1. Autumn Clean Up – Following a very busy growing season it is now time to clear and prepare the allotment for next Spring.   Old vegetation should be dug up and composted where possible or incinerated if you have the appropriate container. Please do not dump allotment waste in the hedge bottom or in the Farmers field. As a good neighbour please make certain that weeds are not allowed to seed and spread to other allotments.

2. Manure – We now have had a delivery of manure bur please use SPARINGLY Autumn is a good time to dig over the soil but heavy mulching with manure will do more harm than good and potentially alter the PH level (acid/alkaline levels) making it impossible for some crops to grow.   The onion and legume family do not like to be planted in freshly spread manure.

3. Rats – Rats and rabbits remain a potential problem and we ask all plot holders to remain vigilant and take appropriate action – that means making sure all gates are closed to keep rabbits out and taking care not to damage the perimeter fence.

Good housekeeping measures can deter rats, notably putting chicken wire under compost bins, removing piles of rubbish where rats can nest and avoiding areas of standing water where they can drink.

As harvest time comes to an end the supply of food in the fields dwindles dramatically. Rats therefore look for an alternative source of food. Please ensure that all crops likely to attract rats e.g beans, sweetcorn, courgettes, marrows, pumpkins are harvested and taken off the plot asap. Please do not leave produce lying around.

If you spot signs of rat infestation please notify Colin on 07922662824 who has a supply of rat bait.

4. Trees – Should you have fruit trees on your allotment please can you check that they do not need pruning as they should not overshadow your neighbours plot. Recommended height for fruit trees grown on an allotment should be 6 – 8ft.

As Wilberfoss Allotment Association has no policy for the height of trees it is suggested that we put his item on the agenda to be discussed at the forthcoming A.G.M.

5. Wilberfoss Allotment Association Website
   http://www.wilberfossallotments.uk/
   Report from the Editor:
   On-line membership of the Association continues to creep up steadily with some 18 allotmenteers now signed up to the website – although activity on the site is still very low. We hope the site plays a useful role but clearly more needs to be done. One area in which the site certainly is a major asset is in generating enquiries about membership and the availability of plots. Many of the recent new members have sent their initial enquiries through the site.To be successful, however, it is clear we need to be more proactive and make it much easier for members to contribute to the site and generate some active discussion on-line about gardening and allotment matters. So between now and the AGM in November we will be working hard to make a number of significant changes and improvements to the site.
   • In July we moved the site to a much faster and more secure server
   • We also created a direct link from the new Wilberfoss Parish Council website making the site much easier to find for anyone within the Parish or thinking of moving to the area
   • To comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the 2018 UK Data Protection Act, we strengthened security and updated our privacy policy (this new policy will be available shortly via the website)
   • New developments will include:
   • An upgraded photo gallery allowing members to add photos directly to the gallery without the need for admin intervention
   • A new ‘swaps’ page allowing members to post items they no longer need
   • An enhanced blog page making it much easier to ask general questions and comment on posts

Wilberfoss Allotments Twitter Account (@wfossallotments)

Members who have a Twitter account might like to Follow Wilberfoss Allotments (@wfossallotments). The Twitter feed will notify you of any new Gardening Tips posted on the main website as well as useful re-tweets from local organisations and other allotment associations. We currently have 58 Followers from around the UK and Ireland.

6. AGM – 1st NOVEMBER, COMMUNITY CENTRE, WILBERFOSS STARTING AT 7.30PM prompt. If you would like to become a Committee member please contact Gill on 380725 before the AGM. Gill will send out a reminder before the due date. Please do try to attend your Allotment AGM

7. D T Brown Catalogue – The AA have special prices from the above company equating to 50% off packet seed prices and 20% off non-seed items (these discounts available on minimum Association volume) These should be available at the AGM

8. Autumn Planting – it is possible to sow broad beans, onions and garlic around the end of September/October. Subject to the severity of the weather over winter you should get early crops next year. Your local garden centre should be able to supply and help with these items

9. Summer B B Q – Our 10th Anniversary barbecue took place at Grant Burtons farm this summer and was a huge success with over 28 people enjoying the summer weather and the barbequed morsels .A big thanks to Grant and to everyone that made it a successful event

10. Inspection Of Plots – This will be carried out by two Members of the Committee and will take place in October.

Wilberfoss Allotment Committee

September 2018