St John’s Allotment Association

06/06/2026

Hi Everyone
This is just a heads up if you are wanting manure .

Our allotment which is based in west midlands had a trailer full of well rotted manure delivered and tbh it looked just like compost , it looked amazing .

Anyway we helped ourselves to the huge pile and put it on various beds etc

Everything seamed fine but after a few weeks of plants being put in those beds they started to wither and the new growth curled and looked like fern type leaves .

After loads of googling i found its actually a weedkiller used on some hay and fields where horses and cattle graze. The hay is sold for feed for the winter months .It doesnt effect the horses but passes threw them and survives in the manure . The weedkiller is aminopyralid.

Simple test if you have your eye on a manure pile is to try and plant some bean or pea seeds in it beforehand . If they grow normal its fine .

Btw horse owners wouldn’t know !!

Please be careful as its ruined our season on the allotment site

14/05/2026

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=827388317115607&id=100095333385451

Most garden pest control starts at the hardware store. It doesn't have to.

These ten plants release compounds through their leaves, roots, or flowers that specific pests tend to avoid. No sprays, no powders, no reapplication schedule — they work the whole time they grow.

The ones most people underestimate are the herbs. Basil next to tomatoes helps keep aphids and flies off the fruit. Chives around carrots discourage the carrot fly that ruins roots underground. Rosemary tucked near brassicas makes it harder for cabbage moths to find their target.

The flowers do heavier work than they get credit for. Marigold roots change the soil chemistry around them — nematodes that damage vegetable roots tend to stay away from beds where marigolds have grown for a full season.

🌿 A few placement tips:

- Nasturtiums work as a trap crop — aphids prefer them over your vegetables, so plant them at the edge of the bed as a decoy
- Mint spreads aggressively — plant it in a buried pot or it takes over the bed it's supposed to be protecting
- Garlic interplanted with roses or between vegetable rows helps discourage aphids, spider mites, and Japanese beetles

The best pest plan isn't a product. It's a planting plan 🌱

10/05/2026

10/05/2026

If you are local to Cradley heath within a 3 mile radius and you are after a allotment please get in touch .
As i write this we have no one on the list so if and when a plot becomes available you will have first refusal .
What you waiting for ? Get your name down asap
Yes they are hard work but all that work pays off 10 times over with fresh fruit and veg inc good for your mental health and fitness .
Picture is from a giant pumpkin grown a few yrs back .
Message the page with name , address , email and phone number .
Many thanks

12/04/2026

Great tip and works a treat

A trench filled with kitchen scraps and buried under soil becomes the richest planting row in your garden — and it costs nothing.

Trench composting skips the compost bin entirely. No turning. No waiting. No smell. You bury raw kitchen scraps directly in the ground, cover them with soil, and plant heavy-feeding crops on top within a few weeks.

🌱 How to build a trench row:

1. Dig a trench about twelve inches deep and as long as your garden row

2. Fill the bottom four to six inches with kitchen scraps — banana peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, vegetable trimmings, fruit cores

3. Cover with six to eight inches of soil so the scraps are fully buried with no exposed material. Done

4. Wait two to three weeks. Earthworms find the buried scraps and begin composting underground. The trench attracts significantly more worms than surrounding soil and they produce castings that deliver nutrients exactly where roots will need them

5. Plant directly into the soil above the trench. Any heavy feeder works — squash, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, and melons all thrive above a buried trench because the decomposing layer provides slow-release fertility all season

One trench absorbs months of household kitchen waste and diverts it from the landfill into your soil.

By midsummer the trench layer is fully broken down into dark crumbly humus that holds moisture like a buried sponge. The plants above it grow noticeably bigger than the same varieties in untreated soil.

Rotate your trench to a new row each year. After three seasons every row in your garden has been deep-fed — and your fertilizer costs drop to nearly nothing 🌿

08/03/2026

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1398188985654861&id=100063913183446

March is seed sowing month! 🌱
Not sure what to sow right now? Save this guide so you don’t miss the perfect planting window. 🌼🥕
From beetroot and carrots outdoors to tomatoes, peppers, and flowers indoors, March is the start of a huge growing season.

Handy tip: Soil should be at least 7°C before sowing outdoors..if it’s still cold or wet, just wait a little longer.

📌 SAVE this post so you know exactly what to sow this month
🌱 FOLLOW for more gardening tips & planting guides

🌸

05/03/2026

For all your tree work we highly recommend these guys . Highly professional service from start to finish .

01/01/2026

Happy new year everyone 💥
A few Dahlias grown on the site