Alford Horticultural Society

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Alford Horticultural Society

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Continued to be known from 1981 as the Alford and District Horticulture Society.

03/11/2026

Time to plant your Garlics...

Autumn (Best time): Plant between October and December. Autumn planting gives the cloves time to establish roots in warm soil and receive the vital cold period (vernalization) needed to form proper bulbs.

Spring (Alternative): Plant in February or March if Autumn (Best time): Plant between October and December. Autumn planting gives the cloves time to establish roots in warm soil and receive the vital cold period (vernalization) needed to form proper bulbs.

Spring (Alternative): Plant in February or March if your soil is heavy and wet over winter. Spring varieties or cloves pre-chilled in the fridge for 3 weeks work best.

01/11/2026

November already.
Clocks change back.

Time to start clearing up the gardens. Mulching and manuring and prunings before winter comes.

31/10/2026

Hedge hog homes

Entrance Tunnel: Should include an internal tunnel or partition (at least 11–15 cm long) to block paws from predators like badgers and foxes.

Ventilation and Drainage: Needs small vent holes or a raised/baseless floor to prevent dampness and condensation inside the nest.

Size: The inner chamber should be roughly 30 to 40 cm wide and deep, with an entrance hole no larger than 13–15 cm square.

Material: Built from untreated FSC timber, woodcrete, or durable logs. Avoid toxic paints or creosote.

Placement and Care Tips

Location: Place the hut in a quiet, shady, and dry corner of the garden, ideally hidden against a wall, fence, or dense shrubbery.

Orientation: Face the entrance away from north or northeast winds, pointing it toward the east, southeast, or southwest.

Bedding: Fill the interior chamber with dry leaves (such as oak or beech) or straw.

Food & Water: Leave shallow bowls of water and meat-based cat or dog food outside the hut rather than inside

30/10/2026

Bug Huts.

Different chambers attract different wildlife:

Hollow bamboo tubes and reeds: Solitary bees use these to nest and lay eggs.

Pine cones and bark: Provide tight nooks and crannies for ladybirds, lacewings, and earwigs.

Dry leaves, straw, and sticks: Offer deep insulation for beetles and overwintering bugs.

Logs with drilled holes (8mm to 10mm wide): Attract beneficial pollinating insects.

Stones, slates, or tiles at the base: Create cool, damp, frost-free shelter for toads, frogs, and centipedes

29/10/2026

Finally ready to eat..... Very lovely

23/10/2026

Egg shells.

Its main value is calcium carbonate. Commercial chicken eggshells are roughly 95% calcium carbonate on a dry-weight basis, with much smaller amounts of other minerals.

Best way
Use the inside of the egg.
Wash the shells
Ground up onto powder
Add into soil.

Failing that wash and crush putting on compost.

23/10/2026

Don't forget...

Coffee Morning at the Corn Exchange Alford.

9am to 12 noon.

20/10/2026

How to Make Leaf Mould

Build a Cage or Bag: Enclose raked leaves in a wire-netting bin or pack them loosely into black bin bags with drainage holes punched in the bottom.

Keep Them Damp: Ensure the leaves are moist when bagging or piling them up; add a little water if they are dry.

Shred to Speed Up: Run a lawnmower over leaves on the grass to chop them up, which cuts decomposition time down from 2 years to about 1 year.

Add to your compost
Balance Nitrogen and Carbon: Use dry leaves as the "brown" layer to balance wet "green" materials like grass clippings or kitchen scraps.

Fix Soggy Heaps: Mix in dry leaves if your standard compost heap becomes too wet, slimy, or smelly

19/10/2026

Garlic in the UK is best planted in autumn (October to December) so the cloves experience a cold winter spell required to split and form full-sized bulbs.

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Address

Alford

Website

https://www.alfordhorticulturalsociety.org.uk/

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