Recent Posts
Welsh Branch Championships of the NVS 1999
There is no doubt that over the past few years
Staging Vegetables on the Show Bench – Peas
Peas are a good example of a vegetable that’s easily
Re-capping on Achievements to Date
With the pressure of the impending Chelsa Flower Show now starting to turn into good hype, I am able to concentrate a little more on
The most shapely Tomatoes are always to be found after the third truss
Having extended the length of the plant, I should now be able to get between nine and ten trusses, provided nothing goes alarmingly wrong. In
Keep the Hoe Moving Regularly
There are two main types of hoes, the Dutch hoe is the old traditional type that gets rid quite effectively of the weeds by moving
The time of the year when you really can see your plants growing away.
At this time of year you really can see your plants growing away, it’s the period when most of the vegetables start to seriously put
Cauliflowers for Exhibition
Cauliflowers are not easy to grow well and can very often be a disappointment when they are ready too early or even too late. To
Crunch Time for the Exhibition Potatoes
My potatoes have now been planted for 12 weeks and will more than likely be ready for harvesting. It’s very important to know when to
Success and Failure at the Vegetable Show
Reflecting on the success and failures of show growing and this year the large exhibition onions and the blanch leeks have not grown to expectations.
Fighting for the prominence of Vegetables within the Horticultural Sphere
If you haven’t grown and eaten your own fresh new potatoes, broad beans and peas straight from the garden, then you really are living in
Supporting Your Local Show
Flower Shows in this country are part of our heritage and must be preserved as much as possible. However they can only be preserved if
Growing Your Own Vegetables – Early Autumn Sowings
It’s the period when your onions in storage have finished and the normal Summer crop have yet to mature. It is however important to sow
Tidying and clearing up the Vegetable Plot
September is undoubtedly one of my favourite months in the garden, it’s a time for reflection and also a time to be thinking about tidying
Soil – A Priceless Commodity
It is vitally important that we give due regard to the dark brown material that can yield so much food. As with any building, the
Covering the Top Vegetable Shows in 2004
The last show for me to report from was the RHS Autumn Fruit and Vegetable Competition which is always a spectacle to see. Just to
Cleaning the Greenhouses
Both greenhouses are high on my list to be completely cleaned out with any plants that are still growing being moved temporarily into one of
Getting Children Involved in Gardening
I am always striving to get more children involved in growing and probably more importantly in eating fresh vegetables. It’s a well known fact that
Mix Up with the Mixes!
The requisite bags of Q4, lime, Calcified seaweed etc were placed in the boot of my car and taken to Bangor to prepare for the
Blight Resistant Potatoes
The biggest killer that Ireland has ever seen all started off with our staple diet, the humble potato. It began with a blight of the
Seed Catalogues – Potato Lists
The potato lists are always an interesting read and I often like to search out some potential newcomers for the show bench. ESP (Exhibition Seed
Working in the Heated Greenhouse
There is always some work to be getting on with in a warm greenhouse at this time of year. It’s also time to get your
Nutrimate and Jet 5
I was very impressed with the performance of Nutrimate last year, I added it to all my final potting mixtures as well as to the