Roehampton Garden Society

Author Archives: RXY


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The RGS and Local Schools

In order to make our lovely allotments accessible to children in our area who do not have families with plots or have a garden at home, we often welcome small groups from local schools to visit. Only one school, Paddock, rents a plot but there are visiting groups from other schools. Not only do the children learn about the seasons, the plants and the bugs but sometimes they get a real treat with a difference! Courtney,a pupil at Granard School, wrote:

“On Mondays, we go to the allotments to see all the plants. This week we saw two dogs called Barley and Hugo and a cool cat called Simba. The dogs were cute and friendly to everyone. 

When Hugo saw us, he got very excited and started to jump and run around like a raccoon.  
Simba the cat is three years old.​​ When Simba saw Barley, he wanted to hunt, but instead he jumped up in the tree.  Simba loves going on trips by himself. When he was young, he would squeeze under the gate to reach the allotments. However, now he can’t go under the gate because he is too big. Simba loves going in the trees to look out for food. If you offer him some delicious treats, he will sit down and give you his paw. I like the way he looks. “

with thanks to Jackie Savage


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Short Organic Food Growing Course – starting 23rd April

EcoLocal, a Carshalton based charity are running their successful short course to help you to grow your own healthy, organic food without harming the environment.
For further information and to book, visit http://www.ecolocal.org.uk/highlight/organic-food-growing-course/

Comments from past students….

“It’s a great mix of practical and theory so the information goes in twice and ensures you’re more likely to remember!” 
“Very knowledgeable tutor”.
“I had only just got an allotment so the 6 lessons were exactly in line with what I needed.”

The course teaches eco-friendly gardening; no-dig methods, crop rotation, organic pest control, making natural fertilisers and more. It’s suitable for beginner and intermediate growers. teaching is a mixture of theory and practice, allowing students to try out the skills they learn, understanding how to plan, so they can make the most of their veg patch or allotment.

Running over 6 Saturday mornings, beginning 23rd April 2022.

The course is face to face outdoors for the practical skills teaching elements, taught on the Carshalton Community Allotments, just a 5 minute walk from Carshalton station. The theory is taught live via Zoom on alternate weeks. More travel information


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Thinking Ahead – preventing Tomato and Potato blight

Tomato and Potato Blight

Last year many of our outdoor tomatoes were destroyed by tomato blight and some plot holders also had potato blight to contend with. The key with potatoes is not to leave them too long in the ground once they are ready to harvest. 

We can also take precautions to minimise the risk. Don’t plant tomatoes or potatoes near each other, they are both solanums and will compete for the same nutrients and suffer the same diseases. And don’t plant them where potatoes and /or tomatoes were last year, if you can avoid it.”

Tomatoes are easy to grow and it is now time to sow some seeds under glass. We have the following blight resistant varieties in Store:

Cocktail Crush, Crokini, Fandango, Mountain Magic (said to be the best disease resistant tomato) and Black Opal. 

with thanks to Jackie Savage


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Allotment supplies: Manure, Bark, Compost

Wood chip, manure and compost : supply situation

Wood Chip

Currently we have 3 tree surgeons who supply both sites – Hardy Tree Surgeons, Putney Tree Surgeons and Green Industree Ltd. They know we prefer good quality chip without too much leaf, especially leylandii and eucalyptus. As deliveries are infrequent it would be useful if any RGS member knows of, or is using another tree surgeon who may be able to supply us, to contact RGS with their details. Access to both sites is not easy for chipping wagons and any potential supplier needs to be aware of this.

Manure

Despite all efforts we have been unable to find a local stable who will supply and deliver manure. We have had inferior quality manure delivered from other sources in the past but it was not popular. Again, if any RGS member has a contact with a local stable please could they let RGS know.

Manure can be collected free from Ham House stables TW10 7RS (contact Kate Ferguson 07803 015437 before visiting), Wimbledon Village stables and The Willows, Cobham KT11 2SL (contact Micki 07583 860618). There may be others.

Compost

We have recently had deliveries of free good quality compost from Enable who manage Wandsworth’s Parks. We shall continue with this as long as supplies are available.

With thanks to:

Vivien Fowler


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Rent information 2022

Rent invoices will be coming soon

Mid February you will be getting an email from RGS with your 2022/23 invoice for rent, water, insurance and RGS membership. It will need to be paid by 31st March 2022 by bank transfer into the RGS account – full instructions will be on the invoice. The rent is set by Wandsworth Council and this year will be:

Full rate £26.20 per rod

Concession and Disabled rate £20.90 per rod.

You are eligible for the concession rate if you are 65 years old or more on 1st April 2022. The

Disabled rate is available for those on disability benefit.

The water charge will remain at £5 per rod and insurance at a flat fee of £1. We are considering a small increase in RGS membership.

Please watch out for the invoice attached to an RGS email in a couple of weeks.

Helen Finch, Chair of RGS


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Store news January 2022

The Store re-opens after its Christmas Break on Sunday 9 January

We will have plenty of Country Natural available and seed composts are being delivered next week.

COVID
The Omicron variant is very much with us and thus it is important that visitors to the Store follow COVID procedures. This may mean queuing outside the store, especially when the potatoes and onions arrive.
Hand Gel and masks available in store.

Potatoes and Onions will be available from the Main Store from Sunday 16 January.
We will have 5 varieties of potatoes and 2 of onion sets as follows:

Potatoes are sold by the kilo and you can pick and mix.

swift
charlotte
estima
desiree
king edward

FIRST EARLIES for planting late March/early April and Harvesting in June/July:

Swift: produces lots of small, round potatoes with short plants ideal for growing in containers.

SECOND EARLIES for planting early-mid April for harvesting in July/August:

Charlotte: a salad potato with slightly waxy yellow-cream flesh.

Estima: ideal for boiling and mashing if harvested early. If left in the ground it makes a good baking potato. Large oval tubers with a smooth skin and pale yellow flesh

MAIN CROP for planting in mid-late April and lifted in August for immediate use or in September/October for storing:

Desiree: oval red skinned tubers with pale yellow flesh. Heavy croppers that are tolerant of drought and show a good resistance to disease.

King Edward: has good keeping properties and above average disease resistance. Flesh is creamy-white.

ONION SETS: plant in February to April and lift when they mature in August.

Sturon
Red Baron

Red Baron: produces flattish-round bulbs of dark red.

Sturon: produces straw-coloured bulbs.

The onion sets come in 200g bags.

Gill Tamsett
Trading Secretary


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Getting to know the chickens…

One Monday afternoon in December, when a small group of Granard school children were visiting the Site 2 allotments, Barry was kind enough to introduce them to his chickens. As you can see they were able to hold them and Barry gave the school a dozen fresh eggs which were cooked the following morning. After they had visited the chickens Barry gave a few of the children a ride in a wheelbarrow, ably helped by one of their teachers, Natalya, who is also a plot holder.


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The Roehampton Garden Society is 100 years old!

Doverhouse plan – showing the initial 3 allotment sites

Growing and cultivating never go out of style…..

Throughout 2022 we will be looking at ways to celebrate our centenary. Our allotments were part of the original design for the Doverhouse Estate. You will note that there were 3 areas marked as allotments in the plan. Unfortunately the northernmost and largest site, to the north of Huntingfield Road, was later used for development.


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Tom Murphy 1942-2021

Tom Murphy 1942-2021

Just before Christmas we heard of the sudden death of one of our long standing members. Tom Murphy was a well loved character and a friend to many neighbours on site 3. He had been an allotmenteer for over 35 years and would always share advice on growing things. He still used very traditional methods to grow his produce – usually potatoes (double dug and deep trenched) and wonderful cabbages. He cut the grass on the common paths on both allotment sites for many years, fetching petrol for the mower on the bus and walking the mower between sites!

We will miss him.

Bill Young writes this memoir:

We will all remember Tom with some affection. Tom always had a ready smile and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Even gardening, he was always smartly suited and booted. Several people who were Tom’s immediate neighbours on the allotment, all have their own versions of the following story:

One hot summers day in 2014 – Tom appeared on his allotment dressed as was usual, in a suit, collar and tie.   From his shed he produced a coat hanger, then proceed to hang his jacket on that.  As the sun was glaring down on him in his shirtsleeves, he started a rummage within his shed, finally he produced a sun-hat.  The Australians have a wide brimmed bush hat, complete with dangling corks all along the brim – to ward off the flies.  Tom had his own, the Murphy version!  Emblazoned on the crown it said GUINNESS,  on the brim, numerous small plastic Guinness bottles dangled – to ward off flies.  To cap it all, in a fine tenor voice whilst hoeing – he serenaded everyone with the following :- “Old Man River”, “Mississippi Queen” . Capping it off with Johnny Cash’s “I walk the Line” “Folsom Prison Blues” and finally “Ring of Fire”

Post nubila Phoebus

Bill Young 24/12/21


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Thrive is looking for Gardening Volunteers

The gardening-for-health charity Thrive is looking for local volunteers.

Thrive’s London hub is based in Battersea Park and throughout the pandemic has continued to help locals – either virtually or in-person, when restrictions have allowed – use gardening for health and well-being. Their plants are often found on sale in their outdoor garden centre.

They are looking for Garden Support Volunteers to “assist the client gardeners and horticultural therapists”. You will need to commit to one day a week, from 9.45am-3.15pm, for at least six months. Volunteers need to be patient and understanding, whilst respecting professional boundaries, and be prepared to work outdoors in all weathers.

If you could consider taking on this worthwhile opportunity, read more here