Over 30 members attended the first talk of 2023 at our new time of 7.30pm.
Geoff started his talk by telling us about his personal journey into gardening.
Firstly, by visiting his local horticultural show in Sussex, then showing his produce and onto becoming an active committee member, then as Chairman. He progressed to judging and giving talks. His message was simple – take part and show your gardening successes. If you think your produce is better than the ones on show, then prove it.
Geoff then answered various questions from the audience using his breadth of knowledge and experience as a grower rather than a garden designer. The trick of sowing peas in guttering (1⁄2 pipe) filled with compost suspended inside the greenhouse, will stop mice from eating the seeds, and make it easier to then plant the seedlings into the vegetable plot. You simply slip the whole row into a trench the same size as the pipe.
Also, as a keen begonia grower, he suggested nipping out the two female flower side shoots, leaving the strong single middle male flower. This ensures that the begonia will flower more profusely with larger blooms. He also mentioned that you can divide the begonia corm, once large enough, by breaking off sections, ensuring that each section has a number of buds showing.
Other questions posed and answered informatively were on how to grow lupins from seed to deter deer, how to deal with box blight, and how to add a small amount of chicken manure to peat-free compost to make it work better. These were but a few gardening problems solved.
It was a very informative evening and look forward to having Geoff as a speaker again.
Angela Thames