Allotment Growing |
Friday 25 July 2008 Allotment Diary |
Allotment & Vegetable Gardening |
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Articles About Growing & Showing Vegetables from Medwyn Williams MBE FNVS Chairman of the National Vegetable Society
Medwyn Williams in front of his vegetable display
These articles were originally published in 2002Ten-times Chelsea gold medal winner Medwyn Williams is an expert vegetable grower with decades of experience. He has kindly allowed the National Vegetable Society to re-publish them. The individual article links will open a new window with the article on the NVS web site.
Sowing Dates from the top Showmen from 3rd January The first date was the 26th August 2002 which is the timing for the Welsh Branch championships at Margam Park South Wales. The second sowing date is the 29th September, this being the sowing date for the National Vegetable Society Championships which are held next year as part of the Malvern Autumn Show. Sowing Dates Used by Exhibitors from 10th January This is my sixth and final article on the different sowing dates used by 6 top exhibitors from different regions of the Country. So far the response that I have had to the articles has been very positive and encouraging for me and to the growers who helped me put it all together. Greenhouses full in October with Leeks, Onions and Geranium cuttings from 17th January Nearing capacity in the Greenhouses at this time of year. The sensible use of heat goes together with good use of the greenhouse vents as well in order to maintain a buoyant atmosphere in the greenhouse that the plants really thrive on. There is no way that we could stage the quality onions and leeks that we are doing without some form of heat. Polytunnel - Soil Analysis from 24th January For those of you who may have just started growing exhibition vegetables and may have had you very first polytunnel, testing your soil is important so that you know exactly what is deficient in it as well as knowing what is in too much abundance in it. Both of the above scenarios can be harmful to you plants so do send a sample away to any good soil analyist. Growing Cabinets and Artificial Lighting from 31st January There‘s no doubt that the plants in my growing cabinet grow on much better because of the artificial light above them as well as a minimum night temperature of 55 F. Those that were transplanted into plantpak 60s earlier this year are now standing bolt upright and will be moved on into plantpak 24s this weekend using Levington M2 as a compost, later on when being moved up to larger pots I shall start to introduce some soil into the mix. Preparing the Celery Beds from 7th February I have two distinct beds for growing celery which are approximately 10 ft long and 4 ft wide and about two feet above the ground. They were built a few years ago from concrete blocks and for the first few years I grew short carrots in them. Both beds however are close to my Leylandi hedge so they are in a partial shade during the early morning but get full sunlight from mid morning onwards. This seems to favour the celery much better than the carrots hence the change of plans a couple of years ago. Early Sowing of Parsnips for August Shows from 14th February A number of growers will no doubt have already sown some of their parsnips and if you are interested in exhibiting them during the month of August, then you should be sowing them anytime now. However this season is going to be very different indeed for those, like myself, who make the Welsh Championships and the National Vegetable Society Championships their main goal. Parsnips- Providing Covers from 14th February Things have changed radically over the past five years or so as more and more growers are now building covers over both their parsnips. You can now sow earlier and have some super quality specimens for August and equally you can sow things later which will carry on giving you quality exhibits when the night temperatures are dropping and the day length receding. Top Quality Tomatoes from 21st February Finding a new tomato to be as good as Goldstar, the variety that was winning everywhere for so many years until it was withdrawn by the breeders, has taken me quite a while. The problem I had was that Goldstar was so consistently good and so easy to grow to a good size that nearly everyone was showing winning dishes all over the country. Growing Okra for Exhibition + Onions from 28th February Why not try and grow something different this year for the show bench, there are plenty of classes at most shows for what they call ‘any other vegetable not mentioned in the schedule’ Okra, or commonly known as Ladies Finger, is certainly one to try and if you fancy a go then why not sow some seed now of the variety Clemson’s Spineless. I must say that at the moment, I am very happy indeed with the progress of my large exhibition onions, as well as those that I intend to use for the under 250 grams or under. Small Onions + Revised Judges Guide from 7th March Last week I mentioned the growing of small onions for the very popular class of under 250 grams or the old under 8 ounces as it used to be called. Even though I shall be growing well over a hundred plants this year, all F1 hybrid, I shall still be finding it very difficult to get a matching set of five that are more alike than even peas in a pod. The National Vegetable Society conducted a review of their judges guide last year which was first introduced During September 1997. The main changes have now been completed and all exhibitors, judges and potential stewards as well as show secretaries should be aware of these changes. Getting ready for the Parsnips from 14th March I have been pondering long and hard regarding the mixes that I intend to use and in the end, after going back over some of my old diaries, I am going to use a compost based on soil rather than soiless. Finding a source of good Top soil has always been a problem for me as it is very difficult to really get hold of some good quality fibrous loam. The fact is that nearly all the soil in my garden is no longer soil as such but a very fine composty mixture that is undoubtedly full of organic matter and will grow the finest of vegetables. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Cucumbers from 23rd March There are not many things that are more rewarding or more satisfying than growing your own vegetables. Supermarket vegetables may look good and appear fresh, but they will never taste the same as those picked from your own garden and cooked or eaten within a few hours. Size, Quality and Uniformity for Show Vegetables from 28th March For any up and coming young (or even young at heart) show person, my initial advice at first would be to forget about size and concentrate on growing high quality produce. Once you have grown quality specimens, you can then select them for the next most important element, the criteria ‘Uniformity" within a selected set, or ‘dish’ as they are often called in show terms. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Potatoes from 30th March If you have a large vegetable garden then I would suggest that you grow the three classification of potatoes, First early, Second early and Main Crop. If however you only have a small area, then my advice would be to have just a row or two of the First and possibly Second earlies leaving the remainder of the plot for a wider range of vegetable varieties. The benefits of growing only First earlies are important to note, they take less room than Maincrop, they will usually be harvested before the Blight disease affects them and you will also be eating them when they are at their most expensive in the shops. Covering Your Onions and Tomato Seedlings from 4th April The soil is rarely in good condition at this time of year and a check to their growth pattern being planted in cold soil could be fatal. However if you can construct a small framework with fairly strong timber covered over with some polythene, it's amazing how fast the plants will respond when planted up in soil that has warmed up. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Parsnips and Brassicas from 6th April The Parsnip, just like it’s close family member the carrot, is a biennial. In other words it produces it’s long white or creamy coloured roots in the first year followed by it’s flowers in the second year. The varieties that we eat today have been developed from the wild variety that is found throughout Central and Southern Europe. Over the last decade or so parsnips have undoubtedly improved with the breeders regularly producing newer and superior varieties. A Tribute to one of the Masters of growing Runner Beans from 11th April A couple of weeks ago one of the great Masters of growing Runner Beans passed away; Brython Stenner from Cefn Cribwr South Wales was most certainly a legend in his own life time. He bred, through an intensive process of reselection, the Stenner Runner Bean that we all now see winning at shows throughout the land. A Very Demanding Month in the Garden from 18th April Not only is the vegetable area time consuming and demanding, the lawns want cutting, the borders want weeding and hoeing as well as preparing for bedding out annuals and filling hanging baskets. Potatoes - Varieties , Bags, Top Mix and Bottom Mix from 27th April Those of you who have had your potatoes a while back should by now have had them well chitted and they should be showing some nice strong shoots and ready for planting out. The number of shoots to leave on each potato is very much dependant on the vigour of the variety that you are growing. If you want to grow them in bags and emulate one of the top growers, Bill Hughes from Swansea, then you have a fair bit of work to do as Bill will have already prepared his mixes. Tomatoes - Peruvian Apple or Apple of Peru from 2nd May When tomatoes first came to Europe it was given the romantic French name 'pomme d' amour" a synonym that is little used in English which is ‘Love Apple’ what a pity that this word is not more often used. The first name actually given to the tomato was ‘Peruvian Apple’ or ‘Apple of Peru’ around the sixteenth century and would seem to indicate that this most popular of vegetables was of Peruvian origin. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Tomatoes from 4th May Tomatoes must be about the most popular greenhouse crop of all, nearly everyone I know with a greenhouse grows a few plants. The main reason we grow our own is to try and achieve that flavour that still lingers on the pallet from years back. Comparing 2001 and 2002 - Blanch Leeks & Celery from 9th May Last year my Blanch leeks were planted into their beds on the 2nd May which was the latest that I had ever planted them and they were also, apart from one aspect, the best leeks that I have ever grown. The reason I say one aspect is the fact that they did split far too much for my liking and I put it down to collaring the leek plants far too high too soon. My F1 hybrid Celery, Evening Star was sown about two weeks later than last year, even though they were tremendous plants then I was unable to show any of them as they had simply gone over top. The vigour within these new hybrids is quite amazing and I honestly feel that once we learn how to cope with them we are yet to see the best of these. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Celery from 16th May Although Celery is rich in a variety of vitamins, mineral salts and iron it's very low in calories and seems to be a vegetable that you either like a lot or are totally indifferent to it. It is not the easiest of vegetables to grow well as it needs a fair bit of attention, initially in thoroughly preparing the growing plot and afterwards in looking after it. Preparing for the seventh consecutive display at Chelsea from 16th May This will be my seventh consecutive display at Chelsea and the last six displays were considered worthy of a Gold medal every time. The question I get asked from friends and family is why do I do it, they keep telling me that I have nothing further to prove. Getting Ready for the Welsh and National Championships from 23rd May With the Chelsea flower show is history I can get on with growing the vegetables for the Welsh and the National Championships. The tomatoes were certainly in need of attention on my return as some of the plants were desperate to be tied back to the canes. My leeks, since planting out in early May, have rocketed and I was amazed at the size of the plants. First and Second Sowings of Cauliflowers from 30th May Unlike vegetables such as tomatoes, peas and beans, where you have a continuous crop over a fairly extended period, Cauliflowers are a one off crop so timing is paramount. It is all very well to have fantastic curds ready a fortnight before the show or a fortnight after, getting them right on the day is the problem. The Impact of the new hybrid crosses of Celery on the Show Benches from 6th June There's no doubt that the five new hybrid Ideal crosses of celery that I introduced two years ago are having a big impact on the show benches all over the Country. However we still have quite a bit to learn when to sow it and the general cultivation techniques need looking at as well. Preparation of Onion Beds and state of Tomatoes from 13th June I could not complete the final preparation of my onion beds until late into April when the large onions were eventually planted. At this stage they were still in 4 inch pots, which, over the past few years has been my planting out pot size. Last year they were planted into their beds from this size pot during late March giving me the best bed of onions that I have ever grown. Potatoes and Stump Carrots from 20th June Potatoes haven't been my strong point for a few years now as the sowing or planting time is always falling during the first few weeks of May, just before the Chelsea Flower Show. This year I changed from my usual routine of planting them in polybags at my friend Jim's garden to planting them at Bangor University where I grow all my Vegetables for Chelsea. I have never sown so many stump carrots as I have this year, I have really gone to town with just over 400 stations sown. The main variety is Gringo, a very consistent type that has been winning consistently at the highest level since it’s introduction a few years ago. Early Planting of Celery directly into their Beds from 22nd June Celery is frost tender so some protection is usually necessary when planting as early as I did, but living here on Anglesey surrounded by the sea and in a South facing garden it is rare for me to have any hard frost during May. However covering the plants over for weeks should be the norm by using either fleece or enviromesh which should give the plants an even better start. Peas and First Planting of Celery from 27th June The garden is all planted up now with peas being the last item to go in this past week. Apart from keeping an eye out for the flea beetle which can be a bit of a nuisance more than a disaster with peas at the early stage, they are relatively trouble free. The first planting of celery took a long time to get established this year and I put this down to the fact that I planted it a little too early. July - A month to relish for the keen Exhibitor from 11th July There's nothing I enjoy more on a warm Summers evening than having a look at the range of vegetables now romping away. Taking a collar off a leek and admiring it, another collar off the celery, a look at the carrot and parsnip tops, and of course seeing red cards everywhere. Aiming for World Record Leeks from 18th July I have said before that a good guide line if you are really after growing a world record leek is to remember the simple measurement and date that Peter Holden gave me. When Peter broke the World Record with his blanch leeks a couple of years ago they measured 6.6 inches around on the 6th of June. Very easy therefore to remember this fact, all the sixes - 6.6 on the 6th day of the 6th month. Carrots - Stump Rooted or "Other than Long" from 25th July The RHS book calls the short carrot 'Carrots, other than long" whilst the NVS defines them as ‘Carrots - Stump Rooted’ so what is the difference? Hardly any apart from a play on words really, the important thing though is the fact that whichever show you are at, the carrots must end with a decided stump. TIps on Prize Winning Potatoes from 1st August Removing the haulms used to be looked open as paramount in order to get the fresh young skin of the potato to set hard so that you could eventually wash it clean with a soft sponge. The vibes that I am getting at the moment is that the top potato growers, who grow in polythene bags, no longer remove the haulms from the plants. They lift the bags from the trenches, together with the haulms and taking them under cover so that they can dry out with no risk of any rain getting at them. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Runner Beans, Tomatoes, Lettuce from 3rd August August is probably the easiest month in the vegetable garden but it can also be the most worrying. A lot of vegetables are now approaching maturity and great care must be taken to ensure that we look after them right to the end. Advice on Staging Exhibits from 8th August Over the years I have gleaned a lot of information on preparing and staging vegetables, in the main through reading and adapting the information in Edwin Beckets marvellous book 'Vegetables For Home and Exhibition' and would like to give a few words of advice to exhibitors regarding the staging of their exhibits. At this time of year, most gardeners tend to leave their vegetable plots fallow when in reality they can still harvest good healthy vegetables right through to the end of October. If you have a greenhouse, a polytunnel or even your own makeshift polythene cover or cloches, you can extend this date considerably further. Runner Beans for the Show Bench from 15th August Runner beans have never been one of my strong vegetables on the show bench, indeed it's one that I have never exhibited at national level. The main reason for this is the space that is required to have a couple of good rows and as my garden is of a moderate size it had to be a choice of either the Runner beans or the Show peas to grow up the sticks. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Exhibiting from 17th August Believe me there is nothing more enjoyable and satisfying than growing your own vegetables and then having a go with them at your local show. Summer shows are a vital part of our British heritage, most towns have them, and believe me they nearly all could do with your support. The Top Growers in the Country from 22nd August There is no doubt that the top growers of Vegetables in this country have got to where they are because they have one thing in common, they think about how to grow them as well as how to improve their methods. The good thing also about these growers is the fact that they are always prepared to share this knowledge with all other keen vegetable exhibitors. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Saving Seeds from 24th August Get free seed from your own vegetable plot and it’s not as difficult as you might think. However before you rush headlong into it, there are a few rules to obey along the way in order to gain the maximum benefit from the saved seed. One rule that must be obeyed is to save seed only from plants that are seen to be disease and virus free. Polytunnels & Heated Greenhouses from 29th August The use of Polytunnels, heated greenhouses and the use of re selected seed as well as the newer F1 hybrid varieties have all certainly contributed towards having crops maturing earlier. The beauty of a Polytunnel is the fact that not only can you produce crops earlier in the year, you can also extend the growing year at the back end of the season. Growing Your Own Vegetables - Problem Weeds from 31st August Weeds can be so invasive and devastating in the vegetable garden, indeed it is often the one reason why people don"t bother to continue growing their own fresh vegetables. Leeks, Peas and Celery from 5th September It's time to think ahead slightly to next year, particularly if you are going to produce your own leeks from pips, bulbils or grass. Towards the end of July the weather was very dull and humid and it seemed to hang around the peas all the time making the foliage that is wrapped around the leading shoot go brown and sweaty as well as some of the tendrils dying back. On the other hand it was excellent weather for the celery, plenty of moisture around which this bog plant really likes. Tullamore Show - Southern Ireland from 12th September On the 11th August I was over in Southern Ireland judging their biggest one day show at Tullamore. It was two years ago that I judged the vegetable classes there for the first time and as it is primarily an Agricultural show, it was cancelled last year because of the foot and mouth epidemic. There was undoubtedly an improvement to the show in the quality of the exhibits as well as the number of entries in each class. Prize Winners at the Welsh Championships from 19th September The Welsh Championships, which were held over the August Bank holiday weekend, proved to be a truly fantastic show. I was quite amazed at how the standard of this show seems to be improving year on year with exhibitors from all over the country making it, next to the National itself, one of the top vegetable shows in the Country. Harrogate Autumn Show 2002 from 10th October What a superb show the Harrogate Autumn really is, a treasure for all keen gardeners and the competition on the vegetable side was something to savour. Harrogate is famous for the annual weighing in of the large onions, with everyone keen to see if Mel Ednie's world record of 15lb 15½ ounces will be broken. Newent Onion Fayre from 17th October After judging the Newent Show last year I persuaded the committee to alter the schedule somewhat and introduce leeks, chives, spring onions and Garlic to make the show a complete Allium event. The standard and the entries were high and the visitors found the locals hard to beat. National Vegetable Society Championships 2002 from 24th October The National Vegetable Society Championships were this year hosted by the Malvern show and not only were we blessed with some outstanding exhibits, the whole weekend turned out to be blessed by marvellous weather as well. Here are some of the "Stars" of the show. Growing your Own Vegetables - New Introductions for Next Spring from 26th October Time to thumb through the many colourful catalogues that always drop through the letter box at this time of year. I have had a look at a few of those that I receive and as always, there are a number of new introductions that could well be worth growing next Spring. After the Vegetable Shows, Clearing up the Gardens from 7th November Following the main vegetable shows, it is time to clear and tidy up the garden and begin preparing for next year. Lack of Leeks in abundance on the show benches and poor quality of Onions. from 14th November Addressing as soon as possible the preparation of the soil in the beds and getting hold of the right type of manure. Was the bedding material which was used under the cattle or horses subjected to weedkiller when it was growing in the field? If so some residual chemicals can stay within the plant for a long time and could possibly cause you a problem later on. Prize Winning Onions from 15th November The variety that I have been winning with this year is a brand new variety called Tasco which is being introduced for the first time in my catalogue for the 2002 season. It"s a brilliant onion to grow, very vigorous and has a lovely habit with it’s foliage standing bolt upright on the plant making it a joy to look at in a row or bed. |
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