The City of Ely Allotments Association Awards evening was held on 3rd September  with presentation of trophies by the Mayor, Councillor Mike Rouse.

A J FENN CUP for overall best allotment in Ely:
Joint 1st place: Stewart and Teresa Bye–Bridge Fen & Colin and Olive Bowles–New Barns
3rd place certificate:      Vala Carter–New Barns
HOLDEN-ROLFE CUP for best small plot:
Alan Church–New Barns
2nd place certificate:  Owen Howe–Bridge Fen
3rd place certificate: The Dalton Family–Bridge Fen
MICHAEL UNGAR MEMORIAL CUP for best newcomer:
The Dalton Family–Bridge Fen
Joint 2nd place: David and Dianne Scott–Bridge Fen & Richard and Svetlana Hayes-New Barns
JACK CLARKE TROPHY for best plot on Bridge Fen:
Stewart and Teresa Bye
​MAURICE HOBBS TROPHY for best plot on New Barns:
Colin and Olive Bowles
NIGEL CLARKE TROPHY for best plot on Upherds Lane:
Phil Royle
JACK KEMP TROPHY for best plot on Back Hill & Canterbury Avenue:
Lisa Harbinson
PETER MERTON TROPHY for achievement on Bridge Fen:
Daniel Chucherko
​
Two presentations on aspects of allotment holding were given:

• A talk by Les Turner on the pruning of soft fruit trees, to be followed up by an on-site workshop (demonstration) to be arranged for early next year.
• 'Crop Disease Control on Allotments' by Peter Gladders, a retired ADAS Plant Pathologist. 

The 2018 Association AGM was held on Monday 5 March, and the previous officers were all re-elected without opposition. 

An updated Tenancy Agreement was agreed - download the document here.

Plot rents for 2018/19 will increase by £1.50 across all price points.
​The annual rents from 1 October 2018 will therefore be as follows:

​Total area occupied (poles)                    Standard                     Pensioner
Less than 5                                                   £19.50                          £16.50
Between 5 and 9.9                                       £24.50                         £21.00
Between 10 and 14.9                                    £29.50                         £24.50   
Between 15 and 19.9                                    £41.00                         £34.00   
​Between 20 and 29.9                                  £52.50                         £43.50   
​Between 30 and 39.9                                  £75.50                         £61.50   
​

Have you heard about the invasive New Zealand flatworm? They might be coming to a garden near you...
Read this article and see the video to be on the lookout for this unwelcome visitor.

This year’s annual Association Awards Evening was held on 4th September 2017, and the awards were presented by The Right Worshipful The Mayor of the City of Ely, Councillor Richard Hobbs.
A J FENN CUP for best allotment in Ely (and winner’s certificate)
Stewart and Teresa Bye –Bridge Fen
2nd place certificate:      Vala Carter – New Barns
Joint 3rd place certificate: Colin and Olive Bowles – New Barns
Rosemary Reardon – Bridge Fen
HOLDEN-ROLFE CUP for best small plot (and winner’s certificate)
Alan Church –New Barns
2nd place certificate: Gareth and Bev Owen – Upherds Lane
Joint 3rd place certificate: Dave Tomlins – Upherds Lane
Kate and John Mitchell – Upherds Lane
MICHAEL UNGAR MEMORIAL CUP for best newcomer (and winner’s certificate)
Zenia Cornwell – Bridge Fen
2nd place certificate: Stephen Foot – New Barns
3rd place certificate: Baiba Bertule – New Barns
The following are new trophies which will be retained by the winners.
JACK CLARKE TROPHY for best plot on Bridge Fen:- Stewart and Teresa Bye
​MAURICE HOBBS TROPHY for best plot on New Barns:- Vala Carter
NIGEL CLARKE TROPHY for best plot on Upherds Lane:- Gareth and Bev Owen
JACK KEMP TROPHY for best plot on Back Hill & Canterbury Avenue:- Lisa Harbinson

In addition to the awards two illustrated talks were enjoyed this year, the first on ‘weed control’ and the second on ‘the history of vegetables’. The presentation slideshows can be downloaded for viewing from the links below but you will need either Powerpoint Mobile or Powerpoint Viewer to open these files.

The insurance cover provided by the Association is renewed annually. Copies of the Certificate are posted on all site noticeboards. This provides cover for members engaged in working parties (quasi-employees), and hence must be displayed at all workplaces.
Good news is the cover has been extended immediately to include family members and anyone else working on the plot with the principal plotholder’s permission. [The principal plotholder is the name on the Tenancy Agreement, and is the only one entitled to membership benefits of the National Allotments Association]. There is no age restriction regarding cover for a member’s children, but they must be supervised and assisting on the member’s plot.
This change to the cover has been implemented as a result of the discussion at the 2017 AGM, and removes the need for a supplementary charge as outlined in the proposed rents structure from 1 October 2017.

​Some gardeners use carpet as a weed suppressant on their allotments. This is a practice that causes much discussion. Some allotment associations and councils directly controlling their allotments have banned the use of carpets altogether on their sites. This is from long experience of the effects of carpet, especially where a plot has been left uncultivated.
 
Elsewhere, people have found that foam backed carpet is a particular nightmare as the foam physically degrades into little bits which are totally impossible to clear effectively. Foam is also likely to breakdown further, possibly chemically, after physically crumbling. So – use black plastic or weed membrane by all means to suppress weeds until you have time to clear the area of ground in question. But do yourself (and those who come after you) a favour and ignore any offers of carpet and do not use it. Wet black plastic or weed membrane is far easier to move, store and re-use than an overgrown carpet. Underneath the carpet on your plot is also slug haven.
 
Carpet will not kill off weeds; it will suppress them and prevent seeds germinating. Roll it back after six months over winter and in spring the bindweed will reappear (as will nettles and docks) and dormant seeds will germinate. In summer roll a bit back and those white spaghetti strings running for yards is the bindweed (or nettles or rosebay willowherb) trying to find light. A Glyphosate chemical spray which kills the weeds but does not affect the soil is a much more efficient way of dealing with difficult weeds.
 
Spare a thought for the new plot-holder or Site Rep who has to clear and move that wet smelly heavy carpet that a previous plot holder has left.
  
Peter Clarke   
The Carpet Slayer
New Barns Site