Our main manure supplier does not use herbicides but does buy in hay etc from other sources who may have used them (or had an adjoining neighbour use them).  The herbicides were banned by the Government but unfortunately are now permitted again.

Current advice is to not use the crops (which may be stunted or deformed in any case).  The beds affected may be safe to use again next season, the recommended length of time differs between sources.

You can carry out a simple test by potting up a tomato seedling or young plant in a mixture of compost and well shredded manure.  If the foliage becomes affected then your manure should not be used, but left to rot down.

There is a lot of information on the subject on the Internet; type in “manure contamination” or “aminopyralid” as keywords.  There is little that can be done unfortunately; it appears to be a widespread problem across the country – the Government should not have allowed the use of these herbicides which are now affecting the food chain.

• A real who-dung-it as keen gardeners kick up a stink (Scotsman)
• Aminopyralid Herbicide Residue in Manure Killing Crops (Allotment.or.uk)
• What to do if you have Aminopyralid Contaminated Manure (Allotment.or.uk)
• Aminopyralid (Wikipedia)

If you do a test, as above, please can you let us know of the outcome so that we can establish the extent of the problem.

The Council has been notified.

Incidentally, there is another crop disease called “Leaf curl virus” which affects potatoes and tomatoes, is a virus spread by aphids, and can look fairly similar (leaves curl upwards becoming hard and brittle).  You can find illustrations of both problems on the Internet, to compare.

• http://www.flickr.com/groups/craigentinnyallotments

Simply create a Flickr account (it’s free), upload your images then add them to the Group – the latest images will automatically appear in the right column of the website.

The draft strategy is available at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/haveyoursay/ or from the Allotment Officer – Ian Woolard, tel: 0131 311 7072

John c.1974

Plotholders John & Val Maule share their memories of Craigentinny Allotments in what we hope will be the first of several ‘Allotment Tales’.

I first acquired an allotment at Craigentinny in 1972, whilst renting a flat in Leith. There was not a waiting list then, and there were several vacant plots when I toured the site to select mine. I was asked how many plots I would like since most of the gardeners had more than one! I chose a plot by the golf course fence on the area currently occupied by part of the communal garden.

Interestingly, the layout of the site was then somewhat different to the present arrangement The area currently occupied by the first five plots, at the entrance to the site, was then used by Edinburgh Corporation Parks Department to raise bedding plants for Princes Street gardens. Wallflowers were the predominant crop and there were usually a few left over, which plotholders were encouraged to take. I was told that there used to be a communal hut, built from an old railway wagon, which was positioned near the gate, but the structure had been burnt down by vandals. The site extended further to the south, into the area which is now a willow and birch plantation beyond the fence. Plots at this end of the site frequently became flooded during wet weather and were the first to become frosted in the winter, so when the Corporation gave up the ground by the gate it was decided to create more plots here and abandon the area at the other end of the site.

The population of plotholders was then quite different compared with today. Allotments were strictly an old persons’ domain, dominated by men, who traditionally grew nothing but common vegetables, in straight rows from one side of the plot to the other. Growmore and pesticides were used extensively, often to excess, and there was keen competition to grow the largest possible vegetables regardless of the final taste. In those days, it was hardly economical to grow vegetables since for 50p (£2 in today’s money) one could buy enough fruit and vegetables to last a small family for a week, so the cultivation of allotments was very much a hobby rather than a means of producing food to eat. When we started cultivating our new plot (without using Growmore), we not only included some flowers but also experimented with unusual vegetables such as cardoons, salsify and scorzonera. This somewhat “unconventional” approach was met with a mixture of amusement and scepticism! Old timers laughed at our cultivation of flowers and said they had never heard of anyone growing dried flowers. Our next door neighbour had a drink problem, which was evident by the large number of beer cans he had thrown into our plot and which had become buried over the years. As I cleared the plot, my fork would frequently emerge from the soil with a can attached to each prong! His own plot was totally overgrown because his main interest was sitting in his hut drinking. His hut was also used to make wine and homebrew. He would buy vegetables from the shops on his way home and pretend to his wife that he had grown them! This went on for several years until his wife made an unexpected visit to the allotment and that was the end of his “gardening” career.

The Corporation’s approach to allotment holders was then more relaxed than today. Because there was not a waiting list for plots, there was not the pressure on tenants to keep their plots in good order. Several plots, particularly towards the bottom of the site were totally overgrown, with grass up to waist height. There was a German lady, who took advantage of this abandoned ground to sunbathe. One of the old timers had a nasty shock when, armed with a toilet roll, he had disappeared into the long grass only to find the lady completely naked apart from her black wellington boots. Far from being embarrassed, she was indignant at his shocked reaction, contending that it was her right to take full advantage of nature’s sunshine! In those days, plotholders referred to each other just by their surnames and I think the gentleman involved was simply called Baxter.

Sand pit & shed

Our plot did not come with a hut and so initially I had made a toolbox out of wood salvaged from a garden shed, being demolished by a friend in Findlay Gardens. Most of the plots did have sheds and it was traditional to have a photo of the Queen hanging inside, so that when I could afford to build a shed for myself, one of my first acquisitions was a photo of the Monarch. The range of sheds was then as varied as it is today. One plotholder in particular had a shed which occupied a good third of his plot. He used this shed to breed budgerigars before the Council banned the keeping of livestock on allotments. I can remember one plot which did not have a hut but which was totally given over to the cultivation of garlic. The plotholder harvested the whole crop in one go and the smell was overpowering! As soon as I was able, I replaced the toolbox with a shed, which occupied a position near where the present toilet stands. We planted a tree which still grows near the recycling area and one of the old gardeners gave us a cutting of honeysuckle to grow over the hut. It provided a host of wonderfully fragrant flowers.

Val on current plot

After many years of happy gardening we noticed that our plot was becoming waterlogged. Fine for growing rice but not much good for our vegetables and flowers! A friend in Portobello, who had a plot at Craigentinny during the war, could remember there being a stream which plotholders used to water their gardens. It now seemed as if there had been a localised change in the water table which affected our plot and the one next door. The Council agreed to provide us with a replacement and, once again, the absence of a waiting list gave us the choice of several vacant plots. This time, our chosen plot came with a shed, in the form of a well preserved World War 2 Anderson shelter.

John digs his plot

Our daughter, who is now grown up, raised some trees from seed and these have now matured and, in some cases, have been felled and used as logs for the fire. All our children had areas on the plot at some stage or other and now our grandchildren have taken over. Naturally, we took a cutting from our beloved honeysuckle, to grow over the shed. The old gardener, who originally gave it to us, has long since passed away but his honeysuckle grows on.

John & Val Maule
December 2009

John & Monica's plot

Many congratulations to John and Monica for winning the ‘Edinburgh in Bloom Best Allotment Plot’. Their hard work, enthusiasm  and a big splash of colour has enlivened the allotments.

“An allotment with its own “bee cafe” and a community garden designed by volunteers are among the winners of this year’s Edinburgh in Bloom competition”

• Read the full story in the Evening News

Items

1. Monica welcomed everyone to the meeting and to our new clubhouse. Thanks to those who donated furniture and daffodils! Katie will supply benches so that there will be a seat for everyone.
2. There will shortly be notices of our two competitions.
3. There was a brief discussion re ongoing grants and the Constitution. John and Monica have revised the Midmar Constitution in line with a Council owned site. This will be passed to Johnny Gailey who will forward it on to the lawyer at EVOC who will provide a final Draft for our approval. Norma asked if this draft would be circulated and Monica confirmed that it would, and later voted on, probably at a Special General Meeting. Tom reminded us that there may be insurance requirements if we were constituted. This will be considered with the final draft. Ian Woolard will also be consulted.
4. Clubhouse Plot; In response to our appeal for ideas five suggestions had come forward; a play area for children; a path to the clubhouse with cleared area in front: a community orchard; a pond or wet area for frogs etc. and coppicing of twisted willow etc. There is room on the plot for all of this and Monica suggested that those with a particular interest could take that forward (like mini projects) allowing each to get started. Otherwise we could take the suggestions forward one at a time thus concerting our efforts.
5. Thanks to Katie for her donation of fruit trees for the orchard and a group of us will be there to help her plant them out at the end of the month.
6. Helen suggested a recycle corner on the plot which will allow everyone to donate useful items they no longer need. She will monitor this.
7. Thanks to John Maule there is now a key for the water supply in the Clubhouse.
8. The Seed Swop followed the meeting and there was a tremendous amount of donations – too many to thank everyone personally but if this is an indication of things to come Craigentinny Allotments will be Keeping Edinburgh Growing all by themselves!
9. People who didn’t manage to come along on the day are welcome to help themselves to any seeds they need in return for a future donation or a small donation on the next swop day. The donations for April amounted to £2.40 which Katie will add to our petty cash.