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'In Bloom' - Newsletter - April 2007

April 2007
THE PENNINE VILLAGE OF LUDDENDEN
Silver Medal - Britain in Bloom 2005

On a bright sunny morning the judges arrived at the Lord Nelson on Tuesday 10th April at 10am and were met by members of the in bloom team. Pupils from Midgley School also attended with a presentation being made to Franchesca Barnes for her work with the Gardening Club at Midgley School. After a short discussion to highlight work that continues in areas not on the judges were then escorted round the village which must be said looked wonderful. Everywhere was clean and tidy and villager’s pots and tubs were out in abundance. Many thanks to every villager for their efforts as the comments received whilst they walked round the village were all very positive. Obviously we will now have to wait for the results to see how we did against the others in what is a very strong and competitive category. Could we pass our thanks to Debbie for opening the pub at this ungodly hour and for providing light refreshments for our guests.

What’s been happening around the village

The in Bloom team held several work parties round the village prior to judging to ensure things was as spic and span as possible. Calderdale road sweepers did their bit and swept the roads, so thanks once again to that team for their efforts.

Unfortunately and we hate to go on about this, but dog fouling is still an issue. Can we ask that the small minority, and you know who you are, clean up after your pets. For the rest of us please report any offender’s you see or know of to the dog warden. Responsible dog owners do not let their pets “poo” in the street for adults and children to walk in.

Jobs to do this month

So far this month we have been blessed with good weather, but don’t be lulled in to a false sense of security by putting out your summer bedding just yet. If you do buy plants they need to be kept in a greenhouse, on a sunny windowsill or at least a cold frame. You can now start mowing the lawn but remember to mix the clippings with straw or other material before you put them in the compost heap.

Start a regular sowing regime of vegetables to ensure a constant supply. Remember even if space is at a premium there are plenty of seeds now available for small gardens that can be grown in pots and tubs. All wintergreens can be sown in April along with summer crops. Sow successional salad crops every two weeks.

Now is the time to start weeding those borders. Once you have removed a weed you will only need to hoe every few days to keep the weeds at bay. A point to remember here is not to put weeds such as dandelions in the compost bin as they are notorious for growing back if so much as a millimetre of root has survived the composting process. Once this is done sow some annual seeds for colour in any bare patches of soil but don’t forget to read the instructions.

April is the best month of the year for planting of transplanting evergreen trees and shrubs as the roots are actively growing so will cope with the trauma much better. Container grown climbers should also be planted out, tall perennials such as delphiniums should be staked.

Dates for the diary

Vegetables, herbs and perennial plants - Saturday 5th May 2007

Playground Opening from 1pm followed by the Nellie Blooming BBQ at the Lord Nelson – Saturday 26th May 2007

Plant sale– Herbs, summer bedding and perennials - Saturday 2nd June 2007

Secret Gardens – Saturday 7th July 2007

Recipe of the month – Nettle Soup

Now that weeds are starting to sprout why not try making Lady Ridley's Nettle Soup. So, armed with a good pair of gloves pinch the first few young leaves from each new stem of nettles till you have ½ lb. You will also need the following: 1 lb potatoes, 2 oz butter, 1 ½ pts chicken or vegetable stock, sea salt and black pepper and 4 tablespoons of sour cream. (Sorry this is all in old money but it is an old recipe)

Method: Cook the peeled, chopped potatoes for 10 minuets in salted water. Drain. Wash & chop coarsely the nettles. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the nettles and stew gently for a few minutes. Add the potatoes, heated stock and bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. When all is soft, cool slightly & purée in a blender, adding seasoning and the sour cream.

I’ll see what other recipes can be found for weeds next month.

Bird Life

There is still plenty of mating going on round the village and I know of several robin nests that appear to have eggs in already. Continue to feed birds but start to decrease the whole peanuts as nestling can chock to death on these.

Dunnocks also known as the hedge sparrow will start to sing their insistent if rather tuneless song. They will also jealously guard their mates against other potential suitors. By the end of the month summer visitors such as swallows and swifts will be back in the county but remember one swallow does not make a summer.

Look out for Comma butterflies, hoverflies the gardener’s friend along with ladybirds against the green fly population, toads and newts migrating back to ponds to mate.

Once again many thanks for your efforts and, if you would like to take a more active role please let us know, help is always appreciated.