Page 53 - Simply Vegetables Summer 2022

his allotment site situated some two miles from his home where he also has a few greenhouses in his garden as well as a spare bedroom dedicated to raising leeks and onions under lights.
The allotment site is divided into about 100 plots and backs on to open farmland which means that wildlife in the form of foxes, rabbits, badgers, pigeons and the occasional cow can be a problem if suitable protective measures in the form of netting are not taken. The soil is also very sandy which means that green manuring, animal manure and collected fallen leaves need to be applied in order to raise the humus level. He inherited a plot affected by club root which has proved difficult to eradicate so he chooses to plant out his brassicas only once they have grown to a sufficiently large size in pots since he feels this gives them a better chance of success.
Some of the other useful tips he mentioned were his success with the
max tapener machine for the ease and convenience of tying up his plants, the use of chains suspended from his greenhouse roof to enable him to gradually raise the horizontal tubes supporting his leek foliage as the plants grow in size, transporting show parsnips in a dry condition to prevent brown discolouration of the skin from appearing but keeping show carrots moist under polythene/clingfilm sheeting in order to retain their colour. He is also a great believer in successional planting throughout the year in order to maximise availability of produce for both the kitchen and the show bench. For example, he only grows ten cauliflowers at a time but sows them throughout the period from mid-April to mid-June.
At the time of writing, we have drafted but not yet confirmed our meetings and speakers beyond July pending a review of the attendance figures and costs associated with recent meetings. However, our last meeting attracted nearly forty members including one or two new faces so hopes are high that we will be able to offer a full
programme throughout the rest of the year. To aid recruitment as well as to provide information we have launched our new nvseyda.uk website (based on the basic WordPress format), together with our NVS East Yorkshire Facebook page. As the pandemic recedes and word gets around, we hope that more and more people will develop the confidence to return to our meetings and events. In line with the general cost of living, speaker fees are increasing and so visitor income from our meetings is vital to our ability to cover these costs.
Reports on our Summer events will feature in the next edition of Simply Vegetables but, in the meantime, our programme of planned events and current news can be seen on our website http:// nvseyda.uk. and Facebook page. Our continued aim is to provide a variety of interesting topics throughout the year that will appeal to our existing members, as well as attract new ones.
Paul Neve FNVS
Spot the difference answers
Answers to the quiz on page 22 – did you manage to find them all?
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Mansfield DA
After two bleak years it is a pleasure to report that we are back in business.
After meeting for a Christmas meal
in December we started our formal program in March 2022 at our old venue The Black Bull, Woodhouse Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, NG18 2BQ. We are following our normal procedure of meeting for a meal before the evenings business at 7.30pm.
Our current program is:
25th May — Spring and Summer Flowers by Graham Wagstaffe
5th June — Plant sale with tea and cakes at Jill Pullan’s garden
22nd June — vegetables for all seasons by Mike Davey
3rd July — Open Garden visit
24th August — DA show
28th September — The drunken botanist by Tracey Akehurst Kevan Dunnicliff
Simply Vegetables 53