showing newbie and certificates all round!

thought i'd give it try since my neighbour's husband keep on encouraging me to take part.

so here come the certificates for the local open horticultural show

2nd and 3rd prize for 'a dish of any other fruit, one kind' - conference pears. the judge said we only missed 1st because the size was a little smaller than normal.

3rd prize for 'five dessert apples' - coxes - again a little smaller than normal

3rd prize for 'one specimen cactus and one specimen succulent, max 5" pot or pan' (mine were miniatures)

my fruit crops really suffered this year. the weather meant the pears didn't grown to their full size in time and the apples started cracking near the stalks. i thought my victoria plums would stand a chance for this year's show as they normally ripen too soon but after a prolonged green period they over ripened the week before the show so even though i entered them they weren't uniform in colour. but the judge did say however, that he'd never seen plums as big as those in all his years of judging.

i really enjoyed the experience more than i thought i would and next year i'll take pictures.

thanks yorkie.

can be very scary for your first time. everyone seems to know everyone else and although they are very friendly - sometimes you feel too awed by their achievements to ask for help getting started.

i think i'll stick to fruit and plants for now and then venture further once i gained more knowledge well worth a shot though.