South Croydon Allotment Society

Welcome to the January 2012 Newsletter - a Very Happy New Year to all

AGM
At the AGM on January 12th the meeting agreed to increase rents from £3.80 to £3.90 per rod, and society membership from £2.50 to £3.00. Trophies for the Best Plots were presented and the chairman noted that 2011 was a very successful year and that our good results in the Best Plot competitions reflected the quality of the site.

New Plotholders
Welcome to the following new plotholders: 9 rear - Bridget Wawman & Nora Dooley; 18 front - Marion Gordon; 55 front - Ronald & Jackie Salter; 58 - Jenny Little; 60 left - Marta Tofield; 66 - Julie Mitchell; 67 - Bill Cassano; 93 front - Siva Sabanayagam; 111 rear - Julie Milbury; 130 - Paul Cove; 140 - Miguel Diaz

Shop
The shop reopens on Sunday 22nd January. Seed orders will be available and spuds the following week. Please collect as soon as possible.

Plot inspections recommence in March, weather permitting. We will be looking for some cultivation to have taken place – remember, a plot is not just for the summer! As ever, if you have a reason why you are not able to tend your plot, such as illness or family or work commitments do speak to one of the Committee.

Site
Gates the Broomhall Road gates have been found unlocked several times. They are there for site security – please remember to lock them after you even if you are only nipping onto the site for a few minutes

New this year – photo competition – details soon

Nature Notes from Elaine Westmoreland
The seasons are still playing havoc with the order of things. Roses are still blooming in January, candytuft is flowering in the garden, and the fuchsias have only just lost their last flowers. All these should by rights be dormant and sleeping under a duvet of snow and dead leaves. The winter onions, garlic and broad beans are all showing shoots above ground, bringing with them the promise of crops in spring and summer.

The seed and plant catalogues are once again dropping on the doormat, but let us not forget the garden tools patiently waiting in the shed. Now is the time to clean, sharpen and oil, service the lawnmower and strimmer, getting all in order for the off in February. The Trading Hut will reopen with potato and seed orders bagged and ready for planting.

Remember to save egg boxes for chitting seed potatoes, and plastic drinks bottles as watering aids. (Cut off the bottom and stuff the neck into the soil next to your tomatoes, cucumbers, squash etc.) The upturned bottles are easily filled with water which reaches down to the roots of the plants. Why not share with us any recycling tips you have which can make our gardening easier and more economical.

Working Parties
The working party on January 14th was a great success. It was a crisp, sunny day and the working party managed to tidy several overgrown plots and to prepare the ground for a wildflower bank by the Sanderstead Road gates. Many thanks to those who helped and to Anne Coram and Elaine Westmoreland for delicious refreshments for the workers. The picture shows the working party hard at work – note the ice on the tank!

A bit of history – from Catherine Beech
How old is our site? According to local history records it was set up in 1894. An Act of Parliament in 1887 said that local authorities had to provide land for allotments if there was a demand. In October 1891 there was a 'memorial' or petition to provide allotments in South Croydon. It took a while to find a suitable piece of land, but in June 1893 the Council started buying 10 acres of land 'between Sanderstead and Selsdon Roads' for £2,600, including the cost of a fence on the south boundary (the two railways were already there and provided the other boundaries). The cost was to be recouped from rents.

By February 1894, 67 10 rod plots had been let. Rents were initially ‘one shilling (5 p) per rod’. The rent for a 10 rod plot of 10/- (50p) a year was quite an outlay for some families. In those days a pint of beer cost 31/2d (under 2p), a loaf a bread was about 3d (about 1.5p) and a tram driver (among the best paid workers) earned between 28/6 and 37/6 (£1.42 to £1.87) for a 60 hour week.

The site was set up with 2 water tanks but in June 1895 the plotholders asked for two additional tanks. In October 1898 it was agreed to provide two iron gates 'one at each end', 2 more tanks and better security against trespass. In 1899 it was thought that that the site would be needed for an additional railway line, but this didn't happen.

Adjacent to our site was a brickfield (more or less where the Twin Bridges Business Park now is). There were also a number of gravel pits on the site. One was about where the car park and toilets now are, and another was at the Broomhall Road end of the site. The 1913 Ordnance Survey map shows the first road on the site at the Broomhall Road end as bending round a gravel pit to the Broomhall Road boundary - it is now straight. One plotholder in this area has dug up a number of old bottles – perhaps this was rubbish used to fill the quarry?

In future newsletters – the brickfield, Bugatti racing and ‘Dig for Victory’ ... and there are still a lot of unanswered questions – if you have any pictures, information or memories about the site and the areas immediately around it, or if you have dug up anything unusual I’d love to hear from you. (beech762@btinternet.com or 020 8686 4200)

Wildlife plot – this goes from strength to strength. Over the winter we added a new path, started to make the existing path wheelchair and buggy friendly and added a bog garden.

Please keep your wildlife sightings coming in – contact Nigel Williams (nigelwilliams.allotment@sky.com)

Recipe – Carrot and parsnip soup
Good for using up the last few rather tough carrots and parsnips as you clear the ground for this year’s crops. Like most soups you can vary the quantities or add other veg, such as Jerusalem Artichokes. For four servings you need

• 3 cups grated or chopped carrots
• 3 cups grated or chopped parsnips
• 1 (1-inch long) piece fresh ginger, peeled and shredded
• 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup double cream
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Snipped fresh chives, optional, for garnish

Preparation: Bring the carrots, parsnips, ginger, and stock to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

If you want a smooth soup, transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender or food processor. Puree the soup until it is nearly smooth, then pour the puree back into the saucepan.

Add the cream, and bring to a simmer again over medium heat. Stir in the salt, white pepper, and lemon juice. Taste, and adjust the seasonings.

Garnish with chives, if you like. Serve hot, or refrigerate, covered, for several hours and serve chilled.