Medwyn Williams Blog

Well there’s no denying the weather has been truly awful this Spring, too much rain, not enough sunshine and an over zealous Jack Frost has led to a huge backlog in the greenhouse. However the tides seem to be turning this week. A glimpse of warm sun and a let-up in rainfall means we can start moving outside… it also means I have a lot of work to do!

In the Garden

If your greenhouse looks anything like mine, you’ll be surrounded by leggy plants. The warm sunshine however is signalling better weather ahead so its time to get everything in the outdoors.

My pet projects are doing well, my show stopping cabbages are taking shape now, all 3 are expanding nicely. They’ve all been waiting inside for better weather, together with my onions and leeks.

My next task is to grow exhibition quality carrots. Im using Sweet Candle, a new Japanese variety which has a fantastic colour that runs right through the root, is sweet to eat and a good show variety. Im growing them in raised beds filled with sand. I’ll core out the sand with a pipe about 16″ deep and fill the hole with Humax Multi-Purpose No.2. Three or four seeds will be sown on top and watered. To get them off to a good start I’ll sit a pane of glass over the top, propped by a bit of wood so the glass doesn’t restrict the growth.

Im also planting potatoes this week. Great varieties include Kestrel, Winston, Amour and Nadine. I’ll be planting 1 potato in each of my black polybags, filled with the Humax Organic Potato Bag Compost. (This bag was based on my original potato growing formula used at Chelsea). Watering is key for potatoes, not too much at first, but they must be kept moist later on (when the foliage is about 18″ tall). A good tip to boost growth and enhance skin finish is to sprinkle a teaspoon of calcium nitrate on top of the compost and water in, when the haulms are about 9″ tall. You can also feed with Liquid Nutrimate.

My tomatoes have also been planted up, Im growing 18 this year, more than Ive ever grown but I have a bit of extra space this year. Ive always been an advocate of quality, not quantity. These are being grown in the Organic Tomato Bag mixture in between 2 boards high of Link-a-Bord with some Humax Farmyard Manure added to the mixture to boost growth and retain moisture. Tomatoes love manure!

On the Road

Its been a busy few weeks once again but I love getting out on the road and meeting fellow enthusiasts! On the 8th April I spent 3 glorious days on the Isle of Man at an event organised by the Isle of Man Gardening Society. We had a great turnout and once again everyone was asking about the Organic Fruit and Vegetable Bags. They seem to be creating a buzz wherever we go!

On the 12th I chaired the Executive Meeting of the National Vegetable Society in Preston and on the 17th it was off down to Canterbury in Kent with Humax to another event organised by the Kent District Association of the National Vegetable Society. We had over 100 people in the Red Cross Hall and each attendee received a bag of Humax Multi-Purpose No.2 to try. We also had a raffle where each of the Organic Fruit and Vegetable Bag range was up for grabs.

I also spent a bit of time with my friend Chris Spree at the Owletts In Kent, a National Trust House with a fantastic walled garden. (I also slept in the guest room where Laurence of Arabia slept many moons ago!)

Thats all for now but I’ll login again soon to update you on my progress in the garden!

Keep checking in!

Medwyn

Welcome to my new blog!

No-one can ever accuse me of being behind the times! Thanks to the genius of technology Im going to try and keep you up to date with my activities in the garden at the moment and give you a few helpful hints and tips along the way. Im also on the road with my friends from Humax, visiting various garden centres and allotment societies all over the country, so I’ll use this blog to keep you informed on whats coming up next.

In the Garden

Anyone who knows me, will know Im always up for a challenge and Im always looking to exceed my personal best. So this week Im going for the 60lb cabbages! Earlier in the week I planted half bins in Humax Multi Purpose compost and sat them on 2 layers of link-a-bord filled with the compost. This is all sat on a concrete floor in a commercial greenhouse, with no heat or light. Over the next few weeks I’ll be fleecing them to protect them from the groundfrost and Im hoping to harvest them in Aug/Sept

Im also growing giant onions at the moment but Im trialling some different peat-free formulas from Humax. Im growing approx 30 of these in 2ft square link-a-bord boxes, with a little heat and light with varieties including Billy Lamb, Gerald Preweek and David Metcalfes. Im going for the world record for the biggest onion, never done it before and I think the current record stands at just over 16lbs so Ive got my work cut-out!

Im also trialling a new Leek variety, it a new Blanch Leek, Pendle improved. Its an improvement to the current Pendle by David Metcalfe and Im growing approx 25 of them to see how they develop. It hasnt got a bulbous bottom and hopefully it’ll be perfectly round around the button area.

On the Road

Its been a busy few weeks for myself and Gwenda. I work very closely with growing media company, Humax, on new product development so we spend a lot of time touring the country talking about new developments and getting feedback on existing products. On the 28th Feb I was at the Chester Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society doing my Chelsea to Cincinnati talk. As usual Humax were on hand to give out prizes and chat to the attendees about their growing experiences.

On the 4th March we were at the Slimbridge Village Hall in the Cotswolds and on the 5th we talked to 15 different horticultural societies at Batsford Arboritum & Garden Centre.

Next stop was Barton Grange, Bolton on the 15th & 16th March. Barton Grange also have an exciting new development in Barton near Garstang in Preston but I’ll keep you informed as I hear more!

As for the next few days, Im at Benllech, Anglessey on the 19th March and St John’s Garden Centre in Barnstaple, N.Devon on the 20th/21st March.

Thats all from me for this week but I’ll keep you up to speed on my champion onions and gigantic cabbages. Keep logging in!

Medwyn