Champion Beetroot

Well the year wasn't quite a washout after all...

After my original comments about being a novice and "seeing how things go" its been brought to my attention that I've been selling myself short. In actual fact I'm very green fingered (emerald I like to think) and have got quite an aptitude for this veg growing lark! Champion standard veg growing if we're being precise....!!

As you may know following the disaster of the floods it was only my lone beetroot crop that survived (two varieties Boltardy and Forno). Well not to be outdone I submitted a photo of the Boltardy to a national (ahem) veg growing show.

AND THEY ONLY WENT AND WON!!

That's right first time attempt, one crop shot and winner straight out. Well you can't say fairer than that can you? 100% perfect record. I might as well retire now. Lewis Hamilton eat your heart out!

I'm pleased to say you can see my handiwork in this months edition of GYO magazine. For those who don't have a copy my winning photo will be/is posted below.

So for all the would be champion growers seeking advice from the pro here is my (patent pending) secret method:

1. Buy cheap value seeds from B&Q. Lose them in the garage and find them by chance the next year.
2. Sow roughly into a field you've just dug over.
3. Leave them be. Weed very occasionally.
4. Apply copious amounts of water in mid July. 3 feet deep should do the trick.
5. Come back in two months time and discover they are still there under all those weeds.
6. Harvest and keep in a bucket for evermore.

So I'm now deciding whether to grow these again next year and defend my crown. I'd previously decided I wouldn't grow them because I'm not keen on eating them but given my skills maybe it would be a waste. It does make me think though about last year. If there hadn't been a flood just imagine what the rest of the veg would have been like....?!

[By the way even if Helen did plant the seeds I dug the ground, weeded and harvested them. I'm sure she planted the Forno variety though.... honest]

Winter blues

Well its been nearly two and a half months since I last posted. To be honest there's only been slightly more activity on the plot as there has been on here!

The plot has started to be transformed from a giant strip of dirt to a bed and path system. I've so far created five beds and sown grass seed on all the paths between. Its been very successful if I do say so myself! The grass is now established and mud is thing of the past. I've cleared out a lot of the weeds and hopefully tight mowing next year will kill off any of the more persistant types. The back of the plot still need converting to beds but once the weather either freezes or dries I'll get going. I might even try some early crops in January.

Also I've built the compost bin I mentioned so long ago. The contents have already rotted down significantly but hopefully by spring there'll be some useable goodness.

Photos to follow when I next go down...