Page 43 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2024/25

what he could do to prevent his celery from always getting heart rot. The panel
of experts in 2023 comprised of Mark Hall, Alistair Gray, Gareth Hopcroft (of Ecothrive) and Jim Williams. The experts collectively advised that Jim’s celery most probably had a Calcium deficiency and should use Cal Mag and calcium Nitrate alternatively once per week, so he tried this in 2024 and he was grateful that he was able to show celery at every competition through the whole of September. At time of writing, Jim was also planning to bench some on Nov 2nd at the Kelso Autumn Show too. Ian Simpson won the Peas class and French Beans in the local Harrogate Autumn Show. Ted Low achieved 6th with his Large Exhibition onions from a high-quality class of 11 exhibits. Ian Simpson won the turnip class (with Sweet Bell) , the purple podded peas and the small fruited tomato class with an orange coloured tomato called Honeycomb, which tastes great and splits less than Sungold. Ian also achieved a
3rd in the chilli class and a 3rd in the 15 point and under class. Fiona Shenfield was chuffed to win the trug of vegetables with
some high quality veg, including a Navona F1 Romanesco (seed kindly provided to our members by Medwyn’s of Anglesey). Jim Pearson also achieved 3rd in the purple podded pea class, 2nd with two swede turnips and 3rd in the pointed cabbage. Ian Simpson, Grace Pearson’s and Keith Brand’s were also advised
that they had each won
a free year ’s subscription for the Kitchen Graden Magazine (from a prize draw of all exhibitors). What a great prize.
roads on the way down, bar a plague of locusts! Rain, wind, smoke, diversions, accidents and fire in the way, but they
all made it one piece, and boy, what a show and what great results. Niall Currie led the charge by winning six red tickets; the Six Veg Collection (which he has
One week further on
and our intrepid Scottish
Branch explorers, headed
further down south to
Ardingly in Sussex for the
National Championships.
The various journeys were tough with, Jim and Grace Pearson travelling from Whitburn, Niall Currie from Rothesay
and Ian Simpson and Fiona Shenfield travelling from Kinghorn, with a few veg pick-ups on the way. Our members were met with just about every obstacle on the
who went on the Scottish Branch Annual Garden visit this year, we saw Mark’s onions growing in individual pots and visited Niall’s garden to see how he grows such wonderful veg. (SV Autumn edition Pages 44-45). Niall also achieved a 3rd place with his Long beetroot, variety Regar.
Rain, wind, smoke, diversions, accidents and fire in the way, but they all made it
now won three years
in a row), The 20 Point
Veg Collection, Blanch Leeks (also awarded most meritorious exhibit), variety; Boulsworth, Cauliflower, SV5818AC and Pot Leeks, variety JSN2 and Large Exhibition Onions, Kelsae. Mark McCormack, from Rothsay achieved 2nd
in the Large Exhibition Onions. If you recall, those
Simply Vegetables 43