Category: Allotment Update

We will be having our first meeting of the year in March, first Saturday of the month, at 11 o’clock, in the clubhouse as usual.
All welcome!

We have all enjoyed the site BBQs so much that we have decided to have another on the 15th of August. It is a Sunday this time so hopefully more of you will be able to come along and join in the fun.

John and Monica will set up the BBQs for everyone’s use so all you need to do is bring your own food and drink.
We usually start to get ready about twelve while work on the community plot is going on. This time we have big plans to set up some decking and when that is done we will get the food on! Usually an hour or so is as much as we can cope with so food will be about two o’clock.

If you have a battery operated screw driver please bring it along as that would be a big help with the project, thanks.
Looking forward to seeing you there.

Unfortunately it appears that several plot holders have had crops affected by what looks to be contamination of manure by herbicide.  This can affect both the foliage and crop- particularly of potatoes, tomatoes, beans and peas. The leaves may appear “cupped” or fern like and shrivelled.

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.

Are you interested in growing your own fruit and vegetables?
Not sure where to begin?
This 8 week introductory course will give you a grounding in all you need to know to get started growing your own food.

Bridgend Allotments Community Health Project will be running its Introduction to Organic Vegetable Gardening course on Thursday evenings from 6.30 – 8.30pm for eight consecutive weeks beginning on May 13th. There are still a few spaces left on this course, so if you are interested, please get in contact quickly to reserve a place. The course costs £50 or £25 if you are unwaged.

For further information please call:
0131 664 9559 or 07789 650878
or e-mail: robert.ford@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Bridgend Allotments Community Health Project Open Day is on Saturday May 22nd from 11am – 4pm

• Come and get to know Scotland’s first organic allotment site
• Various fruit, vegetable and ornamental plants for sale or exchange
• Bring your own plants and swap them
• Refreshments available
• Music, crafts and activities for all ages
• Entrance FREE — all welcome

We are at -41 Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh EH16 4TE (Lothian Buses 21, 24, 33, 38, 49)
For further information please call 0131 664 9559
We look forward to seeing you.

Bring any spare seeds, seedlings or plants to the swap. Even if you don’t have anything to bring just now come along anyway, there are usually plenty to go around, and you can always donate something another time. This was our first swop.

We are looking for an interesting photo taken anywhere on site. You may have a prize-winning vegetable or flower, a hut or garden implement, an astounding weed, anything infact that makes an interesting picture. It couldn’t be simpler so get those cameras out and have some fun. Photos have to be submitted by 1st August to John and Monica McKinlay and the winner will be announced at the August BBQ.

We are holding a competition within Craigentinny Allotments for children under the age of fifteen.

The competition this year is to grow the tallest sunflower on site.

If you would like to take part please collect your competition pack from John or Monica McKinlay. The packs will be available from the 1st of May. We will be at the 11 o’clock meeting on the first and the BBQ on the 15th otherwise you might be able to catch us at our plot or drop us an e-mail at findlayalloments@hotmail.co.uk.

Judging will take place on the day of the August BBQ and prizes will be presented then too. Good Luck.

When we first took over the Community Plot it was in a sorry state. The underground stream had caused a great deal of flooding and it had been left unsued for some time. Rubbish had been buried on the site by the Council, and others had taken the opportunity to get rid of their rubbish in the same way. It was unkept, unloved and unused!

Now we have a great place to meet and socialise, a clubhouse for all to use and enjoy, or even just shelter on those showery days. A far cry from our first meetings, sheltering under umbrellas by the toilet block! Getting the clubhouse inspired us to greater things and we began to clear away the rubbish and flatten out the ground. We have put in paths, planted fruit trees to start our community orchard, built and nurtured our pond, planted a copse of twisted willow and set up a recycle bay.

There is still a great deal to do by way of maintainance and improvement, but the more helpers we have the easier it will be to have a great space for all to enjoy.

If you have not yet been along to the community plot why not give it a visit. There are plans to erect community composting facilities on the site later this year. This will be done and paid for by the Council but we also have some ideas of our own: once the toilet block leak has been repaired we plan to paint the walls; the shed needs another coat of paint; the orchard area needs weeded; the pond needs some plants; the boundary fence repaired; the recycling bay cleared of unwanted items; perhaps sow some wild flowers in the margins and the list goes on and on. So, as you can see, your help is needed and would be appreciated. We will be working on some of these things on 15 May- why not come along and help?

Last year’s BBQ was such good fun that we have decided to do it twice this year, once in May and then again in August. The May BBQ will be on Saturday 15th May and in August (date to be decided nearer the time) we will have it on a Sunday.

These events will follow the same format as last year, an hour or so work on the Community plot followed by the food and drink. John and Monica will set up the BBQs and people can bring along what they would like to eat and drink. At the next Committee Meeting, on Saturday,1st May, at 11 o’clock we will be discussing the detail so come along and find out more about it. Last year there was an abundance of good food and drink with plenty for all to share. So even if you don’t have time to organise sausages or the like on the day just come along to the Community plot with your flask and sandwiches and join in the celebrations.

Everyone is welcome.