Page 63 - Simply Vegetables Summer 2023

Kent District Association
The year for us began in March with
our AGM at Bridge Village Hall with approximately 20 attendees. After the meeting we were treated to a slide show entitled ‘Shows and Gardens’ which was presented by one of our members. We enjoyed looking at pictures from the Malvern and New Forest Shows and gardens including RHS Rosemoor.
The elected committee for the Kent DA
reminders of meetings via email. If you are not receiving the emails and would like to, please let me know.
Last week (in early April) I was at
the allotment planting sweet peas. My wheelbarrow had been left upturned for some time on top of a pile of old turfs. On lifting the wheelbarrow, I was surprised and excited to find at least a dozen slow worms basking in the warmth beneath the galvanised steel. To see this many together in one place was amazing. Here is a little information about this ‘gardeners’ friend.’
The slow worm (Anguis fragilis – easily broken or fragile serpent) is a harmless, legless lizard, identified by having eyelids and being able to shed its tail. Snakes
do not have these attributes. It is 40 – 50cm in length with a smooth skin which
is grey or brown. Males are paler and sometimes have blue spots. Females are larger with dark sides and dark stripes down their backs. They are a burrowing species and hibernate beneath the surface of your compost heap from October to March. The mating season is in May, then the females incubate the eggs internally before giving birth to an average of eight young in Summer. In your garden or on your allotment the slow worm favours the compost heap, and they are great garden bug busters, dining on invertebrates including slugs and snails. A protected species, the slow worm is found throughout mainland Britain, it is most common in
Wales and SW England but is a rare sight in Ireland and the Channel Isles.
Our Annual Show will take place at Wingham Village Hall in September. Please try to support this two-day event by bringing along your vegetables to help fill the show benches. Show schedules will be available from Gordon Francis. Always read the schedule thoroughly and pay attention to the numbers of specimens required in each class as there may be a few changes this year. It’s always a good idea to bring along a few spares as well in case of any mishaps.
The Kent DA meetings are held at Bridge Village Hall, CT4 5JZ on the second Wednesday of each month from March to October (except July). Meetings commence at 7:30pm and are open to all.
Kent DA Annual Show – Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September at Wingham Village Hall. Staging Friday 8th from 6pm to 9pm and Saturday from 8:30am to 10:45am.
Other Kent Event – Sunday 17th September, 1:45pm – The Kent Federation of Horticultural Societies Autumn Show at Ditton Community Centre, Ditton, Aylesford, Kent, ME20 6AH.
For more information about the Kent DA or any of the above events please contact Chris Passey on 01732 352707 or email chris.passey52@gmail.com
Chris Passey
were as follows:
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Show Manager
Assistant Show Manager
In April we had a talk by Chris Lane
on Wisterias. Chris is well known as a horticulturalist and nurseryman who holds national collections of Wisteria, Hamamelis and Flowering Cherries at his home in Kent. He is extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic on all aspects of horticulture. The evening was enjoyed by all.
By the time this issue of SV reaches you, we will have had talks by Mick Poultney and Paolo Arrigo in May and June. At
the time of writing (April) we are looking to arrange speakers for later in the year. As soon as I have the details of future meetings, I shall let you know. Please check your emails for messages and you can visit the NVS website ‘events’ page
for information. I sometimes send out
Roger Simmons Chris Spree Chris Passey Gordon Francis Gordon Francis Stewart Corke
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