What if.........?

I'm sometimes asked which varieties are best for showing and then asked where these can be purchased as they are often not available from the large seed merchants. I buy my seed from Medwyns, Sheeley Seeds, and ESP (potatoes) but it got me thinking whether you could compete by only sourcing your seed from the likes of T&M, Suttons, Dobies etc.

I think the short answer is yes you can but you would have to have grown them exceptionally well to compete against seed which has been bred specifically for the showbench. Indeed, some seed which started off as showbench favourites such as Red Ace beetroot and Gladiator parsnip have now found their way into several catalogues.

If I had to go one season only purchasing seed from the 'garden centre' stockists these would be the varieties I would choose. I have chosen from Thompson & Morgan's seed list.

Onion Marco (small classes only)
Long Carrot Yellowstone
Stump carrot Kingston
Parsnip Gladiator
Tomatoes Shirley
Leek Musselburgh .......you'd have to sow early in heat though and grow under cover
Cauli Clapton
Marrow BadgerCross
Beetroot Red Ace
Runner beans Enorma
French beans The Prince
Cucumber Carmen
Cabbage Kilaton
Celery Victoria
Lettuce Webb's Wonderful
Peas Cavalier
Potatoes Kestrel & Winston
Shallots Longor

Quite a reasonable selection there I think and I'd be confident of putting up a good show at local level. However, I still maintain it's worth paying a little bit more for that personal touch and to guarantee selected seed that will definitely perform for you.