Alers Road Allotments

16/06/2026

Having trouble growing Cobra/French Beans this year?🫘

🪴Sowing indoors usually produces better germination rates, gives the plants a head start, and keeps them out of reach of slugs and snails🐌 until larger and more robust.
Use small pots or trays of deep modules filled with moist peat-free multi-purpose compost .
Sow one bean 🫘 in each, 5cm (in) deep. Place in a propagator or on a warm, sunny ☀️ windowsill to germinate.

Let us know how you get on! 🪴

RHS link below for more information:

Get growing French beans, with expert advice on choosing, sowing, planting, care and harvesting

30/05/2026

Tent Caterpillar 🐛 🐛🐛

There is an infestation of Tent Caterpillars on site. They attack fruit trees – particularly apples. Please see the photo below to help you identify the problem and a link to a site that gives more information.

If you have this on any of your trees – cut off immediately and dispose of offsite. (Brown Bin)

https://gardenerspath.com/how-to/disease-and-pests/tent-caterpillars/


Thank you

12/05/2026

🪴Free private tour of Arthurs Garden at Coolings Rushmore Hill 🪴

Bexleyheath and District Horticultural Society
recently visited Coolings and enjoyed a guided tour of their nursery where they grow about 90% of the plants they sell. I’ve received this invitation from them for another potential tour:

Dear John and Bexleyheath and District Horticultural society

Thank you very much for attending our Nursery Tour. We hoped you enjoyed your trip behind the scenes.

During the tour we mentioned about another tour we have available at Coolings and thought we would share these details with you, as your group mentioned they might be interested.

Arthurs Garden Tours - Just as you did for the nursery tours we can book you in for a free private tour around Arthurs garden with Alice our Head Gardener who is responsible for planning and maintaining the display gardens, beds and borders at Coolings Rushmore Hill, over one and a half acres in total. We have many dates available in July.
Many thanks,

Phoebe Parr

Events Co-Ordinator

I’m happy to organise a visit for this tour if enough members are interested. I’d suggest a Friday morning (as was the nursery tour) but will need to understand their availability.

If you’re interested please let me know and as long as we have sufficient numbers I’ll arrange.



Lady Isabella’s Plantation

I’m very sorry to say that this visit will not now be happening. I visited the plantation last week as a trial run and found that the majority of the Azaleas that it’s famous for were well past their best. My original information was the best time to visit was late May-early June. This was obviously not correct and as such a visit wouldn’t be worthwhile. I’ll sort something out for next year and make sure we visit at the optimum time.

Best Regards

John

John Hollands – Chairman

18/04/2026

🪴Free educational trip to Coolings Nursery 🪴
Friday 24th April, 10:45
Coolings - The Gardener’s Garden Centre
Rushmore Hill, Knockholt, Kent, TN14 7NN

We will be given a guided tour of their nursery where they grow the majority of the plants they sell. We last visited two years ago and it was an informative and entertaining visit.

There are spaces available to join the visit.

I’ll do my best to organise Car-Share.

If you haven’t already booked please let me know if you’d like to join the trip as I need to give Coolings numbers of participants.

Best Regards

John

John Hollands – Chairman Bexleyheath and District Horticultural Society

14/04/2026

Blue skies, Bluebells and blossom at the allotment! 🌸
There’s no better time to prepare your plot ready for the cultivation survey on the 20th April 🪏 🪴

22/03/2026

🔥🔥 On-Site Bonfires 🔥 🔥

A cautionary Tale!

On Thursday a plotholder called the Fire Brigade as there was a serious fire on site that was beyond their capability to extinguish.
I’m pleased to say that the Fire Brigade responded quickly and the damage was limited to some wooden compost bins – but they were totally destroyed.
The Cautionary Tale is how this happened!
A plotholder received the Secretary’s email saying that bonfires would be banned from the end of the month and decided that he needed to burn some items. He quite correctly chose an appropriate time and had his bonfire following all the guidelines.
So far – So good!
The following day he came to site and decided that he’d clear up the bonfire remains ready to cultivate the ground where the fire had been.
This is where he made his big mistake!
He shovelled the fire remains into his compost bin – thinking that the ash would make good compost.
However – experience tells that even after 24 hours bonfire remains can still be smouldering – and in this case they were hot enough to set the wooden compost bin on fire with the resulting damage.

22/03/2026

🪴Planting potatoes 🥔 the 🪏method, written by Richard Collins: https://www.alersroadallotments.org/hintsandtips

Hints and tips related to growing and other allotment activities.

20/03/2026

Great idea to help control snails at your plot!
🐌 🐌🐌
What other methods do you use?..

15/03/2026

🪴Fancy a trip to RHS Wisley or Coolings Nursery?
Organised by Bexleyheath and District Horticultural Society details below:

12/03/2026