What's New

Contents

For New Plot Holders
Sunningdale Conditions
New to an Allotment?

Collated Experiences
Approaches
Growing Season Summary
Veg A-M
Veg N-Z
Salads
Fruit
Culinary Herbs
"Garden Recipes"
Culinary Recipes

Allotment History
General History
Sunningdale History
Other Site Histories
Growing History before Allotments

Miscellaneous
Plot Holder's Snaps
Selected Seasonal Snaps
Satellite View
Useful Links
Downloads
What's New

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What’s New

For those who have already browsed or read the version of these pages that was “published” at the beginning of February 2007, this page attempts to summarise the changes that have subsequently been made. It is split into Topics and New Links. The latest entries are always at the top.

Topics

Topic	Date	Notes
2008 growing season summary	1st Oct 2008	Added to growing season summary page
Brief history of UK cultivation before the allotment movement	27th Sep 2008	New page
Late sowing for autumn crops	8th Sep 2008	Added to Approaches page
Deer repellent recipes	26th Jun 2008	Added to Garden Recipes page.
Growing in partial shade	15th Jun 2008	Added to Approaches page.
Use of groundcover material	15th Jun 2008	to minimise weeds - added to New to Allotments page
Other Site Histories	28th May 2008	New page - mainly links to histories of other allotment sites.
Spent coffee grounds	18th May 2008	Possible uses for coffee grounds added to Approaches page.
Fruit	18th May 2008	Range of links added to Fruit page.
Pesticide information	15th May 2008	Spraying section on Approaches page. Added links to sites to establish legality of a specific pesticide, soil association library facility and places to safely dispose of pesticides.
Wildlife	15th May 2008	Moved from Conditions to Approaches page. Includes more info on tackling deer
Herb links	19th Apr 2008	Added various links to Culinary Herbs page. See links below.
Germination temperatures	5th Apr 2008	Added to New to Allotment page
Tools	14th Mar 2008	Added to New to Allotment page, mostly links to useful sites
Choosing a plot	11th Mar 2008	Rewrite of this section on the New to Allotment page
Rats	20th Jan 2008	Possible natural deterrents added to Pest COntrol section of Approaches page
Oca	10th Dec 2007	Oca added to Veg N-Z page
Liming	30th Nov 2007	Short paragraph added on liming to the Approaches page
Chat with Fran Moore	26th Nov 2007	Changes to various pages: Approaches, Veg A-M and Salads
Chat with Mary Alexander	27th Oct 2007	Changes to various pages: New to Allotments, Approaches, Fruit, Veg A-M and Veg N-Z
More culinary recipes	17th Oct 2007	Recipes contributed by Lisa Offord plus Miscellaneous Ideas section started
Growing Season Summary	11th Oct 2007	New page added
Hygiene	11th Oct 2007	Section added to New to an Allotment page
Re-designed web site	11th Oct 2007	Web pages used frames which appeared to confuse search engines. New site is "frameless".
Potato Blight	29^th Jun 2007	A bit more added to Potato on VegN-Z page, including two additional links
Chervil	20^th Jun 2007	Chervil added to Herbs page, along with some other minor changes
New recipe	6^th Jun 2007	Gooseberry Fool received from Janet King
Planting out half-hardy crops	6^th Jun 2007	Section added to the New to an Allotment page
General History of Allotments	1^st Jun 2007	Version 2 released - significant changes to the period from 1770 to 1880.
Bird deterrents	28^th Apr 2007	Iridescent tape and video tape streamers added to Wildlife section of the Sunningdale Condtions page
Planting by the Moon	25^th Apr 2007	Added a short section to the Approaches page. It primarily consists of a couple of useful links
Uses of horticultural fleece	24^th Apr 2007	Added to Some Basics section of the New to Allotments page
Flea Beetle	24^th Apr 2007	Added to Brassica problems (VegA-M page)
New Recipe	23^rd Apr 2007	Rhubarb & Lemon Lattice Tart recipe received from Pat Bond.
Sunningdale History	15^th Apr 2007	Removed mention of statutory allotments pending further investigations.
Moisture Retention	6^th Apr 2007	Added a few more thoughts to this section on the Approaches page.
Sunningdale History	21st Mar 2007	Incorporation of Peter O’Kill’s findings from his latest visit to St. John’s College . It includes: the discovery of what was probably the first allotment site where Clarefield Court warden-assisted apartments are now situated, near the railway – it dates back to at least 1861; a bit more information on the Chobham Road site; and details of several development threats – in 1896 and 1949. Addition of a couple of photos.
Chat with Helen Knight	15^th Mar 2007	Various changes resulted from this chat, including: rhubarb and orange cake recipe and a small piece on cardoons.
New to Allotments?	10^th Mar 2007	Added sections on choosing a plot, clearing a plot and useful info on the web.
d-i-y natural pesticides	Mid. Feb to early Mar 2007	Added recipe for a garlic-based spray, plus one link to the organicgarden.org.uk web site and 3 links to the HDRA site, both for more natural pesticide recipes. Added to the “Garden Recipes” page.
Green Manuring	Early Mar 2007	Links to sites that provide more detail on individual crops, including sowing times. Added to the Green Manuring section of the Approaches pages.
Compost Making	Early Mar 2007	The original version had no links. This is now corrected. Added to Making Compost section of the Approaches page.
Sweet Corn Problem	Early Mar 2007	Common Smut is not a common disease in this country although there is a view that it may become more prevalent in the warmer summers. One plot holder has reported signs of it. Added to the Sweet Corn section of Veg N-Z.
Allotment Regeneration	Early Mar 2007	Centre for Environmental Initiatives (working name ecolocal) has a section on regenerating and improving allotment sites. Added to the Useful Links page.
Brassica problems	late Feb 2007	Inclusion of whitefly and grey aphid. Added to the Brassica problem section in the Veg A-M page.
Seeds	late Feb 2007	More on saving seeds, a useful factsheet that lists disease-resistant varieties by crop, and a mention of the Heritage Seed Library. Added to the Seed section of the Approaches page.
Horticultural fine mesh fleece	late Feb 2007	Provides a physical barrier, protecting crops from flies, e.g. cabbage root fly, carrot fly, leek moth, et cetera and butterflies. Info added to the Garden Recipes page.
Leek Problems	Late Feb 2007	Leek Moth and Leek Rust. Added to Leek section of Veg A-M page.
Downloads	Mid Feb 2007	Pdf versions of main text made available. Also, example allotment logs to give some ideas to new plot holders.
Forum	Early Feb 2007	Page to host questions and answers from plot holders.

New Links

To avoid the need for you to plough through the various pages looking for any new links, this section will contain a complete list of them, the date that they were added, plus an indication of where they can be found in the text. The latest entries are always at the top.

New Link	Date Added	Notes
Growyourown.info	1st Oct 2008	very good web site - added to useful links and New to Allotment page
Advice on late sowing	8th Sep 2008	In Late Sowing section added to Approaches page
HDRA document on green manuring	22nd Jun 2008	Added to green manures section of Approaches page
Crops for partial shade	15th Jun 2008	In section on growing in partial shade on the Approaches page
Other Site Histories	28th May 2008	Multiple links to other site histories on this new page
Spent coffee grounds	18th May 2008	Slightly agnostic articles here and here on the use of coffee grounds, particularly for fighting slugs.
Fruit	18th May 2008	Range of links added to Fruit page, too many to specify individually here.
Pesticide information	15th May 2008	Spraying section of Approaches page. pesticides.gov.uk, soilassociation.org library facility and pesticidedisposal.org
Willdlife	15th May 2008	Combating wildlife section of Approaches page. British Deer Society, recipe for deer repellent spray and another
fruitdisease.co.uk	15th May 2008	added to fruit page
Two small seed companies	23rd Apr 2008	alanromans.com and peppersbypost added to Seed section of Approaches page.
Various Herb web sites	19th Apr 2008	HerbExpert, Herb Society and Garden Action all added to Culinary Herb page
Growing Basil	19th Apr 2008	Useful article by Anna Pavord added to Culinary Herb page
Temperatures for germination	5th Apr 2008	Table of soil temperatures required for germination of a range of vegetables. Added to New to Allotment page
Joseph Bentley	14th Mar 2008	Maker of gardening tools
Gardening Which	14th Mar 2008
Intro to gardening tools	14th Mar 2008	useful for beginners
BBC gardening message board	14th Mar 2008	another popular forum
Fredshed	11th Mar 2008	enthusiast who reviews gardening and diy tools. Added to useful links page
Another compost-making guide	29th Feb 2008	Added to Compost section on the Approaches page
Potato Variety Database	23rd Jan 2008	Useful database which includes info on susceptibility to diseases such as blight.
Plants for a Future	19th Dec 2007	Includes many unusual edible and medicinal plants. Added to links page.
Growing Oca	10th Dec 2007	Excellent article on growing Oca
RHS Article on Liming	30th Nov 2007	Useful short article on liming by the RHS
Meiosis.co.uk	26th Nov 2007	Very useful info on recent soft fruit varieties - added to Soft Fruit page.
Gardening Which on Seeds	26th Nov 2007	Abbreviated article on seed companies and the viability of their seed - added to Approaches pages
Tayberry	29th Oct 2007	Hydrid Berry section on Fruit page
Enviromesh	27th Oct 2007	Better link for enviromesh
HDRA links replaced or removed	11th Oct 2007	Various pages on the HDRA web site which were linked to on these pages have been changed recently, limiting access to HDRA members only. These links have been replaced (where an alternative has been found) or removed. The links concerned are: onion white rot, onion downy mildew, flea beetle, leek rust, green manuring, cabbage aphid (removed) and grey aphid (removed)
Hoxton Manor Allotments	25^th Jul 2007	Added to Useful Links page
Late Potato Blight	29^th Jun 2007	Wikipedia article on late blight, added to Potato on VegN-Z page
Potato Blight	29^th Jun 2007	Useful HDRA factsheet, added to Potato on VegN-Z page
Chervil	20^th Jun 2007	Added to Herbs page. Link includes info on cultivation and recipes.
Mineral Deficiencies	6^th Jun 2007	Useful article on identifying trace element deficiencies with good pictures to assist. Short new paragraph on Soil-Borne Problems added to the Approaches page.
No dig introductory leaflet	28^th Apr 2007	HDRA leaflet. Added to the Dig/No Dig section of the Approaches page.
No dig vegetable garden site	28^th Apr 2007	Useful web site dedicated to the no dig approach. Added to the Dig/No Dig section of the Approaches page.
Gardening by the Moon	25^th Apr 2007	Useful guide to this topic.
Gardeners Calendar.co.uk	25^th Apr 2007	General growing calendar which includes details of lunar planting for the coming 7 days
Chilli-specific web site	24^th Apr 2007	Added to Pepper (Chilli) on VegN-Z page
Flea Beetle factsheet	24^th Apr 2007	Added to Brassica Problems (VegA-M page) and Radish on Salads page
George Cook’s site	6^th Apr 2007	Useful for new plot holders. Lots of photos. I personally prefer David Frary’s site, as it contains more in-depth information.
Recipes for garlic-based pesticides	7^th Mar 2007	HDRA article (pdf file) on recipes for garlic-based pesticides. Added to Garden Recipe page.
Recipes for chilli-based pesticides	7^th Mar 2007	HDRA article (pdf file) on recipes for chilli-based pesticides. Added to Garden Recipe page.
Recipes for tagetes-based pesticides	7^th Mar 2007	HDRA article (pdf file) on recipes for tagetes-based pesticides. Added to Garden Recipe page.
More on green manuring	5^th Mar 2007	Allotment & Kitchen Garden web pages include further detail on individual green manure crops. Added to the Green Manuring section of the Approaches pages.
Green manuring with sowing times	5^th Mar 2007	Centre for Environmental Initiatives (working name ecolocal) has a page on green manuring which includes a useful table with sowing times for individual green manure crops. Added to the Green Manuring section of the Approaches pages.
Allotment Regeneration	5^th Mar 2007	Centre for Environmental Initiatives (working name ecolocal) has a section on regenerating and improving allotment sites. Added to the Useful Links page.
Compost – compostguide.com	5^th Mar 2007	Good article on compost making which includes a table on items which can be composted. Added to Making Compost section of the Approaches page.
Compost – HDRA	5^th Mar 2007	Useful section on the HDRA web site on compost making. Added to Making Compost section of the Approaches page.
Compost – gardenadvice.co.uk	5^th Mar 2007	Useful article on compost making in the gardenadvice.co.uk web site. Added to Making Compost section of the Approaches page.
Sweet Corn – Common Smut	4^th Mar 2007	Not a common disease in this country (the link is US-based). One plot holder has reported signs of it. Added to the Sweet Corn section of Veg N-Z
Some disease resistant varieties	4^th Mar 2007	Factsheet from the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA) which neatly summarises those varieties by crop that have resistance to specified diseases. Added to the Seed section of the Approaches page.
Cabbage (or Brassica) Whitefly	27^th Feb 2007	Factsheet on cabbage whitefly which affects brassicas. Added to the Brassica Problems section of the Veg A-M page.
Leek Moth	27^th Feb 2007	RHS factsheet on leek moth which includes a link to a 2-page information sheet from DEFRA. Added to Leek section of Veg A-M page
Leek Rust	27^th Feb 2007	Factsheet from HDRA. Added to Leek section of Veg A-M page.
Enviromesh	27^th Feb 2007	Horticultural fine mesh fleece which is used to provide a physical barrier, protecting crops from flies, e.g. cabbage root fly, carrot fly, leek moth, et cetera and butterflies. Link is to one supplier, chosen primarily because it shows a picture of it in action. Info added to Garden Recipes page.
David Frary’s site	22^nd Feb 2007	Good site for new plot holders: it covers: clearing the site, digging and first year cultivation. Added to the “Useful Information on the Web” section of the New to Allotment page. Also added to the Useful Links page
Grey aphid	22^nd Feb 2007	Factsheet on grey aphid which affects brassicas. Added to the Brassica Problems section of the Veg A-M page.
d-i-y organic pest sprays	19^th Feb 2007	Page on the organicgarden.org.uk web site outlines more recipes to make your own non-chemical sprays to combat pests. Added to the “Garden Recipes” page.
Carrot Fly Prevention	17^th Feb 2007	Factsheet from the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA). Added to the Carrot section in the Veg A-M page.
Saving Seed	17^th Feb 2007	5-page Word document on saving seed that can be downloaded. Added to the Seed section of the Approaches page.