Page 37 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2023

Letters
Dear Kelvin,
I was surprised, amazed (and ashamed at my skill level!) at the results of my exhibition carrots Sweet Candle. I used my usual method of boring holes and my usual compost mix.
I’ve never had a result anything like this before. I can only assume the heatwaves we had in the South with temperatures over 40°C may have had something to do with it.
Luckily, I was not relying on these to enter shows they would not have won anything anyway!
However, the benefit was the bulk amount of carrots I had for the dinner table!
Tony Hills
One way of getting plenty of carrots for
the table! Have any other members had
a similar problem last year? The common cause of forking is adding fresh compost or manure to the carrot bed or stones blocking the carrots tap root, this seems unlikely if Tony was growing in bored holes in compost – Ed
Sir,
I’m not quite sure where Simon is coming from in his letter re: reducing the quantities in classes of root vegetables. On the one hand he appears to justify it on the basis of reducing the work load for an ageing population of senior exhibitors; on the other he appears to argue that it mayencouragemoregrowerstoexhibitat the top level. Regardless, he raises some interesting points.
The single factor that he concentrates on is the amount of time required to grow and prepare vegetables for exhibition. I would suggest this is a simplistic view
in that time is only one of three factors which, in my experience, are necessary to attempt to be successful in any walk of life.
I would identify them as follows: resources, time and the most important of the three, encouragement.
Without the resources, it is challenging to achieve anything, regardless of the abundance of the last two factors. Growing for show at any level requires our produce to be afforded an optimum environment. With the diminishing size
of gardens and lack of allotments, the space available to provide this is reduced. Having grown vegetables to the required standard, it then becomes a numbers game to produce enough for the class
in question which requires space. This in itself is an argument for reducing the
numbers. Does it mean that you are really any better a gardener if you exhibit a plate of five perfect specimens rather than three? Or, have you just got a larger garden?
The point Simon makes about time is perfectly valid. I never cease to be amazed how long it takes me to lift and prepare my exhibitsforourlocalshow–thecouple
of hours I allow myself always extends to a whole afternoon. In respect of growing time, I’m not sure that it is as valid, after all most of the growing is done un-aided. Our time involvement is about providing the optimum conditions for growth. Certainly, there is a minimum time requirement that those with busy lifestyles may not have.
In which case it becomes a choice of growing the “easier” varieties or showing at a lower level if you intend exhibiting or growing just for the table (which lets face it, is the first step to exhibiting at all)
If Simon is advocating reducing
the number of exhibits as away of encouraging newcomers into the higher echelons of the show scene, I doubt this will have the desired effect. As I said earlier, I believe encouragement to be the biggest factor in aspiring to success. I am very fortunate to have been enthused by a highly successful NVS exhibitor and judge from the Midlands. He has always answered my questions and more. I have been able to take his advice and modify it
to the resources and time I have available (my garden is 1200 feet above sea level) such that I have enjoyed success at my local shows. It was this that prompted me to join the NVS with a view to entering larger shows.
Since joining, I have visited a couple to see if I can pick up any tips before taking the“Bigstep”.Theconversationwiththe “Men in green Tee-shirts” was fine when
it first started but as soon as they realized I wasn’t a novice, it quickly ended. Indeed, I quote from Ron Nuttall’s article on growing mixtures used for exhibition in the most recent edition of Simply Vegetables “These formulae are suitable for most root veg ...... possibly with magic bits missed out” As long as this attitude prevails, potential newcomers to the show scene will be deterred regardless of how many exhibits are required in a class. There is a big difference between telling somebody what you do and them going away and implementing it successfully.
I will admit though, reducing the number of exhibits required would make life easier for me (and no doubt, others who garden in a challenging environment) if and when I pick up the courage to enter an exhibition tent where to date, I don’t feel welcome.
Regards,
R. Dunkley
Simply Vegetables 37