Kitchen Garden Forum

Entered 3 classes and won 2 Firsts & a Second.

My preferred cabbage had split so got a second on it's smaller, slightly chewed replacement. Found a cauliflower I had missed, it was a bit deformed and started with 3 huge leaves and nothing so just left it to see, on my search to find something to enter I went down that row and found, somewhat moth eaten leaves but almost perfect, small white head that had come up through these giant leaves. Doubted my onions when I saw the other entries especially the red ones, but Whoop, when tent opened they had the ticket!

That was all I had to enter, nothing the same size of not enough of type to enter the class. Was a great show good turnout and announced we had our 5th green flag, with the best in the allotment class. Apparently the judges said they thought it would make it very difficult for the council to ignore, but council have admitted they just can't find another site and have no money so fingers crossed.

Westi

Always worth putting some thing in to your local show.

Congratulations, Westi! And they all look great specimens, too.

Our village show is on 3 September, so I 'll soon start to look round the allotment and garden for any possible entries, always great fun.

Well done Westi, i bet that was quite a feeling.

Well done westi that calls for a celebration drink tonight

Well done Westi

I bet you're already thinking about next years entries

Congratulations Westi, that's brilliant! Onions look great, and very envious of that cauliflower.

Pawty

That's great Westi. Onions look very good. I'd have difficulty finding three the same.

Well done westie that's amazing

Feels pretty good indeed, more so that it was accidental.

Never noted the onions initially - too busy moaning about how many sending up flower stalks & that's how I separated them when harvesting, so left these guys for a while, not appreciating they were really quite good. Didn't expect that mutated plant to do anything at all, just left it to see what would happen - looking forward to cauliflower cheese now. Cabbage was intended, a Savoy type won it, really nice looking & not like my Savoy's, really soft & tender, mine are much tougher, thicker leaves than theirs.

Thanks for the advice everyone, very much appreciated! Oh just to warn you in advance - I'm a bit hooked but you have a year to prepare. Monica - good luck & I'm sure you'll find something to enter.

Westi

I'm going to grow something for my local show next year now. Thinking of yacoon and courgette at least since both grew really well this year

You've inspired and motivated me westi

Well done Westi
Your exhibits are excellent. The onions are truly splendid - perfect match for size and shape and well coloured. You deserved a 'Best in Show'. Onions are a difficult class to win because there is always such a lot of serious competition but the judges were obviously impressed.

John

Thank you for your good wishes, Westi. Now we have only half the allotment, it's amazing how this affects the number of possible entries, but no doubt we'll find something. My usual 'piece de resistance' are the classes for a vase of annual flowers and of perennial flowers, because we have a long, long bed on the lottie where we grow a mixture of flowers especially to attract insects which at the moment is very colourful with cornflowers, scabious, poppies, pot marigold, nasturtiums, sunflowers short and tall, nigella, ammi etc etc, and the garden provides the perennials, so there will certainly be something to pick.
Vegetable entries might include shallots, garlic, runner bean, tomatoes, leek, red cabbage, sweet pepper, chilli pepper. We have a wonderful class called 'Five a Day' which always very popular because you can use the one perfect specimen vegetable where you can't find a matching pair or three or four or five!

That's a good idea Monika, I'll mention it to my neighbour who is a committee member. Good luck & have fun!

The nicest thing was the cup cakes, the first prize went to a young woman with Downs syndrome & 2nd to a wee lad. The winner was 4 cupcakes with a gardener leaning on a shovel, a rabbit with a pile of carrots, a crow in a lettuce bed & a plant pot on it's side with a snail on the top, made of marzipan on the top of the chocolate icing! The young lady did it all herself. The wee lad had 4 sheep with there faces piped on & their wool was mini marshmallows! Really great!

Our Best in Show was 3 dahlias the size of dinner plates, all same size & shade of colour! Amazing! We often go along the row where he grows to see his flowers as they are beautiful. He apparently won the Chysanthemum class at Harrogate this year, and all from our allotment!

I've got the bug but it will always be down to what I've got as far too disorganised & distracted to plan ahead!
Westi