Page 54 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2024/25

Southern Branch
Jersey DA
I often forget the number of years that I’ve been judging the customer and local services annual fun carrot competition, which has always been held, on the upper outside floor at La Motte Street in Jersey.
Last Septembers, fun carrot competition could very well be
the last, before they move from La Motte Street to the new government building on Union Street.
However, I can honestly say that this was their best year for growing carrots since I’ve been judging. There is no doubt that the 17 teams who took part, produced some really good carrots, that would have been tended over the summer months, since the seeds were sown last May. The top team who stood out and won first prize was the Fabulous-Foundations.
I am pleased, that customer and local services have enjoyed their annual carrot growing competitions, which has been part of their
social and well-being program for colleagues that have had some perfect outside space in the building to grow their carrots.
MEMBERS 50000 TO 59999
Chairman’s Report
It is somewhat difficult to mention in these reports events that occurred sometime in the past due to the need for copy to be finalised and sent to our Editor over two months before the SV is due to be published and be sent to our members, and what I am about
to mention occurred nearly 5 weeks before the Autumn SV is due to be sent in October 2024, so now nearly four months old.
Both NVS members involved are fully aware that I will be including this in my report as I mentioned it to them at the time, so here goes. We are always stressing the need to exhibitors that they must read and understand the Schedule when exhibiting their vegetables and then to check that
the staged veg are correct. Imagine my surprise when I attended the Edenbridge and Oxted Show on Sunday 24th August only to find that two of our most successful NVS members had their entry into the Championship Onion Class consisting of three exhibition onions, four onions 250g or under and six exhibition shallots classified as NAS, Not As Schedule. Both Barry Newman and Chris Spree had only put three onions under 250g not the requisite four, and their excuse was that it was late when they were staging. In Barry’s own words, it must be a case of “do as I say not do as I do” I must say that had they staged correctly then they would probably have received place cards.
The Sussex DA were once again involved in the organising of the SEAS Autumn Horticultural Show held in the Robins Building, and this year it was all down to Paul Dalby as I was fully committed to the NVS National Championships being held in the Abergavenny Building. Helping Paul were Richard Hilson and Gordon and Dilly Cooper as well as some of the stewards from the Nat Champs moving across to assist as required. There is a report of the SEAS competition in the Sussex DA Report elsewhere.
The NVS National Championships were held at the South of England Showground in Ardingly over the weekend of 21st and 22nd September 2024, which will be a distant memory by the time that you read this. A full report with results of the National Championships appears elsewhere in this edition.
We are now in the traditional period where our growing and showing plans
for 2025 will be in full swing, and in some cases early sowings will already have taken
place. Most ground preparation work will have been done in the hope of some good frosts to help break up the sods and more importantly, some good spells of cold weather to kill off diseases. No doubt there will be some harvesting of winter crops remaining, where the ground will require some late preparation for the forthcoming season. On a personal basis where I am concentrating more on container growing, my AutoPots will have been cleaned
and serviced as will my other growing containers. I have two of raised beds that will be prepared for runner beans and French beans and a couple of dustbins
for growing carrots for the table ready for half filling with compost in February and to get the first sowing under way in one of them. I find that growing carrots like this defeats the carrot root fly as they tend not to fly up and over the rim of the dustbin. The greenhouse usually gets cleaned and disinfected just before Christmas with the heated sand beds filled with washed sharp sand and tested and the LED grow lights also cleaned and tested.
As always, I close by wishing that you had a good growing (and showing?) season and enjoyed the fruits of your labour. I also wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and good growing in 2025.
Norman Dickinson FNVS Southern Branch Chairman
Surrey DA
Winter: a time to reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the new season.
We enjoyed an entertaining and informative programme of talks in 2024 organised by Beth Otway our marvellous Events Secretary. Being able to engage with vegetable growers (of all ages!) and share our enthusiasm and knowledge has, for me, been a major attraction of being part of the Surrey DA.
But with so few volunteers available we missed promoting the Vegetable Society at RHS Wisley and other venues; visiting interesting organisations such as Tozer Seeds and Autopot and showcasing how beautiful and delicious vegetables can be with mini shows and displays. The allure of Daphne Hope’s cakes plus the skills and techniques that Keith Hine and Neil Hope have shared have encouraged many to take up vegetable growing.
While a small cohort of regulars attended the meetings, at the time of writing
no volunteers have come forward to keep the group going and I am also stepping down. Unless members come forward to run the Surrey DA it will close at the 2025 AGM. So please email surreynvssecretary@outlook.com if you can contribute to keeping the Surrey DA alive before we formally close the DA at our AGM on 8th February 2025 at East Horsley Village Hall, Kingston Ave, East Horsley, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT24 6QT. I hope you will join us in thanking those who have contributed to the group’s success and commemorating their achievements.
Moira Mannas, Surrey DA Secretary
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