GRANVILLE PARK ALLOTMENTS

The Wheelbarrow

Winter 2015

www.granvilleparkallotments.org.uk
Winter 2015

Committee Notices

Once again there have

been quite a few new
diary
faces on the ground as we
welcome a new wave of
Last Sun &
allotmenteers. So a warm
Wed in the
welcome to you all and
month -10am we hope that you will
enjoy your gardening with
Ground
us.
maintenance
Dates for your

over the winter as this is

an obstruction and also
damages the grass paths.

The water has been

turned off so please dont
try to use the toilets as
they wont flush. If you
are absolutely desperate
then there may be a
bucket in the toilet. Pardon? No you dont actually use the bucket but
hopefully there will be
water in it so you can use
that to flush. If theres no
water please find some in
a rain butt, it is very unpleasant to leave it to
somebody else.

A big thank you to all who

helped with the show this
summer, whether it be by
donating, helping setup or
take down stalls, providing
veg and fruit for sale. Each
If
you
are
new
then
please
First Sunday
dont hesitate to ask for
and every bit of assistance
of the
advice as there are plenty is greatly appreciated. We
of people willing to help
month
raised more money than
you
11am
any previous year and this
Committee
You will find some useful is essential to the running
of the ground as the show
information on our own
meeting
web site at
provides the majority of
We are looking for your
Welcome to our new www.granvilleparkallotme our funding and helps us
nts.org.uk which will also to keep our ground funds feedback and thoughts on
plotholders:
point you to other web
how we can better comas low as possible.
sites. allotment.org.uk is a
Laura- plot 48A
municate information and
good one.
Julia -plot 25B
on how we can move
There is still (hopefully)
Andrew- plot 27
forward as a community.
some
time
before
the
real
Philip- plot 16
For those of you waiting
Please read the sections
wet
and
miserable
weathLaura plot- 20A
for manure deliveries, you
on communication and
Stephanie- plot 44B will be contacted individu- er kicks so, therefore,
Frances- plot 21A
clearing time remains. For the way forward. Let us
ally regarding delivery
Eric- plot 42A
newbies, every hour spent know your views by
Samantha- plot 2A details. Please ensure you clearing before spring is
catching one of the comclear the pile of manure
Graham -plot 40B
saving more than an hours mittee in person or via
Jean-Paulplot 20B off the main paths within a
Facebook, Twitter, phone
Georgeplot 1B
reasonable amount of
work during the spring
or email.
time; ideally a couple of
and will enable you to
weeks after delivery. Do
better utilise your time
not leave manure piles
during the planting season

Visit our website at

www.granvilleparkallotments.org.uk

Are you on facebook?

Join our group by searching
for Granville Park Allotments.
Tweet us at @GP_allotment

Email our Site Secretary:

sueblain@hotmail.co.uk
Phone our Site Secretary:
0161 7479441

Communication

Granville Park is a great allotment ground full

of allotmenteers who are fun, humorous and
keen to share their knowledge, skills and produce!

use our social media accounts to discuss

and share your ideas.
We are purchasing new noticeboards for
the ground so information will be up to
date, clear and relevant.

Did you know that we have a website at

www.granvilleparkallotments.org.uk that is full
of information about the ground with hints on The format, content and frequency, of this
tips on various aspects of allotmenteering?
newsletter is under review. What would
you suggest?
In addition, we have a Twitter account at
GP_allotment and a Facebook group (search
for Granville Park Allotments). Our plan is to
reinvigorate these lines of communication to
keep you all updated on the latest information
and news. We welcome your contributions

Inside this issue:

Committee Notices

Communication

Winter at the allotment

Ideas and inspiration

The Book Worm

Tasty delights

T&M seed order

Save our Hedgehogs

Helping Granville Park move forward

4/5

Planting season isnt totally overnot yet!

Plants want to grow; they are on your side as long

as you are reasonably sensible. Anne Wareham

Keen to get planting?

Dont forget that you can still plant crops for over-wintering; specifically leeks, onions and garlic.
For those early leeks you can be thinking of sowing at the beginning of January especially if you have a bit
of heat and light to give them. Some onion varieties also benefit from early sowing. Dont be tempted to
sow if you cant give them the right conditions else you will only end up with long drawn plants which will
give a worse crop than delaying the sowing for a few weeks. Garlic needs the cold temperatures to clove
properly so it can go in now, or you can wait until the Spring. We can all keep hoping that the weather
gives us enough time to clear our plots ready for the Spring. The more you can do now the better.

Ideas and Inspiration Spiralizer

This is a cooking tip rather than a growing one, but I thought I would share as it is such
a great gadget. Turn courgettes or carrots into long spaghetti-like spirals! Fantastic for
salad or good as a substitute for pasta. If you are going to use it as pasta, I would blanch
for 2-3 mins in boiling water max to keep them crunchysurprisingly nice and low
carb (if you are into all that stuff!). You can purchase similar ones to pictured on the
right via amazon.com for less than 10 or try cookware shops as they are getting quite
trendy now. You can buy large versions that sit on the worktop with a large handle for
turning, but these small versions work fine. The difference between spiralizing and using
a food processor is that you can produce very long lengths of noodles or zoodles as
they are known. Would make a fab Xmas gift.

The Book Worm The Allotment ChroniclesSteve Poole

This fascinating and unique book provides a social history
of allotment gardening from the Enclosure Acts of the
1700s to recent times, describing how it has evolved from
a matter of necessity to a major leisure activity. The text is
supported by the author's own delightful line drawings. Its pretty
geeky to be honest, but a great read if you are interested in the
history of allotments. Throughout history allotment garden has
played its part in survival of the British people. Allotments are a
rich part of the nations cultural heritage. Some great facts for pub
quizzes too!
Available second hand on amazon.com

Tasty Delights Kapuska

Ingredients: 1/2 pound stew beef or lamb, 1 cabbage (white or red),1 large onion, 3 tbsp
butter or you can also use olive oil, 3-4 tomatoes, 2 tbsp pepper paste (use tomato
paste if you cannot find red pepper paste)1 tbsp paprika, 1 1/2 cups of water, salt and
pepper, red hot chilies or any hot chilies you want .
Method: Brown meat in butter, add pepper paste, chillies, paprika, chopped onion and cook
tiill onions are soft. Add tomatoes (chopped) and water and simmer for 1-2 hours until meat is
tender. Add cabbage (shredded) and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Season and serve.
Tip: Serve with crusty bread. You can use red or white cabbage and it is super tasty reheated
the next day.

T&M seed order

Each year Granville Park offers the opportunity for tenants to order
through a discounted scheme with
Thompson & Morgan that is open
to allotment grounds. You may order seeds, and in addition other
items like onions, seed potatoes
and fruit bushes at discount prices.
All seeds varieties are discounted
by an impressive 50% whilst other
items are reduced by 20%. If you
wish to take advantage of this offer
please complete an order form in a
T&M catalogue and return as detailed to our chairwoman Heather .
Catalogues are available now in the
ground hut. Any queries please
contact on heatherhornby@sky.com to request a catalogue. Orders must be received with payment by 7th Dec 2015.
Please note that this year we will not be ordering a bulk onion set
delivery. Discounted onion sets can be purchased through the T&M

Deadline for orders with payment is 7/12/15

Save our Hedgehogs!
Although the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is stable in many other part Europe, it is in decline in Britain. In the 1950s the hedgehog population was estimated to be
at around 30 million, by 1995 this was 1.5million and since then there is believed to have
been a rapid decline. Scientific surveys have suggested the rate of decline may be as high
as 10% of the total population per year. Loss of natural habitat to development and agriculture are contributing; as is use of pesticides in farming as the number of pests are reduced there is less food for hedgehogs to eat. New building sites can carve up habitats
and make it hard for local populations of hedgehogs to breed.
What can you do to help our spikey little friends?
Hedgehogs like to live in hedgerows, but will nest anywhere there is good cover. Provide
rough areas for shelter. You can purchase, or make, hog houses and place them on your
plot or in the surround hedgerows around the site. Non-organic blue slug pellets can poison hedgehogs if they consume a high quantity of contaminated slugs so avoid these
where possible, or reduce their usage. Check areas before strimming. Hedgehog are nocturnal and not usually out during the daytime. If you see a hog out in the day
looking disorientated, or ill, see www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk for advice.
Why are hedgehogs important for our allotment site?
Hedgehogs eat slugs, as well as other pests like caterpillars and beetlesvery
useful!

Visit www.hogwatch.org.uk for more information and to get involved with hog monitoring

Helping Granville Park to move forward

Granville Park is a self-managed ground. The site is owned by Trafford Council and is
leased by UAGS (Urmston Allotment & Gardening Society). This is not the case for all
allotment grounds, for example a number of grounds in the Trafford area are actively
managed by the council. Trafford Council receives the rent paid for the ground. A little
like renting a house, the council would contribute in some circumstances, for example if
there were structural issues with the communal hut we may receive support. UAGS
itself doesnt manage the ground, but they support with some aspects of allotment life.
For example, we have recently received approval for a grant from UAGS to help us
build a wood chipping storage area and replace our notice boards.
This essentially means that all aspects of the running of the site is undertaken on a voluntary basis. Therefore the day to day running of the site is at the responsibility of all tenants as part of our community. This gives a number of benefits, for example as a
community we can have more control. Have you noticed how the paths on the ground are always well kept? In the days of budget
cuts we are not waiting for an external body to come in and mow the paths. A volunteer does the mowing on a weekly basis. The
circumstances are the same for keeping the ground tidy, picking up any rubbish, maintaining the toilet facilities, the hedges around
the ground, the water supplies and so forth.
The Committee
The Committee are a group of volunteers who coordinate the general day to day running of the site. There are 3 named officials
(Chairman/Secretary/Treasurer) and a number of general Committee members. All members are welcome to attend the monthly
meetings (11am on the first Sunday of the month) where we vote on aspects from ground developments and maintenance to social events. If you have any queries or questions, wish to find out a little more or volunteer to get involved then the door is open.
The Committee also liaises with UAGS (Urmston Allotments & Gardens Society) and Trafford Council. The Committee are elected annually and all members of our community are encouraged to get involved. If you see any of the Committee around the
ground please feel feedback on any aspect of our community.
ChairwomanHeather Hornby (Plot 47)
TreasurerAnne Davis (Plot 13b)
SecretarySue Blain (Plot 32)
General committee members
Dennis Smith (Plot 48b)
Joanne Morse (Plot 45a)
Rachel Wilkinson (Plot 1b/2b/4)
Anthony Wilkinson Plot 1b/2b/4)
Elaine Crook (Plot 5a/6)
Chris Wilson (Plot 34)

Granville Park Allotments

@GP_allotment

sueblain@hotmail.co.uk
www.granvilleparkallotments.org.uk

Our Community
Our philosophy is that we wish to be part of a community where we can collectively contribute. Where
everyone does a little bit to help and feels involved. Nobody is wishing to ask individuals to sign up for
excessive workloads, heavy manual work or lots of additional stress! A variety of tasks need to be completed to maintain the ground. There is a small number of core volunteers and we wish to expand our
numbers. Contributions could take the form of volunteering just 2 or 3 hours a year. Could you spend 1
hour during the autumn helping re-paint the communal hut, could you help bag up cuttings or help prune
the hedges? Could you help plant some spring bulbs or run a stall at the summer show? Can we all take
collective responsibility? Do you want to contribute to a creating a ground where you would be pleased
to show friends and family around? Whatever help you can give will be appreciated.
Community events
Watch this space for our community social events that are currently in discussion. Please keep an eye
out on the new noticeboards and on the website, Twitter and Facebook. We will let you know what
you can do to help and how to get involved. See the noticeboards on the site and the website for
Are you on facebook?
detail of ground maintenance. This takes place on the last Wednesday and Sunday of each month at Join our group by searching
10am. Lets improve our ground for all involved.
for Granville Park Allotments.
The Newsletter
As part of our review of communication we are considering the role of the newsletter. Would you
prefer a monthly (shorter) newsletter or a more detailed newsletter 2 or 3 times a year? What do
you think should be in the newsletter? Please let us know your views by any of
our communication methods.

Tweet us at GP_allotment

What does it take to maintain Granville Park?

Here is a list of the main tasks that have to be routinely carried out:
*Mowing grass paths
*Cutting brambles from Granville road entrance up the show display path
*Cutting hedge inside and out along Westbourne Park Road
*Pruning trees
*Maintain shrubs within the wild area
*Keep entrances tidy inside and out
*Keep gates and building surrounds clear of grass/weeds where mower can't reach
*Maintenance of the flower border that is adjacent to the car park
*Collect litter/cans/bags etc and bag for removal
*Bagging and removal of prunings temporarily stored in car park area
*Keep notice boards tidy and up to date
*Clearing area next to water meter, Westbourne Park Road entrance
*De-weeding paving in front of Grounds hut
*Clearing area between Grounds hut and fencing, Granville Road entrance
*Clearing area behind storage container
*Check water taps for leaks etc
*Tidy and clean as necessary the Grounds hut
*Keeping information board in the Grounds hut tidy and up to date
*Maintain storage box for recycling of jam jars
*Cleaning male and female toilets and wash basin
*Check toilet rolls, hand wash, bleach etc
*Check and replace towel as necessary in the toilets

Visit our website at

www.granvilleparkallotments.org.uk

Nb this is not a definitive list and other jobs can be identified. This doesnt include the general administration, letting of
plots, communication with relevant bodies, financial administration, running of the website/social media, coordination
of seed/manure orders and their delivery or organisation of any events like the Annual Show & Open day.

Could you help with any of these tasks?