News

July 2009

Congratulations - The Bottoms heard that they have picked up a Silver Gilt award in the Anglia in bloom competition, and also the highest score for the category. The allotments were judged back on the June 22nd. The presentation ceremony is at the Norris Museum on Friday 10th July at 10am. All winners will be presented with certificates and prizes by the Town Mayor. Well done !

5th July - Warning, there appears to be a second generation of codling moths now, with a lot of moths being caught in the pheremone traps. This suggests checking your apples, and if you are not organic, spraying for the pest which can ruin your apple crop. Use pesticides safely.

Skip - the Town Council have informed us that they are having a skip delivered for rubbish, which will be provided onsite between Friday 10 July and Friday 17 July inclusive. Please note that if you find asbestos on your plot (not uncommon) this should not got in the skip, but needs to be dealt with separately. Let the town clerk know if you find asbestos.

June 2009

8th June - Just noticed this weekend - a large number of apples are infested with Codling moth. The warm weather recently has moved everything on, and this insect seems to have been established for a couple of weeks before the time we are normally advised to check for it. Very noticeable is the brown sticky 'frass' dribbling out of the entry hole, which will contain a maggot heading into the core of the apple. It is too late to save any apples infected, but to reduce further attacks, consider buying sticky/pheremone traps (available from all good gardening suppliers). Also recommended is wrapping card traps around the major branches and trunk to capture the insects when they emerge later in the summer (then remove and destroy before the winter).

May 2009

19th May - Finally some rain. Everything is moving on quickly now, especially the weeds, and birds are nesting. Please remember that it is an offence to cut down trees and hedges where wild birds are nesting.

7th May - A small group of HRAA members recently had a liaison meeting with representatives of the town council's amenties committee. This was a generally constructive meeting, although there is some ongoing discussion regarding the placement of a fence which will run along the south side of the allotment site, and will prevent pedestrian access from the bridges over the ditch and into the allotments. If you are a pedestrian or cyclist then you may wish to lobby the council when the fence does appear, but in the meantime rest assured, we are making the case for pedestrian access. The water supply is also being redirected as part of the cemetery extension works, but we are assured that this will not affect the current water supply. As part of the general improvements, the contractors working on the cemetery extension are going to put in a parking area near the bottom south-west entrance, where cars enter from Hill Rise. The plan will be to restrict vehicular access to this parking area during the winter months. The issue of pests (rats, rabbits, pheasants, pigeons etc) was also raised at the meeting. Noting the problems of dealing with rabbits experienced by other councils (e.g. in Hinchingbrooke Park) it was acknowledged that it is difficult for the council to eradicate all pests, and it was felt on balance that the priority must be for allotment holders to take every care to protect plots themselves, and to protect areas under sheds and compost bins, to stop rats and rabbits nesting. If you wish to find out more about the liaison meetings, or wish to get involved with HRAA then please contact Allan Lewis - see details on 'contact' page.

April 2009

18th April - Odd weather for the start of April - we could do with a few more April showers and a bit warmer weather, but can't have everything. Early potatoes are now emerging, and most early sown seeds are up. Asparagus is also up and seems to be earlier than in the last couple of years - the cold snap in February/March may have broken its dormancy faster than in the recent mild winters.

If you have not had an email on the subject of a membership/discount card, please contact Allan Lewis (see 'Contact' page) for details of the scheme. We have been offered 10% discount on purchases from Huntingdon Garden and Leisure, on presentation of a HRAA membership card. There is a nominal charge of £1.00 for the card (the cards are all printed and ready for collection).

There was an interesting article in the Hunts Post (of 15th April), stating that in St Ives we currently have a waiting list of 60 people waiting for one of the 115 plots to become vacant. Apparently the council are looking to provide an extra 20 or 30 plots.

March 2009

The allotment social evening went well and was made quite memorable with some heated debate between the organic/non-organic lobby. If you require a copy of Selwyn's crop nutrition notes then email Richard (see link on 'Diary dates' page).

Reminder - 13th March, 7.30pm in the Free Church (upstairs), there is an allotment social evening with guest speaker talking about Soils and Compost. Please note that there will be a small charge (£2.00 per person) to cover the cost of hiring the hall.

February 2009

8th February - if you are interested in birds and feel like a walk, head across the dog-walking field from the top of the allotments, to the wood called 'Top plantation' - there is a flock of around 25 thrushes, mainly Redwings but also a couple of Fieldfares there at the moment. They occasionally fly over the allotments, but they gather at the top of the park, roosting in the wood, and feeding on any grassy bits of the park which aren't covered by snow.

5th February - Next allotment social evening confirmed - Friday 13th March , 7.30pm in the Free Church - speaker confirmed to talk about Soils and Compost. Once again, there will be a small charge per person to cover the cost of hiring the hall. For further details, check on the 'diary dates' page.

Of course, the news this week is is all about snow !

Here are a few wintry images - frozen chicken (!), icy water butts, an artichoke in the snow, and a general view of the site:

January 2009

18th January - Here's a photo of a fresh batch of mulch being added to the communal hedge on a bracing, but sunny day. A load of mulch was delivered by the council to the top end of the track this week, and when the hedge is covered, that will be free to take for allotment holders along the top row. A few people are reporting rat activity, so be aware and check your compost bins. Remember they will be looking for somewhere warm to nest during this cold snap.

Quite a few of us managed to get up over Christmas/New Year and do some digging, despite the short days. Helpfully, the recent hard frosts are breaking the clay down nicely. The daylength is now increasing, and you can hear Great tits calling now, particularly near the bottom of the allotment site. Spring must be on its way...

December 2008

5th December - we have been informed by the town council that there will be significant quantities of mulch and wood cuttings/logs deposited on the allotment site during the next week, as a number of trees are being felled in the area of the cemetery. Please help yourself - these materials are being provided free to any tenants who can use them. If anyone has any spare time, then feel free to spread some more mulch along the top half of the communal hedge.

The padlock number on the gate has changed - please remember to lock the gate after you have driven through it - we do not want to tempt any unwanted visitors. Remember that if you leave it open and the padlock unlocked, then anyone with an interest can quickly learn the new code. Keep the code to yourself. Remember: careless talk costs allotments tools and greenhouses !

November 2008

Allotments social evening confirmed - 22nd November in the Parish Church hall (opposite the Aviator pub) from 7.30pm. There will be a small charge of £1.00 per person to cover the cost of hiring the hall.

The highlight of the evening will be a talk by a locally-based plant disease expert, Dr Peter Gladders, who has also offered to diagnose any diseased plants or produce you wish to bring along. We will also have some copies of the booklet Peter co-authored on 'Diseases of organic vegetables' which will be offered to members at the special discounted rate of £1.00

The other aim of the evening will be to see what other things people want to do in the future, for instance we could organise a vegetable show/competition in the summer. Finally, if you haven't formally signed up to membership of the allotment association don't worry - if you are an allotment tenant or even an aspiring tenant, we will still be happy to see you there. If you can come it would be helpful to let us know in advance - please email Richard to confirm, or with any questions at: webmaster@hraa.org.uk.

October 2008

Not much new to say really this month - days are getting shorter and we need a last push to weed plots and get them ready for winter. Also, you will all have received a new tenancy agreement from the council, and with it, our first newsletter. The history of the allotments in St Ives has been added to the 'Info' page (on this web site) for anyone who wants to refer to it again and has lost the newsletter.

September 2008

The nights are drawing in, and it looks as though the Indian summer we were promised came and went overnight. Happily though it won't be long till we can start harvesting winter veg; parsnips, leeks and brassicas.

Some of you will have noticed the tracks getting quite boggy. Yes, the council should be doing something about it, but in the meantime you can help by not driving your car around the site unless it's absolutely necessary (sorry if you think we have got the needle stuck on this subject, but with about 100 tenants currently, that's a lot of traffic concentrated on few muddy tracks !).

We are currently preparing newsletter which will go out at the end of the month and should be mailed to everyone, including those who haven't heard about HRAA yet, or don't have access to the internet.

One of the successes this summer - despite the rain - has been tomatoes. The photo above will be very familiar to most of you ! Why we escaped blight this year but not last, is one of nature's mysteries....

August 2008

Hopefully most have you will have seen progress being made with the new water butts being installed around the site. This is great news. We know that not everyone will have easy access, but it is a great improvement on what we had before. Thanks to the Town Council grounds maintenance staff for getting these in before the end of the season.

The HRAA committee met with the new town council amenities committee on 15th August to discuss a revised tenancy agreement which the town council have drafted. The meeting was very constructive and provides a basis for making further improvements to the allotments site. If you wish to raise any issues regarding management of the allotments, it would be very helpful if you could contact Allan Lewis and join HRAA - we have more chance of making progress through speaking as a group with one voice, rather than individuals ringing the council. See the 'Contact' page on the web site for Allan's details.

On a seperate matter, sweetcorn is ripening, and the rats are out and about. Take a look at the Info page, and especially read the section on pests. Make sure you do not leave piles of rubbish or pallets where rats can shelter, nest and breed. Consider blocking up all holes under your sheds as well. If using bait, take a look at this useful web site: thinkingwildlife.

July 2008

It's been a quiet month and little to update with holidays getting in the way. However, one important point to note is that the new town council amenities committee agreed to double up the number of water butts as a temporary measure until the location and capacity of the main water supply through the cemetery extension can be be sorted. While we know that this won't solve everyones problems (some areas still have no water butts at all) it will at least stop water butts being emptied on hot days when there are queues of people needing to water. At least it is progress, as we spent 2 years with the previous town council trying to improve water supplies.

June 2008

IMPORTANT ! A number of loads of fresh farm yard manure have just been delivered around the allotment site. While this is clearly a valuable resource, there is word of caution required - Since this is fresh and apparently untreated muck, it must not be applied at the present time to current crops, but needs to be stored first.

Current guidelines to the fresh produce (veg and salad) industry are as follows:

"You should NOT apply fresh solid manure or slurry (i.e. manure that has not been batch
stored or treated) within 12 months of harvesting a ready to eat crop, including a minimum
period of 6 months between the manure application and drilling/planting of the crop."

[Source: MANAGING FARM MANURES FOR FOOD SAFETY Guidelines for Growers to Reduce the Risks of Microbiological Contamination of Ready to Eat Crops, Food Standards Agency, 2005]. Further information can be found on the FSA web site here:

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2007/sep/manureguid

Please tell any other allotment holders you meet, who may not have seen this information.

May 2008

2nd May - History was made in St Ives - 11 independents were elected to the town council. Hill Rise Allotment Association would like to wish them all the best, and look forward to working closely with them over the coming months to try and sort out the issues surrounding the management of the allotments. Although undoubtedly some issues will not be resolved overnight because of budgetary constraints, we hope that there will be someone to listen to the concerns over water, roadways, security etc, that we have raised over the past year.

During the election it was clearly stated by the former chairman of the amenities committee (at an open meeting of the town council) that the provision of more water to the allotments was not a big problem and really could be sorted quite quickly - and within the current financial year. We intend to hold him and the town council to that promise.

On this matter, we would like to hear from anyone who has plumbing expertise: The quickest way to achieve a result will be to offer our services to help the town council staff get the job done as fast as possible. It is now only a matter of weeks before the heavy period of water use begins, and we must get more water points established around the site.

April 2008

On Sunday 13th April, we had a visit from four of the independent candidates in the forthcoming local elections, who were interested to hear more about the allotments and our efforts to improve the amenities. This great photo of the candidates and some allotment holders was taken when they visited.

The canes in the foreground mark out the position of the new hedge (see earlier news items). Allan our chairman is on the front row, with red top and woolly hat.

On a change of subject, here is a photo of snow on the allotments taken from the last week in March (Easter day):

In the last week of March, two piles of mulch were delivered to the site for putting down around the new hedge. Please can everyone help out by taking a couple of barrow loads of mulch up and spreading it out. It is quite light, so easy to do, and we probably have about 100m covered already.

Did you know you can enter your allotment in the Anglia in Bloom competition ?- see here for further details.

Finally, take a look at John's blog here, it also has lots of interesting photos and summarises year in the life of a plot holder.

March 2008

All the hedging along the western edge of the allotments was planted by the end of February, extending down to the bottom entrance by Hill Rise (see photo). Thanks again to everyone who helped. We are now waiting for mulch/bark which should be coming shortly from Hinchingbrooke Park.

Now spring is well on its way, some of you may have seen birds beginning to nest. We recently received the following message from the police Rural Community Action Team (RCAT):

RCAT - Nesting Birds.
"Please be aware that wild birds will start nest building in March. Once construction of nests has commenced it is an offence to damage or destroy the nest eg by hedge cutting/tree felling ( Wildlife and Countryside act 1981). For further information / assistance regarding wild birds and the law please contact PC 1387 Paul Carter (RCAT)."

Finally, the tracks have dried up, so it's now easier to drive up to your plot. Please be considerate and return your car to the bottom of the track once you have dropped things off, so that others can get their cars up as well or get past with wheelbarrows.

February 2008

The bulk of the hedging (about 200 metres) was planted during the last week of January. Thanks to everyone who helped. Now lets keep our fingers crossed that it survives the weather and the rabbits.

WARNING: There has been some vandalism on the allotment site, with broken glass in sheds and greenhouses on a couple of plots. If you suffer any damage, it is very important that you tell the police (try the community liaison officer at St Ives police station in the first instance) so incidents are logged. We won't get an increase in police patrolling unless it is registered that there is a problem. Contact details for the police are here: http://www.cambs.police.uk/myneighbourhood/nhtpage.asp?teamcode=431. Finally let a member of the allotment association know if you experience any vandalism, and then we can keep everyone informed.

January 2008

Work has finally begun on laying a boundary hedge on the western side of the allotments (as of 17th January). Plants will be delivered this week and heeled in on plot 90. Once these have been delivered, any volunteers can go up and plant a batch whenever they have time. Ideally they need to be planted by mid February (avoiding any days when the ground is frozen).

There will be 1200 plants, of which 2/3 will be hawthorn and 1/3 mixed native hedging species including blackthorn, dog rose, guelder rose, field maple and hazel nut. This will be enough for two rows of 300m in length, plants spaced 50 cm apart. Refer to our chairman (Allan) for further instructions (email him and check the forum; there may be some comments on line). In time, this should become a good windbreak, as well as a place for birds to nest. Thanks to Hunts DC for supplying the plants and to the St Ives TC groundsmen for preparing the land in December.

Other points of note this month: You will be aware that with the heavy rain there is much ponding around the site. Please, more than ever, try to avoid driving your cars up the tracks. Any unmetalled tracks really will not take vehicles at this time of year, and if you do try and drive on them you will make them worse for everyone else.

Finally, days are getting longer, spring is on the way and the cockerels are starting make themselves heard. While we were starting the hedging work, some of us watched a fox tracking across the field to the north of the allotments. Let's hope he keeps away from those plots with chickens!

(Click to enlarge)

November 2007

IMPORTANT ! - next allotment association meeting on Allan's plot (no.125) at 11.30am, Sunday 18th November. Allan will update us on all issues he has been discussing with the council. Bring wet weather gear just in case......

Please try out the new 'Forum' section of the web site (click on the "forum" above). This section is designed to allow you to discuss and share ideas with other members. You will need to register the first time you use the foum, and then log in each time you return.

The groundsmen have been preparing and arranging the ploughing-out of grass to make 25 new plots. Apparently there are 40 people currently on the waiting list.

October 2007

Green woodpeckers have been sighted on the allotment site. You may have noticed a largish bird flying over your plot, with a prominent yellow flash on its back - if so, it is sure to be a green woodpecker. Many of you will know there have been woodpeckers on the site for a couple of years, mainly found on the top edge of the site, where the trees mark the boundary with farmland to the north. The woodpeckers appear to have bred this season, and you may see a couple of young ones who are not quite as shy as their parents (green woodpeckers are usually quite reclusive). Here is a photo taken in October (click to enlarge):

September 2007

You will have seen piles of used playground matting appearing at various points around the allotment roadways. This is part of a plan by the council to improve the roadways by using the mats as a base for further hardcore.

Now is the time of year to make the most of your sweetcorn and squashes. However....... there are others who will enjoy your produce too - particularly Rats ! To avoid this problem repair sheds, hide produce away, and make sure there are no hiding places for them. Read more in the 'Info' pages.

August 2007

Allan has had two recent meetings with the Town Council which have been very productive. Further detailed information is available in his minutes which will have been mailed to you.

One item of good news is that Huntingdon District Council have agreed to supply hedging plants, sufficient for 500 m on the West side of the allotments, which will improve the look of the area and also provide a windbreak.

July 2007

The town council groundsmen strimmed down many of the thistles around the allotments which will be very helpful to improve the look of the area, as well as helping with weed control of course. If you have a problem near your plot (e.g. there may be a redundant plot next to yours) email the town council and they should be able to get it sorted.