Veg4Show

p.s I forgot to mention, the flowers in this picture are not mine, kindly donated for effect by a great grower.

Well my last show is over and now I will spend the rest of my time sorting everything out for next year. I need to move one of my poly tunnels and modify it to suit my onions and leeks and erect my greenhouse. I also have to reset all my parsnip pipes, remove all the sand outside to allow the rain to get at it to wash away any nasties and remaining mixture. Everything also has to be sprayed with armillatox to keep things clean and sterile, I will also let off a few bug smoke bombs in the tunnels over the next few months to kill off any breeding bugs that will hibernate over the winter.

The first real job of the season as far as growing vegetables is concerned is when the leeks arrive in December and the onions from seed get planted. I hope everything is in place by then to start a fresh season.

Didnt have much left for this show, but I did pretty well considering.




Didnt show the really big parsnips in this pic as they were just to huge so lacked in quality.

I forgot to post my final results from the last show, so before my 3rd show starts here they are:

This includes members and non members, the reason why you see some veg crop up a few times in this list:

Veg collection 4 kinds: 1st
Potatoes (any): 1st
Sweet peppers: 1st
Tomatoes: 1st
Carrots Long: 1st
Table marrows: 1st
Shallots large: 1st
AOV: Celery: 1st
Carrots short: 1st
Tray 3 veg: 1st
Onions 3 (from seed): 1st

Leeks: 2nd
Courgettes: 2nd
Onions 4 (sets): 2nd
Tomatoes: 2nd
Runner beans: (9) 2nd
Potatoes: 2nd
Runner beans (6) (again) 2nd
Carrots short: 2nd
Tomatoes cherry: 2nd

Beetroot globe: 3rd
Beetroot globe: 3rd (again)

Two trophies: Most points and one for the veg collection.

I still have one more show to do but I wont be entering much, I'm really just going along to see what everyone else has. I will try next year to grow more for this show but I do find it a bit late for my liking as i grow most of my veg for August.

Well all the hard work with the celery this year payed off. I have staged celery at both my shows so far which i was very happy with. Despite my celery being behind by about 3 weeks for my first shows because my first sowing all died, Im pretty happy with the outcome. I would say next year I will try and improve on the blanching as i think the reflective foil, as its double sided also reflects light into the celery. This problem will be solved with using black damp proof sheeting as an internal layer with the reflective foil on the outside.

Many people at the shows ask how I keep it so clean, and the simple answer is you have to spray every 5 weeks and slug pellets every time you water if they are washed away. Most people turn there nose up at this and don't like the fact you grow your veg for the show bench rather than eat it. The only veg I don't eat in the beds (in the garden area) is the celery due to the vast amounts of spraying. I don't care as every professional grower does this, and I'm not going to show celery half eaten alive and full of rot to please people I don't even care about. One tiny bite turns into a small brown mark, this gets bigger and bigger and turns into a big brown rot on the sticks that renders it useless.

I have a massive allotment full of veg that is organic for eating, with wildlife patches that are untouched, so I do my bit for nature on ground that we pay for.

essentials for show celery:

Calcium Nitrate: You cant always get hold of this, but the normal calcium in a blue box you get up the garden center is just as good. Used once a week, watering down the heart of the celery and around each plant to help avoid heart rot.

Liquid deris and alternate with Provado to prevent pest damage.

Slug pellets/slug clear: obvious one, slugs love celery and will gather in there 1000s.

Dithane fungicide: spray from june onwards to prevent celery leaf spot, celery leaf minor (small maggots form) celery blight etc.

Feed: Chempak No. 2 and switch to no.8 during july. I feed once a week as soon as they are planted out. In August any celery in pots get fed twice a week, and the end of August the celery in pots get fed every other day.

Finally any celery you pull up should be composted, i use a shredder and put it back in the bed for next year to produce even better celery.

The weekend at my local show had quite a turn out considering its size. The quality was very good as usual, commented on by the judges who were impressed compared to other shows they had judged at.

This show to be honest the same person takes all the trophies every year except normally second most points (ours) and the veg collection which we also normally win. This year was different with the trophies being split by many with more competition. I finally got my hands on that most points trophy and won both boards for the first time ever. This year they also gave "Best exhibit" medal but I lost out on that, being awarded to some very nice runner beans. Anyhow more specific updates later heres a few pics.

Highlights:

Tray. 3 veg:



Tray. 4 veg:



Everything i showed: