A year in my garden

A talk by Sherie Plumb

The Speaker at the last meeting of the Society was Sherie Plumb, a very well known vegetable grower who shows her produce and is extremely successful on the show bench. She is a member of the National vegetable Society and runs the Essex Association. Her talk was entitled ‘A year in the Garden’.

The year started in November with cleaning of all the greenhouses, sowing onions, broad beans and spring greens . the spring greens being sown in the greenhouse. All the beds are double dug and potatoes planted in large bags of peat, one to each bag. Runner beans are grown in the same place each year because it is protected from the wind. Before planting a trench is dug and filled with compost. Pickling shallots are also planted but in pots surprisingly, 2 to each pot. All these vegetables will end up on the show bench, with the surplus for the house or being sold at the gate.

Come December onion seed is sown and in January carrot mixes are made up, Onion seedlings are pricked out and moved to 2 inch pots, everything is netted to keep off pigeons and marauding foxes. In February more seedlings are potted on and in March the carrot beds are prepared and filled with sand, these are covered. Potatoes are planted in their large bags of peat after shooting they are put outside and covered with cloches. Carrots are sown on top of peat filled holes 3 to each hole, these will then be thinned out to 1 per hole. 7 lots of runner beans sown, onions planted, leeks potted on and supported with a pole and a wire over to support the flags. By now cucumber, marrows and sweetcorn all growing well in the greenhouses. By May everything growing well. In June shallots are measured for the shows, collars are put on the carrots to stop the shoulders going green, runner beans need to be 18 inches long so all side shoots are cut off. Plants are fed with Chempac and a seaweed feed.

July, cucumbers are earthed up and everything is growing well. August and September , time for showing all the produce and getting many first prizes. Harvesting many crops in October and then it is time to start all over again ready for next year. Such an interesting inspiring talk with pictures of all the prize winning vegetables.

PHOTO BY: Nathan Dumlao (Unsplash)
Gardening Club in Lowestoft

News & Updates

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New Year, New Webmaster

We would like to say a big thank you to Sheila who has done an amazing job keeping our website up to date in the past eighteen months.  We wish her well as she moves on to pastures new.  From January this year Debbie will be taking on the role as Webmaster.  For website queries please get in touch with her through the contact form on our Get In Touch page.

Bereavement

It is with great sadness that one of our staunchest members have died. Our sympathies go to his family and partner Marion.

Allotment Sharing

One of our members has 2 large allotments at St Margaret Road site in Lowestoft which he shared with his late mother and her partner. He has tried to keep them going but is finding it difficult on his own. He finds gardening very therapeutic and having suffered from cancer himself he wondered if other members who have had similar experiences could join him on his allotments where they could share experiences and socialise together. Without a team to help him he will have to give up the allotments but feels it would be beneficial to all concerned to work together. For more information please complete the contact form.

Changes to membership fees

It has been agreed by both the members and the committee that the membership fee will increase to £10 per annum, In order to get good speakers we need to increase our income, speakers costs have also increased as have their travelling costs. The entrance fee will remain at £1.00 with first time guest free of charge.

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