Two shows this weekend...both have to be staged on Sunday morning so there's a lot of running around to do tomorrow. I'm not going mad on entries....maybe 20 at each show but I'm confident I have quality for each and every one, although of course as yet I have no idea how good my carrots and parsnips will be.
I'm going up the allotment tonight to pick some beetroot (and also to check how my megapumpkins are coming along after all this rain and sunshine). My shallots and onions have all been dressed and boxed up ready, my marrows are safely stored in pairs and my display boards have all been given a nice coat of matt black paint.
On the subject of my shallots, I really do have some cracking shaped one's from the bulbs that Dave Thornton gave me. Not huge, but classically flask shaped. My own strain produced humungous bulbs but they all went deformed shapes during drying out. I shall be discarding these next season. The variety Longor that I was trialling all went rotten during drying out and storing so I shan't be growing that variety again either.
I want to be up early tomorrow so that I'm not leaving my spud washing till too late tomorrow. I have about 40 potatoes to clean and each one takes a good 2 or 3 minutes to get to a showable standard.
Before that though I still have roots to extract and wash, tomatoes and cucumbers to pick and store for safe transportation, and dahlias to cut and get into a bucket carrier.
Before each show I like to have a punt at how many classes I think I could win.....I'm going for 9 at Hathern and 8 at Leicester!
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9 comments:
Have a great show season Smithy. I have really enjoyed watching and reading your progress over the year, despite not commenting, and now look forward to watching your results over the next few weeks. All the best
Yet another fan I didn't know I had coming out of the woodwork!
Glad you've enjoyed the blog Robb....makes it all worthwhile. Are you showing yourself?
Simon
Simon,
Yes i'm showing - our own village show is next sunday - i'm show sec, for my sins, and so your comments and support re schedules and show officials over the year have made me smile. We've built the show up over the years and now have a decent standard and good number of competitors - last year we had 709 exhibits from 89 entrants so not bad. If i get any cards i'll be delighted.
Whereabouts in the country is your show Robb? Do you have a website?
Over 700 entries is good going by anyone's standards. I think we had 790 a couple of years ago at Sutton Bonington, but there are 3 or 4 of us who put in 50 odd each!
I think the key is to keep the schedule fresh and up to date, looking for quirky fun classes for novices.
One non veg-related class we have is for a paper plane.....judged on distance flown. We get loads of entries from the village kids but the committee have just as much fun judging it!
Our show is in Sutton Nr Macclesfield, Cheshire.
We always had good support but we wanted to up the standard a bit so a few of us tried to follow Medwyn's tips etc as you do - we even went on one of his veg weekends, can't say the wife and daughter were thrilled but was certainly useful.
Totally agree about the kids - vital if shows are to continue - love the idea about the paper plane - might crib that one next year.
Well best of luck and on behalf of all exhibitors thanks for putting yourself out over the years to stage these shows.
I have to ask though.......how did you manage to get your wife and daughter on a veg showing weekend without having divorce papers served on you as soon as you got back?
My 3 daughters still shudder when they remember being used as flower carriers when they were all little. My middle one recalls the day she was holding a fuchsia that had a spider in it (she hates spiders) but daren't move an inch in case I shouted at her for ruining my plant!
And my wife has spent our last 13 anniversaries helping me to prepare veg.....often having a show on the actual date! I think the appeal is starting to wear off!
It's our 25th in 3 years and she insists on being on holiday that year. God I shall miss her that day! LOL
Hi simon, don't know if this has come through before - but - thanks for your kind words re show organisers - i kind of inherited the show sec job from my dad - god bless him - i'm 41 now and have done 20 shows - dread to think how many i'll have done by the time i chip it !
Thanks for your earlier note - it has made me do something that was well over due - construct a web site - only basic but its a start -www.suttonshow.co.uk
i'll keep watching your progres with interest - regards rob
I shall follow your 2009 show report with interest Robb..
I've added your link to the side of my blog.
Simon
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