Page 52 - Simply Vegetables Summer 2022

East Yorkshire District Association
Our first meeting of 2022, the AGM, was held at the end of January. The
key issues discussed and decided were: – retain the existing Committee in their current appointed posts, change banks if possible in order to reduce
our banking charges, defer decisions
on monthly speakers beyond August following a review at the end of July 2022 of relative costs and attendance figures, raise meeting attendance ‘donations’ from £2 to £3/individual per meeting as from February 2022 to help defray the increasing cost of speaker fees, discontinue the award of physical trophies at our DA Show apart from suitable one or more Novice awards, NVS Plaque and NVS Silver Medal and, in their place, issue trophy cards bearing images of the named trophy to be awarded for selected classes.
Our February meeting featured Peter Williams who presented - A Year in a Woodland Garden which was a very interesting talk about what will grow in the acid soils of his garden at Weathervane House, Seaton Ross near York. He talked about the various plants that will provide seasonal colour and interest in this habitat together with lots of anecdotal information. Of particular benefit to those who had not brought pen and paper with them, was the handout sheet of all the Latin names of the plants that he covered, in chronological order beginning with Summer and ending with Spring highlight varieties. This will make searching for seeds and plants so much easier for our audience members! He also mentioned that he opens his garden
to the public as part of Castle Howard’s Arboretum Trust T/A Yorkshire Arboretum.
Of the many gems of information given by Peter one or two stand out in the memory. Firstly, Yellow-rattle is an annual plant that thrives in grasslands, living
a semi-parasitic life by feeding off the
nutrients in the roots of nearby grasses. For this reason, it was once seen as an indicator of poor grassland by farmers
but is now often used to turn improved grassland back to meadow - by feeding
off the vigorous grasses, it eventually allows more delicate, traditional species
to push their way through. Secondly, lily beetle larvae cover themselves with their own excrement to deter predation by
birds. Thirdly, for some species of plants, seed dispersal is carried out by ants who harvest the ripened seeds to feed their ant colonies. They do not actually eat the seed itself which remains intact and is eventually discarded but feed on the nutritious fat/oil body surrounding the seed
plants to help avoid the dreaded mildew attacks. They prefer a soil pH of about 5.5 to 7.5. In March, Graeme feeds his plants with a basic blood, fish and bone mixture together with some added Q4. He grows his plants in cages which offer protection from mice and birds. Other important
pests are gooseberry sawfly larvae and wasps. Frost in his part of the world can still occur up until early June so he uses fleece protection for the leaves and flowers. Graeme maintains that the earlier the flower forms, the bigger the fruit is likely to grow which is why protection of the flowers is considered vital. He uses foliar feeds based on liquid seaweed and potash, but
called an elaiosome. Our March meeting
featured Graeme Watson who came to talk to us about the world of growing giant gooseberries. Graeme is perhaps better known for his prize-winning carrots and other vegetables
Gooseberries need to be grown with roughly 1.5m spacing
great care must be taken to avoid berry burst caused by overfeeding and watering. Careful thinning of the berries is also important in order to achieve maximum potential size.
Growing giant gooseberries requires certain special varieties and not the normal culinary forms. Graeme advised
at all the top shows but
he now seems to have
moved over into the specialist world of gooseberry growing. In the photo, Graeme is seen proudly displaying his Guinness World Records Certificate for growing
the heaviest ever single berry which was shown at the Egton Bridge Gooseberry Show back in 2019. Graeme is the current chairman of this show which can trace its origins back to 1800 and is always held
on the first tuesday in August each year! The website gives further details of the various classes available to contest, useful background information as well as a history of this event.
Gooseberries need to be grown with roughly 1.5m spacing because they have extensive root systems and they also need sufficient air circulation around the
that Rogers of Pickering could offer some varieties but a newcomer to growing and showing heavyweight gooseberries would probably do better to obtain a cutting or young plant from a club member. There are four different colours available for showing. Varieties to look out for are Woodpecker and Millennium, both yellow; Lord Derby, Lloyd George and Kingfisher, all red; Bank View, a green and Belmarsh and Newton Wonder, both white.
It was a fascinating look into a different world for most of our members and anyone interested in competing is invited to contact Graeme as they are always keen to attract new competitors to their Show and visitors to their village and surroundings.
Our April meeting featured John Bebbington (ably supported by his wife Coral) who came to talk about Allotment Growing for the Show and the Kitchen. Hailing from Worleston, a village situated between Nantwich and Crewe, John regularly exhibits at Tatton and other major venues using produce grown primarily on
Graeme Watson –
Peter Williams from York
John Bebbington from Cheshire
52 Simply Vegetables
World record-holder, single Gooseberry