Read the latest NAS newsletter
Welcome to Your Member's Newsletter
It's getting chilly out there! Grab a cup of tea and read on for details of an exciting mapping project, for inspiring allotment stories, seed discounts and some smashing composting tips.
NAS and Ordnance Survey (OS) have joined forces to make allotment data in the UK the best it can possibly be. From 6th November, OS is asking NAS members up and down the country to take part in online crowd sourcing to fill in missing blanks about allotment names in its records. Britain’s national mapping service hopes to collect as much information into an interactive map - specifically designed to capture allotment names. OS has created a WebMap that shows the allotment sites and community growing spaces they have data for, as well as any names already stored. OS is encouraging NAS members to look at their local allotments and help identify any of the following: • Missing names for unnamed allotments or community growing spaces; • Missing allotments or community growing spaces; • Suggest any corrections to names incorrectly recorded; and • Identify any allotments or community growing spaces that no longer exist. Emergency services rely on OS data when they respond to incidents such as accidents or heart attacks. By having updated allotment name data available to 999 switchboards, response times to any incidents on allotments will be quicker. Improving the data will also benefit local authorities, the NHS and central government to help better understand residents’ access to greenspaces. OS believes crowdsourcing allotment information with the support of NAS members would make collecting data much faster and more accurate. Once the data has been submitted and OS has verified it, the data will be open for the NAS to share. Any questions please email Ordnance Survey: allotments@os.uk
Take a look at our Instagram and Facebook pages for the latest news and inspiring plot stories, including Bourn Allotment Association in Cambridgeshire, whose wildlife friendly site recently received an award from The Wildlife Trust. They've created wild areas, log piles, ponds and access to adjoining land for hedgehogs. Rather than pesticides, they use physical barriers such as netting or sheep’s fleece. Inspired? Visit the Wildlife Trust’s website for tips on creating a wildlife friendly plot:
Composting guide
It is widely accepted that composting benefits both the environment and the garden, as a means of reducing waste while contributing to a healthy soil. In this practical guide, Rod Weston offers a host of composting techniques for the home, allotment and community gardener, as well as indoor and balcony composting for those without access to a garden. This book explains the processes behind aerobic composting and anaerobic fermentation, and the conditions necessary to compost effectively without mess or smell.
Planning your planting? Don't forget that as a NAS member, you receive huge discounts on Kings Seeds via the member's catalogue. Prices are already discounted by up to 40%, plus there are further discounts totaling 22.5% available on association bulk orders: • Early bird discount – 7.5% • Society discount – 10% • Large order discount (£750) – 5% • Carriage free on association orders over £75 • Individual members carriage just £2 Click below to see the member's catalogue:
Have a smashing Halloween! When all the fun is done, make sure you compost your pumpkins to feed your allotment next year: • Like all organic food waste, when smashed or cut up, pumpkins will easily break down in the compost • If you’ve got chickens or wild birds visiting your garden, let them peck at the flesh first – that’ll reduce the amount you have to compost • Or simply bury them in a trench or pit - microbes and other critters in the soil will start breaking down the pumpkin and turning it into rich soil Alternatively take a look at local events such as Rod Weston’s Pumpkin Smash on Saturday 4th November in Leicester. Details from carryoncomposting1@gmail.com
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