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Newsletter 30 – SPRING 2018
EVENTS CALENDAR SPRING 2018After a lovely winter break, we will be starting our social calendar again. Some key dates for events hosted by the Burydell Allotment Association are listed below:
Saturday 3rd March (7.00 for 7.30 pm) Quiz Night at Parish Hall, Park Street
Sunday 8th April - 11am Coffee morning
Sunday 13th May – 11 am Annual Plot holders meeting with coffee and cakes
We will give you more details by email and on notices on the gate and on the board outside the hut.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THIS YEARDespite the chill in the air and the frost underfoot, there is already an eager stirring at the allotment as plot holders are re-arranging sites and preparing for the new growing season. Early potatoes are a-chitting and the first sow of broad beans may already be underway. Monty Don says that ‘when you garden, you’re investing in hope’ – and many of us appreciate the hopeful experimentation that comes every year with trying new combinations of seeds and methods.It was also this hopeful streak and belief in community spirit that lead to the founding of the Burydell Allotment Association some 10 years ago in 2008. From banding together in the early days against thoughtless vandals, to consistently improving the communal amenities such as the hut, the chippings, the manure, the parking – and putting on many social events for plotholders - it’s been through the effort of dedicated individuals that our allotment is such a welcoming and productive sanctuary.
Be sure to join us all at the Annual Plotholders meeting in May for a trip down Memory Lane and to have your say in the planning for the next 10 years to come.
SITE MATTERSYou will have noticed the barrier that has been protecting our grass path from winter damage. With the ground still being sodden, the barrier will be lifted again on the 1st April.Bonfires are allowed from 1st October to 1st March on Tuesdays after 12 noon and the first Saturday of the month after 12 noon. They must be extinguished, if not burnt out, by dusk. The last burning day until Autumn will be Tuesday 28th February.
We currently have no people on the waiting list and there is currently 1 vacant plot. Christine has kindly arranged a new supply of manure from a farm in Edgeware.Chippings have been delivered and as always are used on a first come, first served basis.
GREAT BRITISH SPRING CLEAN ‘Underground, overground, wombling free…’ sing it again.
The environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy is holding its annual Great British Spring Clean campaign for 02 – 04 March. There are hundreds of Tidy Up events being planned across the country and its beaches; however people are also invited to register as #litterheroes and get picking in their community. There are already clean-ups planned for Bricket Wood, How Wood, Sopwell and London Colney and you can find out more information on their website. (keepbritiantidy.org)
If picking up litter is not for you, they are always on the look-out for volunteers to become Green Flag, Blue Flag and Eco-School assessors. We thank you for helping us to keep the site tidy by taking your rubbish home or to the dump. If you see any litter in unexpected places around the site, please take the opportunity to remove it.
QUIZ NIGHT on 3rd MarchThe annual Quiz Night will have a more casual atmosphere this year as guests will be invited to Bring & Share their own food and drink. There will be a £5 entrance fee per person and raffles will be on sale during the short interval. The raffle will be drawn before the penultimate round. Our quizzes are open to members and Friends of the Association, and we hope that many will join us in trying to figure out Chris’ fiendish quiz yet again.
WATER MATTERSYou may have heard about the looming ‘Day Zero’ for Cape Town, when the 3 year water crisis hits its peak in April and the municipal water supply to residents will be suspended. With water at a chronic low level, residents will have to carry their daily 25 litre personal allowance home from community collection points.
For us at the allotment, when the water is suspended for the winter, the sudden lack of this convenient source is soon accepted when the winter rains leave the ground wet and muddy. And in November we did need a few strong arms to carry the water containers for our Coffee Morning! However, we are rather lucky as an allotment to have conveniently placed taps around the plots and a summertime water supply that is not metered with a stern eye.
The water will be turned on again on 1st April.
TRANSITION ST ALBANS, PROPOSED DATE 05 AUGUSTFollowing on from the success of last year’s Open Food Gardens campaign, we have been asked again to open the doors to local neighbours and interested visitors. The proposed date is for August, when the allotment will be in its fertile prime!
Transition St Albans promotes and encourages sustainability in our community. Many groups, churches, schools and businesses in the area are involved in organising films, lectures, talks, guided nature walks, open days at Building Research Institute open vegetable gardens, and repair workshops with the emphasis on growing your own food
As you are sowing your new crops this spring, you may want to consider growing any plants or flowers for sale or decoration on the day.
SUNFLOWER COMPETITION & DAHLIA COMPETITIONThe annual sunflower competition has been part of the Burydell calendar since 2010 when these cheery iconic flowers can be seen in a variety of shapes and colours.
This year, in addition to the Sunflower competition, we will be holding a Dahlia competition. If you had a chance to visit the autumnal Dahlia Festival at Aylett’s Nursery you would have been inspired by the vast field of blooms.
SOME DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
DATE EVENT02 – 04 March Great British Spring Clean21 March International Day of Forests22 March World Water Day24 March (11am- 5pm) NGS Gardens Open for Charity21 April National Tea Day30 April – 06 May National Gardening Week05 May Hertfordshire Garden Show13 May (2pm) Beating the Bounds22 – 26 May RHS Chelsea Flower Show26 - 27 May Hertfordshire County Show
FRIENDS OF BURYDELL LANE ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATIONWe enjoy the support of many Park Street and Bricket Wood Residents as a result of theAssociation agreeing to extend the hand of friendship to non-allotmenteers. Anyone leaving theallotment is included, if they wish, as a Friend. By being on our Friends mailing list they will:
Be the first to hear about our SOCIAL EVENTS Receive our NEWSLETTER every 4 months Be a part of our thriving ALLOTMENT COMMUNITY Be able to join us for a CUPPA AND CAKE on the first Sunday each month from
11am-12 noon (Spring and Summer)No subscription is expected, just their interest and involvement. If you know anybody who wouldlike to join as a “Friend” please let Jan know on [email protected]
And finally - the monthly RHS Magazine, The Garden is on the table in the Hut for allMembers to share. Why not have a break from sowing, weeding and muck spreading, enjoya tea or coffee and read The Garden or the hard copy of our Newsletters? The Hut is there forall to use. Please just close the door when you leave.
Your next Newsletter will be out in early June 2018. Any contributions to JanCastle or Kati Gastrow by mid May please.
YOUR COMMITTEEIn the event of site related problems please speak to Pat, Site Liaison Officer, in thefirst instance.
Chair: Kim [email protected] … 07899 844564
Secretary: Barbara [email protected] … 01727 872092
Treasurer: Jan [email protected] … 01727 874842
Site Liaison Officer: Pat [email protected] … 01923 671277
Membership/Newsletter: Jan [email protected] … 01923 671277
Information: Barbara [email protected] … 01727 872092
Derrick Davisderrick.a.davis@btinternet … 01727 873657
Christine [email protected] …07703 498257
Jim [email protected] …01727 872014
Chris [email protected] … 01727 875399
Kati [email protected] …07783 404090