The Trading Hut

The TAGS Trading Hut is situated at Butts Park allotments and serves each of the sites within Topsham.

The Hut stocks a range of composts/manure and fertilisers, together with other sundry items (e.g. netting, ground cover, protective fleece, etc). Stock is bought wholesale, where possible, with sales at discounted prices to TAGS members.

Sales at the hut are undertaken by pairs of enthusiastic volunteers who are always pleased to meet visitors and answer any questions you may have. Many people just pop in for a chat. If you are interested in helping with sales, contact the Hut Secretary. The commitment can be for a little as the occasional session.

The usual opening hours are 10.30-11.30 on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Hut Secretary can be contacted by email at tagstradinghut@gmail.com

Strulch is now for sale at the Trading Hut 

Strulch ® is a light and easy to use garden mulch made from wheat straw for organic gardening. A patented process developed by Dr Geoff Whiteley at The University of Leeds, is used to ‘preserve’ the straw so that it lasts for up to two years and gives an earthy brown colour.

Strulch has a neutral pH and can be used throughout the garden on borders, raised beds, around cultivated fruit and on vegetable plots.

Why Strulch is beneficial?

• Strulch mulch reduces weed growth by up to 95%
• Strulch mulch helps retain moisture around plants
• Strulch mulch enriches soil and its structure
• Strulch mulch is suitable around flowers, shrubs, fruit and vegetables
• Strulch, the straw garden mulch, lasts up to two years, spreading the cost, saving water and fertiliser, making your plants grow healthier and stronger and giving you more time to relax.
• ​The physical properties of Strulch mulch together with the embedded minerals deters slugs and snails.

FREE

- Woodchip - a lorry load of wood chip has been delivered to Butts Park allotments. Please help yourself

- Grass cuttings Excellent for mulching fruit bushes fruit trees or any crops to retain moisture and enrich the soil. They can also be composted. The clippings are from the green at the Bowling Club Topsham. These are fine clippings and I am assured by the groundsman that there are no chemicals such as fungicide or herbicide in them. Please contact John Brand 07787 874663. He has bags available and can help to load if you call him.

COUNCIL COMPOST - NOT FREE!

We will be ordering some more council compost. Please pay direct into the TAGS account according to the instructions below. Thanks to all who paid last time. Please note new account number. 

Cost:    £1.00 per barrow load

Please pay by bank transfer using COMPOST as reference:

Lloyds Bank     Sort code: 30-93-14    Account number: 02832758

Account name: made payable to Topsham Allotments and Gardens with no abbreviations and no Society

Please pay for your compost. If you don’t pay we won’t be able to order any more.

HORSE MANURE - Excellent Quality

£1.00 per barrow load, please pay in the Trading Hut or by bank transfer using the word MANURE as reference:

Lloyds Bank 

AccountName: made payable to Topsham Allotments and Gardens with no abbreviations and no Society

Sort Code: 30-93-14

Account Number: 02832758

This manure comes from fresh pasture land untreated by chemicals. In general, the manure is fairly fresh and it is important to compost this for 3 to 6 months in your compost bin or under a tarpaulin. As a rule, it is drier and equal to or slightly more nutritious than cow manure.

The cost includes paying for delivery and to defray the capital and running costs of using the TAGS trailer.