So far, here in East Sussex, the winter has been very unsatisfactory. With very few of our usual stunning sunrises but with tremendous amounts of rain and cloudy weather, interspersed with icy cold spells and strong winds, we’ve had little to celebrate. Yet there is still some beauty in the frost covered skeletons of winter […]
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From Bloody Butchers and Cream Sausage (tomatoes), from Lazy Housewife (French beans) to Bull’s Blood (beetroot) – the quirky names of the Heritage or Heirloom varieties of vegetable seed are fascinating. A Heritage vegetable, alternatively known as an Heirloom vegetable, is an old cultivar of a plant that was historically grown by gardeners and farmers […]
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“The best show yet. “So much colour!” “Inspiring.” These are just some of the compliments we heard repeated by the entrants and visitors to the Rye Flower and Veg Show which took place on Saturday 19th August at Rye Community Centre. The number of entries (311) exceeded all expectations and despite the slow start to […]
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It’s such a gardener’s “thing” to blame the weather for almost everything. “Too dry! Too wet! Too windy! Too cold!” But, both this year and last, these complaints were and are absolutely true. The recent rainfall should have helped a little although if there was a class for bindweed and ground elder I know that […]
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Here are some more useful tips from Shelley to help you improve your entries and chances! The words are her own and the images are individually credited. Thanks again Shelley. There are 81 days to go (as I write) before the deadline of 5pm, Friday 18th August when you must have registered your entries so […]
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Shelley, a new member of our show organisers team, has put together a selection of excellent and very useful show tips for just some of the classes this year. The words are hers and the photos are individually credited. Thanks Shelley!!!!! Have you started planning your show entries this year? There are some new classes […]
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EXCITING NEW SHOW CLASSES FOR EVERYONE If you missed the Rye Flower and Veg show last year, then you missed a treat. With hundreds of entries the Community Centre was awash with a marvellous selection of locally grown fruit, vegetables and home baking, not to mention a great display of handicrafts and photography. The show […]
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I love this time of year. The frosty mornings, the stunning sunsets/rises, the garden planning, the ground cleared ready for planting, the leaves hopefully swept up, few weeds as yet and the veggie seeds arriving in the post. This year I’ve reduced the size of the annual planting area in the kitchen garden by introducing […]
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We’ve had so much “weather” recently that the garden has been rather abandoned. Apart from a little hedge cutting, pruning and leaf sweeping I’m waiting for the new year before I really get going again. We will also start planning for next years Rye Flower and Veg Show which will take place on Saturday 19th […]
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One of the best things about the annual horticultural show in Rye is the ultra-friendly competitiveness. The overall winner of the Tate Trophy and Banksian Medal together with other awards was Rye resident Pat Wightwick, who produced a stunning display of vegetables, flowers and home baking. But whilst Pat scored highly and won best entry […]
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