News & events

rhwalker84 News

Plot holder survey results

In 2018 we conducted a survey of plot holders to find out what you think of the allotments and what more the BHAS Society can do to support you. Thank you to everyone who took their time to answer the survey.

As we have outlined in previous newsletters, the Committee has already started work towards addressing some of the issues raised below and will continue to do so this year.

East Sheen Allotment holders survey

50 responses from 242 plot holders

Q1 . Which site is your plot on?

Priory – 32%

Hertford Avenue – 31%

Palewell Park – 16%

The Triangle – 10%

Palewell Pavilion – 10%

Not a plot holder – 0%

Q2 . In your own words, what are the things you like most about the allotments?

Growing my own food – 28%

Socialising with other plot holders – 23%

Being out in nature – 19%

Peacefulness – 15%

Getting away from the pressures of modern life – 9%

Supplies e.g. water, bark – 3%

Exercise – 3%

Q3 . In your own words, what do you like least about the allotments?

Nothing – 15%

Other plot holders – 15%

BHAS Committee – 14%

Weeds on own plot – 11%

Overgrown vegetation/trees on site – 9%

Unattended plots – 9%

Wildlife  – 7%

Theft of produce/vandalism – 4%

Lack of community spirit – 3%

Keys/locks to sites – 3%

Size of plot – 3%

Bonfire rules – 3%

Too many bonfires – 1%

Use of chemicals – 1%

Lack of toilets – 1%

Lack of support from the Council – 1%

Plot too far from supplies e.g. mulch, logs – 1%

Q4 . In your own words, what are the things you would most like to improve at the allotments?

Council to deal with plot holders effectively who are not using their plots/reduce number of abandoned plots – 14%

Nothing – 13%

Supplies (more mulch, water pressure, water butts, shredder, soil improvers, drainage) – 13%

Pruning of trees/vegetation/trimming grass on paths– 12%

Trading Shed (opening hours, more products, bulk deliveries) – 10%

Tidying up the site – 9%

Better security and access (locks, gates) – 9%

Community gatherings – 7%

Waste disposal – 3%

Planting fruit trees in common areas – 3%

Polytunnels for germination – 1%

Lack of communication/don’t know what’s happening – 1%

Politics – 1%

Creation of access-friendly raised beds – 1%

Group chicken area selling eggs – 1%

Dog mess – 1%

Toilets – 1%

Q5 . How strong is your sense of community at the allotments? Move the slider from 0 to 10 where 0 is no sense of community and 10 is a high sense of community

Range 4 – 10, average 7.2

Q6 . How often do you participate in activities at the allotments? (other than to tend your plot) Please choose the answer which reflects your participation the best.

Weekly – 2%

Monthly – 28%

Once or twice a year (e.g. Open Day or Annual Show) – 64%

Never – 6%

Q7 . If you do not participate in activities at the allotments, why not?

Busy with family life/work – 28%

Only want to tend my plot – 25%

Away at weekends – 24%

Don’t like socialising with others – 16%

Not aware of what is going on – 4%

Health problems – 4%

Q8 . What types of activity would you participate in if they were available at the allotments?

Specialist talks/expert demonstrations – 35%

Happy with what is already on offer – 18%

Anything social (evenings) – 14%

Communal site/plot clear ups  – 12%

Food related e.g. BBQ – 7%

Trips to interesting places e.g. gardens – 5%

Vegetable/seed exchange – 5%

Plot holder inspections –  2%

Child-friendly activities  – 2%

Q9 . Would you like to volunteer for the Society?

Already do – 33%

No thanks  – 61%

Yes – 6%

Q10 . Are you a member of the Allotments Society?

Yes – 98%

No – 2%

rhwalker84 Community Interviews

At plot… 2 with Sheena-J Clark

Each month we are getting to know our allotment neighbours a bit better. For January, we have been chatting to Sheena Clark who has a plot 2 at the Pavilion allotment site.

How long have you had an allotment in East Sheen?

I have had an allotment since August 2016, we were originally on Triangle site which was a lovely little plot but moved at the beginning of Autumn to Pavilion to a bigger plot.

What jobs have you been doing on the allotment this month?

This month we have tidied up, raked up the leaves and kept the bird feeders topped up.

What crop has done well this year?

This year we had a great crop of tomatoes but they were very slow to ripen. Beetroot, raspberries and cucumbers also did really well. The flowers were good too especially the Dahlias.

What are you planning to grow next season?

We grow fruit, veg and flowers,  we don’t grow any fruit or veg that won’t be eaten, peppers, cucumbers. raspberries, rhubarb, beetroot, apples, pears, plums, potatoes, carrots just the usual really.

What’s your favourite recipe to make with your harvest?

I make chutney’s, and jams with our harvest. standard recipes that my family have used for years.

In addition to gardening of course, do you have any other hobbies or skills?

I love my allotment, its our outside space as we live in a flat, I can quite often be found just sitting on the bench on a nice day, on the not so nice days I can be found in a different sort of tree as my other hobby is genealogy (family history) which I really enjoy.

rhwalker84 News

Trading shed – new stock January 2019

The Trading Shed (Hertford Ave) will reopen again from Saturday, 12th January 2019.

Opening times: Sat and Sun between 11.00am and 12.00

It now has a good range of high quality gardening gloves available.

There will be onion sets (Red Baron, Stuttgard varieties) and shallots (Golden Gourmet, Red Sun varieties) available.

There will also be seed potatoes of the following varieties: Accord, Lady Christl, Red Duke of York, Charlotte, Wiljm, King Edward, Desiree, Maris Piper and Picasso.

Prices:
Potatoes are £1.20 per Kg
Onions are £1.50 per 500g
Shallots are £1.70 per 500g

rhwalker84 Community Interviews

At Plot… 62 with Paul Crompton

Each month we are getting to know our allotment neighbours a bit better. For December, we have been chatting to Paul Crompton who is at plot 62 at the Priory allotment site.

How long have you had an allotment in East Sheen?

About 7 years.

What jobs have you been doing on the allotment this month?

This month planting onions, garlic, one or two new shrubs, cutting back big blackberry bush, facing cutting back lots of raspberry canes which did not produce fruit last 12 months because drought and unusual weather.

What crop has done well this year?

Blackberries did well but raspberries a big zero.

What are you planning to grow next season?

Just planning to improve growing conditions at present and not sure about 2019 except hoping for better weather.

In addition to gardening of course, do you have any other hobbies or skills?

I am a famous tai chi teacher – look me up on internet, author and translator in field of martial arts.  Currently teach half a dozen elderly groups around southwest London.
rhwalker84 News

Horseradish

We recently had an enquiry about horseradish from a plot holder and how to remove it from your allotment site permanently. We thought it would be useful to share our tips here in case anyone else is having the same problem with this vigorous and hardy perennial.

Process for removal:

1. Dig all the way around the horseradish plant you want to eliminate. Place the elongated, narrow blade of the transplanting spade (or any sharp garden shovel) at least six inches away from the crown of the plant to avoid cutting through any outlying roots.
2. Lift the entire plant from the ground with a garden fork and move it away from the hole.
3. Examine the inside of the hole for any pieces of white root, no matter how small, and remove them.
4. Check the area around the hole for green horseradish sprouts. Dig up and discard any you find.
5. Clean the tools to avoid spreading any small horseradish root particles to other parts of the garden.
6. Harvest as much of the root as you wish to use and dispose of the rest of the plant. The top can be cut off to go in the compost pile, but dispose of the roots in the trash or give them away so they can’t resprout in the compost.
7. Fill the hole back in with soil. Do not till this area of the garden or replant it immediately.
8. Replant the area with whatever you wish when no more horseradish sprouts appear.
Things You Will Need: 
– Needle-nose or transplanting spade
– Garden fork
Tips:
– Remove horseradish plants in the late fall or early spring if you want to get in one last harvest; otherwise dig at any time.
Curious about horseradish?

Alternatively, if you fancy giving this crop a try we recommend growing it in pots or raised beds to keep it under control as it can quickly become invasive. The RHS gardening website has some great growing tips for Horseradish and Riverford has a lovely recipe for a sweeter Apple and Horseradish sauce.

Image source: RHS

rhwalker84 News

New wood and chippings bays

Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed the refurbishment work on the wood and chippings bays at the Hertford Avenue entrance has begun. After clearing the site of the original pallet boards which had started to rot and break down, wooden sleepers have been erected to form a new boundary. We still need to firm up the ground immediately next to the path, to stop the delivery lorries getting stuck in the mud.

Bay 1 (nearest the main gate) has been enlarged and will be re-designated for the logs. Bay 2 in the middle will remain the wood chip store and the 3rd bay will be for compost from Richmond Park when it’s available.
Thanks to John Hynd, Rashid, Desmond and John Padgett for all their hard work so far.

If you would like to lend a hand moving the logs from their existing bay,  please feel free to pick up one or two logs as you walk past and take them down to the newly created bay.

rhwalker84 News

Hertford Avenue wins London in Bloom Allotment Award

At the beginning of November at the annual Allotment prize giving at the Town Hall, Derek Lawrence-Brown and John Padgett received the London in Bloom Allotment Award on behalf of the Hertford Avenue plot holders.

It came as a complete surprise, although we obviously knew that Derek had shown the London in Bloom judges around the allotments back in July.

We were judged to have the best kept and well-cultivated Allotments out of all the London Boroughs and the award was presented  by the Mayor of Richmond upon Thames.

The judges’ comments are below:

This large allotment site is clearly well used. Judges met the allotment site rep and heard about its activities that included three organised community events each year.

Engagement appeared to be thriving and a broad range of produce was in cultivation.

The site is well organised and maintained and green waste either removed or composted as appropriate. A regime of using wood chip in certain areas of the site as a mulch  is in place.

rhwalker84 Community Interviews

At Plot…30a with Dino F.

Each month we are getting to know our allotment neighbours a bit better. For November, we have been chatting to Dino F. who is at plot 30a at the Hertford Avenue allotment site.

How long have you had an allotment in East Sheen?

After almost five years on the waiting list, Dino was offered his first allotment late this past summer at Hertford Allotments.  The plot had been left untended for quite some time, but luckily some of the site reps and volunteers had kindly cut down many of the taller weeds to prevent seeds from spreading; old plastic was also covering some of the existing raised bed.

After several weekends of digging and clearing, we put down new wood chip on the old existing paths and brought in two tons of compost to bring up the soil levels within the beds.

Within three weeks of getting the allotment keys, we planted our first two plants: green beans and swiss chard.  (And this was much to the delight of the young allotment foxes, who immediately dug everything in that one single bed every other night for a couple weeks!).

We found an old shed and fence panels on offer on Freecycle and put those up.  As the beds were cleared, we planted some purple sprouting broccoli, perpetual spinach, and parsnips; we also just removed our (inherited) dahlias after the first frost.  We knew we had quite a few dahlias, but when clearing the beds, we ended up with 20 plants we hope will regrow next year!

What jobs have you been doing on the allotment this month?

This month has been clearing the remaining beds for the winter plants; we also planted out all of our garlic and popped in some radicchio.  We also finished putting up the last of the fence panels and hope to finish shelves in the shed in the next few weeks.

What crop has done well this year?

This year, the crop that did the best was our inherited dahlias followed closely by our green beans – next year will hopefully have a wider variety!

What are you planning to grow next season?

Along with the dahlias, we’re also hoping the existing gooseberry and raspberries plants will also come back next year along with a few asparagus plants we know are lurking in one bed.  We are looking to plant onions, leeks, a few squash plants on the go, and maybe even some flint corn.

What’s your favourite recipe to make with your harvest?

Our overwinter cabbage is doing amazingly well, so we’ve been experimenting with different recipes.  Our all time favourite so far is cabbasta – cabbage with pasta – with a simple and easy recipe.  (https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/recipes/cabbasta-anyone)

In addition to gardening of course, do you have any other hobbies or skills?

Dino cycles and is an IT professional.

scw364 Community Interviews

At Plot…36 with Pam Islip

Each month we are getting to know our allotment neighbours a bit better. For October, we have been chatting to Pam Islip who is at plot 36 at the Priory allotment site.

How long have you had an allotment in East Sheen?

For about 25 years.

What jobs have you been doing on the allotment this month?

Still harvesting tomatoes, weeding, watering, general tidying up, cutting the grass, shortly be sowing broad beans* (Aquadulce Claudia).

What crop has done well this year?

Tomatoes, courgettes, mixed lettuce, French beans (green, yellow and purple), aubergines.

What are you planning to grow next season?

Far too much but I’m very popular with my neighbours!

What’s your favourite recipe to make with your harvest?

Griddled Courgette with Tzatziki

For the courgette

  • Slice courgette lengthways about ½cm
  • Rub olive oil onto both sides
  • Place onto hot griddle pan (makes nice brown stripes if you press it down occasionally) for about 4 mins
  • Turn and do the same for the other side

Meanwhile

For the tzatziki

  • Grate a small cucumber into a clean tea towel
  • Squeeze until lots of liquid removed
  • Place in a bowl and add 2 crushed garlic cloves, salt, lots of thinly sliced mint leaves and Greek yoghourt. Add it bit by bit until you get the consistency you want.

And given how many tomatoes I grew this year, I always serve with tomatoes.

In addition to gardening of course, do you have any other hobbies or skills?

Hiking, bird watching, opera, fungi, art exhibitions, British Museum/British Library/V&A exhibitions and anyone who knows me will tell you I’m always taking exotic adventure holidays as I love travelling.

*Here is my tip for growing broad beans

I don’t spray my crops as there’s really no need with careful management. When the black fly appear (as they most certainly will) there’s no need to pinch out the tops. Every couple of days (or every day if you can) use the hose and your finger tips to squish the black fly and wash them off. After a short time, they will fail to reappear and because you’ve been watering well, your beans will have benefitted and will grow high.

Our thanks to Pam for taking the time to answer our questions this month and provide a look into her allotment world.  If you’d like to be interviewed for next month’s newsletter, please contact us!

scw364 News

Garlic varieties for sale at Trading Shed

Three varieties of garlic are expected to arrive at the Trading Shed this week; they will be available for £1.30 per bulb, so please stop by during open hours to pick up your garlic bulbs for planting.

The Trading Shed is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am – 12:00pm until 16th December and is one of the many benefits of being a BHAS members.  Joining BHAS is easy and only costs £10 for the year.