Page 62 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2023

Hants DA
We held the annual Hants DA plant
sale at Wellow in May. The sale was
well supported despite also having
a remarkably successful sale at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair at Beaulieu only a few weeks earlier. We are always humbled by the generosity of our members growing plants for us to sell, especially this year when the cost of compost and electricity had risen so steeply. As well as a great revenue stream for Hants DA, we love the plant sale at Wellow because it is a great place to catch up with everyone. We have regular supporters who come every year and make the event special to us. Many thanks to everyone who contributes or purchases plants at our Wellow plant sale and to everyone who helps out on the day.
Our open garden event was at the beginning of July. Our thanks to Ann
and Bob Brown for hosting this event. Unfortunately, apart from the committee and the Brown family, we only had four guests: many thanks to them for coming. Nevertheless, we had a pleasant time catching up and enjoying plenty of cake and a raffle. For 2024, we are looking at giving the open garden a rest and having a trip to West Dean Gardens in West Sussex instead.
At the end of July, Hants DA was very busy with the NVS Southern Branch Championships and Open Show at the New Forest and Hampshire County
Show. It went particularly well with a high percentage of entries making it on to the show bench. See the full report elsewhere in this issue but particular thanks go to all our Hants DA members who entered the show and congratulations to those who did well. Tony and Penny Stevens, John Trim, Bob Marsh, Malvin and Lyn Ward and Helen Cox whose exhibits were all placed.
Celebrating winning the scarecrow competition
It was a wonderful show, especially given the challenges for growers this year.
Hants DA naturally take the lead running the show as it is local to us, and we have
a brilliant crew from Hants DA who work hard and get a “thank you” in the separate report. However, I would like to give a special mention to our friends from other DAs who come to help us set up, staff the show and strip down the show afterwards. Keith Hine from Surrey DA, Jan Lovell
from Essex DA, Ian Clemens from Devon, Brenda Hope and Donald Chester from Midlands DA, thank you, we love having you on the team.
We were particularly delighted to win the New Forest Show’s scarecrow competition. The team made wonderful use of CR III and his Royal Roots over the course of
the show and children loved having their photo taken with him. Eagle eyed visitors would have noticed a couple of entries by CR III on the show bench. It was all a bit of fun and we entered the competition with high hopes, but no expectations so were incredibly happy to win. We were presented
CR III royal roots on the showbench
with a red rosette and a bottle of sparkling wine at the Show’s Closing Ceremony. With 11 glasses to go round every member of the break-down team, we only had a couple of mouthfuls each, but it was lovely to celebrate our novelty win and the end of another highly successful show.
We have the Hants DA annual vegetable and flower show coming up and are very much looking forward to welcoming all our exhibitors. More on that in the next issue of SV.
We look forward to seeing you at our future meetings. Feel free to bring guests as non-members are also most welcome. Ali Clarke
Hants DA - Secretary
MEETINGS
Venue: Sherfield English Village Hall, Salisbury Road, Sherfield English, Romsey SO51 6FL unless otherwise stated.
• 10 October – “Peat Free Growing Media – A Manufacturer’s Perspective by Catherine Dawson from Melcourt Composts
• 14Nov–“ADayintheLifeofa Head Gardener” by Fran Clifton, head gardener at the Sir Harold Hillier Garden in Hampshire
• 12Dec–AGM
CR III celebrates another successful show
Tony Steven’s DT Brown Collection
62 Simply Vegetables