Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 136 Entries. Thursday, February 4 View Page hi to all giant veg growers, i am new to this format so will start the year with photo of one of my better onion plants on the 16.01.2010. this is in a 10inch(250mm)pot and i am trying to maintain temp of 50f(10c)in the greenhouse (in the coldest winter i have experienced!) Saturday, February 6 View Page onions nice and snug in the front area of the greenhouse, heating is electric [expensive!] supplemented by bottle gas heater which [i hope] is raising the Co2 level to 1000ppm during the day. Saturday, February 6 View Page inside the greehouse the plants have almost filled the space, under a sodium light which was on 24hrs when first germinated but is now on daylight hours only [10hrs] Saturday, February 6 View Page i have just started the giant cabbage, late this time but perhaps as well with the hard winter. other growers will be way ahead but i can only hope that mine grow quick Sunday, February 7 View Page i am growing two varieties of leeks for the heaviest leek competitions. the left one is a "pot" leek & the right one a "long" type, we will see which are the heaviest in sept. Sunday, February 7 View Page to early for pumpkins & squash but my heavy carrots are away in short two part pipes in the heated greenhouse. Sunday, February 7 View Page this is the cooler part of my propagating greenhouse and i only heat the area contained within a cabinet inside the space. once the light is of i cover this with plastic. Tuesday, February 9 View Page erected a small tunnel within my large one to enable me to plant onions earlier during the cold weather. should be able to raise and maintain soil temp. in the next week or so. Tuesday, February 9 View Page inside the new small tunnel with 10 large planters ready to be filled with soil/peat/sand mix. Saturday, February 20 View Page first 10 onions planted out in new tunnel, despite the cold grey winter weather, need to look after them with heat & light Sunday, February 28 View Page onions now begining to take hold in their growing tunnel, fitted support hoops so that the stronger leaves can fan out. had to replace one plant as it developed pale brown area at soil level. Monday, March 15 View Page despite the continuing dark cold winter weather the onions are growing away, with the support of supplementary lighting, heating and Co2. when the sun does shine i may have a problem ventilating the double tunnel, but i am not ready to remove the outer skin yet. Tuesday, March 16 View Page other giant veg. are growing slowly in the heated greenhouse prior to being transplanted in cold tunnels or outside when the weather warms up. parsnips & carrots in pipes, long leeks in pots with support tubes which help to draw then up. Sunday, March 21 View Page have planted out a few later sowing onions (7 weeks behind my early ones) seems unlikely they will catch up, but they are an insurance against a possible unknown disaster. Sunday, March 21 View Page erected low tunnels over my cabbage patch to try and warm up the cold (8c) wet soil. my plants are still small but i would like to plant out in a week or so, rather than pot on. Thursday, April 1 View Page my featured onion is growing o.k, now measures 246mm(9.7")circ. x 211mm(8.3")to top of neck. this is no longer the largest as half the 10 have now reached 255mm(10")circ. finding the little sun we have had recently is scorching the soft older leaves, the temp. has also been too high for short periods until i could ventilate. Thursday, April 1 View Page fitted a domestic extractor fan which i have moved from my old greenhouse, this is controlled by a thermostat set at 18c(64f) may still have to fine tune this. at present cooler air will be drawn in through the rear doors. Tuesday, April 6 View Page potatoes chitting and rooting prior to planting out when weather warms up. Tuesday, April 6 View Page heavy parsnips now planted in raised beds or barrels under protection. Tuesday, April 6 View Page heavy carrots now also planted after being raised in the heated greenhouse. Tuesday, April 6 View Page giant cabbage planted under cloche which has raised the soil temp to above 50f(10c) have to also protect them from rabbits,pheasants,pigeons,slugs,root fly,aphids,caterpillars not to mention root problems such as clubroot, and they say its easy. Tuesday, April 6 View Page trying to gain an earlier start with beetroot in pipes, two sowing dates as i find they run to seed if to early. celery in small pots at present but grow quickly now and will want potting on twice before planting outside. Tuesday, April 6 View Page pot leeks now ready for planting out under protection. trying swede in pipes to gain a few extra weeks, however i usually lose my best ones late in the season to soft rot, will have to try and find the answer this summer. Wednesday, April 7 View Page interesting to see in the growers diaries how spring arrives at different times across the northern hemp. even in a small country like England which has a moderate climate, there is significant variation - our Daffodils growing in cold wet clay are just starting, while in southern England most will be well over. Monday, April 19 View Page now the weather is warming up, having difficulty keeping the onions cool. together we removed the outer tunnel cover, this will also let in more light. will have to pull up shade netting over outer hoops on really sunny days. Monday, April 19 View Page started a prog. of insect predators today, Amblyseius & Orius, both for thrips. not found any pests yet but you need to prevent infestations. small quantities can be purchased from Exhibition Seeds (www.exhibition-seeds.co.uk) Friday, April 30 View Page heavy potatoes planted out under covers until danger of frosts have passed in june. Progress of giant veg. being grown this year. Heaviest started - Beet, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Cucumber, Leek, Onion, Parsnip, Potato, Radish, Swede, Tomato, Water melon. still to start - Cantoloupe melon, Marrow, Pumpkin, Squash. Longest started - Beet, Carrot, Cucumber, Parsnip. still to start - Runner bean. In addition to these growing veg. for exhibition & kitchen use. Saturday, May 1 View Page onions growing steadily 383mm(15.1")circ. x 266mm(10.5")high, starting to bulb. removed a smaller one from my 2nd tunnel which had 'saddleback', however pleased to find the root system very strong & clean. started to introduce spider mite predators 'Phytoseiulus' again small quantity from www.exhibition-seeds.co.uk Saturday, May 1 View Page water melon seedling set out in heated bed in greenhouse under a cloche, using soil heating cable to raise air temp. trying this to gain a month extra growing. Saturday, May 15 View Page frosts most nights this week so glad i have started my long cucumbers, pumpkin, squash, marrows and heavy tomatoes later. my onions are all healthy but not growing as fast as expected so far this month, the featured one now 440mm (17.3") x 285mm (11.2")high. needs to grow faster to reach the (20") target by end of may. Monday, May 17 View Page cabbage growing stronger now, formed supports around them today to keep them upright. warmer weather forcast for this week so all we need now is a good rain. Monday, May 17 View Page giant pot leeks growing away in their trench, 182mm (7.2") circ. with 14/15 flags. only growing 5 and one is leaning sideways which may indicate a root plate problem - i shall soon be pulling it out. Friday, May 21 View Page beetroot,carrot & parsnip long roots have all been thinned to one, growing away steadily in their pipes with limited watering (i think i overwatered last season) Friday, May 21 View Page weather has gone from one extreme to another, 25c today and humid. planted pumpkins & squash outside with some protection for when it comes cold again. not expecting to challenge the serious growers, but they are fun to grow. Friday, May 21 View Page although i set my swede later this year they seem to have grown quickly in my large greenhouse bed, look like having last years problem of how to keep them sound. Friday, May 21 View Page beetroot has started to grow quickly as well with the better light, the one in the foreground is my own seeding & the rear one a strain from Dutch Brad, noticable difference in growth. Friday, May 21 View Page celery appears to have survived the cold with nighttime protection, need to keep well watered from now on and support the stronger blades as they grow. Sunday, May 30 View Page giant radish growing away in their upturned dustbins, trying to prevent them running to seed before the shows by controlling the day lenght - it needs to work because it is alot of trouble. Sunday, May 30 View Page giant tomatoes have been planted out and are starting to grow away, will remove bottom trusses to develop a strong plant. next job will be to support them. Sunday, May 30 View Page cantoloupe melons planted today in my larger greenhouse, containers have been filled with new clean compost as they seem vunerable to root problems. Sunday, May 30 View Page runner beans being hardened off outside the greenhouse, will plant these out later this week now the frost danger should have passed. Tuesday, June 1 View Page my featured onion has not quite made the size, 505mm (19.8") x 345mm (13.5") has still produced the most leaves (32) however the recent heatwave has caused numbers 8,9,& 10 to wither away. does not seem to have the vigour now to produce a heavy weight, so will feature another bulb in future months. Tuesday, June 1 View Page this onion seems to met the heavyweight criteria at present, high neck, round bottom, vigour, and good size, 555mm (21.9") x 390mm (15.3") - however it will be the first time i have picked out the heaviest so early in the season lol Tuesday, June 1 View Page Ianp may appreciate our yellow flag iris in the pumpkin patch pond, it is full at present but they only last a few days. Thursday, June 3 View Page Marrows are grown outside so have to wait for weather to warm up ( too warm now, lol ) This is my largest plant from my '09 saved seed. Thursday, June 3 View Page and this is the youngest, so should cover all the giant veg. shows, and weather conditions. Saturday, June 5 View Page this is the culprit, planted out my runner beans am, pm several eaten off. Guineafowl are interesting to keep but do not go well with gardening. have netted the beans now, good job i have some spares. Wednesday, June 16 View Page onion bulbs overwintered and now running up to seed, the 12lb one indicated is very strong with the seed flowers just opening. most of the others from 11-12lb bulbs are still to finish growing and i am adding feed when watering. Monday, June 28 View Page long cucumber flowers have not set well, bent one has now been removed. at present they look more like heavy cucumbers than long, time will tell. at least the plants are healthier than last year at the moment. Monday, June 28 View Page pumpkin and squash plants are begining to run now the weather has warmed up. very dry on the garden but reluctant to start watering yet. Thursday, July 1 View Page featured onion now 648mm(25.5") x 491mm(19.3") gaining 3.6"circ x 4.0"height during june. not great, a long way short of 28" circ target, however it is a high bulb and healthy. Friday, July 2 View Page radish are growing well with the good light we are receiving however they wilt in the heat of the day, so far they revive fully in the evening. Friday, July 2 View Page cantoloupe melons also like the good light and have grown quickly, no female flowers set yet but some forming on the lower laterals. Friday, July 2 View Page water melons also enjoying the heat and light, making all foliage at present with no female flowers, however need a strong plant first. Friday, July 2 View Page spider mite devastating the heavy carrots planted in barrels in the greenhouse, this dispite having had predators over the last 2 months along with the onions and leeks. i have had to resort to sprays on these carrots and damping down with water when i can. last resort will be to pull them out. Sunday, July 4 View Page celery beginning to grow, supported leaf blades with plastic netting collar. may be able to leave these on all the time including transporting them to the show. very dry watering plants every day. Sunday, July 4 View Page giant tomato 'minne zak' first trusses allowed to flower, timeing for the show is difficult but 2 months may be needed if the weather is cool and dark. Sunday, July 4 View Page flower truss of a new variety to me 'timm' seed from the EGVGA, noticable smaller flowers than the previous variety, not to promiseing at present. Sunday, July 4 View Page potatoes have made reasonable tops and these are supported upright. large top growth is not the aim. have scratched around base of haulm and removed one or two smaller potatoes (hope i have not removed them all,lol) keeping well watered. Sunday, July 4 View Page removing young potatoes from the soil seems to induce some plants to produce aerial growth in the form of green potatoes on the haulms, these are removed but needs doing weekly from now on. Sunday, July 4 View Page marrows have grown with the hot weather and starting to bury the main and side vines in shallow trenches. we have had no rain for 4 weeks and garden is dust dry, forecast is for another dry week so will have to start watering. unfortunately most of it will have to be carried and appied by hand. Saturday, July 17 View Page marrow bed looks full but i have been carefully training and burying main stem and laterals. now setting marrows as only 6+ weeks to first show ( hope i have timed it right lol.) Saturday, July 17 View Page want to cross pollinate the marrows but on this one the bumble bees have done it first, clearly a need to cover flowers before they open to ensure which cross is made. Saturday, July 17 View Page runner bean flowers now being left to set, no hive bees around so having to rely on other insects. Saturday, July 24 View Page first major onion problem, "botrytis" stripped some old skins away and this is what i found. no cure so disposed of it carefully. all others seem o.k. apart from finishing too early. Saturday, July 24 View Page runner beans now being overwhelmed with "black fly" must be the 5wks. of hot dry weather, never had them so bad, will spray tonight once the insects have left. Saturday, July 24 View Page pumpkins are setting now and will have several to choose from, however we could do with a good rain to water them. Saturday, July 24 View Page first squash flower this year, strong plants but do not want to form female flowers. will still be big enough for me to lift come the sept show. Saturday, July 24 View Page cantoloupe melons are also reluctant to form female flowers, this one has not set properly. still time for a better one hopefully. Saturday, July 24 View Page plants are strong and healthy at present, have stopped main and laterals to try and encourage flowers. Saturday, July 24 View Page water melon plants are taking over the greenhouse, again plenty of male but few female flowers. damping down in the sunshine to try and maintain humid conditions. Saturday, July 24 View Page at least one water melon has set properly, early ones eventually dropped off. not likely to produce a winner this late but some years have not had an entry. Saturday, July 24 View Page first outside beetroots have run to seed and one inside, think it came to cold after i planted out. Friday, July 30 View Page runner beans are setting better this year, and trusses need to be thinned out when the best beans can be determined. still very dry so having to water rows every evening. Friday, July 30 View Page thinned out truss leaving two beans on at present to see which proves to be the longest in the next two weeks. not able to thin all trusses but it does help to grow the longest, which why we are doing it. Friday, July 30 View Page swede growing well outside, seeming to like the dry weather as no sign of neck or other rot so far, still 5weeks to show so plenty of time for problems. will consider forming a roof over if prolonged rain forecast in aug. Sunday, August 1 View Page featured onion disappointing, now 686mm.(27") x 511mm.(20.2") only gained 37mm.(1.5")circ. during july. as you can see to top has almost gone so little more growth is expected. tops have almost gone in all my seperate growing areas so i am blaming the very long hot/dry periods of weather, even the later sowing batch are the same. Sunday, August 1 View Page heavy parsnips have made enormous top growth but now finding problem of canker around shoulder of some plants. little can be done apart from cleaning the soil away, allowing it to dry and then covering over with dry peat or similar. may be the soil was to rich. Wednesday, August 4 View Page lost a further onion, some form of bacterial soft rot, appears to have developed within a week. roots are sound but tissue smells in the same way as leeks which suddenly collapse. with leeks they say the cause is high temp's and overfeeding with nitrogen Wednesday, August 4 View Page watermelon growing slowly because the weather has turned cool and grey, now 280mm(11")long. have three set so should have one to show next month. Wednesday, August 4 View Page long cucumbers are growing slower now the days and nights are cooler, however a lot better than last year so far. Wednesday, August 4 View Page only one heavy cucumber so far and it has turned from green to yellow indicating that only a little more growth can be expected. Wednesday, August 4 View Page giant tomato's still not fully setting even though it was hot days with warm nights when this was in flower. have removed most and relying on the next trusses. no megablooms set this year so far. plants are healthy, and stopped at top of canes. Wednesday, August 4 View Page heavy radish suffered during the hot weather and leaves have been lost most days, the problem now is caterpillars eating what few leaves remain. picked of what can be seem but may have to spray with a mild insecticide. Wednesday, August 4 View Page marrows have grown strongly, this is from seed of my largest (120lbs) last year, self pollinated approx 18 days ago and now est. to weigh 40lbs. using Brad's formula. only 12mm. of rain since then so hand watering most evenings along main stem and root, need to ensure they never dry out otherwise they may crack or stop growing. first signs of the dreaded mildew appearing. Saturday, August 14 View Page onion tops are dying back and bulb growth slowed to a crawl, however all these are healthy so will have some to show. Saturday, August 14 View Page cantoloupe melons are growing at last and this largest one is now supported to ease weight on stalk. Saturday, August 14 View Page giant tomato looks like a double and so far is sound, hope it keeps that way for the show. Saturday, August 14 View Page heavy carrots which survived the spider mite attack are pushing up out of compost, may/or may not be a good sign. Wednesday, August 18 View Page marrow has grown well, now 32days approx. calc. weight at 97lb. only slow growth now but 2 more weeks until the show. just hope it stays sound with the tlc i am giving it. Wednesday, August 18 View Page cabbage have also grown and all have fairly solid hearts, keeping them well watered and covered with netting which so far is keeping them clean. Wednesday, August 18 View Page potato tops looking tired, not blight, just coming to the end of their season. still watering and removing any surface/air potatoes. Wednesday, August 18 View Page heavy leek growing in raised container in large greenhouse, plenty of leaves(flags) but do not think it will weigh heavy. some spider mite damage, may be checking it. Wednesday, August 18 View Page both beetroot varieties still growing strongly in greenhouse raised bed, will be interesting to see which is the heaviest. Wednesday, August 18 View Page best radish growing in a metal container inside my polythene tunnel. others have either run to seed or nearly lost their leaves, they suffered during the hot june/july. Wednesday, August 18 View Page swede growing inside and doing well this year, lifted an outside one which weighed 24lbs and this one appears to be twice as large. as long as it stays sound. Wednesday, August 18 View Page not so happy about the celery, heart rot problem during the hot dry weather and now find it has grey aphid - sprayed today. Saturday, August 21 View Page first leek show and successful with this one,394mm (15.5")lenght to button x 235mm (9.2")circ. clean foliage perhaps thanks to use of thrip predators. Saturday, August 21 View Page giant tomato turning red, cut off and placed in fridge to try and keep in case needed for show, 490mm (19.3)circ. 2.5lb. Wednesday, August 25 View Page disaster, longest cucumber fell off in recent high winds and split open. 800mm (31.5")long excluding stalk. was supported at bottom but winds must have shaken polytunnel frame. there's always next year lol. Wednesday, August 25 View Page not having a good week, now one of my better marrows has split it's stem. removed and weighed 110lb. it will soon go rotten now the air is inside. Wednesday, August 25 View Page soon be time to open up the long roots, tops have made little growth, lets hope there is more long root. Wednesday, August 25 View Page had high hopes for my tall sunflower but now flowering at 4.2m. perhaps weather not ideal for quick vigourous growth early in the season. Wednesday, September 1 View Page marrow stem rot, not had this before, thought only pumpkins and squash suffered this problem. always on your best plant, lol. Wednesday, September 1 View Page combining the winter wheat at side of garden, late this year due to dull, cool, damp august. when they harvest this field it is near the end of my growing season. Wednesday, September 1 View Page lifted a egvga beetroot, hope to have it weighed in at this weekends uk giant veg show. Wednesday, September 1 View Page found a large potato in covered raised bed while lifting for this weekends uk giant veg show, will have to wait and see if it is a winning weight. Wednesday, September 1 View Page my featured giant onion is a disappointment only 704mm (27.7")circ. and completly finished growing. unlikely to show it, as others now larger. Tuesday, September 7 View Page National Gardening Show weekend, UK National Giant Veg Championship. My main success was breaking the world heavy potato record with this one which weighed 3.76kg (8.27lb) the last record had stood since 1994. Tuesday, September 7 View Page 1st prize (just) with heaviest tomato 2.28kg (5.02lb) a PB. this was from my own sel. seed. Tuesday, September 7 View Page 1st prize with heaviest marrow 67.5kg (148.5lb) a PB. This was grown with seed from my winning 120lb marrow last year. Tuesday, September 7 View Page 1st prize longest runner bean 838mm (33") Other 1st,s with Longest Parsnip 3522mm, Longest Beetroot 5480mm, Heaviest Radish 4.48kg, Heaviest Beetroot 12.5kg, Heaviest Onion 6.28kg, Heaviest 3 onions, and Heaviest 3 Tomatoes. Tuesday, September 7 View Page Little and Large, my small Squash managed 5th place, but congratulations must go to Mark Baggs winning 1st's with both Squash and Pumpkin. Tuesday, September 7 View Page on our free day at the show we visited Longleat Safari Park and this is the closest you want to come to African White Rhino, even from the relative safety of your car, lol Wednesday, September 15 View Page another weekend, another show this time coming 3rd in the heavy onions to Desmond Watson with 14lb 8oz. well done - and he says with my seed lol Wednesday, September 15 View Page similar result in the long leeks, 3rd to David Metcalfe in a strong class. Tuesday, September 21 View Page Harrogate onion show success, winning the heaviest 3years running with my best weight ever 7.065kg (15lb 9oz) only had the one really heavy one but thats all you need. makes all the hard work over 11 months worthwhile. Tuesday, September 21 View Page after Harrogate travelled further north to a new show near Beamish, won with heavy cabbage 36kg (80lb) in a class of 20+ entries also heavy marrow & onion. you need to win a few prizes just to pay the petrol, have travelled almost 2000miles over the last 3wks. and still have 2 more shows to compete in. Monday, September 27 View Page pumpkins have grown to large for us to lift, even though they have had little or no attention all summer. Monday, September 27 View Page squash is even larger, although have managed to show two small ones. Monday, September 27 View Page showed my heaviest sound marrow so far at Malvern Autumn Show this weekend, 70.8kg (156.11lb) a PB, however not the winner lol. Monday, September 27 View Page Garath & Kevin Fortey won with a new Uk record marrow of 77.56kg (171lb) which looked as though it was still growing, well done to them. Monday, September 27 View Page weighed in my EGVGA Beetroot just for their comp. 17.2kg (37.93lb) still doubt in UK as to it being a garden/table Beetroot for record purposes. Monday, October 11 View Page final show of the year for me at East of England, 11 classes for giant veg. more strongly competed for now the show is in its second year. for the public's benefit they had a pumpkin carver who also tried other veg. here doing my onion (being formed of scales not an ideal veg to carve) anyway finished the year with 3 wins so quite happy. Sunday, November 7 View Page shows over,time to try and save best onions for seeding next year. first all cleaned down and then turned upside down to drain for a few weeks. have to inspect them weekly as necks/skins can decay if not fully sound/ripened. Sunday, November 7 View Page removed all onion pots and growing compost from new tunnel, now have the job of cleaning and sterilising interior before the winter. Sunday, November 7 View Page onion soil and pots left outside to have any salt build up washed out and let winter frosts clean up. Tuesday, November 9 View Page started long and pot leeks after soaking head in fungicide which also loosens the grass. will set in compost tray placed in propagator to root. Monday, November 15 View Page attended Medwyns of Anglesey 'Vegetable Masterclass' weekend, some of the 7 speakers and visitors outside the hotel venue. very enjoyable and informative. Monday, November 15 View Page cut open my 156lb striped marrow, all very sound but only a few viable seeds at the flower end. Monday, November 15 View Page manure and more manure, starting to prepare for next season while ground open and time to undertake it. Tuesday, November 23 View Page rooted my own long and pot leeks and now potted on under a supplementary light on during these dark days. Tuesday, November 23 View Page first heavy onion sowings have all germinated well and have started to prick them out into 70mm (2.5") square pots, under 24hr lighting in my growth cabinet. Wednesday, December 1 View Page winter has come early, a further 150mm (6") of snow overnight on top of 150mm already lying and hard frozen. we are having two winters in one year lol. Wednesday, December 1 View Page even the heated greenhouse with next years leeks in went down to zero last sun/monday, temp in garden -11c. have now fitted another electric heater as similar temp's forcast for tonight. hope we do not have a power failure. Tuesday, December 14 View Page 4 weeks of 24hr light and best onions planted into 90mm(3.5") pots of Lev.m3. with one support cane. have made a later sowing and these are just pricked out.