Page 9 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2022

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
DUAL ACTION
with slug & snail deterrent As used by the RHS
Reduces weed growth by up to 95% Retains moisture around plants Enriches the soil and improves structure Light, easy to use & lasts up to two years Deters slugs & snails
www.strulch.co.uk Tel: 01943 863610
Strulch – introduce the
benefits of mulching to
your plot!
My husband Geoff invented Strulch at Leeds University.
We have been selling it since 2005 and it has grown in popularity because it is a quality organic product with a neutral pH that works on all soil types. It can be used anywhere in the garden including vegetables plots. Strulch works by blocking light which is needed for germination and the texture of Strulch together with added minerals deters slugs and snails.
Add to bare soil to stop weed germination and around plants when they reach a good size. We sell in 12, 25 or 48 x 13.5 kg bags, and you can buy our 9 kg bags from our stockists.
Find out about Strulch on our website – www.strulch.co.uk or give me a call (01943 863610).
Happy cultivating. Jackie Whiteley.
the exam, it is not too onerous. If you live
in the U.K some of the branches will also be running the judge’s exam, contact your branch secretary to find details of the dates and location. We need judges at both
local and national level if flower shows are to continue. Our existing judges are not getting any younger and many will retire in the not-too-distant future. Please consider becoming a judge, one day you may judge the national.
I mentioned earlier that Norman Dickinson is keeping busy and amongst his tasks is that he and Keith Hine are running another virtual show this year; the details of which can be found in the Fun Virtual Show 2022 article. Although it is headed SB (Southern Branch) it is open to ALL NVS members so have a go and enter.
In the survey last year there were a number of requests for articles one was
for information on clubroot and onion downy mildew, I have penned an article on these two diseases in which I make some suggestions on how to avoid them but no magic control. I will cover some of the other requests from the survey in future issues.
It is likely I have run out of space by
now so will finish my comments, Happy growing and may the red cards flow in your direction.
Obituary
Jim Symonds
I was informed in Late January that Jim Symonds had died, he was in his mid- nineties and a member of the Northern Branch. Jim used to write articles for Simply Vegetables which used to arrive a few days before the deadline and always handwritten in capitals on foolscap paper (not seen a lot these days). He had poor eyesight in his later years hence the use of capitals.
Jim was a very knowledgeable vegetable grower from the northeast of the country and would cover some fairly complex topics, one of his favourites was plant breeding which I believe he dabbled in, and he had a very good understanding on the subject.
I will miss his contributions for as well as being very interesting he always ended with some quotations:
Money only comes before work in the dictionary.
Life is like a tin of sardines; we are always looking for the key.
In the book of life, the answers are not on the back page.
If your ship doesn’t come in, you swim out to it.
If you have reached the end of your tether, tie a knot in it and hang on.
My condolences to Jim’s family and may he rest in peace.
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