Page 47 - Simply Veg 1 2024

Northern Branch
MEMBERS 20000 TO 29999
Chairman’s Report
I am writing this report at the end of October following a very busy show season. I have attended many shows judging and viewing the exhibits displayed. The Monkton Leek and Vegetable Show was once again a show of very high standard and a pleasure to judge. Also, the show at Stanley, County Durham was of excellent quality and well managed.
The main event this year was the National Championships held at Newby Hall, Ripon alongside the Harrogate Autumn Flower show. Thanks to our secretary of the Northern Branch Geoff Wilson who spent hours planning the event and ensuring everything went off well throughout the three days. Along with the show management team they produced a show to be proud of. I was involved in the Harrogate Show side of the event where they specialise in giant vegetables and some quality classes which attract entries from all over the country and also this year from Guernsey where a record-breaking onion came from thanks to Mr Gareth Griffin.
We are delighted to help with the organising of Harrogate section as the two events together gives a fantastic spectacle for the public to admire. The West Yorkshire District Association also put on a fabulous display of vegetables and won a gold medal for their efforts. Well done to all involved.
Overall, at the shows this year the entries were down at the beginning of the season but later shows were well attended and benches were as full as other years.
I am now in the process of putting presentations together to use at various talks I have been asked to attend this winter and early spring. I am still gathering information on various alternatives to peat-based composts and what we can do to grow successfully in the future. The development in growing medium is very slow for the amateur gardener and not much advancement has been made in the
commercial side either as yet as far I can gather.
At work we are well into the winter growing season with the Poinsettia’s showing colour and developing very healthy bushy plants. The Cyclamen are being sold each week from now on and this is a wonderful sight to see each day with benches full of flowering plants. We are sticking cuttings of Senetti (pericallis) most weeks which will be flowering early spring. We are also growing the other seed sown
bedding both annuals and perennials for the nurseries.
The winter months are also a time for general maintenance, cleaning servicing etc. to ensure we get a good start to the season when it kicks back up in the new year.
Let’s hope we can all enjoy a great new year and plenty of success with the gardening.
Adrian Read FNVS
Chairman Northern branch
Simply Vegetables 47