Yapton & District Cottage Gardeners Society:
Early Winter Newsletter

1 Elm Cottages, Church Road, Yapton, ARUNDEL, West Sussex, BN18 0EW

NEWSLETTER - Nov/Dec 2004

Dear member.

It does not seem possible that this is the last newsletter of 2004, but I should not be surprised as the sobering thought as I write to you is there are only 45 days to Christmas Day. Don't forget if you are stuck for a Christmas present I do have some Commemorative Plates left and at £15 each it is truly a bargain and a keepsake. I will give a full report at the Society's forthcoming Annual General Meeting but what a year we have had. We have celebrated our 100th Annual Show as well as moving the Society into the 21st Centenary by securing our own website - how many local Societies or Organisations do you know who can be proud of this landmark. With the lead up to Christmas and if you do use Amazon to purchase goods then please do not forget to use the link on our website, as the Society will receive a small cash benefit from the sale.

On Wednesday 3rd November the Society had a Members' Meeting, when we welcomed Mr. John Knight who gave an excellent talk on Gardens for Wildlife. By the number of questions raised this talk was well received. It was also pleasing to see so many of you, to the extent I had to bring in extra chairs, I wonder if this can be repeated next month.

Besides Christmas do I hear you say what is on next month? Well, Wednesday 1st December 2004 at 7.30 p.m. in the Club Room of Yapton and Ford Village Hall is the Annual General Meeting. After the business of the AGM we have no speaker but the Committee thought it would be nice for members to mingle over some cheese and wine, now that has to be worth turning out for! Yapton Cottage Gardeners' Society is fortunate to have a small army who are willing to give some time on Show Days and it is very much appreciated. Unfortunately this year and for personal reasons we have or will be losing three Committee Members. In order that the Society can continue, we do need a few more members to join the Committee, and one person has already informed me that they are willing to stand. As in previous years only those members who wish to join the 2004/2005 Committee will be elected on. All of the remaining Committee including Officers is up for re-election. Should you wish to nominate yourself or someone to be on the Committee, ensuring that they wish to stand, then please feel free to send your nominations using the attached form to our Secretary, Carol Humphrey, 57 Belloc Road, Littlehampton, BN17 7EZ by Monday 29th November 2004.

Hopefully between the down pours you have managed to tidy your gardens and removed all the summer bedding and planted those beds with wallflower plants spring bulbs etc. just right for the Spring Show. Although it has been wet the grass has not stopped growing and will no doubt need a light trim. Ensure that the blades on your lawn mower are set slightly higher than you would during the summer. It may be necessary for you to brush any worm casts off before you start cutting. Squashed worm casts are unsightly and they provide an ideal spot for weeds and moss to grow. The other advantage of brushing the worm casts off is it will also remove the early morning dew. Now is also the time to re turf any damage areas of lawn.
It is often so easy to forget the little things like protecting any ceramic or glazed pots from frost damage^ Where possible empty them out and store in a shed or garage. Wrap insulation around outside taps and pipes, and store hoses, sprinklers etc. in the shed.
Carol has told me that some of her potatoes have already started to sprout, so on a wet day perhaps we should visit our sheds and check our own stored vegetables and fruit, removing any sprouts and produce which may be showing signs of disease.

Thinking ahead to the Early Summer Show there are some members who will be busy in their greenhouses sowing sweet peas in pots or modules, while others do not start until January, who really knows what is best it's really down to personal preference. The one thing to remember is that to get sweet peas for showing the Spencer Variety must be grown.

How many times do you hear people say what rubbish is on television in the evenings, so why not curl up in front of the fire, put on some background music, no I am not getting romantic, thumb through the seed catalogues or better still think about treating yourself to a couple of small fruit trees. Who knows with the produce from these trees you may be able to enter some of our fruit classes in the Annual or Autumn Shows.

Finally our friends at Littlehampton Allotment and Leisure Gardens Association (LALGA) have asked me to inform you of their next coach outing. The outing is to the Brighton Ice Show on Saturday, 15 January 2005, for an all-inclusive price of £23.50 for adults and £14.50 for children. There are various pick up points in Littlehampton, one in Rustington and one at the Safeway Garage in Durrington. Tickets are for the 4 30 p m performance and it is anticipated that the coach will return to Littlehampton at about 830pm This invitation is open to all and you do not have to be a member of LALGA. Please contact Tony Squires on 01903 714 271 for further details. The closing date for this outing is Friday 19 November 2004.

I do hope you can make the Annual General Meeting on 1st December but if you cannot, the Committee and I should like thank you for all your support during the year. May I also be the first to wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best Wishes

Chairman