Monday, 19 September 2011
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Quinquennial review
Those of you with long memories will realise that this year's annual show was our fifth.
The Working Party on Key Performance Metrics (Annual Show) has conducted an analysis of the entries and results over the five-year period.
2007
The Working Party on Key Performance Metrics (Annual Show) has conducted an analysis of the entries and results over the five-year period.
2007
- one entry
- one 2nd Prize
- 30p profit
- four entries
- one 2nd Prize, two 3rd Prizes
- 30p loss
- seven entries
- two 1st Prizes, one 2nd Prize, two 3rd Prizes
- 110p profit
- seven entries
- two 2nd Prizes, one 3rd Prize
- 40p loss
- five entries
- two 1st Prizes, including MacMillan Trophy, one Highly Commended
- 100p profit
- 24 entries
- four 1st Prizes, including one MacMillan Trophy, five 2nd Prizes, five 3rd Prizes, one Highly Commended
- 170p profit (although it should be stressed that we're not in it for the money)
- potatoes: one 1st Prize (heaviest), one 2nd Prize (Novice)
- onions from seed: one 2nd Prize
- garlic: two 1st Prizes, including MacMillan Trophy, one 3rd Prize, one 3rd Prize (Novice)
- apples: one 3rd Prize (Novice)
- courgettes (zucchini): one 3rd Prize
- tomatoes: one 1st Prize (Novice)
- raspberries: one 2nd Prize, one 2nd Prize (Novice), one Highly Commended
- hand-knit jumper (sweater): one 3rd Prize
- any other vegetable: one 2nd Prize (borlotti)
Trophy wife
I know we've left the blog alone for a bit, but here's some news: at today's St Stephens Gardening Club Annual Show – our fifth, more anon – we won a trophy!
This year's results in full:
Picture of the happy couple to follow.
This year's results in full:
coloured potatoes (5) – no prize, but a Post-It Note read: "beautiful potatoes – a bit large for exhibition"
heaviest potato (998 grams) – 1st Prize!
garlic (5) – 1st Prize and (get this) MacMillan Trophy for best exhibit in Class 1 (vegetables)!
raspberries (12) – Highly Commended
- chard – nothing.
Picture of the happy couple to follow.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
30 January 2011 - Shaping up
Today we did some good preparation for the season ahead. 2 good hours - the longest we have spent on the plot for what seems like months! Very invigorating and good to reconnect with our little patch of earth
The beds with green manure have all now been dug over and extra manure added if appropriate. The carrot bed had all our left over growbags dumped in it. We hope this will give our roots the conditions they need. Note - parsnips too, as they fork if the ground is too rich. Another bed doomed to grow brassicas was limed and similarly dug through. Two beds are now covered in plastic to warm them up.
N did his pruning thang with the apple trees (note - we shall wrap them up once they start budding to avoid the disaster of late frost last year). After pondering he left the plum and cherry just in case this is not the right time of year for them. He dug up two very invasive raspberries to donate to our new allotmenteers, Chris and Dave, and cut down the remaining plants to the ground.
Our potatoes, purchased in Ayletts, are starting to chit. This year we are growing Sarpo Mira x 10, Sante x 10 and King Edward x 10 (maincrop), Anya x 5 (second early) and Arran Pilot again x 5, Rocket x 10 (first early). I shall post a picture of them chitting for your viewing pleasure.
The mousetraps continue to trap the pesky vermin and - sadly - we suspect one robin.
No sign yet of the garlic we planted recently and the strange old garlic is looking good.
Weather note: cool and cloudy, not unpleasant. Not anywhere near Spring-like that. We hunker down and hope.
The beds with green manure have all now been dug over and extra manure added if appropriate. The carrot bed had all our left over growbags dumped in it. We hope this will give our roots the conditions they need. Note - parsnips too, as they fork if the ground is too rich. Another bed doomed to grow brassicas was limed and similarly dug through. Two beds are now covered in plastic to warm them up.
N did his pruning thang with the apple trees (note - we shall wrap them up once they start budding to avoid the disaster of late frost last year). After pondering he left the plum and cherry just in case this is not the right time of year for them. He dug up two very invasive raspberries to donate to our new allotmenteers, Chris and Dave, and cut down the remaining plants to the ground.
Our potatoes, purchased in Ayletts, are starting to chit. This year we are growing Sarpo Mira x 10, Sante x 10 and King Edward x 10 (maincrop), Anya x 5 (second early) and Arran Pilot again x 5, Rocket x 10 (first early). I shall post a picture of them chitting for your viewing pleasure.
The mousetraps continue to trap the pesky vermin and - sadly - we suspect one robin.
No sign yet of the garlic we planted recently and the strange old garlic is looking good.
Weather note: cool and cloudy, not unpleasant. Not anywhere near Spring-like that. We hunker down and hope.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
2 January 2011 - Happy New Year y'all
Happy New Year - and here's to another great year of growing (some) fab produce.
This is by way of a Note for the Archive really rather than a genuine Blog. It is to record that we planted the garlic today - 56 Solent White (Bed 9), 13 Elephant (stalking along on the bank) and 18 Large Solent White (Bed 5). And the strange mutant garlic from yesteryear is still going. We are a little afraid of what it might become.
Weather note: somewhat less cold (a balmy 3 degrees) and cloudy.
Kill record: 3 more stiff little bodies to collect - yay!
This is by way of a Note for the Archive really rather than a genuine Blog. It is to record that we planted the garlic today - 56 Solent White (Bed 9), 13 Elephant (stalking along on the bank) and 18 Large Solent White (Bed 5). And the strange mutant garlic from yesteryear is still going. We are a little afraid of what it might become.
Weather note: somewhat less cold (a balmy 3 degrees) and cloudy.
Kill record: 3 more stiff little bodies to collect - yay!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)