Page 18 - ALG Issue 1 2016 No social share

Snippits
snippits
AGM – Saturday 4th June 2016
The 2016 Annual General Meeting of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd will be held at the Royal York Hotel & Events Centre, Station Road, York, YO24 1AA. York is a vibrant city with many attractions.
Delegate who would like to stay at the hotel will need to contact the hotel directly and mention that they are attending the NAS AGM. The room rates that we have negotiated are:-
Friday: £139.00 B&B for single occupancy / £149.00 B&B double occupancy Saturday: £159.00 B&B for single occupancy / £169.00 B&B double occupancy
Lyme disease alert
Five allotment holders at an allotment site near Lyme Regis have contracted Lyme Disease in the last few years, an infection passed on by tick bites that can cause serious health problems. Anyone spending time outdoors where ticks are present are at risk of contracting the disease and allotment holders would be wise to check for ticks after working on the plot, especially in areas which have high tick populations such as Exmoor, the New Forest, parts of Surrey and West Sussex, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire and the South Downs.
Lyme disease is an infection caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Some people will get a circular ‘bullseye’ red rash that spreads from a tick bite and may also suffer from headaches, stomach upsets, feeling very tired, pains in muscles and joints and numbness or tingling feelings. Lyme disease can be serious, so if you get a rash or feel ill in the rst six weeks after a tick bite, go to the doctor straightaway.
If you are bitten by a tick, try to remove it as quickly as possible using a simple tick remover, which are available from the Lyme Disease Action website, vets and some pharmacies. Do not try to pull the tick out with your ngers as you may squeeze its contents into your body. Alternatively, tie a loop of thread around the tick as close
to your skin as possible and pull rmly upwards without twisting and trying not to damage the tick. Disinfect the area after removal. http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Lyme-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Interesting Viewing
It was very pleasing to see in the Allotment magazine Issue 4 2015 (page 8) the article by Malou Weirich, Secretary General, International Of ce du coin de Terre et des Jardins Familiaux. A rather long-winded title which roughly translates to the International Of ce of Allotment Gardens; and our NAS is af liated to it.
It was a shame, however, that there was no contact information in the article as I am quite sure many of our members would be quite intrigued with the information on their website. So I will rectify this below.
The website can be translated into English if you wish and it is quite fascinating to see what allotment activities go on in other countries in Europe and the very different styles of allotments.
Just type in www.jardins-familiaux.org and see for yourself. There is a half yearly email magazine called Hyphen, now on its 56th issue. You can even look at our home information by clicking National Federations then Great Britain.
Phil Gomersall, Yorkshire
Do you add teabags to your compost?
Adding waste tea to your compost heap may add nitrogen and help to speed up the composting process, but are you aware that most teabags contain plastic? It
is used so that the bags can be heat-sealed; the exception is some of the bags with a string and tags which are not heat sealed. To avoid plastic in your compost, rip them open and empty the leaves out in to your composter. Better still, use loose-leaf tea and an old fashioned teapot.
RHS Garden Bridgewater
In late 2015 the RHS announced plans to open a new garden in Salford; the garden will bring back to life the derelict grounds of the demolished Worsley New Hall. The rst part of the development will see the restoration of a 10 acre walled kitchen garden.
Potato Days
If you have not done so already, it’s time to start thinking about seed potatoes. Where better to buy them than at your local Potato Day Event; check out the News and Events page of the Society website for links to dozens of events.
18
Prize for a top tip
Many plot holders re-use everyday items on their plot.
Here are a few we have come across:
• Yoghurt pots with a hole pierced in the bottom are great for potting up seedlings • Use old tights to tie in tomatoes etc
• Fruit containers can be used as mini-propagators
• Store seeds in old 35mm lm containers
• Cut up plastic milk cartons to make seed labels
• Large mineral water bottles make great cloches for individual plants
Send in your ideas for money-saving on your plot and we will publish them in
the next magazine. We will also enter them into a draw for a chance to win the book “One Magic Square how to grow your own food in one square metre” by Lolo Houben. Please email to natsoc@nsalg.org.uk by 11 March 2016.