|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
----- Original Message -----
From:
AAA - Webmaster
To:
AAA Mailing List
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 9:28 PM
Subject: AAA Web-site Newsletter - July 28th 2009
Hello Everyone!
Been a funny old month hasn't
it? Gone are the heady expectations kindled by the weathermen
when they told us in spring we were going to have a scorcher of
a summer! The only good thing to come out of it has been the
peace of mind that we don't anymore have any anxiety at all
about hand watering through a drought ravaged July! It's been a
powerful growing month though, with warmth and wet, if it
doesn't grow for you under these conditions then it's not worth
you sowing or planting it next year.
Slugs
On the down side there's been
a population explosion of slugs - they've attacked everything in
sight on my section of Jon's plot. I thought I'd get the upper
hand with the Nemaslug treatment, but either the population
growth has overcome the parasitic nematodes or I've been sold a
version of the "King's new clothes"! At a tenner a throw for
40sq. metres treatment - that needs to be re-applied every six
weeks - it's a big decision whether the second and third
applications will be risked, it's a disappointment so far - and
that's an under-statement. I won't be re-applying it (no good
Cardi gets caught twice in the pocket department).
So what's the next line
of attack? Well for me any toxic chemical use is out, if I want
poison tainted veg I can buy plenty of it off the shelf at the
local supermarket, with a lot less hard work. So
Metaldehyde
laced slug pellets are not an option (if you're not sure what
they look like they're the little blue ones obtained very
cheaply in most places). Even less of an option is it's more
toxic stablemate, the cancer producing Methiocarb
- a really nasty one - it's less important as a contact killer,
acting more as a stomach poison when eaten. I think I'd prefer
salad cream with my lettuce thanks! But I hear you ask "how can
slug pellets affect what's in my crops?". Well, quite right,
mature adults don't go about eating handfuls of slug pellets!
However the consideration is: where does the Metaldehyde and
Methiocarb go to when it gets washed into the soil?
Until about 18 months ago
water companies could not analyse supplies for Metaldehyde. Now
they can, and Bristol Water detected it for the first time - in
the Sharpness Canal in 2007. Although amounts were well below
health impact level they exceeded the 0.1parts per billion EU
limit for any individual pesticide in drinking water. I don't
know about you, but I don't like the sound of that!
If you'd like to know more
about slugs and chemicals in slug pellets visit the Cardiff
School of Biosciences page by clicking
HERE. For info on water contamination click
HERE. Or you can visit our dedicated section in the Members
Area of our web-site:
Please note that this is NOT
a shaming exercise for plot holders that use conventional slug
pellets. Far be it for me to dictate what others should or
should not use - it's a personal choice for the individual. I'm
merely trying to present the facts as I happen to see them, so
that everyone can make an informed decision for themselves.
So what next for moi
and his slimy hordes? An interesting alternative could be
Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer (also
available from Wilkinson's stores I understand). Apparently It
will only kill slugs and snails. There is no secondary poisoning
of birds or hedgehogs etc. and the manufacturers say they are
completely safe even if wildlife (or toddlers) eat the pellets -
so long as the product has been used as directed. It is based on
ferrous phosphate (iron phosphate - which is an organic
compound) plus a bait, thus making it attractive to slugs and
snails. Any bait not eaten breaks down rapidly to iron and
phosphate nutrients as part of garden soil. WATCH THIS SPACE -
I'll keep you posted!
Herbs
I've not yet been able to
dedicate much time or space for herbs on our web-site. It's a
whole new world of subject matter in itself. However I have made
a start, concentrating on the medicinal use of herbs (getting my
inspiration from James Wong's book "Grow
your own drugs" introduced to me by my son Alex), I'll put a
permanent link to it on our "Books page" in the Members Area
sometime in the next few weeks. For now just click on the
graphic below to go to the first page I've prepared. I have to
admit the page is a "stolen" page from James Wong's book but
with hyperlinks inserted to go to the web-sites listed - have a
peek, see what you think & let me know.
Tips 'n Tricks
It's getting there! Remember
I mentioned this new page to you in a previous newsletter? It's
now on-line. You can link to it from the navigation buttons on
the left hand side of the Members Pages. It's growing slowly.
Don't forget to send in any tips, tricks or hints you come
across or know about so that we can bulk it out. Click on the
button below to view it now (there's a VERY interesting bit in
there about slug eradication in the soil that has been donated
by John Davies from Hendy Gwyn ar Daf (Whitland) a retired
Nurseryman who has been growing veg for over 50 years).
Blight
The horror word for potato
growers! It's been the perfect conditions for blight over the
last month (albeit a bit early for blight), with temperatures
over 10 degrees C and a relative humidity level of over 90% on
many occasions. This is called a "Smith Period" and is a danger
time for blight - so keep your eyes "peeled"! You can get a
blight alert text and/or e-mail to warn you when it's likely to
strike. For more information go to:
www.blightwatch.co.uk
Here's the chart for our area
over the month of July
There have been 10 days in
SA46
where the Smith Criteria was met during the 14 days of data
below.
 4 Full Smith Periods were recorded.
Monthly "To Dos"
List
The August "To Dos" list is now live on the
web-site. A tad early I know, but hey! If you still need the
July list to go by on the 28th of the month - don't you think
you may have missed the boat?!!!
Streaming Video
There are some advantages to wet weather when
you can't get down to the allotment - I have extra time to sneak
for the web-site! I've been meaning to do it for a while and
have finally got around to it - streaming video! (Eat your heart
out YouTube! AAA can do that as well!).
As you know there's been a "Video Tutorials"
section on our web-site for some time, but to date, you had to
download the video clips before they could be played on your
computers. Now the page has changed and you can stream the video
clips instantly on the page. It's taken a bit of time (for the
technically nerdish and curious amongst you - the clever bit is
done on the server via some specialist software that's been
set-up on there). As a consequence the video clips play within
the page you're viewing. As yet the service has only been set-up
to work on the "public" section of the site, the "members Area"
still has the old system working, but that will soon change, so
that by the time you get the next newsletter it should be all up
and running. Want to see it? Click on the button below:
Bees
Talking of streaming video, did anyone see
the programme on BBC4 last night called "Who killed the bees?" I
thoroughly enjoyed it. I know some of you may think I'm caning
the subject to death, but there really IS room for concern.
Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) this coming year, is expected to
destroy 40% of the bee population in the UK. The UK's honey-bee
population numbers have already fallen by 15-30% in the last two
years - sobering facts.
If you missed it, you can view the whole
programme again via the BBC's IPlayer service by clicking
HERE. So if you have a good Broadband connection sit back
and enjoy for the next hour.
After seeing it perhaps you'll be prompted to
sign the petition that's highlighted on our web-site. The
petition now has 634 signatories - is yours amongst them?
Cabbage Plants
It's not too late to plant some summer
cabbages in those gaps that must be appearing in your rows &
beds. Planting good strong plants now will mean that you can
stretch your summer cabbage crop all the way to November.
Our latest web-site sponsors (Grannell
Nursery) inform me that they have a load of "greyhound" summer
cabbage plants left (may also be available from our other
sponsors - I have to say that so as not to appear biased!!). To
contact Alan & Erika Davies simply click on their sponsor's card
ad on the main page of our web-site, it also has their contact
telephone No. on there..
Phase 2
Remember when you had school dinners and some
of the kids used to leave the best till last? That's what I've
done with this newsletter! Finally we have some real positive
movement on our Phase 2 allotment site project. One contractor
has been in to renew the sewage pipe that runs along our land
from the residents site above us, and when I went down a few
days ago I was gob-smacked to see that the Council contractors
had started by "topping" all the overgrowth on the Phase 2 site
in readiness for the drainage & preparation work. What a
difference! You can now envisage exactly what the site will be
like. It's excellent news - thanks to our committee for kicking
it into life.
Well there ends this edition of the web-site
newsletter. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I toiled preparing
it for you! If any of you would like to make any contributions
to the next edition don't be bashful in contacting me.
Kind Regards to you all - keep the green side
up and the brown side down!
Gwilym
(AAA Webmaster)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
