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Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Now there's an offer you can refuse.....

I've now got 15 or so pickling shallots harvested at a gnat's cock under 30mm dia. The rest are catching up fast so I should have plenty to choose from. They inevitably have flat sides where they were growing against their brothers and sisters but they do round up during the ripening process. I leave them outdoors on this wire rack but throw some polythene sheet over them if rain is forecast.



The exhibition shallots have another 3/8" to 1/2" or so to swell out to the 48mm gauge.



The Vento 8oz onions have perked up but are slow to get going.



Sweet Candle stumps under enviromesh covers are coming along nicely.



I hope to grow some better Brigadier cabbages this season by keeping them under green netting to deter pigeons and butterflies. You cannot afford to have any holes in the foliage if you want to exhibit at higher than village level. Growing this way I find that they have a nice waxy bloom.



And finally a poser. I've never grown this crop before. It looks very insignificant at the moment but these tiny seedlings should grow up to 10 feet and produce dozens if not hundreds of specimens all identical in size, shape and colour. Chances are you've never seen them at your local show and indeed I cannot find them listed in the RHS show guide at all so I don't know how many points they'd be worth, but I'm guessing not many. Anyway, first person to answer correctly gets to have rampant sex with me as a reward.







9 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Simon I wondered if you can have a look at the photo on my blog of one of my shallots and give me your opinion cheers Paul

mistyhorizon2003 said...

Can I take a guess at your (potentially 10 feet tall) seedlings photo as being sunflowers??

By the way, I am in my second year of exhibiting my vegetables now and I love it. Here on Guernsey there is only one show a year I can enter, but I work hard for it all the same and am learning loads. Reading your blog has given me loads of new useful information so I am very grateful and will keep on reading.

Thanks

Simon (Smithyveg) said...

Sunflowers? Nooooooo.....cold, very cold LOL

Glad I'm helping with your show growing. Let me know how you get on.

Richard W. said...

Tiffids? Pak Choy? Chinese Cabage?

Simon (Smithyveg) said...

Even colder Rich!

Richard W. said...

Thank heavens for small mercies!

Surprisingly, rampant sex with a bald fat man (your words, not mine!) is not high on my 'Must do before I die' list. Now, if you were a goat.........

mistyhorizon2003 said...

Could they be pepppercorns, (I am not sure how tall they grow, but the resulting crop would fit your description)?

Simon (Smithyveg) said...

Wrong again!

I never realised so many people were desperate to have rampant sex with me! LOL

mistyhorizon2003 said...

LOL, why do you think we all keep getting the answer wrong??? :)