Decisions, decisions....

Well now, the show season is virtually at an end save for Derby Show on the last weekend of this month (bloody late show that....will I have anything left?!) so it's time to take stock, start tidying the carnage that my garden has become (lawn not mown for 2 months!) and start planning my growing regime for next year. Seed catalogues have started arriving so it's good to browse these whilst cracking one off on the big white ceramic thunderbox. Whilst going round the shows I've also made notes of different varieties that have been winning tickets that I haven't grown before. One of these was the small tomato 'Harlequin' that won at Westminster for Geoff Butterworth (another bloody nice bloke!). Gardener's Delight and Sungold are the best tasting small tomaotes but it's very difficult to find 12 (Malvern) or 15 (Westminster) matching fruits as they tend to be all shapes and sizes.

I took two sets of tomatoes down to Westminster and couldn't decide which set to put in. At first I put in my larger set, nice green calyces but perhaps not as uniform as they could be. I got out my smaller set which had slightly yellowing calyces but were pretty much like peas in a pod. Dave Thornton, John Croot and John Goodall all went for the smaller set so I was happy to go with that set (below). They all seemed quite impressed with both sets so I was reasonably confident.As we breakfasted and walked around central London they all made comments that made me think I was in with a shot.

However, upon returning I found I didn't have a ticket of any description. The winning set consisted of some quite large fruits. All the lads commented that my discarded large set was better than the winning set of 9. Ho hum!

I'm now addicted to having a go at a higher level although I am still passionate about the local village show. With this in mind I now have a dilemma on next year's horizon as the NVS National will be held in Wales in Llangollen on August Bank Holiday weekend. It's the same weekend as Leicester Show and another long standing village show that I have done for the last 15 years. Do I enter (and indeed support!)the local shows and pick up over a dozen red cards or do I have a go at my first National in the hope of getting a placing somewhere? Mmmm.....Llangollen is awfully close to the Snowdonia National Park.......