than anything you can buy that has probably already been previously frozen. But there are also limitations to what you can grow in a small garden or even smaller window boxes or pots and grow bags.
So the answer is to find yourself an allotment, autumn is the time when finding one should be easier as this is the time when people have come to the conclusion that it is not for them and the plots are released and ready to be re-let. Although it is known that the waiting lists nationally grow longer as some allotments are lost to the much needed housing it is still worth getting on to any list that you can if you are really determined. You can see the details regarding the Allotments in the village that are run and managed by the Tatsfield Allotment and Community garden committee at the bottom of the page.
Did you know that a “standard allotment” is 10 rods (the land is still measured in old terminology?) which equates to a sixteenth of an acre, but you do not have to take a full plot you could either take a smaller plot or of course share the load with some other person or neighbour to share the load, but of course that will mean sharing the produce.
Rents vary all over the nation and you can expect to pay anything between £20 and £ 100 per year. But for this you will get the use of the plot for growing whatever fruit, vegetables, salads or flowers that you can use to decorate your house with.
They can be planted up in any way that you want, like little gardens that you may not have at home or just in the traditional row format there may also be opportunities to even grow vines for home brewing. You can see that the Tatsfield in Bloom volunteers have successfully grown grapes for a few years now on the Bakery bed, so it is an option in Tatsfield.
When starting out don’t leave it too late to start work, and definitely before spring. If the plot has been left vacant you may have to do a good thorough weed or at least a good clean up. But if you are lucky you may be allocated a plot that has been regularly turned and composted and will be easy to get ready quickly. If not dig the ground over take out all the roots you find then invest in lots of well-rotted manure or compost from the compost site and start to work it in. As you do this perhaps over time go back with your hoe to remove any new growth that you do not want.
If you can only prepare half the plot then start with vegetables in the first year and then sow the rest with a green manure crop such as Lucerne or red clover in April and cut it regularly. This way you will improve the soil and reduce the weeds that you will have to deal with next year.
Remember allotments need to be done on a much bigger scale than what you could do in your garden , you do not have to plant close together, and you should also think about staggering your planting so that they do not all “fruit” at the same time or choose crops that can be frozen. Also
Don’t forget that when you remove your summer crop you can then start planting your winter crop in the same plot with a little preparation beforehand.
We are lucky that we have an allotment site in the village which is located on Approach Road just West of the village centre. There are over 60 plots and, nearly all are rented by local people. A small plot is 4.5m x 4.5m and a large one is 10m x 10m. If you are interested in renting a plot when one becomes available please contact Alan Armitage ( 07899725944.).
Remember the benefits of where the Allotments are sited is the fact that the Compost site is on the same site so only a wheelbarrow ride away to your plot, so why not take advantage of the outdoor life, some physical work but fresher , tastier and better crops. Also when normality returns you can exhibit your crops through the two Shows that the Horticultural Society puts on, with every hope that September may be allowed to go ahead this year.
And then of course there is the very enjoyable social side of the Allotment members as seen in this picture.
The Story So Far... | |
File Size: | 758 kb |
File Type: | docx |