Allotments 4 All

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Hi All,

Just to day that my husband Paul died in March this year and i know that some of you would have met him when we had the meet ups in Birmingham and though i would let you all know.

It was very sudden and unexpected and were all heartbroken.

Cam (aka louise)

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I picked the last of my leeks today and when stripping the outer skins noticed red lines running down the length of the stem. I have seen it before but can't find out what it is doing it. Can anyone help or advise me please.

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New plotholders have to pay a deposit on our council sites which is returned when they give up the plot if the plot is left in good order. It is currently £25 which does not cover the council's costs by a long way in most cases.

What amount do other sites charge? What might be reasonable - the council is suggesting £150 or even £250. This would affect new plotholders only, so it may be more a question of whether anyone would be put off and there is a small waiting list currently.

Thanks

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This is the black Phyllostachys nigra species.

I'm posting this here because it's technically edible - the shoots aren't my favourite for flavour but that's all down to taste.

It's a weird thing how this happens every 40 years or so - it flowers, producing masses of seeds (loved by rats to the extent of causing a population explosion). I will try some once they are ripe. I don't think this 40yr timescale applies to the whole genus, but I can't find any info I can trust - other genera do have different timings - some take 100 years.

DON'T BUY THIS SPECIES NOW - NO MATTER HOW MUCH THEY REDUCE THE PRICE!

You can find all this on t'web - but it means that lots of people will need to cut all the canes down and use a rat-proof way to store the seeds.

That's a big job and can be risky with saws etc. Bamboo sap is also very bad on the skin - especially in sunlight.

I find the ideal tool is an angle grinder with a stone cutter disk - a medium 3-4mm one works well, and can also be used to remove the root system (only a few cm down) by cutting downwards easily through rhizome mats, soil & stones. Once you separate the mat into squares (a bit wider than your spade) they can be levered out really easily.

it's actually the perfect method to remove the running types and it's also possible to cut new plants from the (friendlier) clumping genera - like Fargesia.

Personally I'm looking forward to living without it - it's often sold as non-running - that's high BS - it just isn't the fastest. Despite finding the ideal way to control it, it's still an annual task once it gets past 2m wide - and worse when it starts going under paths, walls and ponds.

It will take years to grow the new version from seed, and 2 more years before you can judge how black and how shiny each seedling is. Can't be bothered.

I'm going to buy something from the proper clumping species once I've got mine out (hopefully better-tasting shoots too - but that info is very hard to find) - but I'll still keep it well away from paths and walls this time.

Cheers.