Worthing and District Allotments and Gardens Association

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GENERAL

What is a judge looking for?

NB when it comes to showing, uniformity and quality are more important than size although there are some exceptions here: longest runner bean, heaviest marrow,etc.

Remember

For an up-to-date show schedule click here.

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CABBAGES

There are many types of cabbage - Spring, Summer, Winter, Savoy, Red, Chinese........ - and which sort you grow will depend on when you want them and personal taste. But remember: whichever sort you grow they need room.

Cabbages prefer firm, not recently dug, soil of an alkaline nature. It's best to dig the soil the previous autumn, working in some compost or manure then if the soil is poor. Give them a reasonably sunny spot and apply a general fertiliser about a week before planting (not Spring cabbage). Start applying a liquid feed as the heads beging to mature. Read the schedule carefully to find out what length of stalk is required.

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CARROTS

Disfigured, maggoty, muddy, stunted carrots - does that ring a bell with your experience of growing carrots? That was certainly my experience a lot of the time whilst growing carrots at the allotment, which I found frustrating to say the least. But growing carrots for show can be extremely rewarding.

For me there is no reward that can replace the sheer joy of pulling a near perfect specimen carrot from a bin or container with good colour accompanied by good length in proportion to its weight. Equally I have had some depressing times, struggling to pull what I would call any decent carrots, but they still taste good. Which reminds me - it is a total fallacy that you cannot eat show vegetables.

Early April is the time to be thinking about sowing carrot seed. I grow my carrots in containers (large plastic drums 4ft high). Others grow theirs in 4 or 6 inch drain pipes (3 or 4ft long). Both can be effective and sometimes I try both. You will need some good quality sieved soil, preferably sterilised but I have had some good results from using soil from the allotment (1 bucket), Moss peat (2 buckets) and horticultural or silver sand (1 bucket). The fertiliser elements are Superphosphate (50g), Sulphate of Potash (50g), Lime (100g) and Calcified seaweed (50g).

To achieve good results you need to pass all the soil and peat through a quarter of an inch sieve, and the fertilisers through a finer mesh such as a kitchen sieve, but don't tell my wife! All of the soil, peat, sand and fertiliser is thoroughly mixed together and then put into the containers, and allowed to settle prior to sowing, which normally takes place during March or early April.

Growing carrots in containers is no different from growing them in open ground. Make small drills in the growing medium about half an inch deep, thinly sow the carrot seed along the drills, fill in the drills and water using a watering can with a fine rose. The carrot seed takes about 7/10 days to germinate. After the carrots have germinated and are about 25mm tall start the thinning process. Remember: if growing for showing then you need to allow a lot more space between each carrot.

The varieties best for showing are Sweet Candle (stump) and Javelot (Long). But the above method can be used for most varieties, and there are many to choose from.

If you are looking at planting carrots in large amounts then the above is probably not for you. But if you have only a small area to grow vegetables, then carrots are great for growing in containers. In large round pots you can harvest between 30-40 carrots and in the larger square and rectangular plant containers you can produce many more. I have an old bath tub on my allotment which I have grown carrots in so any type of container will do - so why not have a go?

Peter Webb

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COLLECTIONS OF VEGETABLES

Collections vary; some are just vegetables and some include flowers. Then there are the trugs. Make sure you read the schedule very carefully as they will vary from show to show.

          A winning trug. Note: not all vegetables have the same points potential. For example, a cauliflower can score a lot of points because it is a difficult vegetable to grow well.             

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CUCUMBERS

Cucumbers are not easy to grow well for showing, achieving that straight, cylindrical smooth-skinned 18" specimen. They need warmth, humidity and regular feeding.

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MARROWS

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ONIONS

Many growers grow their onions from sets; it's a reliable and comparatively easy way to grow them but if you want more choice of variety - and some make better show onions than others - you're probably going to have to start from seeds. The traditional sowing date for onions is the 26th December (under glass, obviously) but this is not always possible. Ideally they need 60°F pretty constantly and a good day/night light balance so lights and heating are essential at this time of year.
Sets can be planted from mid-March but soil conditions sometimes militate against this. For show onions you need to space them about 6 inches apart. For the kitchen you can get away with half that spacing.

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POTATOES

Ideally you will require a 17 litre 12 inch polythene pot or an equivalent container of similar proportions with good drainage holes.

The best growing medium is Shamrock Peat to which 4 ounces of both Vitax Q4 fertilizer and calcified seaweed should be added per 17 litre pot. Fill the container to a depth of 3 to 4 inches and plant one seed potato in each pot. Ideally the seed potato should be the size of a duck egg and each seed potato should have no more than 2 to 3 shoots. It is important to remove or rub off any excess shoots. Fill each pot or container to within 1 inch of the rim.

Dig over the ground the container is to stand on; fork in potato fertilizer at 3 to 4 ounces per square yard. Dig out a trench 3 to 4 inches deep to suit the container base, set the container in the trench and spread around a few slug pellets.

Once the potatoes show strong growth feed weekly with Maxicrop. Water if necessary between feeds if signs of drying out appear. In summer it is worth considering spraying every two weeks with Dithane 945 against blight. Introduce 4 foot canes adjacent to the pot or container to which to tie the haulms. At 14 to 16 weeks after planting cut the haulms down to ground level and leave the potatoes in situ for 10 days for skins to harden. Remove potatoes carefully from the soil taking care not to damage skin. Wash in cold water, dry and grade for size; ideally what you are seeking is five potatoes of equal size and shape and about 8 ounces in weight. Wrap in tissue paper and store in a cool dark place (the garage?) ready for the show.

The varieties best for showing are WINSTON (white) and KESTREL (coloured).

Peter Webb

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RUNNER BEANS

A favourite with many gardeners; bought beans just don't taste the same. We all know they are very thirsty plants so keep them well watered. When it comes to showing they need to be a foot or more long really to stand a good chance and they need to be straight and flat. Make sure you check the schedule to see how many beans you have to show (5? 6?) and they should be the same size. Of course in "The Longest Runner Bean" competitions all that matters is the length!

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TOMATOES

Loads of people grow tomatoes in their greenhouses and when they do well it's lovely to be able to eat varieties of your own choice rather than those tasteless varieties which seem to be preferred by some supermarkets because of their colour (they look nice). Show tomatoes need to look nice too but things can go wrong before they even get to the ripening stage. Give tomatoes a bit of room, about 2ft between plants and water regularly. Split skins are often a result of irregular watering although thin-skinned varieties are also more prone to splitting. Feed little and often, a diluted feed 3 times a week. There are proprietary feeds on the market but you can also use liquid seaweed or nettle brew and some growers swear by diluted soot!

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BEGINNER'S TALE

As I sit here in the post Christmas euphoria looking through my gardening books and seed catalogues striving for the inspiration to get down to digging over what is now two plots, I reminisce about the year that was 2006 and what joy we had looking after the plot.

It was our first full year with our plot based at the West Tarring site and after an initial attempt to grow some hardy winter veg we broke into spring with many plans and promises to get everything looking tidy, productive and to get a greenhouse. Well the greenhouse was located dismantled and put together on the plot taking pride of place. The story of getting this here and getting it up is a whole new story and that day was too "tense" a day to relive at present, so maybe another time.

After many hours planning and contemplation we get everything started and things were looking rosy. The tomatoes in the greenhouse were going great guns and everything outside seemed to be rocketing up, including a never ending crop of weeds. The only blip on the horizon was the annual two weeks summer holiday. How were we going to cope with everything for this time, who could we ask, could we ask those on the other plots around us or would this be just plain cheeky?

After much contemplation and several beers we decided that the best option would be to ask a family member to. As my brother and his family have a plot over at the Chesswood Farm site he would seem to be the best option, even though he has his own business to run, two plots himself to care for and two small children, but hey, what's a little bit of watering compared to the benefits of extra free courgettes!

Things ticked along nicely with the daily collection of two carrier bags of runner beans, a large box of tomatoes etc. until the show guide arrived. Never in our sibling rivalry of fruit and veg growing has some much stress and verbal sparring occurred until this dreaded little orange book turned up. Oh, it sits there looking all innocent on the mantelpiece but I can hear it calling me, wanting me, what shall I enter, what am I growing that is better than his?

Categories were decided and the entry forms completed. Now all we had to do was to grow some prize winning specimens. But still those two weeks away was always on our mind; could they be trusted to water and look after everything when so much family honour was at stake? Many an evening we were to be found down on the plot look at what was growing, referring to the RHS guides as to what the perfect tomato or runner was supposed to be. Every now and then we would take a walk around all the other plots just to see what everyone else was doing; we were going to be "virgin" exhibitors and wanted as much information and differing ideas as we could get. One of our neighbouring plots is grown by one of the greats from the allotment society so we decided that we would get as much tutelage from him as we could possibly get and maybe some of his winning ways would rub off on us.

Time flew by and now our freezer was overflowing with our produce and our friends' and work colleagues' too, and still those pesky courgettes grow at an alarming rate. I'm sure if you just turned your back on them for a minute two more sprouted. The holiday arrived and strict instructions were given on what to do, when to water along with what could be picked and what needed to be left ready for the show. I must admit that as soon as the hot Mediterranean sun hit my face all thoughts of the plot and the impending show completely left my head.

After two very lazy weeks sitting, drinking, eating and doing not much else it was back down to earth. Within a couple of hours of the plan landing we were back to the plot to see what was happening as there was only a week before the show now. On first sight I thought: this isn't my greenhouse, it looks like they are filming a new episode of the Day of the Triffids in there. When you opened the door and tried to get in the tomatoes had taken over to such an extent that a machete was needed. But not to worry; after a few hours of cutting back everything was looking good again and there were even some good specimens ready for the show.

All that week I feverously strode around the plot measuring and feeling everything; was it long enough, was it red enough, was it good enough? The beans were picked daily and put into the fridge all wrapped up awaiting their fateful destiny with the judges, the cucumber were being constantly turned so they were an even green all over and the courgettes still grew at an alarming rate.

After the final days' boasting about each others' prospective chances at the show, (Heavyweight boxers could have taken lessons from us) the final picking was to be done on the night before the show. Quite why two full grown men should feel the need on a warm summer's evening to drive across Worthing to pick tomatoes etc at nearly 9.30pm is quiet beyond me, but what fine specimens they were (The veg and not us that is).

Then, the day was here….

I decided that perhaps I should get the last few cucumbers from my plot just to make sure that I had the best I could but really I should wait for the sun to come up before going to get them! After several minutes washing and preparing the veg and rechecking the RHS guide to see that they were indeed World class, we set off to put everything out on display, stopping at my brother's house to take their entries too as they had to work and look after the children. But imagine my shock when I arrived at their house to find his tomatoes swaddled and yes, I really do mean this, swaddled in cotton wool. Was he really taking this a bit too seriously or should I have searched the internet for a "Show Veg in Transit" sign for the car.

Upon reaching the show venue my mind was put at ease as most people had done as we had and just turned up with their produce in boxes wrapped in newspaper. Ok, maybe I did use a cool bag and not a box but the principle's still the same. Plates were gathered, prepared black cloth was readied for the collection of vegetables (Novice class off course) and everything was looking good.

Our neighbourly growing "great" was on hand to offer a kind word and to say how he thought it was so good to see so many new faces this year and to say he had not entered nearly as many categories this year, which got me thinking maybe just maybe there was a chance for me.

And then it was over and all we had to do was wait now for the judging.

Oh these were long hours of waiting! How would I ever manage to get through these hours without frayed nerves? Maybe a visit to see the new addition to a friend's family born only that week would help, but, alas, no. Still my mind was drawn back to the ever constant thought "He'd better not win more than me!" At the appointed hour we drove up to the car park, parked our car and waited for my brother and his family to arrive, as it had been agreed that we would all go in together to see what was the outcome.

It was busy upon getting into the hall and worst of all was to come. The first category we were to get to was the tomatoes and even though I say it myself his were better than mine. Maybe next year I should wrap mine in cotton wool as well. "Look at that!" he explained, "third place, what a result!" I couldn't believe it - he was already one prize up on me. After much congratulating and looks at all the other exhibits I turned to my other half looking for some sympathy but no she'd gone. No, wait, I can see her now and she's smiling from ear to ear. What could this be? "You're never going to believe this," she says. "come over to the cucumbers". I get there and to my utter astonishment that trip to the allotment at 6 o'clock that morning had paid off: 1st place, I was ecstatic! Read that, younger brother, I have a first place to your 3rd, I am a veg growing God, and I had some how beaten our aforementioned growing great into second place!

We were now like kids in a free all you could eat sweet shop going from class to class seeing if any other prizes had been won. The beans that had seemed so perfect that morning had gone all stringy and nothing was won there but there was still the novice collection of veg in the back hall to check - Could this be a crowning moment with another win? Alas, this was not to be but a second place was still rewards enough, even if there was only two of us entered for the class.

With a nice warm feeling we left after much back slapping and numerous calls to friends to let them know how great we were. It was a tremendous day and we partied like the gods we were that night; well a Chinese take-away and a few drinks anyway. Will we be back next year… you bet!

Matt Ellis

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