Potatoes at Dawn!
Well not quite at dawn but the annual potato competition proved that even the humble spud can be exciting. There were some 33 entrants this year, held in the station car park this year to ensure social distancing, and the rivalry was intense! In the end, just two grammes separated the first two, with Sandra Randall with 2.91 kilos, just pipping Claire Bailey at the post with here 2.89 kilos. Third was Linda Tramontano with 1.89.
In devoted style, it was nice to see a long married couple bringing up the rear (you know who you are K&DB), with their weights separated by a mere five grammes.
It was a bit of fun – at the Spring Show, you get your seedling potato, put it in a pot of compost, water and feed it, and in September, we see how many potatoes there are in the pot and the person with the heaviest potatoes wins. Plus you get to take home your (free) potatoes to eat - how good is that!
And so to other matters. By now, if you are growing any veg, a lot of it will be harvested, possibly stored, possibly frozen for later consumption. Some flowers are seeing their last days (you know the summer is drawing to a close when the sweet peas start wilting) but the garden will still prove to be a source of delight and inspiration, with spiders’ webs covered in dew, maple trees coming into glorious colour, and birds being attracted to the berries and fruits.
Plus of course, ongoing maintenance! Sweeping up leaves, planning spring bedding, lifting and storing tender perennials, and a last chance to sow grass seed.
So happy autumn, let us hope that the Shows will be allowed to go on very soon.
Malcolm Richardson