It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single plot holder in possession of a good allotment must be in want of a prize.
This time of year every social media page is awash with
proud plot holders showing off their prize produce. You can almost see their
beaming faces reflected in the baskets, bundles, and mountains of freshly
picked stuff. It may be fruit, it may be vegetables and it may be flowers, but
all are proudly displayed and adorned with well earned ‘likes’ in search of
that prize.
This year we have no shows and rows of leeks and beans all
lined up like soldiers waiting to be pinned with a medal. There are no enormous
pumpkins being weighed or cabbages being held across a chest to prove their
size. There are no potatoes in bowls being inspected for colour, skin and
whatever else potatoes seek before being mashed. There are no onions with their
stems tightly plaited and trying to defy size.
To those who live to grow the longest, biggest, straightest,
and purest and crave the gold awards I take my hat off. Your patience and dedication
for perfection is admirable but to me size doesn’t matter, and these exhibits
do nothing for me - I rather like wonky, imperfect and stubby. I’ll probably
get strange letters in the post and be cold shouldered at the county fair but
it’s off this year.
There are also those who don’t understand why their produce
has been left on the shelf and like some single woman in possession a good
fortune, in want of a good man. Their efforts may not be converted like the
prized ones but it’s all about the experience, experiment, learning and just
growing. These deserve equal billing and it’s about enjoyment not medals.
The social media is full of those seeking help as to what to
do, when and tips and advice of went wrong. Not a day goes by without a picture
of tomatoes with bottomrot, cucumbers that have gone past their sell by date,
insect eaten or infected produce and of course every mention of slugs, snails,
flies and some horrific pictures of gigantic caterpillars.
I find it interesting that last year’s success can quickly
become this year’s failure. Last year the mangetout was prolific and tasty,
this year a change of variety, new location, and a dismal performance the
educational board would have no problem downgrading the result. Last year, the
kale experienced a plague of white fly locusts, this year a new location,
different conditions, and you would be hard-pressed to find one little
occupant. Growing is not about getting it perfect, but learning, reward, and
enjoyment.
So if Ms Austen were a plot holder today, would she err
towards Sense and Sensibility on the plot?
