Page 65 - Simply Vegetables Summer 2023

Irish Section
RAYMOND HIGGINS FNVS, NVS IRELAND CHAIR
At the time of writing, we are looking forward to attending and exhibiting our fruit and vegetables and meeting up
with friends at the various shows around the country. It was a slow start to the season with very cold and wet weather, but all the seeds are now sown, and much of our time is spent watering and weeding. Try to water the root of the plant and avoid getting water on any blooms or foliage of the plant. Weeds can be detrimental to your garden. They will compete with your plants for nutrients and usually win the war. Be sure to make it a point to pull weeds from your garden at least once a
week. As soon as you see new weeds poking through
the mulch, remove them.
A warm welcome to our new members, many of which include show societies in Ireland. We wish you every success with your upcoming shows.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us, as we are always happy to help.
We had 4 candidates sit the NVS Judge’s Theory exam on March 4th. Many thanks
to all who helped on the day and especially to Margaret Prendergast who took the role of invigilator. Our sincere thanks also to
the NVS judges’ examination board. The second part of the exam is the practical test, which is held once a year, usually in each branch. We held the practical exam last October but are not in a position to stage the exam again this year. We are committed to facilitate the exam again in 2024.
Our next meeting and AGM will be at Tullamore show, August 13th, 11am in the steward’s marque. The steward’s marquee can be difficult to find so we will meet members at the horticulture marquee and walk over to the venue together. If any member would like to join our committee, you would be most welcome as many hands make light work! If you would like to include an item for the agenda, we would request that you submit this in writing to our secretary Michael Gordan by July 23RD.
We are very grateful to the committee of Tullamore Show for their support to the NVS in Ireland over the years. We have been allocated a space in the horticulture marquee where members will be on hand and available to answer questions and promote the society. Tullamore Show also
hosts the All-Ireland Championships finals along with a large selection of classes. We wish all our members and the show every success.
It will be our great honour to stage the inaugural Irish NVS Championships on Sunday 27th August. We are very grateful to Reggie Mitchell and the committee of Moate Show in facilitating us and providing us with this venue. Moate Show is another top-quality show and very accessible as
a central location from all parts of Ireland. We are most grateful to all who have supported us with sponsorship. We would encourage as many members as possible to
participate. We have a generous prize fund, wonderful rosettes, and trophies for the winners of our eight championship classes. Included will be “The Chairman Challenge” for a dish of 3 Falco Turnips grown from the free seeds kindly provided by DT Brown, to every member with the winter magazine. This will be a new challenge for all our members to try and we wish you every success.
We very much look forward to welcoming you all to Moate Show on August 27th which will be a very proud day for the NVS in Ireland.
Back Row – Reggie Mitchell, Sean Egan, Margaret Prendergast, Raymond Higgins, Front Row – Michael Gordon and Elizabeth Ross
NVS Ireland 200 Club
Sincere thanks to everyone who has supported the “200 Club” by buying and selling tickets, your support makes a big difference. A special word of thanks to our promoter Sean Egan.
Below are the first three months draw results, congratulations to our winners.
It not too late to join the club for 2023, entry forms are available to download
in the “Resources” section of the NVS website and you can post your €10 (which covers entry to all draws for the year) to Sean Egan, Tarmons East, Tarbert, Co.Kerry, V31ET28. (Cheques payable to The National Vegetable Society of Ireland)
Month
1st Prize – €60
2nd Prize – €20
March
Adrian Clifford
Michael McNamara
April
Rob Dundon
Corofin North Clare Show
May
Rob Dundon
Mary Boylan
Monthly draws will continue until December. If you’re not in, you can’t win!
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