scw364 Events

Pick up your 2021 Sunflower Competition seeds at the Trading Shed

Following last year’s very competitive sunflower competition, BHAS is again offering its members free sunflower seeds at the trading shed for spring planting. Pick up a pack of seeds (one pack per BHAS plotholder) at the trading shed and start to prepare your garden for some bee-friendly competition!

The variety available this year is Giant Sunflower Titan.

The seeds will be at the trading shed starting Saturday, 20 March while supplies last.

How to enter

Sunflowers will form two new categories in the Annual Show in September and your sunflower can be entered into the show along with the other categories; if the show is not able to go forward, we will arrange an online entry form like we did last year – so the sunflower competition will go forward!

Pick up a packet of seeds or use your own; plant them when you’re ready.

Growing instructions

Giant Sunflower Titan.

One of the tallest-growing and easily the biggest-headed and seeded variety available to gardeners.   Perfect for impressing your neighbors and winning competitions.  The plants will need support reaching up to 12ft with large yellow flower heads plants can reaching 18-24″ across! The seeds are large and ideal for consumption or leaving for over-winter birds.  Annual.

Cultiviation Advice Giant Sunflower Titan

  • Days To Germination:  14-21 days Optimum Soil Temp. for Germination: 68F-86F Planting Depth: 1/4  inch  Spacing, Seed: 4-6 inch  Spacing, Plant: 24-36 inches Plant Height: 10-14 ft inches Light:  Full Sun
  • Seeds can be started indoors 3 to 4 weeks before last spring frost. Or direct-sow seeds outside after all danger of frost has passed to a depth of 1/4 inch. Can be sown as late as 100 days before last frost.
  • When seedlings are 2 to 3 inches high, thin to individual pots. Replant thinned plants.
  • Steadily harden off before planting out after all danger of frost has passed.
  • These will require staking / support in all but the most sheltered locations.

Source: Premier Seeds Direct

Competition rules

Categories & guidance on how to measure

1. Biggest sunflower head

Measure the diameter of the seed head. The flower petals should not be included. Heads should be cut from the stock (unless also entering the same plant into the tallest sunflower category).

2. Tallest sunflower plant

Measured from the base of the stem (not including the roots) to the top of the head. The head can be extended to measure the full height of the plant. We ask that gardeners cut off the roots to make it easier to measure the stem. Please also remove leaves from the stalk.

Photos of your sunflower journey

Please do send us any photos you have of your sunflowers (from seed to competition-winning size!) as we would like to share the journey on social media or on the website. Photos can be sent to bhas.social.news@gmail.com.

Thank you and good luck!

rhwalker84 Events

Enter the 2020 Sunflower Competition

Unfortunately, this year the Annual Show in September will not go ahead due to Covid-19 restrictions but we are excited to share more details about a virtual Sunflower Competition. We’ve seen some amazing sunflowers growing on plots across the allotment sites and we can’t wait to see your entries!

Competition rules

Categories & guidance on how to measure

1. Biggest sunflower head

Measure the diameter of the seed head. The flower petals should not be included.

2. Tallest sunflower plant

Measured from the base of the stem (not including the roots) to the top of the head. The head can be extended to measure the full height of the plant.

How to Enter

Entries are open from now until the 30th September 2020.  Please enter your details using this online form.  Competition open to East Sheen allotment plot holders only.

Please submit one entry for each individual sunflower you wish to enter in the competition. For instance, if you have two sunflowers you wish to enter (one for height and another biggest sunflower head), please submit the form twice. It is possible to enter the same sunflower in both categories.

Please self-measure your sunflowers in millimetres (mm).

Once a submission is received, all measurements will be verified by a volunteer judge to confirm measurements.

ENTER HERE

(entry closed on 1 October 2020)

Photos of entries

Please do send us any photos you have of your sunflowers as we would like to share these in the next newsletter and on the website (not a requirement to enter the competition).

Photos can be sent to bhas.social.news@gmail.com.

Thank you and good luck!

rhwalker84 Events

Review: Fungi talk from Pam Islip (Priory)

In October fellow plot holder and amateur mycologist Pam Islip gave us a talk on fungi at All Saints Church in East Sheen. It was well attended and enjoyed by all. Halina Kessler (committee Events Organiser) has written a few words about the talk.

“Over thirty people came out on a chilly Autumn evening to hear Pam Islip’s great talk about Fungi. Pam is a knowledgeable amateur mycologist and she brought with her a vast array of fungi foraged that very morning from Surrey.  There were excellent examples on display of everything from poisonous fungi to the very edible. Pam explained their role as agents of decay in our compost bins and also as the symbiotic promoter of growth offered by mycorrhizal fungi to our roses and other plants. There is much to learn about fungi and how they can benefit our allotments.

There was also a lot of discussion about foraging and Pam reminded us of the expression: ‘All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once…’ (Terry Pratchett). Some of us might now think twice before rashly frying up our finds!

If anyone has any suggestions for talks or presentations we could put on for our members, please do let us know hello@thefoldline.com”

rhwalker84 Events

Annual Show 2019

The Annual Show was a great success this year. We had lots of impressive entries into the vegetable, fruit, flower and baking categories. We also enjoyed a delicious BBQ with homemade salads and Victoria sponge cakes along with a plant sale, children’s activities and a raffle. Take a look at all the winners below and a selection photos from the day.

ANNUAL SHOW CATEGORY WINNERS

BHAS SOCIETY AWARDS

  • Plot of the Year – John Hynd
  • Best Newcomer’s Plot – Dino Franz
  • Show Person of the Year (for most points scored in show) – John Hynd
  • Best in Baking categories (person with most points) – Natasa Bojkovic

VEGETABLES

  1. Aubergines – 1st J. Hynd
  2. Peppers – 1st J. Hynd
  3. Chili peppers – 1st Harriet Graham / 2nd Kennedy
  4. Beetroot – 1st Goodwin / 2nd J. Hynd / 3rd Kennedy
  5. French Beans – 1st J. Bostock / 2nd Warman / 3rd Diane McLellan
  6. Runner Bean – 1st Kennedy / 2nd Ronnie Bendall / 3rd Goodwin
  7. Carrot – 1st Rashid / 2nd J. Hynd
  8. Courgette – 1st Kennedy S.A.
  9. Cucumber – 1st Rashid / 2nd John + Carol
  10. Garlic – 1st John + Carol / 2nd J. Hynd
  11. Marrow – 1st Rahul
  12. Onions – 1st J. Hynd / 2nd Goodwin / 3rd Harriet Graham
  13. Shallots – 1st J. Hynd / 2nd Goodwin / 3rd Rashid
  14. Potato – 1st Kennedy / 2nd Harriet Graham/ 3rd Rashid
  15. Pumpkin / Squash – 1st Kennedy / 2nd J. Padgett / 3rd Diane Black
  16. Sweetcorn – N/A
  17. Beef tomato – 1st Rashid / 2nd Deborah Genders
  18. Cherry tomato – 1st Pam Islip / 2nd J. Bostock / 3rd Rashid
  19. Medium tomato – 1st Pam Islip / 2nd G. Checketts / 3rd Rashid
  20. Mixed vegetables – 1st Flo Goodwin / 2nd J. Hynd / 3rd Miles Goodwin
  21. Any vegetable – 1st Natasa Bojkovic / 2nd Garry Hazel / 3rd Pam Islip
  22. Biggest vegetable – 1st James Duncan / 2nd J. Padgett
  23. Herbs in a jam jar – 1st Harriet Graham / 2nd Pam Islip / 3rd Ronnie Bendall

FRUIT

  1. Apples – 1st Diane Black / 2nd Warman / 3rd Janet Lavender
  2. Top fruit (pears, plums, quinces, etc.) – 1st Ronnie Bendall / 2nd Warman / 3rd Derek Lawrence-Brown
  3. Soft fruit – 1st G. Checketts / 2nd Janet Lavender
  4. Blackberries – N/A
  5. Any other fruit – 1st Garry + Hazel

FLOWERS

  1. Mixed flowers in a vase – 1st Harriet Graham / 2nd Rashid / 3rd J. Hynd
  2. A single variety of flowers in vase – 1st J. Hynd / 2nd Ronnie Bendall
  3. Dahlias – 1st J. Hynd / 2nd Rashid
  4. Sunflower – N/A

CHILDREN

33a. Aged up to 10 years. Create an original art piece inspired by the allotments.

1st Florence Goodwin

33b. Aged 11 – 18 years. Create an original art piece inspired by the allotments.

2nd Pandora + Adelaide Kennedy

34a. Aged up to 10 years. Mini garden on a seed tray – create your own miniature garden.

2nd Miles + Oliver Goodwin

34b. Aged 11 – 18 years. Mini garden on a seed tray – create your own miniature garden.

1st Adelaide Kennedy / 2nd Pandora Kennedy

35a. Aged up to 10 years. Vegetable monster/pet – decorate and create using vegetables, fruit and/or herbs.

1st Miles Goodwin

35b. Aged 11 – 18 years. Vegetable monster/pet – decorate and create using vegetables, fruit and/or herbs.

1st Adelaide Kennedy / 2nd Pandora Kennedy

THE GREAT ALLOTMENT BAKE-OFF

Jam and Preserves

  1. Jar stone fruit jam – Natasa Bojkovic
  2. Jar soft fruit jam – Diane Black
  3. Jar marmalade – N/A
  4. Jar lemon curd – Natasa Bojkovic
  5. Jar chutney – Diane McLellan

Baking

  1. 3 fruit scones – Janet Bostock
  2. 5 pieces of any flavour tray bake – Sue Oyler
  3. 1 loaf handmade white bread – Janet Bostock
  4. Victoria Sandwich Cake – Sue Oyler
  5. 1 Vegetable Cake – Diane Black

Children

Age categories:

  1. Under 6 years, decorate 4 cupcakes – Aleks Bojkovic
  2. 7 to 10 years, decorate 4 cupcakes – George Bojkovic
  3. 11 to 18 years, bake and decorate a cake of your choice, any size – Pandora Kennedy

Make us laugh

49. ‘Make us laugh’ category for the funniest or weirdest shaped Vegetable or Fruit

1st Ben (Priory) / 2nd Miles Goodwin

rhwalker84 Events

May Open Day 2019

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Open Day, we had lovely weather and plenty of delicious tea and cake was had by all! Below are a selection of photos from the day.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered on the day and brought cakes, plants and gifts for the raffle. We are also thankful to the Twickenham and Thames Valley Beekeepers’ Association and Friends of Barnes Common.

Thank you to Sarah for taking all these photos on the day.

The Plant Sale

Art activities for children.

Learning about beekeeping from the Twickenham and Thames Valley Bee-keeper’s Association

Finding out more about the work of Friends of Barnes Common

Lots of delicious cakes, tea and drinks!

Lots of prizes as part of the raffle.

This year we also had a tool sharpening service for plot holders.