Monster!

Just when you think you've seen everything there is to see with vegetables along comes a trip to Peter Glazebrook's garden in Nottinghamshire. What an amazing evening I had with my local hort soc last night and what an incredible man Peter is.

Peter is mainly a giant veg grower these days although he does still grow a few for the quality classes. The pot leeks in a raised bed with glass sides were bigger than any I ever seen anywhere.....and I've been to some north-east pot leek shows in September. It's only early July for crying out loud!

Look further back beyond the leeks and you can see his long carrots growing against his barn at an angle in a wooden framework.

The giant swedes were stupendous, the beetroot bionic and the marrows mega.

Peter's garden is very large and he has several huge greenhouses, tunnels and other structures. I don't know how he manages to keep on top of everything and keeps everything growing so amazingly big and beautiful.

For the past few years he's been trying to smash the world's heaviest onion record coming agonisingly close on a couple of occasions. I don't want to tempt fate but I reckon we could be seeing something very special at Harrogate this year. I took a photo but knowing how Peter likes to keep his cards close to his chest I won't publish it on here. All I'll say is that one plant in particular had 37 leaves which is the most he's ever had. The circumference must have been close to 30".

As i'm competing at Harrogate this year against the Yorkshire Village People, namely messrs Unsworth and Bastow aka Quentin and Elton, I shall make sure I'm around for the big onion weigh off on the Friday morning.

Oh and thankyou to Peter's wife Mary for the best cup of tea i've had in ages and a lovely slice of cake.