Page 10 - ALG Issue 2 2021

Reps Q&A
John Irwin – North West Counties Rep
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR ROLE? The best thing about my role is visiting other allotment sites and meeting other allotment holders with a different way of doing things. I like to visit sites during Allotments Week, to see the enthusiasm and community spirit being shown and shared with everyone who comes to visit.
WHAT ASPIRATIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR REGION? Here in the North West, we have some excellent allotments, members of the National Garden Scheme, sites with Queen’s Awards and winners of National
and International Chrysanthemum Trophies. I want to see that aspect grow. But I also want the regular allotments to flourish, to be well run and to be well worked exemplary allotments in every town and parish.
WHAT DEVELOPMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THE ALLOTMENT MOVEMENT? I would like to see the government realise the health and mental welfare benefits of allotments, and to recommend that all councils accept that allotments are here to stay, and that it is a good thing that they
do. We must all begin to blow our own trumpets and show that allotments are not just welfare centres for the old, but vibrant living communities for all ages and assets of local importance.
WHAT DOES YOUR ALLOTMENT / GROWING YOUR OWN MEAN TO YOU? I began growing plants 65 years ago with a small rock garden and some bellis. It is a wonderful hobby, and it has more than a touch of Harry Potter
magic, when that tiny seed germinates into a plant and grows with a little bit of hope, rain and sunshine.
HOW HAS ALLOTMENTEERING / THE NAS CHANGED IN THE TIME THAT YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED? My dad had an allotment in Carlisle. He was a railway man, and lots of railwaymen had plots. When he took me to meetings there were no women, and I was the only just tolerated child. When I came to my present plot, the site was semi-derelict, seven plots were worked in my area out of 20, and one chap had two. Mr Tom Leigh, the allotment officer, said: “Which one do you want?” I had a choice of five that I liked the look of. I chose the one with the biggest weeds.
The first and biggest difference is the makeup of allotment tenants – fewer old boys with flat caps, many more women with young families. The second biggest difference is the scarcity of plots. We now have waiting lists, long waiting lists. Plots are more gardens than vegetable patches, the variety of crops now is huge where once it was the three staples: potatoes, cabbages and onions; now it can be pak choi, chicory and okra. Times and tastes are changing.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE
A NEW PLOTHOLDER? Slow down. You will not get it done before Sunday, so relax, do not put your back out
with insane digging, barrowing and mucking. Job one is build a compost box out of pallets. Walk all over your plot, find the hollows and bumps, have a day gathering the junk from the
the variety of crops now is huge where once it was the three staples: potatoes, cabbages and onions; now it can be pak choi, chicory and okra. Times and tastes are changing.
plot, and take it to the tip. Then take a photograph!
Then have a brew and give it a coat of looking at!
Second job: think about where your potatoes are going; that’s the start of your crop rotation and work slowly from there.
FAVOURITE CELEBRITY GARDENER / GARDENING TV SHOW? Being of
a certain vintage my all-time favourite gardener was the late Geoff Hamilton.
IS THERE A TOOL OR GARDENING PRODUCT THAT YOU COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT? My favourite long handled hoe, seven foot long and sharp. All I need are hot summer days to make it perfect.
IF YOU ARE NOT ON YOUR ALLOTMENT, WHAT OTHER HOBBIES DO YOU ENJOY? I enjoy reading library books (when you can get to a library), and nattering to friends over a pint of beer and putting the world to rights.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST SUCCESSFUL VEGETABLE SHOW ENTRY?
A medium sized perfectly formed, white curd cauliflower with no marks, blemishes, nibbled leaves, or any faults whatsoever, “Worth a blue ribbon in anybody’s show!” (F.R.Ashton)
SPROUTS OR CARROTS? My favourite vegetable is the broad bean. It is natural fertilizer, it grows well, it is an early crop and a harbinger of the delights to come, and it comes in different colours.
Gift a gardener...
Give a keen plotholder a year’s individual membership to the NAS with an NAS Gift Card
£23 PA plus a £1 share*
A wealth of knowledge and resources are available to members!
Email natsoc@nsalg.org.uk for more information, or visit www.nsalg.org.uk
*first year plus additional £1 share payment
10 Allotment and Leisure Gardener