Welcome 4 [btckstorage.blob.core.windows.net]btckstorage.blob.core.windows.net/site5887/TBAWelcome...don’t. Everyone will have lots of advice to offer, and there are lots of allotment

Welcome ..................................................................................................... 4

Site Plan ....................................................................................................... 5

Site Administration ...................................................................................... 6

Annual Lease and Fees ................................................................................ 7

Site Security ................................................................................................. 8

Facilities - an A to Z ..................................................................................... 9

Cultivating Your Plot .................................................................................. 11

Tools you will need .................................................................................... 14

Soil Type at Trinley Brae ............................................................................ 15

Some Advice on Growing .......................................................................... 16

Use of Chemical Pest Controls and Artificial Fertiliser .............................. 18

Composting ............................................................................................... 21

Being Part of the Community .................................................................... 25

How to Use Gardeners Click ...................................................................... 26

Further Advice ........................................................................................... 29

Useful Links ............................................................................................... 30

TBA Welcome Booklet DRAFT 5 Page 4

Welcome

Welcome to Trinley Brae Allotment Association. We hope you will enjoy

tending your plot here, getting to know your fellow plotholders and being

part of our community.

There have been plots here since before World War II, during which it

was worked by the Land-Girls to aid the war-effort. The site was then

extended in 1981 in response to the need for greater self-sufficiency

following the depression of the late 1970’s.

As well as individual plots, we have a communal area where you can

exchange ideas and tips with other plotholders, and now have a

communal shed to shelter in with a cup of tea.

We are mindful of the biodiversity within our site and have a Wildlife Plot

with frog pond, while across the site there are several other ponds and

bug habitats, as well as thick hedging and a variety of trees.

As plots develop we see the personalities of their creators coming

through and we look forward to seeing what you do with yours!

This booklet contains some useful information to get you started,

including advice on gardening basics for those with little or no experience

of growing vegetables. Experienced gardeners, or those who have

previously had an allotment, will have their own fund of knowledge to

draw on, but we ask that everyone follows our simple code of practice on

cultivation, use of chemicals and general tidiness.

If you have any questions, please just ask.

Happy Gardening


Site Plan


Site Administration

The site is owned by Glasgow City Council Land & Environmental Services,

but day-to-day management is handled by the Committee. Committee

members regularly meet with the Council’s Allotments Officer at the

Glasgow Allotments Forum (G.A.F.).

The Association’s Committee is elected at the Annual General Meeting

(A.G.M.) usually held in November of each year.

The 2012 Committee members are:

Chair: Tommy Sprott Plot 8 [email protected]

Secretary: Sarah Jones Plot 5 [email protected]

Vice Chair: Heather Walker Plot 4

Member: Mark Stilges Plot 9

Member: Richard Fedorko Plot 5

Member: David Stewart Plot 25

Committee meetings are held regularly throughout the season. If there’s

anything you’d like to raise with us, just let us know. Anyone with a

question or concern can approach any member of the Committee at any

time.

The Association has a blanket membership with the Scottish Allotments

and Gardens Association (S.A.G.S.), who among other things, meet with

the Scottish Government to promote allotments in Scotland.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Annual Lease and Fees

Missives will be provided at the AGM each year. These should be

completed and returned to the Secretary who will sign them on behalf of

the site and pass on to the Council. Rent is payable to the Council, who

will invoice you in Spring.

Fees of £6 are payable to the allotments annually. This is to cover the

cost of administration, manure and SAGS membership. Please bring the

cash to the AGM or pay a member of the Committee. Cheques are

payable to ‘Trinley Brae Allotments’.


Site Security

Access

There are two points of access to the site - one gate on Knightswood

Road, near Ivanhoe Road (pedestrian access only) and another further

along Knightswood Road, across from Trinley Road. Cars and delivery

vans can access the site from this point.

Your gate key will open the padlocks at both these gates. The two access

gates must be kept locked at all times.

The site is accessible at all times of the day, but there are no lights for

night-time digging!

Theft and Damage

Please note that the Association cannot accept responsibility for loss or

damage to property or personal belongings, or for personal injury while

you are at Trinley Brae Allotments.

Please report any damage to fences or gates, or incidents of vandalism to

your plot, or belongings, to the Committee. A report will be made to the

Allotments Officer.


Facilities - an A to Z

Bark – we’re fortunate to receive a free supply of bark and stumps from

a local tree surgeon. Please just help yourself when delivered – first

come, first served!

Communal Plot - we have a communal gathering area that can be used

for BBQs, Open Days etc, but also by individual plotholders with their

friends and families throughout the year.

Communal Tools - we have a petrol strimmer which is available for

everyone to use (once the disclaimer has been signed).

GAF talks and support – the Glasgow Allotments Forum runs talks each

year and promotes events organised by others such as Pollok Park.

They also run a demonstration allotment. See current events at:

http://www.glasgowallotmentsforum.org.uk/Diary.aspx

Green Waste Removal - we arrange delivery of link tip cages at least

twice a season, to allow hedge cuttings and perennial weeds to be

taken off the site for composting. Plotholders should store any such

waste on their own plots until the cage is available.

To minimise the amount of green waste that is sent off site, there are

ideas on composting and recycling potential later in this booklet.

Manure - we are fortunate to have a source of well-rotted manure and

this is normally delivered early in the year (January/February). Each

plot pays £2 towards this in the annual fee. Everyone is welcome to

help themselves.

Marshalls Seeds & Plants – we have a gardening group with Marshalls

and get discounts on seeds and plants. Sign up at:

http://www.marshalls-garden-club.com

http://www.glasgowallotmentsforum.org.uk/Diary.aspx

http://www.marshalls-garden-club.com/


Non-Green Waste Removal - a skip for items of general waste is

arranged in the autumn/spring to allow plotholders to remove large,

unwanted items from their plots before the growing season starts.

Parking - a small number of cars can park at the top of the site. There’s

not much space to turn, so you’re best to reverse in. You can park on

neighbouring streets, but if you use the allotment side of Knightswood

Road, please make sure the whole of your car is not on the pavement!

Paths - there are four main access paths and plotholders are

responsible for ensuring the sections adjoining their plots are kept free

of weeds and obstructions such as waste and wheelbarrows, as well as

keeping any grass cut. Neighbours should agree between them how

they will maintain the narrow paths which divide all plots.

POD Soil Improver - subject to sufficient demand, we can arrange for

delivery of this recycled organic matter for around £10 per tonne

(approximately 20 barrow loads).

Polytunnel - this is available for everyone to use, weather permitting

Water - we are connected to the mains supply with stand taps situated

across the site, but all plotholders are encouraged to collect rainwater.

Water is turned off at the mains in the coldest winter months.

Wildlife Garden – we have a beautiful communal garden and pond

teeming with frogs that plotholders are welcome to enjoy. Please be

respectful of the wildlife and avoid throwing twigs etc in the pond.

Are there other facilities you would like? Let us know and we’ll see

what we can do.


Cultivating Your Plot

Getting Started

It’s a very exciting time when you get your plot, particularly if you have

waited a while. It can also be a little daunting. Sometimes the plot you

inherit may have been a bit neglected or perhaps you will get it part way

through the growing season. You may already have a good idea what you

want to grow and how you want to go about it, but don’t worry if you

don’t. Everyone will have lots of advice to offer, and there are lots of

allotment websites, books and magazines with endless ideas and tips.

Part of the fun of an allotment is trying out things the way you want, but

here are some tips that we have found helpful.

Get to know your plot

Walk around

What is growing there already? Ask your new neighbours what has

grown there in the past

Which direction does it face and is there a slope?

Does it have a shed, a compost bin?

Are there paths?

What is the soil like - is it suitable for growing the things you want to

grow or will you have to dress the soil?

Make a plan

Make a sketch and mark where you want permanent features to go

Decide how much you are going to aim for in the first year , but be

realistic, taking account of how much time you will be able to spend

Cover ground you won’t be able to work on immediately. Silage

sheeting can be bought for this, or tarpaulins can be bought cheaply

from the builders’ yard in B&Q.

Mark out beds and paths, leaving room to get your wheelbarrow all

around and off your plot easily.


Dealing with an Overgrown Plot

If you do inherit a plot that has been untended, don’t panic. It is common

to feel overwhelmed, but there are things you can do to get it back under

control.

Strim the overgrowth

Use heavy-duty sheeting to cover the strimmed areas you don’t

intend working on immediately

Use your spade to ‘skim’ the weeds off the surface before digging a

bed

If you have turf on your plot, you can cut it out in strips and stack it upside down - it will rot down to a lovely loam. Or you can bury it upside down in trenches.

If you are starting work early in the year, turn the soil over roughly

and leave it this way to weather for 2-3 weeks. This will help to

loosen any tough weeds before you start to break it down with a

fork prior to planting.

Pests and Weeds

Yes, we have those in abundance, particularly horsetail and couch grass.

The key is not to let them spread and takeover. Covering an area with

heavy-duty sheeting for a decent period of time will help smother them.

Try not to let seed heads develop.

Weedkiller can be used, but please be considerate of your neighbours.

Spray on a still day and leave the recommended time before planting

crops in that area for your health & safety. (Please also see the section

on Use of chemical pest controls and artificial fertiliser.)


All Year Round

Remember that you can work on your plot for most of the year, not just

the main growing season, so if you want to change the layout or add new

features, there is usually enough decent weather and light to work

through the autumn to early spring. That way you can get the most from

the allotment year.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Trying to do too much at once

Digging lots of beds at the same time

Uncovering areas and then leaving them to nature

Rotorvating before weeding

Sowing a full pack of seeds at once – remember you need to pot

them on

Doing one big sowing of a crop. To avoid gluts, small successional

sowings are best

Not seeing the progress that you have made. Take photos so you

don’t forget what you’ve achieved.


Tools you will need

Always get the best quality tools you can afford as these will be longer

lasting.

Buy what feels comfortable to handle. Slightly built people often find

standard tools heavy to work with because of the amount of soil they act

on. Smaller spades and forks, normally called ‘border’ spades and forks

are available, but you may have to shop around.

Second-hand tools can be excellent. Always check for broken steel parts

or cracked and split handles. Rust alone need not be a problem. Some

oil, a rub with emery paper and some digging with soon shine up the

blade of an old spade.

The basic tools you will need are a spade, a fork and a rake - some

experienced plotholders use only these three tools. Add others as you

need them, or as you can afford to. For example, a hoe is useful for weed

control.

You will see a variety of tools in use across the site. Everyone has a

favourite and some people even make or adapt tools to suit their needs.


Soil Type at Trinley Brae

The soil at Trinley Brae is a clay loam with a pH which is neutral to acid.

Clay soil is very fertile and is suitable for the cultivation of a wide range of

vegetables and flowers. However, it is also heavy and can benefit from

applications of organic material to build up humus content. This soil type

holds a great deal of moisture, so is slow to warm up in spring, but

mature plants seldom go short of water. However, in hot summers, clay

soil can become very hard, restricting root development of younger

plants. The addition of organic material will improve soil structure and

prevent the soil becoming too hard. Mulching can conserve moisture and

help suppress weeds at the same time.

Clay soil is best dug over in late autumn or early winter. Don’t break

down the soil too finely as this can lead to soil structure becoming

damaged by heavy winter rain. Leave soil in large chunks to expose as

much as possible to winter frosts. Frost action improves soil structure

and can reduce soil pests such as slugs. Soil that has been dug in this way

usually only needs to be forked over before planting. Seed beds will need

worked with a rake to create a surface of fine crumbs.

Try to avoid walking on newly dug or very wet soil, especially clay, as this

will compact soil. Air is an important ingredient of soil, vital for healthy

root systems. Compacted soil contains very little air, encouraging harmful

bacteria and reducing drainage. Avoid compacting soil, even during dry

weather, by using planks or a board to spread your weight while working.

Beneficial soil organisms, such as worms and ground beetles and even

some kinds of bacteria should be encouraged by reducing applications of

harmful chemicals and by the addition of organic material in the form of

manure and home made compost.


Some Advice on Growing

Most ordinary garden vegetables and flowers grow well at Trinley Brae,

except those requiring a very alkaline soil (soil at Trinley Brae is neutral to

acid).

Sowing and planting times can be a bit later in Scotland than those

indicated on seed packets and in gardening books. A general guide would

be:

March Plant onion sets, shallots and garlic Early April

Plant potatoes. Outdoor sowings of broad beans

April-May

Indoor sowings, perhaps in a propagator, of plants such as peppers, tomatoes, courgettes and other squash. Runner beans can be sprouted and planted in pots for planting outdoors after hardening off

May

Outdoor sowings of salad crops, peas and root vegetables. sow cabbages, kale and broccoli outdoors (or in pots for planting out in June or July). These vegetables will grow through autumn and winter. Outdoor sowings should be thinned out when the plants are about three inches high.

Staples such as potatoes, onions, leeks, peas, beans, cabbages, kale,

beets, courgettes and most salad crops should thrive and after your first

season you will be able to have vegetables of one sort or another

available almost all year round.

If you wish to grow tomatoes or peppers they will require shelter such as

a greenhouse. Remember that growing crops under glass or in a

polytunnel will mean that you may need to be there to water or ventilate

almost every day, especially if the weather is hot.


If you wish to grow exotic varieties of vegetable, you will almost certainly

have to give them protection of some sort.

To avoid a build up of pests and diseases or depletion of nutrients, try to

practice crop rotation on a 3 or 4 year cycle. In other words, do not grow

vegetables from the same family in the same spot year after year.


Use of Chemical Pest Controls and Artificial Fertiliser

Chemicals

The use of chemicals in the form of garden pesticides, herbicides and

fertilisers is not forbidden at Trinley Brae Allotments. However,

plotholders are encouraged to limit the use of such chemicals and to use

alternatives whenever possible.

Where garden chemicals are used, you should observe the

manufacturer’s instructions in regard to quantity, application and

personal safety. Please also bear in mind that neighbouring plots may be

managed without the use of chemicals so please avoid contamination of

surrounding areas.

Legislation has resulted in the removal of many garden chemicals from

sale as they are considered unsafe for use by amateur gardeners. This

legislation is likely to be extended to include many chemicals still

available at the time of writing. There are some chemicals with limited

organic approval, but ‘organic’ in the context of grade chemicals should

not be taken to mean ‘safe’.

Plotholders are encouraged to use natural methods of control where

these are available. Many garden creatures such as ground beetles,

wasps, ladybirds and hoverflies are beneficial to gardeners as they, or

their larvae, are predatory on common pests. For example hoverfly and

ladybird larvae eat aphids. Growing plants which adult hoverflies feed on

will encourage them to lay eggs around your plot and provide you with

natural pest control.

Other biological controls are available to deal with specific pests. This

entails using an organism that is predatory on the pest. For example,

microscopic nematode worms can be used to control slugs. Such controls

can be expensive and tricky to use.


Fertilisers

As the soil at Trinley Brae is a clay loam, one of the most fertile soil types,

it means that large quantities of artificial fertilisers are not required.

Manure is available at Trinley Brae to keep soil topped up with organic

material and add small amounts of nutrients. Help yourself from the

heap at the top of the hill. Please remove material evenly across the face

of the heap, clearing to ground level as you go. Apply manure at the rate

of about one cwt (about a barrow load) to every 10 square yards.

Manure is best applied between autumn and late winter. Home made

compost will also add nutrients to keep soil healthy (see section on

compost making).

‘Green manuring’ is another method for adding nutrients and building up

the amount of organic material in the soil. A crop of, for example, grazing

rye grass or field beans, is grown after other crops are harvested. This is

dug into the soil about six weeks before planting the next season’s crop.

Green manuring is also said to reduce soil damage by heavy winter rain.

For the same purpose, some gardeners prefer to leave weeds standing

over winter, removing them while preparing soil in spring.

Where other fertilisers are used, these should be applied according to the

manufacturer’s instructions. ‘Balanced’ fertilisers are best as these

supply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the three essential elements

for growing all types of plants, in the correct proportion, adding manure

and home-made compost, and by adding general and specific fertilisers

only when required and in the amounts specified by the manufacturer.

Occasionally you may need to apply a specific substance, for example

brassicas such as cabbage prefer slightly alkaline conditions, so garden

lime can be spread and dug in before planting.


Correcting deficiencies

Over-application of some substances can ‘lock-up’ nutrients in the soil by

chemically binding them together. This makes them unavailable to

plants, which become pale and sickly, and will require applications of yet

another chemical to ‘un-lock’ them.

Intensive gardening can deplete nutrients in the soil. This is best

combated by practising crop rotation, adding manure and home-made

compost, and by adding general and specific fertilisers only when

required and in the amounts specified by the manufacturer.


Composting

Composting is encouraged at Trinley Brae. It is an environmentally

friendly way to add nutrients to your soil. Compost improves soil

structure and can be used as a mulch. It is free and can be made with

very little effort.

You may well inherit a compost bin or area on your plot. If not there are

a number of shapes and sizes available to buy, or you can make your own.

There are a variety of homemade versions on the site for you to get ideas

from.

Most garden waste can be composted, although try to avoid adding the

roots of perennial weeds such as couch grass, dock, horsetail and

buttercup. Try too to avoid adding mature seed heads of both annual and

perennial weeds. The heat generated in a compost heap can destroy

weed seeds, but it is best to be on the safe side.

Any leaves, chopped-up stems and waste crops can go in, as can kitchen

waste, other than meat scraps and cooked food as these will attract rats

and other vermin. Try to use a good mix of ‘green’ (nitrogen rich) and

‘brown’ (carbon rich) ingredients in your compost - you’ll get better

results that way.

Examples are:

Green Brown (slow to rot) Uncooked vegetable peelings Cardboard

Tea bags & leaves, ground coffee Waste paper and junk mail

Grass cuttings Kitchen and toilet roll tubes

Nettles and comfrey leaves Egg boxes

Young green weed growth Hedge clippings

Soft green prunings Old bedding plants


Other items that can be added include:

Hair and Nail Clippings Crushed Eggshells

Wood Ash (not too much) Cotton fibres

Leaves can be added to your compost bin, but they slow the composting

process down. If you have space, it may be better to collect them

separately to rot down to create leaf mould. This is great as a soil

improver and to add to compost as a potting mix.

However, never add any of these to your compost:

Meat Fish

Cooked Food Coal and Coke Ash

Cat Litter/Dog Faeces Disposable Nappies


Recycling

If you aren’t one already, there is a good chance you will soon turn into a

hoarder of anything that might be useful! Here are a few suggestions for

everyday items:

Cardboard

flattened, it can be placed outside your shed to reduce the amount of

mud you take in with you. It can also be laid down on paths as a

temporary weed suppressant. In time it will rot down. Covering it with

bark chips makes it more attractive.

it can be cut into ‘collars’ for protecting fragile brassicas etc from a

variety of pests

toilet rolls and paper towel tubes can be used in place of ‘root trainers’

for growing long-rooted seedlings such as sweet peas

Tights

can be used to store onions over winter - place one onion in, twist the

tights, then add another. Cut one off every time you need to use one.

can also be used as soft ties for securing young fruit trees to stakes

Net bags for fruit

can be used to store small winter squashes to support heavy hanging

fruit

Plastic water/lemonade bottles

cut the bottom off to use as cloches, perfect for smaller plants/young

seedlings;

Plastic milk bottles

cut in half, pierce the bottom with holes for drainage, fill with sowing

compost, add the top and you have a mini propagator.

or, use the top half upside down in the earth near the roots of thirsty

plants such as courgettes - it will gather rain water and feed it direct to

where it is needed


Polystyrene sheets

can be broken up and used for drainage in pots

can be used as insulation in cold frames or around compost bins

can be used to protect squashes etc from the ground


Being Part of the Community

Communal Weekends

We have a number of communal weekends throughout the year. We use

this time for general maintenance, path clearing, upkeep of communal

areas as well as one-off projects. Please join in if you are around and

have some time to spare. If you’re unable to make the dates but still

want to contribute, just get in touch to find out what jobs we haven’t

managed to complete to see if there’s anything you can do. It will be just

as valued and we’ll all be really grateful.

Care of the Site and Community Relations

As members of the Trinley Brae Association, we each share equal

responsibility for the care, maintenance and security of our site. We have

a great community and all have a part to play in keeping it that way.

Please show others the courtesy you expect to receive and only enter

plots when invited. Plotholders are responsible for the behaviour of their

guests, children and animals, as well as themselves.

Fundraising

We have been really successful with fundraising activities over the past

few years, particularly through open days. If you can contribute to these

activities in anyway, please let us know.

Gardeners Click Website

We have a TBA group on gardenersclick: http://www.gardenersclick.com

where plotholders from Trinley Brae can share photos, information and

advice with other plotholders here or across the UK. The following pages

have some hints and tips for finding your way about the site. If you have

any problems getting set up, please just ask.

http://www.gardenersclick.com/


How to Use Gardeners Click


Further Advice

We don’t have room here to give advice on every aspect of cultivation.

Other plotholders will be very willing to give new gardeners hints and

tips - their local knowledge can’t be found in books. Please just ask.

There are many television programmes and books and magazines

offering advice on allotment gardening and vegetable growing. There

are also numerous blogs and websites. We’ve listed some useful links

overleaf.


Useful Links

Trinley Brae Allotments

http://www.spanglefish.com/trinleybraeallotments

City of Glasgow Allotments Over half of the 26 allotment sites within Glasgow are managed by the

City Council. Gives details of their Allotment Strategy and Biodiversity.

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Gardening/Allotments/

Glasgow Allotments Forum

G.A.F. represents allotment sites and plotholders throughout Glasgow.

http://www.glasgowallotmentsforum.org.uk/HintsandTips/PODCompost.aspx

Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society

S.A.G.S. works for allotment sites and plot holders throughout Scotland.

http://www.sags.org.uk/

BBC Gardening

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/

Fruit Expert

http://www.fruitexpert.co.uk/

Vegetable Expert

http://www.vegetableexpert.co.uk/

Garden Organic

Dedicated to researching and promoting organic gardening, farming and

food.

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/composting/index.php

Scots Garden

A complete guide to gardening and garden suppliers in Scotland.

http://www.scotsgarden.co.uk/index.html

http://www.spanglefish.com/trinleybraeallotments

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Gardening/Allotments/

http://www.glasgowallotmentsforum.org.uk/

http://www.glasgowallotmentsforum.org.uk/HintsandTips/PODCompost.aspx



http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/

http://www.fruitexpert.co.uk/

http://www.vegetableexpert.co.uk/

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/composting/index.php

http://www.scotsgarden.co.uk/index.html

Welcome 4 [btckstorage.blob.core.windows.net]btckstorage.blob.core.windows.net/site5887/TBAWelcome...don’t. Everyone will have lots of advice to offer, and there are lots of allotment

Documents