Welcome Info
Torquay Allotment Holders Co-operative Association Ltd
Annual Show Competition
We are running a New Competition for relatives of plot holders up
to the age of 16 years to grow 2 Courgettes from seeds provided for
our Annual Show in August. for more details please Click here
Free Manure
We have sourced another location for Free Manure if you wish to collect. Please contact Kerry on 07791 940532 they are about 2 miles from South Parks.
Manure Delivered
Manure can be delivered at a cost of £25.00 per load.
Please contact Tony Pierce on 07770 877318
Mailing List
Want to keep up to date with what's going on? then please join our mailing list for Free email updates. We will let you know what's going on, Annual Show News, Allotment News, BBQ News and Newsletters. See Join Mailing List on the Main Menu.
Water saving tips for plot holders
1. Use a water butt to collect any rainwater, position it close to your shed so with the use of a length of gutter and a piece of drainpipe water can be collected from the shed roof. It is important to cover the butt to avoid algae growth. When available! soft rainwater is undoubtedly best for plants.
2. Mulch fruit and other long term crops; a good thick layer of mulch helps to conserve water but it also helps prevent weed growth. Well rotted manure or garden compost, even straw or grass clippings, can be used. From some crops, such as strawberries, it may be appropriate to plant through a layer of black polythene pegged down to the soil. Make sure that the soil is well watered before mulching.
3. When cultivating your allotment incorporate plenty of organic matter into the soil as this will help retain moisture in the ground.
4. When growing hungry crops, such as beans, sweet peas, etc., dig a good deep trench and fill the bottom with any type of organic matter, even old damp newspaper will do before backfilling. This will help to act as a reservoir for these plants.
5. If you grow plants in tubs or containers incorporate a water retentive gel into the planting compost. Stand pots, containers and grow bags on trays to catch any water that drains through, this water can then be recycled.
6. When you do water, it is better to pick one section of the allotment and water thoroughly to some depth. A thorough soaking at weekly intervals is much better for the plant than a daily sprinkling of water as this will encourage plants to grow deeper roots and search for their own water. It is best to water early in the morning, particularly in greenhouses, so plants are surface dry at night. This helps to keep diseases down.
7. If watering has to be curtailed because of a water shortage, the addition of a dilute liquid feed to the water used makes it more of an immediate benefit to the struggling plant and less water will go further.
8. Regular hoeing of cultivated areas not only reduces competition for water from weeds but breaks the soil capillaries and therefore reduces water evaporation from the surface of the soil.
If you take note of these points and are careful with the use of water it will still be possible to grow a wide range of crops through the driest of summers. It is these battles with nature that are amongst the things that makes gardening so enjoyable.
