Geoff Garrard is a long time AMAS member and allotmenteer in Gorton. He has kindly given us permission to publish his local growing column “Geoff’s Corner” on the AMAS website.

So, for some top tips for your allotments, gardens or even the backyard in July…take it away, Geoff…

“On the allotment pick tomatoes and cucumbers as they ripen making sure you don’t damage the plant. Top-dress tomato and cucumber containers with extra compost when roots appear on the surface. Feed greenhouse plants such as tomatoes and cucumbers regularly, we use Maxicrop seaweed food for best results.

Sow  swedes, turnips and salad crops such as large-rooted winter Radishes,which are hardy. Finish planting leeks as early as possible, although later varieties will wait until next month.   

Thin carrots, beetroot, radishes, lettuce and spring onions sown in June. With carrots its best to wait until evening, as then the carrot fly is less likely to home in on the carrot aroma you release by brushing the leaves. Cover quickly with insect-proof mesh or fleece.

In the garden flower seeds to sow outdoors forget-me-nots, Brompton stocks. Flowers to plant outdoors. Seedlings of biennials perennials raised from seed sown in June such as colchicums, autumn-flowering crocuses, lilium candidum, stern-Bergias.  

Letting plants self-seed saves a fair amount of work in the garden and at little expense too. If you don’t like the position in which a plant has seeded itself, you can in most cases shift it somewhere more suitable. Plants to let have their head. Include forget-me-nots, love-in-a-mist, foxgloves, sweet rocket and honesty.

In the backyard there is no reason to miss out on growing some of your own vegetables, some backyards make great suntraps that some  vegetables love. In large pots or containers why not try growing things like potatoes and tomatoes, or in growbags lettuce and rocket and radish. To start with plan out your yard like a small garden so that you will know where to put your plants, salad crops need the most sun. Seed packets give you all the information you should need.”

If you would like more information about his column or even just a bit of gardening advice please feel free to email Geoff on: – gortonhorticulturalsociety@yahoo.co.uk 

Geoff will not mind us mentioning that he is a member of Gorton Horticultural Society  on Alston Road off Highbank,  Gorton and every year the Society puts on its own flower & veg show.

It’s an open competition that anyone can enter and this year they are looking for more Floral art exhibitors for the 62^nd show.

The competition takes place on Saturday 27^th 2011 and we have a fun day and exhibition of all the produce on the Sunday 28^th 2011 August.

For further details and a schedule please contact Geoff on the information. 

Also, Horticultural Society manage a not-for-profit trading shed that is well stocked with compost, seeds and tools and Paraffin and is open on Sundays 11am – 1pm and Saturday & Sundays March till May to all in the Manchester area.

Membership is just £2.00 for the year, which gives you the chance to enjoy local gardening advice and discounts.

Check back for more from “Geoff’s Corner” as we will be posting the new columns and also making material from last year column available in PDF format.  

Members of the Association of Manchester Allotment Societies are in the process of producing a inspirational allotment feature for this year’s Show.

‘The Pied Piper’s Magical Garden of Herbs, Fruit, Flowers and Vegetables’  that will encourage children and adults alike to get their hands dirty. Everyone will be encouraged to sow seeds, plant vegetables and generally enjoy being ‘hands on’ in the garden.

It’s that time of the year for Levenshulme’s Allotment holders to show off their produce at the Levenshulme Allotment Society’s Annual Show.

The event is being held on Saturday 3rd September 2011 and kicks off at 2.30pm in the society hut at the Highfield Road Entrance.

There will be an exhibition of produce and other goodies and an auction of fruit and veg from 4.35pm. There will also be a barbecue with guests asked to bring their own food to cook.

FREE ADMISSION

The site will be open for entries on Friday 2nd September 2011 from 7-pm to 9pm and entries/staging Saturday 3rd September 2011 from 9am to 11am. Entries close on Saturday 3rd September 2011 at 11am, staging continues unitll 11.45. Full rules available on request from the society Hut.

An intergenerational recipe book Grow it, Cook it, Eat it, was designed and produced with the support of Frenchbarn Allotment Society by young and older people of Higher Blackley. 

Allotment growers at Frenchbarn Allotments provided the growing expertise for the  ingredients and helped older people and their families learn to grow their own food.

Why not try a few of their recipes?

Download Cookbook