Bonfire Night

We are going to hold a Bonfire Night Party on the main car park on Saturday 7th November this year starting at around 6pm.   You are welcome to bring your own fireworks if you wish to and an area will be set aside for that. We will provide the fire, hot dogs and mushy peas.  If you intend to attend can you let Jackie know numbers please for catering purposes.

bonfire2015

Skip

From tomorrow morning for a few days there will be a skip on the main car park for our communal use.  Please be reminded that the following are not allowed in the skip:  Asbestos, Gas Bottles, Car Tyres, Car Batteries, Paint Tins or any Electrical Goods including Fluorescent Light Tubes.  Please do not bring any rubbish from home either as happened last time, the skip is purely for rubbish from the gardens which cannot be readily burned on a burning day, bricks, rubble and that sort of thing.  Anyone putting anything other than approved rubbish will be charged for part of the skip hire.

Sad to say that our resident thief has struck again.  In recent weeks there have been a number of thefts such as tools going missing from garden sheds.  In the last week however one of our gardeners has had all of the fruit stripped from his Conference Pear tree.  Fruit is this gardeners specialty and to have someone come in and take his stuff just as he was about to harvest it himself is utterly despicable.  It is certain that this is an internal theft. When the offender is traced he or she will be immediately thrown off the allotments and their name submitted first to the Police and secondly to the city council and every other allotment association in the county to ensure that they never get another plot anywhere else.  If anyone has any idea who may be responsible please let a member of the committee know either anonymously or directly.  It is completely unacceptable for anyone to enter anyone elses allotment, whether it is occupied or not without the permission of the tenant or one of the three main committee officers.  We remind you that removal of anything from anywhere without permission is a direct breach of the tenancy agreement.

Free Soil Analysis

Jon Stubberfield, a PhD researcher at the Nottingham University, is offering free soil analysis of your allotment.  His analysis will reveal the acid or alkali level of the soil together with available nutrients together with some advice on how to adjust it if it needs a bit of help.  If you would like this done please contact him on:

EMail: stxjs14@nottingham.ac.uk

Mob: 07818 986189

Tel: 01159 516262

To All Old Park Farm Allotment Holders:

The council inspection is next Wednesday 2nd September

May I remind you that it’s a requirement of your tenancy to have hedges trimmed down 5 to 6ft . Depending on type.

At the very least it should be neat and managed.

Your garden should be at least 50% cultivated.

Please make every effort to comply with the above by next Tuesday at the latest.

The inspection is of importance to us all as our success has a direct effect on our income.

Thank you in advance

Jackie Medcalf
Secretary.

Very Important News

Hi all.

Readers of the web site may have noticed a new page entitled ‘News’.  I have added this to explain some fundamental changes which will be taking place this year to the way we run the allotments.  Would all of you please read it as you will be asked to vote on the changes in the next few weeks when you receive your new rent bills.  You may not abstain from the vote,  you must either vote for or against the changes we are proposing.  The reason for this is we need a 60% vote from everyone with an allotment as a whole to legally move on from our current position.  This is explained on the news page and will be further explained in documents you receive with your rent bill shortly.

Click this link:

http://wp.me/P20UPh-ar

or this one to see the new page:

https://oldparkfarm.org/news/

or simply click the new ‘News’ tab on the web site.

It has been pointed out to me that in my recent posts to the web site I published the show categories from the proper competition show we had last year and in previous years.  This year we are having a fun, ‘no competition‘ show.  There will be no prizes at the show and in publishing the show categories it has led to some confusion with some members who now think there will be a competition.  There will not, I published the table merely as a guide to the types of veggies and flowers you might wish to show it is not a definitive list or an instruction on how they must be shown.  Please ignore it, come and show whatever you want however you want to show it.

Lastly another reminder that Old Park Farm honey is now available for purchase at £4 a jar from Steve York, Steve Williams or Steve Medcalf and of course Jackie.  It’s particularly tasty and was produced on the allotments by Steve Williams bees.  Get some while its still available.

Show Type Reminders

Just as a reminder for any of you showing your fruit and veggies at the show,  the following is the accepted type and number to be shown:

CLASS NO VARIETY NO ON PLATE
1 BEETROOT. With tops trimmed. 3
2 CABBAGES. With no root. 1
3 CARROTS. With tops trimmed. 3
4 CAULIFLOWERS. With no root. 1
5 COURGETTES 3
6 CUCUMBERS 1
7 LEEKS. Roots trimmed. 3
8 LETTUCE 1
9 MARROWS 1
10 ONIONS TOO 8 OUNCE 3
11 ONIONS OVER 8 OUNCE 3
12 PEPPERS SWEET 3
13 POTATOES 5
14 PUMPKINS 1
15 RUNNER BEANS 6
16 SHALLOTS 6
17 SWEET CORN 2
18 TOMATOES. MEDIUM 6
19 TOMATOES. CHERRY 9
20 TURNIPS/SWEDES. TOPS TRIMMED,ROOT CLEANED 1
21 VEGETABLES MIXED. ANY 3 OF ABOVE VARIETIES 3
22 HEAVIEST LEEK 1
23 HEAVIEST ONION 1
24 HEAVIEST POTATO 1
25 LONGEST RUNNER BEAN 1
26 BIGGEST DISASTER
27 HEAVIEST PUMPKIN 1
28 PARSNIPS.  TOPS TRIMMED 3
29 SPECIMEN FLOWER  CHRYSANTHEMUM  DAHLIA  GLADIOLA  ROSE 1
30 VASE OF THREE OF ABOVE. SAME VARIETY 3
31 VASE OF SIX OF ABOVE  CAN BE MIXED 6
32 BEST BUNCH OF FLOWERS