The season is underway.....

......for me it is at any rate. I always like to see the passing of the 21st December as the shortest day. It's purely a psychological thing but the fact that the days are getting longer means it won't be long before we can be back in the garden.

Today I intend to pot up my shallots....3" square pots with some multi-purpose compost and the bulbs just nestled in to about a third of their depth. I shall water the pots before I place the bulbs in them and then leave them in a cold greenhouse, not watering again for as long as I can hold my nerve so that the roots go out in search of every drop of moisture. You can do this anytime from the middle of December, but I never find any problems by leaving them until now. They all seem to get harvested at the same time.

2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the National Vegetable Society so the Nationals at Dundee should be something special. I doubt I will be able to get there but Malvern should also have some excellent stuff too.

When I first started this blog I gave myself the brief of trying to explain things to newcomers and beginners to the show scene. I had been frustrated in the early days of my own attempts at showing and was not able to get clear information on how things were done. Medwyn's column in GN is excellent but I do find that he doesn't adequately explain the basics for a virgin shower to understand. There is a distinct lack of literature on the subject and I couldn't find anything much online, hence I started this blog. I couldn't resist using it to have a laugh along the way too, as well as the odd rant at life's little injustices.....especially traffic wardens the bastards.

So in 2010 I'd like to reiterate that if anyone has a question they'd like answering, no matter how daft they think it might sound then I will always get back to you with an answer and a photo if necessary. I have a few top, top growers in my contact list these days and to a man they always provide me with top quality advice when asked. I think most of them realise that the only way to keep the hobby alive is give of yourself freely.

Happy New Year fellow showers.