
The Hatfield Peverel Allotment Association has been around for over a hundred years, below is an article written by David Goodey and makes good reading!
Read moreThe Hatfield Peverel Allotment Association has been around for over a hundred years, below is an article written by David Goodey and makes good reading!
Read moreRhubarb & custard cocktail
An elegant vodka-based drink that'll wow your guests - it's made with creamy advocaat iqueur and homemade fruit syrup
The Hatfield Peverel Allotment Association has been around for over a hundred years, below is an article written by David Goodey and makes good reading!
Leek Rust
This is a fungal disease causing bright yellow spots on the leaves. It is often worse in long, wet spells.
More Information: Click Here
This fungus causes the leaves to wilt and turn yellow. Under wet conditions, the plants may not wilt but will become loose in the soil. If you lift the plants, you will see a white fluffy growth on the base.
Throw out any infected plants, and don’t grow onions, garlic or leeks in that spot again for at least eight years. This is a very persistent fungus that survives in the soil for a long time. There is no chemical control.
This is a relatively new pest of leeks and onions and thought to be mainly concentrated around the south-east coast of the UK, although it has been found further inland and north. Caterpillars tunnel into the leaves, causing whitish-brown patches to develop on leaves. In severe cases, leaves may turn yellow and rotting occurs within them.
Once you see the damage, there is nothing you can do to control it. Remove and destroy infected plants. When planting out, cover leeks with horticultural fleece (like Enviromesh) to prevent adult moths from laying eggs.
Baked Salmon & Asparagus with Jersey Royal's
Tasty and so easy to make, great dinner party dish or a cracking family treat, and a healthy dish too especially if like me you have an Asparagus Bed or two!.
Sow seed outdoors
Vegetable growing really takes off this month. Chit and plant out second early potatoes in the first half of the month, maincrop potatoes in the second half. It's also time to sow seed outdoors in well-prepared soil.
August is the month of plenty, virtually everything you planted and sown will be giving you a crop, daily trips to the plot are recommended this month, harvesting, watering, and weeding all needing doing this month!
January is generally a very cold month with hard frosts freezing the ground and when the ground isn't frozen it is generally too wet to do much although there are no guarantees with British weather. Looking through my diaries, snow isn't that likely for a prolonged period but you never know.