Masterclass Gardening Weekend
by Medwyn on October 19, 2009
in General Growing
Medwyns of Anglesey
THE VEGETABLE MASTERCLASS WEEKEND
Friday 6th - Sunday 8th November 2009
THE ROYAL VICTORIA HOTEL LLANBERIS
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
Friday 6th November
4.00 - 6.30 Arrive at The Royal Victoria Hotel to check in and relax.
6.30 – 7.50 A four course evening meal will be served (you may order wine at your table)
8.00 – 9.15 The Sex Life of Plants by Ben Emmett (Entomologist) Bramhope, Leeds. Entomologist with N.A.A.S., (National Agricultural Advisory Service) and A.D.A.S., (The development and advisory service that replaced it) from 1960 to 1997 when he retired. Worked first at Wye on pest identification and pollination of fruit crops (also runner beans). Moved to ADAS Cambridge to advise and run experiments on control of vegetable pests, and later to Leeds on arable, veg and protected crops as Deputy and later Regional Entomologist, running Labs at Leeds and Newcastle. Wrote advisory bulletins, identification keys and scientific papers (on e.g. cutworms, pea moth, cabbage root fly, onion fly and various caterpillars) and contributed chapters to books on crop pests.
Since 1997, Ben has been with Vitacress Salads Ltd., working on the reduction of pests and contaminants in leafy salad crops grown for supermarkets, in the UK, Iberia and Kenya. Ben has a Defra Licence to keep live ’alien’ insects so that we can learn more about habits and life-cycles of ‘new’ and poorly-understood species. The talk on ‘The Sex Life of Plants ‘ is an illustrated description of how plants are adapted to insect pollination and some of the mechanisms involved. It’s an informal, non-technical talk covering their sexual techniques under such headings as ‘taboos’, ‘exhibitionism’, ‘bondage-and-cruelty’, ‘birth control’, ‘midwifery’ etc:! It is basically intended to make people think about the relationships between plants and their pollinators. Should be very interesting
9.15 – 9.30 Question and Answer session.
9.30 - Time to relax after your long journey; share your gardening experiences with some of the speakers, fellow growers and exhibitors. Why not even enjoy a night cap at the bar before retiring.
Saturday 7th November
8.00 - 9.00 Cooked Breakfast
9.00 – 10.15 Compost Mixes, their ingredients and uses by Steve Hughes from The Scotts Co UK Ltd, Pershore, Worcestershire. Steve studied at Brooksby Agricultural College Melton Mowbray where he had several Diploma’s in general agriculture and farm business management. He served 18 years in farm management in Wiltshire on 4 different farms. Beef Arable and Dairy; 200 – 2500 acre farms. Steve moved into Agricultural Sales with Dalgety Agriculture for 5 years and moved to Pershore Worcestershire. He worked in Horticultural sales with Shamrock Horticulture for 2 years, then Levington Horticulture when they took over Shamrock followed by Scotts for 5 years after they took over Levington. Later on he moved to Humax Horticulture for 4.5 years until they were taken over by Scotts in October 2008.
Steve is now Area Sales Manager for Scotts Professional in the Midlands and South of England advising and selling Scotts Professional products such as, Levington, Shamrock and Humax Growing Mediums. Osomocote, Peters Feeds, Universol Feeds, plus Scotts Pesticides for the Professional markets. He is BASIS and FACTS registered. Steve is well qualified to talk about the range of composts available, the different mixes, introduction of peat free products as well as a look at the future of growing mediums.
10.15 – 10.30 Question and Answer session
10.30 – 10.45 Coffee / Tea Break
10.45 – 12.00 The use of Spectral filter films in Polytunnels by Les Lane, Ottery St. Mary, Devon. Les Lane is the person responsible for much of the research that has taken place in the U.K. over the past 10 or so years on new spectral filter films. In December 2006 he bought out his partners in Opico and was joined by his two sons in XL Horticulture Ltd. Les will talk about the spectral transmission of greenhouse covering materials and how the modified spectral transmissions can give you an IPM in pest and disease control and how a modified spectrum can affect the growth of plants.
In 1993 Les went into partnership with Opico Ltd. designing and marketing poly tunnel covers. They originally had them manufactured for in the USA. They were the first ones to sell a diffused film with a 4 year guarantee. They eventually moved to a manufacturer in France, Belgium and finally in 1996 in Crete. They now have all of their films made to their specification and over the years have developed the spectral filter films which have the ability to control pests and diseases, affect the growth characteristics of plants. This will certainly be a talk to help all those growers of leeks and onions in Polytunnels.
2.00 – 12.15 Question and Answer session
12.15 – 2.15 A buffet lunch after which you have an opportunity to take a walk around the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hotel or perhaps a walk down to the Snowdon Mountain Railway in the village of Llanberis.
2.15 – 3.30 Developing a new Vegetable Exhibitors Garden and growing quality onions Hydroponically by Jim Thompson Caldicot Gwent. Jim Thompson is well known as a top exhibitor of vegetables at National Level. Three years ago he was given the perfect opportunity to re create an exhibitors garden when he moved to a new house in a little hamlet called Undy in Caldicot Gwent. When Jim started on the garden it must have been daunting as it was original a 60 year old orchard. Jim will give us an insight into his ongoing new garden as well as the way he has grown exhibition quality onions, to over 24 inches in circumference hydroponically. Jim was inspired to have a go with this method after a talk given at this seminar in 2006 by Gerald Treweek and Simon Spinks.
3.30 – 3.45 Question and Answer session.
3.45 – 4.00 Coffee / Tea Break
4.00 – 5.15 What’s up Doc? – Current Vegetable and Fruit problems by Dr Stephen Reynolds – Dr Stephen Reynolds (Steve to all his gardening friends) is one of Shropshire and the West Midland region’s experts on plant problems. With nearly 40 years experience as a Research Plant Scientist and senior University academic, he retired a few years ago to complete a massive database on plant health care. A very popular speaker on the circuit, he has given talks on stage at Gardeners’ World Live, Southport and the Royal Welsh Shows. A frequent panellist on Question Times at Llangollen and Midlands Gardening Shows, Steve also runs What’s Up, Doc clinics throughout the UK.
This weekend he’ll hopefully be ironing out a few of your pest, disease and disorder problems. Steve takes a closer look at some of the topical questions put to his advisory clinics during the past year. Adopting a ‘know your enemy’ approach, the weak links in pest and disease, life cycles will be exposed leading to possible control measures. To conclude, what of the future ? We’ll discuss the likely changing climate effects upon vegetable growing problems in the UK.
5.15 – 5.30 Question and Answer session.
5.30 – 6.15 Time to relax and do your own thing before your evening meal, you may even feel the need to enjoy a drink at the bar!!
6.15 – 7.30 Time to indulge yourself in a four course evening meal. (you can order your wine at the table from the Victorias’ reasonably priced selection)
7.30 – 8.45 Vegetables for the table all the year round by John Branham Wingrave, Aylesbury. John is undoubtedly one of the leading exhibitors of show quality vegetables in this country and has won many accolades at the highest level. This will be Johns’ third talk at my Seminar and on this occasion he will show the cultivation skills required to grow vegetables all year round. Not a day goes by that John hasn’t got access to fresh home grown fruit and vegetables from his own large garden, and that takes planning and a lot of passion. Indeed it’s many years since John, or his wife Gill, has actually bought any vegetables and how many of us can say that. John will bring with him a wide range of vegetables that will be available from his garden at this time of year. A talk sure to be educational as well as filling us all with envy.
8.45 – 9.00 Question and Answer session.
9.00 - For the next hour or so as you will be entertained, the entertainment has yet to be finalised.
Sunday 8th November
8.00 – 9.00 Cooked breakfast
9.00 – 9.15 Photo call, bring your camera along and take a group photo as a memento of the occasion.
9.15 – 10.45 Growing Runner Beans for Exhibition by Sherie Plumb, Althorne, Essex. After Sherie gave her well received talk on growing potatoes for exhibition at my Seminar in 2004, I have been trying ever since to get her back! Sherie over the past few years, without a shadow of doubt, has truly mastered the art of growing Runner Beans for the show bench. The quality of her exhibits defy normal cultivation techniques but I’m sure all will become clear as she explains how she grows them so phenomenally well.
On a personal note, every time I see her well staged exhibits I immediately think of a dish of Beans that the legendary Brython Stenner staged at the NVS Championships at Southport many years ago. Also the exquisite dish of 18 beans that Charlie Maisey staged at the NVS Championships at Wisley. How does she manage to grow and stage such superb quality beans from early July right through to October? All will be revealed.
10.45 – 11.00 Question and Answer session.
11.00 – 11.15 Coffee / Tea Break
11.15 – 12.30 Gardeners Question time with the Speakers. A roundup of the weekend. It doesn’t matter how well you listened to the talks, there’s always that gardening problem or question that you forgot to ask that may be still bothering you. It allows you the opportunity to ask the speakers further questions on vegetable growing that may not even be related to any subject discussed during the seminar – why not challenge them with a problem that’s been a source of worry to you for so long .
12.30 – Traditional Welsh Sunday Lunch before departing .
The weekend all in cost is £195.00
*Please note that the time limit allowed for each speaker will have to be adhered to but may have to vary to suit circumstances outside my control*
Next Year’s Seminar will be from the 12th to the 14th November.
Medwyn Williams.
Photo Call at the 2008 Seminar
The Speakers taking part in the November Seminar last year Last years attendees during one of the lectures.
