Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => The Show Bench => Topic started by: Yorkie on October 01, 2010, 18:25
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According to my copy of Radio Times (other listing mags are available ::) ) tonight "Joe Swift challenges himself to grow perfectly formed vegetables to show at a prestigious RHS event. The programme follows the difficulties he faces during the run-up, and how the task takes over his life as he competes against some of the country's best vegetable growers."
BBC2, 7 - 8 pm.
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Good job you posted, hadn't noticed! :) thanks.
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watching it now, cant stand joe swift but am watching to see if i can get any tips :)
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What did you think to Joe's attempts at competition veg growing then? :)
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Hmm, i picked up quite a lot of tips off that man who was showing him how to do it. I missed a lot of it so am trying to find it on bbc iplayer :) I want to find out what the special mix was he put his carrots into, missed that bit ::)
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I just sat down to watch it, missed it all. :( Not on iplayer yet but its repeated on Sunday afternoon :)
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I think the best tip was not to go on holiday for two weeks while your veg is growing.
Which is what he did ::)
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Someone remind me to watch it on Sunday please :)
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Watch it on Sunday Iain ;)
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I think the best tip was not to go on holiday for two weeks while your veg is growing.
Which is what he did ::)
That wasnt the best idea ive seen, hes not very organised is he ::)
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Thank Aunt Sally. Your message has now been saved into my memory bank :D
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well i think im going to stick to my everyday gardening i don't think i would have either the time or patients to show grow i know i usually watch gardeners world on a Friday when im not at work then i am a glutton for punishment Ive lost quite an interest in gardeners world this is probably the most veg growing Ive seen for some time on gardeners world since Monty left
i must say the veg's where a wonderful display and a credit to those growers after that i switched over and watched Eddie stobart i must definitely be a glutton for punishment
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It seems to me that you grow either food to eat and keep your family going or you become a little self indulgent and grow to show. Nothing wrong with that but if I was spending time growing vegetables I would want to cook them later. Sorry all you competitive growers. :wub: They are interesting to look at and certainly conversation pieces. :D
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I really enjoyed it. Some people have so much dedication. I find Joe swift OK ,but I'd much watch his father Clive on telly!
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Didn't realise it was on and missed the start. Thanks for the heads up that it is on again on Sunday.
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I think tomorrows showing is for Northern Ireland only but it will be on BBC i player soon after that.
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I watched the entire programme for the first time in months and thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a bit. You have to admire the show growers for their dedication.
Joe Swift was knowingly out of his depth competing against the big boys and girls of the growing world even if one of said big boys was supplying plants and growing them (or as he put it `looking after` :)) for him.
I would have preferred to see expert growers presenting the show than `expert` presenters pretending to be show growers.
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The secret 70million year old powder that Joe used in his carrot mix was nutrimate.
They can't mention anything on the BBC can they. The ultimate guide on how to grow for showing and they can't tell you what they use ;)
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The secret 70million year old powder that Joe used in his carrot mix was nutrimate.
They can't mention anything on the BBC can they. The ultimate guide on how to grow for showing and they can't tell you what they use ;)
Thanks Ian, was wondering what it was, i take it thats it pretty expensive from what they were saying on the show ::)
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You can google nutrimate and find prices for it.
If it gives you the edge at a show then it is cheap.
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You can google nutrimate and find prices for it.
Just done that.
The example photos of using/or not are very similar to the ones used by miracle gro. Would that not work just as well :unsure: I've never used it on any veg but it works on flowers :)
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Nutrimate improves the root system which is why things grow better.
It also helps crops survive drought and club root.
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£5.50 for 750g - fiver is ok for some experimenting i thought :D
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its now on iplayer :)
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For some strange reason after watching the episode on iplayer I have not been able to stop saying Joe. Joe look at that - Look Joe - Joe that is a beauty - Joe Joe Joe. :D
If you watch the episode you will see what I mean.
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another one for you iain - how do u stop common scab on potatoes apart from growing resistant varieties? ive seen sulphur chips but is there anything else?
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Common scab is a strange one at times. I grew exhibition potatoes in polypots in clean peat and some varieties had scab where as other didn't.
Best things to do are - Keep the area that potatoes are growing in moist at tuberisation time ( approx 6 weeks)
That is the critical time for damage to be caused to the tubers.
You could add flour of sulphur to the area you are planting in to make the area more acidic . Grass clippings would also help. We have one field and no matter what we do to it there is always scabby potatoes that come out of it. We will no longer use that field.
Some areas are maybe just incurable.
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Grass clippings would also help.
Bob Flowerdew says lining potato trenches with grass clipping helps prevent scab. Ive never tried that but did earth some up with thick layers of grass clippings this year. Had a lot of potatoes form in the grass clippings and they were much bigger and a lot cleaner then the ones earthed up with soil.
Think its well worth a try in a garden/allotment situation :)
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For some strange reason after watching the episode on iplayer I have not been able to stop saying Joe. Joe look at that - Look Joe - Joe that is a beauty - Joe Joe Joe. :D
If you watch the episode you will see what I mean.
OH was the same! :D
Watched it this morning. I suppose if you have the land, enthusiasm and money it's as good a hobby as any, but the faffing would drive me up the wall. :wacko:
Makes keeping a horse look easy....and cheap!!!! :dry:
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The cost issue would settle down as this was just his first time at it. All of the sand and growing medium he purchased can be reused so you saw everything at its most expensive. If you were to give it a go I think it was a good idea to try 3 different types of veg just to see what you can grow best.
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Im planning on doing carrot, (long and stummped) onions (kelsea) and parsnips :)
The carrots and parsnips will be done the same as joe only with tall raised beds instead off bins :)
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I was very interested in what the potato lady was using to grow her spuds in. Are they polypots, i think she called them?
Does anyone have any experience of these, how big would they need to be and where could I buy some? Would really only need 20 or so?
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I ahve found the type of bags Mrs Plumb was using but now do not know what size would be suitable?
would a 17lt (about 12" diameter) be too big, would a 10Ltr (9inch) be better?