The biggest, longest, heaviest and most comical vegetables will vye for top spot at Weald Horticultural Society’s Autumn Show
BUMPER HARVEST: There is a long and impressive list of vegetables that can be entered for the Weald Horticultural Society’s Autumn Show on 7 September in Weald Memorial Hall (public entry 3pm). The list includes lettuce, beetroot, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, leeks, marrow, onions, parsnips, potatoes, runner beans, French beans, shallots, cucumber, tomato, peppers, chilli, squashes and sweet- corn.
Several years ago, Keith Boys, who was the winner of the best kept allotment this year, entered vegetables into the Autumn Show that were so large that one of his carrots would have made a whole pot of soup.
At this year’s show there will be the usual competitions for the heaviest marrow, the longest runner bean, the heaviest onion or the longest carrot grown in a drainpipe, largest sunflower head, most comic vegetable or heaviest pumpkin.
There are also plenty of opportunities at the Autumn Show to display flowers from the garden or allotment, chrysanthemums, dahlias, gladioli, roses, fuchsia as well as annuals or herbaceous plants. Flower can be exhibited individually or as part of an arrangement.
This year the titles to be interpreted are, ‘Autumn Bliss’– an arrangement of flowers, foliage – Accessories allowed; ‘Shaded’ – an arrangement of flowers in tints or shades of one colour with foliage. No accessories; ‘Foliage Fancy’– an arrangement of foliage only; ‘Reflections’– An arrangement of flowers and foliage – accessories allowed and ‘Autumn Colours’– An arrangement of flowers and foliage – no accessories.
The Thompson Challenge cup section offers opportunities to bake and bottle whether it is a caramelised apple flan, a courgette cake, a jar of autumn chutney’, a variety of herbs in a mug or vase, a bottle of home-made wine and/or a bottle of home-made alcoholic fruit beverage. i.e. flavoured spirits etc.
There are two sections for children – one for children eight to 12 the other for children under eight. They can submit a collection of seed heads in a jar, a vegetable they have grown by themselves, a lavender bag or a dinosaur made from fruit and veg.
HIGH KICKS AND FRILLY KNICKERS: Martin Heard will be the guest at the next meeting of the Women of Weald on Wednesday 4 September at 2.15pm in the village Memorial Hall when he will be giving a talk on the origins and development of the Can-Can dance and its performance from Parisian dance halls in the mid-19th century to classical ballet in the 20th.
Martin originally studied History of Art at Manchester University and afterwards spent three years in the editorial department of a fine art publishing company. He says that his career later took a decades’ long detour into the world of information technology where he was able to work and live in both continental Europe and North America. Visitors are welcome at the meeting.
WEALD RUN: The village is gearing up for he 14th annual Weald St George’s 10K and Fun Run on Sunday 1 September at 10.30am. It is a ‘whole village’ activity requiring a large number of volunteers to register and marshall the runners, to run the warm up session, hand out water en-route, to grill the hot dogs and burgers for after the race and to make sure everyone receives their medal.
For information visit the website www.weald10K.co.uk
