L a t e s t   n e w s   Updated16 October 2019

Plot 16 is now available.

MANURE will arrive 2.30 pm 4th October

The AGM will be at the Somer Centre, Tuesday 22 October at 7pm

Plot 18 – David Paisey needs to wind down his activity somewhat so has offered half his plot to anyone who might need it, or maybe anyone who is thinking similarly.  Let me know if interested.    16.8.19

Plot 47 – we welcome Robert Farebrother. This leaves one plot, 49, available at the moment. We thank Luke Carter for his time on the committee. He has now moved to Stratton on the Fosse.

Alas we had to cancel the barbecue scheduled for Saturday 15 June. The weather is too precocious at the moment so it will be arranged at another time. Let’s hope we see whether with some semblance of warmth and sunshine

our recent bonfire on plot 45. Health and Safety people take note. Everyone survived. It’s only paraffin. Ed.

10 March 2019 Plot vacancy:  63

23 Jan 2019 All is well and we are still 100% full. I have a keen list of potential allotment holders so if you don’t feel you can maintain your plot please let me know. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SPARE TOOLS?  If you have a spade, fork etc that you could lend to the others please leave them in the members shed (by the hard stand).

24 Dec 2018 All seems to have been completed this year. We are fully booked with a waiting list. Obligations to keep plots tidy continues through the winter with allowances made for inclement weather. The committee wish you all a happy Christmas and New Year.

Very good and well rotted.

The situation today Sunday 21 Oct 2018

This was our moment of fame back on 1 August about the strawberry thefts.

Supplies of COW MANURE will be arriving next week commencing Monday 22 October.

You will find the 2018 AGM minutes under the members section.

A nice note from a departing tenant

20 of us had a good time with abundant supplies of conversation, food and drink.

Tuesday 24th July Pop-up social at the allotments 6.30-8.30 all welcome refreshments provided.24 June 2018 – Proposed BBQ Saturday 1 July postponed
Trees at the end cut at last – but not pollarded.
We welcome Simon Green and his enthusiast wife to plot 37

14.5.18  –  My goodness things are springing into spring/summer. I was away from my spinach for two days and it had bolted.
We welcome Kathryn Edgar on plot 49, previously known as the trial plot.
Please note that we have a goodly supply of matured tree bark.
I have had to remove some of the Rhubarb following complaints that the contractors could not cut the paths.  I doubt if you will notice though.

How other allotment people work together. This community group is in Cornwall.

4.4.18 the pile of wood chips has nearly gone with about five barrowloads left
16.3.18 We welcome Graham Gammell to plot 61.
9.3.18 We welcome Andrea Smrckova from Czechoslovakia to plot 35.
7.3.18 – a large load of good quality wood chips has arrived.
19.2.18 We have a vacancy on plot 37 with immediate effect.
7.2.18  We now have a waiting list so anyone whose circumstances have changed and can allow the release of their plot please let us know
1.1.18  plot 35 is now available. Very little work needs to be done so if you know anyone who would like one now is the time.

29.12.17  We welcome Ria Keen and her husband to plot 36. She lives in our local flood plain (south of Withies Road) and suffers from a postage stamp size garden. A plot is ‘just the thing’ for her.

24.12.17 We have had a few cases of vandalism where composting bins have been turned over, and mess created. Anyone who has noticed a change in their plot please let us know.

14.12.17 ONE plot available, plot 35, will be available shortly. Well maintained.

8.12.17 We have run out of manure. Does anyone want more?

Only two plots left now, 71 and 72.

17/11/17 – Kate Jones has become a plot holder of 61

You can read the minutes of the AGM on the members / minutes of meetings page

A fresh load of manure arrived Saturday 4th November 11.00 £1 per barrow.

Will Newth has taken over plot 11 and will be using it as part of his campaign for self sustainability.

We have purchased the shed by the manure/wood chip heap and will become the swap place.

See where all the allotmenteers reside reside. Press Ctrl (bottom left) and +, top right to see this magnified.

23.10.17 A great meeting, thank you all 34 of you for coming along

22.10.17 – a much better load of manure has arrived (cow). It is nearly gone.  £1 a barrow.

21.10.17 – Vacancies see relevant page on this web site

13.10.17 – We had a delivery of manure yesterday which we do not feel is up to standard. We are tying to make arrangements from a reliable supplier. Watch this space. Meanwhile do help yourself to what is there. It undoubtedly has some nutritional value.

Vacancies:  11, 34, 49, 72

Shane Preater has had to give up plot 34, which is now available.

Invoices have been posted. Please pay them as soon as possible or if you are unable to continue do let us know.

At the suggestion of Martin Peters, the secretary will be visiting the ‘no dig’ garden of Charles Dowding (google him)  and he will report back at the ideas exchange meeting Monday 23 October.

Will Newth has finished his swap house. It sits by the notice board in the central car park. It will be marked with what should go where in due course. Comments please at the meeting..

Plot 49 is vacant

We welcome Nick Townhill on plot 33

The Annual Ideas Exchange meeting (aka AGM) will be on  Monday 23 October at the Town Hall 7pm

Today 10th July we commissioned Will Newth of this parish to build a place to leave – swap – exchange excess runner beans, pots, potatoes etc.

shot of bottom part of the allotments by Luke Carter

allotment, road side

26.8.17 Pop-Up BBQ. lunch time All welcome. Details to be announced. Food supplied.

24.6.17 there will be an Allotment  Committee meeting on Monday, 3 July in the evening. If anyone has any matters to raise please let us know. The result of your query will be displayed on this page.

19.6.17  Dave Chislett Plot 33 has moved to a place near Wells so the plot has become vacant. It is in good order generally. We have no waiting list currently so if you know any friend who might be interested get them to contact me.  Sec.

We welcome Jas Maddison (below) who is now working plot 49, hitherto regarded as an unlovely and badly positioned plot. It is now receiving a new lease of life and would you believe has good soil, sunny aspect and a water butt close by.

12 midday 1st June.  now that’s what I call fast work. The new tenant of plot 41 by the road took over at 4.45 pm yesterday Wednesday 31st may and by 9 PM the same evening the whole area had been strimmed and a quarter of the plot dug ready for planting.

31 May We welcome Kate Jones of Bluebell Rise, MSN together with her two children, two partnes and partners who will steam through the weeds on plot 41 which is one of the two unoccupied plots at the top of the allotment. I demonstrated to them how good the soil conditions were by digging and de-weeding one square metre in 7 minutes.   Ed. No excuses now!

19 May Second load of wood chippings arrived.

Will, plot 31, is offering purple sprouting cauliflower and cabbage and is looking for runner beans and courgettes. call 07568 317514

We have a delivery of wood chips. Alan, the Arboretist, was not able to deliver before because his wife was taken ill so he apologises for the delay. Help yourselves. No restrictions. There is plenty more where that came from.
Plot 35 taken by Graham Davis and his grandson Oliver
Plot 70 taken 22.1.17 (see newsletter)
Plot 70 now available. 22.11.16
Three plots available. check out the plot diagrams.
Next load of cow manure Saturday 19 November 10.30.  £1 a barrow.
We welcome Caroline Williamson to Plot 22  2.11.16
Nick Hall has regretfully had to give up plot 21. Annie Davenport will be moving in this weekend.
NEXT MANURE DELIVERY  Saturday 5th November. Our original source is getting contaminated with newer material, branches etc so the supplier recommends some cow manure from his property in Chilcompton.
AGM  Monday 24th October at the Town Hall 7 pm. All requested to come on this annual event to discuss the future etc.
Paid garden work available. Does any plot holder know a young person to assist with garden work. No specialised experience necessary. Hourly rate by arrangement.  Call Brian 01761 415473
Hard stand base finished. Ready for use. Netting will be placed around to contain the wood chippings / manure when it comes. 20.8.16

News from the Plots 9th July 2016

We are now getting into that time of year when all of the crops start producing and we end up with more than we can eat. The early potatoes are ready along with kohl rabi, lettuce, carrots, celery, cabbage and spinach. French and runner beans are all in flower with the first beans forming as we speak. In the fruit garden the strawberries are now finished and the first crops of raspberries are being harvested.

The damp weather has brought further problems. Last time I reported on white rot being present in part of my wife’s plot. Now we are seeing the first signs of potato blight. I’ve had a quick look around the site and many plots are showing the first signs of blight not only in the potatoes but also tomatoes.

First signs of blight

The first sign of blight on potatoes is leaves shriveling and turning brown followed by lesions on the stems. If allowed to spread the disease will reach the tubers, which will gradually rot. Even if the tubers are picked when apparently healthy they will not keep in storage so should be consumed straight away.

As soon as you see significant blight developing cut the foliage off leaving a small amount of stem showing above ground. The tubers can then be picked within a couple of weeks but as already stated they should be eaten as soon as possible. Any foliage should be burned or disposed of and not composted.

As with many diseases these days there is no treatment available to the gardener to deal with the problem. Early potatoes are usually ready before infestations begin or you could try growing the Saporo range of tubers which have high resistance to blight (something that I can verify from my own experience). In the case of tomatoes, Ferline is one of the best varieties to grow or alternatively stick to growing them in a greenhouse if you have one.

Andy Broadhurst
Plot 50, 67

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News from the plots June 2016

The recent damp weather has certainly produced a lot of growth but is beginning to affect some of the crops. The strawberries looked great a week ago but now I’m having to throw half of them away due to mould.

The over wintered onions were doing very well but some are suffering. It looks like onion white rot, which I have never had before. The first symptom is a bluish white mould on the base. The bulbs then become distorted underneath (see picture), the roots rot away and finally the foliage dies off.

White rot is one of the worst onion diseases you can have and it also affects garlic and leeks. There is no chemical control available to gardeners. The spores last for many years however they tend to be dormant when temperatures go above 20C. Foliage must be disposed of and great care taken to ensure that the spores aren’t transferred to other parts of the plot on boots or soil covered tools.

The potatoes have been growing really quickly. First crop of Charlotte already dug up this week. Unfortunately a few of them have suffered from black leg. The foliage begins to go yellow, curl up and die off. If you don’t deal with it promptly by removing the infected plants the tubers are affected and it will spread through the rest of the crop. Foliage should be disposed of and with good crop rotation it can be controlled. If you look this disease up on the RHS site it says that Charlotte are not prone to it however mine (bought from a reputable supplier) are suffering. Again, the weather conditions are not helping. We need some drier weather.

On a more positive note, the french beans and runner beans are making the most of the rain and growing rapidly as is the celery and celeriac. The raspberries are looking really strong and the first ones are turning red. Here’s to some really good crops this year.

Andy Broadhurst
Plot 50, 67

25.6.16   Primrose have done a good job with strimming, and also a fair job mowing the wider areas. Good borders do transform the look of the whole  and even in the rain the allot looks lovely and verdant.

24.6.16 –  Has anyone seen my hoe? It’s a light green Wilkinson one – I noticed there is one next to the notice board that looks like it’s lost its owner. Mine is the same colour but not the same shape at the bottom (hasn’t got those side bits) and I don’t know whether someone has got it muddled up with theirs and left this one instead?
Last seen on plot 39 Kate Parkins

14.6.16 someone has dumped a number of plastic trays by the notice board. Please take some if you need them. I hope they do not blow around in the wind too much.

13.6.16 – we now have permission from the council to build a hard stand for manure, wood chips etc.

1.6.16 – places available for the social Friday 10 June

30.5.16 – newsletter out tomorrow

27.5.16 – next Newsletter due out Tuesday 31st May. Contributions welcomed.

25.5.16 – paths have been strimmed

24.5.16 – more wood chips arrived. Do help yourself and take some home if you wish.

19.5.16 – ran out of wood chips again. Ordered more.

6.5.16 – arrival of latest load of wood chips

4.5.16 – new supply this Friday 6.5.16

4.5.16 – wood chips nearly run out – more ordered.

4.5.16 – Brian Snellgrove takes over Plot 59.

2.5.16 – state of play this evening. A useful amount left.

29.4.16 – New tree bark arrives. about a month old.  Larger load than last time.

29.4.16 – Primrose doing a fine job mowing the borders.

29.4.16 – We already ran out of tree bark. More coming today.

20.4.16 – had successful inter-allotment meeting in the Town Hall.

16,4,16 – the last of the manure is gone. More in late autumn.

8.4.16 – We welcome Luke Carter to Plot 47

31.3.16 – manure will be arriving this Saturday 2nd April 2.30 pm

29.3.16 – Asked Dave if he could give firm commitments re manure.

24.3.26 – delivery going to be next weekend due to the weather

23.3.16  Dave the farmer says that he will ‘see what he can do’ for a delivery.

22.3.16  There is talk of the need for yet more manure.
This Saturday or the following Saturday.

Two youths have been seen wandering around the allotments maybe up to no good,
maybe not. Can we keep an eye open for any strangers.

25.6.16 Current occupancy status: 100% full but one or two may become available within a month. Put your name on the list.

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For newcomers

This website is for people interested in gardens and allotments in general but also for those who want to join the Midsomer Community Allotment Association.

Over the UK there are 330,000 allotments enabling the average person to grow and consume their own food knowing that it is free from pesticides.  Ours on the boundary of Midsomer Norton and Radstock is one such. It’s opposite the collection of garages including the Car Shop.

Until 2012 the allotments were under the direct control of the Midsomer Norton Council. We then became autonomous in that year and now run our own affairs. We are an open-minded  group and welcome newcomers  for whom we have social meetings from time to time.

Brian Snellgrove, Secretary

There are 65 plots on a south facing slope bordered by trees and a brook on the south side.  We could describe the soil as good to heavy going depending on the location; some people have introduced compost over the years  which has definitely benefited the ease of working the soil.

There are ample supplies of water so you don’t have to walk far to fill up your watering can.

If you would like to inquire about renting a plot, go here.

17.5.18 I have heard so many people ask so many things about Roundup, here is a good study.