Page 59 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2023

Southern Branch
MEMBERS 50000 TO 59999
Chairman’s Report
Sussex DA
At our last committee meeting we welcomed back Norman Dickinson after his recent illness.
Ideas were put forward for the future and these included a possible visit to Caley Brothers in the Autumn to see their Mushroom enterprise. Details to follow.
Several members went down to the New Forest Show and helped Steward on the first day. Gordon Cooper was one of the Judges this year and commented how interesting he found it. Entries were well up this year as things get back to normal.
Our DA Mini Show on September 13th is closely followed by the South of England Society (SEAS) Autumn show on 23rd and 24th September when we are again running the vegetable competition. SEAS are again giving one free entry to each exhibitor. Both schedules have been sent out and can also be sourced from me. We shall also try and
get all exhibitors to complete the NVS Exhibitor Survey on reduced quantities in certain classes at the National Championships.
Our November meeting on 8th will be “Bring and Eat” where members supply a plate of food and our Treasurer supplies the wine.
All meetings are at Ashurst Village Hall, 7.00pm for 7.30pm and visitors are welcome. More details can be obtained from me.
Brian Jeffries, Hon Secretary Tel: 01342 328719 or email: bjeff89641@btinternet.com
I will start with the favourite conversation subject of the British,
the weather. Down here in Sussex, the winter period was just slightly colder than in previous years although sunshine levels were up slightly.
After a fairly dry summer and autumn this pattern did continue throughout the winter period. Spring was a lot wetter
with very little sunshine although the temperature was about normal. This all changed in June with record temperatures being recorded and very little rainfall, little did we know that July would almost be the opposite with below average temperatures and above average rainfall. What the rest of the year will bring we just have to wait and see. All this data is being recorded using my own weather station located on the allotment. But of course, in your neck of the woods it was almost certainly different to where I am.
Depending on the SV magazine publication date, the Southern Branch will have either just held or will be about to hold
its first NVS judges exam
since the mid-late 2010’s.
A number of our Southern
Branch members have
been showing interest in
taking the judges exam
over the past couple of
years, including yours truly, so now they will have the chance, so I wish them all good luck. I must thank John and Sally Trim for being instrumental in holding the exam and for Sally to act as Invigilator. Thanks also go to Ian Clemens and Keith Hine who will be judging the exam exhibits to set
the practical pass baseline. John, Ian and Keith have also agreed to source suitable vegetables and set the whole thing up.
The end of July saw a very successful Southern Branch Championships and New Forest Open Show at the New Forest and Hampshire County Show in Brockenhurst. Thanks go to Ali Clarke and her willing band of helpers who made it a show to be proud of and I look forward in anticipation to the next show in 2024. Ali will be presenting a separate report for this issue of SV, so I will leave it at that. Before I do however, I would like to thank Graeme le Marquand for flying over from Jersey to be one of the show judges, it was good to see you in person once again and thank you for all of the hard work that you do for the
Jersey DA.
One other person that I was able to meet
at the show was our new Treasurer, Helen Cox. Zoom committee meetings are great but they are no real substitute for meeting people face to face and this had been the first opportunity for us to actually meet in person.
In the Spring 2022 edition of SV I reported that the Southern Branch would be hosting the 2024 NVS National Championships
at RHS Gardens Wisley on 21st and 22nd September 2024. Circumstances have dictated that we will not be holding the 2024 Championships at Wisley but I can report that the South of England Agricultural Society (SEAS) have kindly agreed to us holding the Championships at the Ardingly Showground and to be held as part of
the South of England Autumn Show and International Horse Trials on 21st and 22nd
September 2024. There are on-site camping facilities at Ardingly together with a network of hotels in the Haywards Heath and Crawly/ Gatwick area. With the extensive remodelling of the A3/M25 junction and access to RHS Gardens Wisley that will still be in progress up to 2025 this is seen to be a good move
by some as currently it can take more than an hour to get in and out of Wisley.
The landing on the mat of the Autumn edition of SV pretty much marks the end of the showing season where thoughts turn as to what to grow for show the following year. For those who do not show this is
the time of the year to start planning what and how much to grow for the table and
to turn the ground over (or not in the case of “no dig” gardening) for winter. There
is nothing more enjoyable than sitting indoors on a cold wet evening with a glass of something warming and perusing the seed catalogues, whether they be on-line or hard copy delivered to your door. Tools and machinery need to be cleaned and serviced, pots and seed trays to be cleaned, sorted and stacked away, greenhouse
and polytunnel tidied up, cleaned and disinfected ready for the new year ready
for the cycle to begin all over again. Norman Dickinson F.N.V.S.
Southern Branch Chairman
Zoom committee meetings are great but they are no real substitute for meeting people face to face
Simply Vegetables 59