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News Archive 2009
Creating space for allotments
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The National Trust plans to create 1000 new allotment plots in the next 3yrs. The plots will be registered through the Landshare website. There is a brief video about the scheme by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (River Cottage presenter). |
Free Compost Offer at WLC
West London Composting will be offering free compost at Highview farm, New Years Green Lane on Sunday May 3rd between 9.30am and 1pm. The offer is limited to three bags per car. Click here for details.
Stable Manure Offer
There is some free stable manure available for collection from Harefield. Please contact Mark Sewell on 01895 823711 or 07884 473641.
Grow Your Own - taster sessions in May
There will be a number of taster sessions for people who want to find out about growing plants in various settings. The sessions will include seed sowing, cultivating the soil, organic gardening, controlling weeds and pests.
They will be at Hayes End and Highgrove allotment sites on the following dates:
Hayes End Allotment Site:
Thursday 14th May 2.30pm – 4.30pm (Weeds); 6.30pm – 8.30pm (Seeds).
Saturday 23rd May 10.30am – 12.30pm (Seeds); 1.30pm – 3.30pm (Weeds).
Highgrove Allotment Site:
Thursday 28th May 10.30am – 12.30pm (Seeds); 1.30pm - 3.30pm (Weeds).
The sessions are free but space is limited so you have to book early. Contact Hillingdon Adult Education, Tel: 01895 676837
Food for Thought
This is the theme for Compost Awareness Week 2009. There will be a number of events organised during the week (May 3rd - 9th) to encourage people to make compost, grow fruit and vegetables. The Recycle Now website contains resource packs with lots of suggestions for individuals, organisations and groups. Click here for details.
Allotment Competition Round 1 June 6th - 21st
Allotment plot holders are busy preparing for the first round of visits by the competition judges. Teams of judges will look at all allotment plots on the London Borough of Hillingdon sites. They will assess them and allocate points in the following categories: cultivation of the plot; variety of crops; quality of crops; incidence of pest and diseases; miscellaneous. Click here for further information about each category.
Eighty plots with the highest points will be revisited by three expert judges in August. They will select the top fifty plots. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 plot holders at the HAHF AGM in November.
Grow Your Own - HAHF at the 85th Annual Middlesex show
Click here for photos.
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HAHF presented a display of fruits, vegetables, flowers and some eggs from some of the local allotment sites during the show in June. They also included seedlings of late summer vegetables and some winter crops. Many visitors were surprised at the range of produce on the stand. There were a number of queries about allotments. HAHF members were available to provide advice about gardening. Click here for additional information about the show. |
Preparing for Round 2 of the Allotment Competition
The allotment competition judges will be revisiting a number of the local allotment sites during August 10th - 16th to select the top fifty plots. They will also select the best allotment sites in the following categories:-
Best small site (less than 50 plots)
Best large site (over 50 plots)
Best London Borough of Hillingdon site that is either managed by the council or is in a shared management scheme. Click here for the Allotment Site criteria.
'The Watering Can' - a new title for the newsletter
The allotment newsletter has got a new title. It will be launched in the summer issue. The editor (David England) has written a brief history about the newsletter. He also included an article about watering cans. Click here for the Summer issue.
Hillingdon 60+ Fair at Malls Pavilions Uxbridge on Tuesday 13th October
This is an annual event organised by Age Concern Hillingdon to provide information and advice for the older generation. There will be thirty six organisations with information stalls and a varied entertainment programme during the day.
Hillingdon Allotment and Horticultural Federation will present a display of fruits, vegetables, and flowers from some of the local allotments. Allotment plot holders will be available to offer information and advice.
The Watering Can has landed
You have seen an electronic version of the new look allotment newsletter ‘The Watering Can’ on the website. Now you can obtain a printed copy from your site secretary, if you are on one of the 35 allotment sites in Hillingdon. All the site secretaries received multiple copies from the Council at the end of September.
Hillingdon 60+ Fair
The fair attracted visitors from various areas in and around Hillingdon. There was a wide range of entertainment during the event at the Malls Pavilions on Tuesday 13th October. This included barn dancing, line dancing, chair dancing, Morris dancing, two children’s choirs, an instrumental musical group and a brief demonstration of self defence. There were a number of information stalls. The HAHF stall contained lots of interesting vegetables, fruits, flowers and leaflets.
