News

There are now two des res tawny owl nest boxes up in the trees adjoining our site, on the NW side!

On 23 May Matt Steinmann, Royal Parks Arboricultural Officer (with dog, Peg) and Romain Boudot and George Hobson, from ATC (Tree Care and Conservation) came along to install the boxes, coated with three layers of preservative by David Harnden.

Richard began by saying that allotments were prone to the spread of viruses and aphids, like catching a cold! He recommends always acquiring clean plants, fruit trees and bushes from accredited nurseries and plant suppliers to avoid infection. Viruses weaken plants – eg if yellow spots occur on raspberries dig out and replace, looking for good varieties for early, mid or late cropping such as ‘Joan J’.

It didn’t rain! Despite overcast skies and a cool breeze there was a steady stream of browsers and buyers for a variety of donated seeds and for the bundles of hazel poles and peasticks, cut by Andrew Saunders from the hazel coppice on plot 17 – they proved a popular buy.

A large number of sheds were broken into on the evening of Tuesday 21st February and locks and doors damaged.

It’s no fun having your shed blown over or your children’s toys blown over and damaged.

We had a good turnout for ‘Plotholders’ Question Time’ on Sunday 29 Jan, with the audience keeping the panel on their toes. The panel answered a range of questions…

Over the past 3 years, Martin Dawson (plots 166f and 167f) has been collecting water quality data from our pumps to see how markers of inorganic and organic pollution vary across the site. This is a study that he is conducting with the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology and is part of wider analysis on the impact of Urban Development on Water Quality in the Thames Basin.