Page 49 - ALG Issue 4 2022

Fruit, veg and herb experts visit Salford Allotment
Earlier this year, Salford Allotment Federation received a surprise email from Jim Arbury, who is based at RHS Wisley, asking if we could arrange
a visit to several different Salford allotment sites for six members of
the RHS Fruit, Vegetable and Herb Committee, followed by a question and answer session later on in the day. The SAF was delighted to accept the offer, since there was a similar plan for a visit in 2020 but this was postponed due to Covid.
The RHS experts came from different parts of the country, had their own areas of expertise, and some had allotments. One member of the team had formerly managed The Lost Gardens of Heligan, and was the team leader of the Kitchen and Paradise Gardens at RHS Bridgewater, so one
of our thoughts were: “How can we keep our allotmenteers from asking questions until midnight whilst we have so much expertise to interrogate?”
Salford Allotment Federation is the umbrella organisation for all allotments, including the self-managed sites on Salford City Council land, so we were able to arrange visits to some very different sites for the team of friendly experts to experience, as well as giving allotment plotholders opportunities
to chat with them and ask for advice. The RHS team visited Tindall Street Allotments in Eccles, then Poorlots
Allotments in Cadishead, where the group enjoyed a lunch provided by the site team. The next visit was to Weaste Allotments in Eccles, then finally to Buile Hill Community Allotments in Buile Hill Park.
Towards the end of this busy day, we held an ‘open to all’ question and answer session in Seedley Pavilion ill
The RHS experts came from different parts of the country, had their own areas of expertise, and some had allotments
where Mark Frith, director of Growing Togetherness and chair of Incredible Edible, welcomed us to the Community Allotments site, based in a quiet haven overlooking the well-established Buile Hill Park. Questions to the panel ranged from: “Where do I start, and what do I grow as a newbie allotmenteer?” and “Why isn’t there fruit on my gooseberry bush?” to “How do I prune the grapevine in my greenhouse?” as well as questions about how to manage different fruit and vegetable diseases, and other problems.
The whole day was enjoyable and interesting. We were impressed with the friendliness of the experts, their knowledge and willingness to help us learn, and the new and unexpected ideas that they gave us. The feedback that I had from the sites that the RHS experts visited was that they wished there had been more time. We can’t wait for the next visit, although this could be some time away as their aim is to visit as many different parts of the country as they can.
Pat Walkington, Secretary, Salford Allotment Federation
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 49