NEWSLETTER Summer 2004

FROM THE PRESIDENT

After being accepted by the City of Edinburgh Council in November 2002, Edinburgh's Allotment Strategy was finally formally launched on 26 May this year. Many thanks to those involved in progressing this Strategy over the past year, including Sandy Irvine from Midmar and Sam Murray from Pilrig. Workshops involving a number of interested parties are under way to help with the implementation.

Also on 26 May, The Scottish Community Action Research Fund awarded £10,000 to Glasgow's fully autonomous Holmlea Gardens in Mount Florida. This grant will be used by The Allotments Committee to research the local community's attitudes to allotment gardening and to identify the communities wants and needs from allotments.

The Federation is expanding with Musselburgh being our newest member. They have been participating in our Potato Scheme for some time but have now decided to take the plunge. Read more in John Smith's item.

George Sutherland.

FLOWER SHOW

With this newsletter you have this year's Show Schedule. A look will quickly confirm that the usual cultivated categories are still there but supplemented by new vegetable classes and an expansion of the fruit section. The homecrafts and handicrafts have been reviewed to reflect modern trends. So plenty of opportunity to put your produce to the test.

It would help the organisers if you could get your entry form in early so that we can complete the entry cards for your arrival. Each year we have a huge queue of exhibitors waiting to be processed, we can only reduce this queue by having more recorders, but you could help by having put your entry form in early. Why not have a go and enter, and if you have any surplus produce it will be welcome at the produce stall.

As you know, the entry fee comes nowhere near covering the total costs of staging the Show. We rely on support from our sponsors, donations for the tombola, income from the sale of produce and, of course, your entries. The more entries the less we have to call on FEDAGA reserves. Good luck and happy potting.

Peter Wright, Show Secretary.

MUSSELBURGH ALLOTMENTS

Our allotments are situated on the south side of the town behind Inveresk village and comprise 19 full plots plus 26 half plots with no vacancies. The site is run by a committee of ten headed by President Alec Purdie, Secretary Jenny Mollison and Vice President Ian Crossland. Meetings are held in a recently purchased shipping container which also provides secure storage space. This replaced an old railway wagon which had given sterling service for many years.

The allotments are on the site of a Roman settlement which means that toilets are not allowed if they are connected to main drainage as this could disturb any archaeological remains below.

The land, which was farmed in years gone by, is light and sandy (Excellent for carrots if the dreaded fly can be deterred).

With a waiting list approaching 40, and a turnover of only 2 or 3 per year, it seems that vacant plots will not be a problem here.#

John Smith.

COLINTON COMMUNITY COMPOST
COMBINING COMMUNITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Colinton Community Compost is part of Tiphereth Camphill Edinburgh, a small charity, providing meaningful and enjoyable work for adults with learning difficulties. Our goal is to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste entering the waste stream by encouraging local composting in Colinton. We promote home composting and run a weekly kerbside collection of garden waste from about 200 households. We are currently negotiating a partnership with Edinburgh City Council where we will be providing our service to every household in our neighbourhood on behalf of the Council.

The garden waste we collect, alongside waste delivered by a number of local landscaping contractors, is composted on our s ite in the disused Torphin Quarry. Our final products (soil conditioner, leaf mould, worm casts, composting worms, wood chip, horse manure and firewood) are available in exchange for a donation. For more details of our project or products please contact Colinton Community Compost, 53 Torphin Road, Colinton EH13 0PQ. Phone 0131-441-3479. E-mail sarah@cccompost.freeserve.co.uk

Sarah Lagden.

DUNDEE FLOWER SHOW
FEDAGA OUTING ON SATURDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2004

Arrangements are proceeding for the coach outing to the show venue in Dundee's Camperdown Park. The cost, including return coach, entry to the show and an evening meal in Windygates, Fife, is £20 per person.

Places are still available, if you wish to book for yourself and/or family & friends, please contact me by phone on 0131-664-1601 or by letter to 2 Southhouse Avenue, Edinburgh EH17 8EA.

Gilbert Clark.

TRADING

The FEDAGA Trading Post at Inverleith Allotments has now closed for the season. Kings Seed Catalogues are expected to become available for distribution to sites in August. Details of Seed Potatoes, Onion Sets and Shallots are due in September. With our bulk buying (more than two and a half tons of seed potatoes this year) we are able to offer very attractive prices and individual Site funds receive an "ad valorum" commission. There is also the possibility of offering, later in the summer, winter onions and garlic for autumn planting.

George Sutherland.

PROJECTS

The installation, by the Council, of the successful Composting Toilets is continuing, with a couple more in the pipeline. These toilets, which have always been high on wish lists, are particularly appreciated by our lady plot holders, and are helping to make our sites more user friendly.

Security has also been high on wish lists, and a number of fence improvements are on the way, especially for Inverleith, bearing in mind the possibility of Inverleith Park hosting an event later in the year.

George Sutherland.