Medwyn Williams
Hello. I'm Medwyn Williams – eleven times Gold medal winner at the Chelsea Flower Show, Past Chairman of the Royal Horticultural Society Fruit Vegetable and Herb Committee and President of the National Vegetable Society.
Weather
I have never seen as much rain as we had on Boxing Day, the heavens opened up for most of the day with Anglesey damn near cut off from the mainland. Both main arteries to North Wales were impassable with the A55 and A5 completely flooded over. We had rain throughout November, every day, and through to December so it’s impossible to push any more water into a fully saturated sponge, that’s a reflection on the condition of the land around here. When I went down to the greenhouse on the land on Boxing Day I couldn’t believe the amount of water that was all over the place, it was over my boots in most places. However when I got into the greenhouse there was about four inches of water covering the whole floor and getting close to our power supply. Alwyn and Alina went there later to open a ditch alongside as well as placing some sandbags along the front opening. The unreal thing was watching Alina watering the leeks and onions with gallons of water floating below her!
The leeks however are doing fine with quite a few potted up into 3.5 inches pots using Levington M3. The weather though is unreal, we haven’t had a touch of frost this year on the Island with temperatures well above 10 on most days and not dropping an awful lot at night either. I trust none of you have had any problems with the weather, my heart certainly goes out to those whose homes have been flooded, it must be a nightmare and the worst experience of their lives.
It beats me how successive Governments can afford to give away so much money, Billions, to other countries in adversity when we need the money equally as much as they do, if not more on occasions such as this. I always thought Charity started at home first.
10 thoughts on “Weather”
Medwyn sorry to hear about all the water in your greenhouse , hope all the onions and leeks are o.k. We have been lucky in Caergwrle with no flooding , as you say the ground will not take any more water .I have just potted best onions of P.G. onions into 12″ pots ,10 flutes on best , will need planting out in a few weeks .Second batch in rose pots and catching up fast , all are now on 9 hr lighting .
When did you sow your onions Bill, it must have been last June or July! Good luck with them, this mild weather with good lighting will certainly move them along. How do they compare with last years?
Medwyn the first batch were sown the end of October , the second batch after your veg weekend .This is the earliest that I have ever sown , just an experiment to see if I can grow a heavyweight .Onions have had six weeks of 24 hour light , plus bottom heat which has really made them grow .Hoping to plant first batch in tunnel end of January , I have been potting a few onions using a different additive for root growth, each given a label to remember which product each plant has had, Mycos and Azos , Charge .Nutrimate , Charge, or TNC Mycorr and Charge .This has been repeated at each potting , and at planting each hole will be dressed with the same mix , will be interesting to see what produces the heaviest onion .
That’s certainly the way to move things forward Bill, I wonder what size Peter glazebrook’s are at the moment.
Speaking to Peter the other night he is around the same stage , and a friend of his has already planted a few out .Peter will start to put a photo on growers diaries at Big pumpkins .com on the first of each month , well worth a look .Also growing for showing Joe Keelers site on Facebook is really good .
What was the heaviest onion you had last year Bill and whats the heaviest you have ever grown.
Due to the very hot temperatures in the tunnel and thrips the heaviest onion last season was only 10 lbs , the biggest was a couple of years ago at 11:5 lbs .For the coming year I have made removable windows down the sides of both tunnels which should keep things cooler .
Medwyn do you have any John Innes 2 that I can pick up , could do with six for potting leeks on .Are you down at new greenhouse on Wednesday this week, if you are can I pick it up .Have six good heavyweight onion plants spare if Alwyn wants them .
Yes we do have some in or storage shed on the mainland, let me know when you are coming to pick it up.
Medwyn if possible Wednesday this week ,I can bring the six heavyweight onions with me .Give me a ring on 01978 762 007 to let me know .