Allotment and Garden show ... the results are in ...

Last Saturday was our local allotment and garden show. Alex was a steward at the event so was there in the morning setting up the exhibits, and going around the room with the judges. He took our entries with him in the morning too. Our entries this year were not as many as we had hoped - late crops, crop failures (or just not up to showing!) and time just meant we didn't get around to entering many categories, but there is always next year.

So Imogen's entries and results were as follows:
Seed Tray Garden - 2nd place

Imogen's seed tray garden

Lots of moss, a pond with a chestnut shell boat with bay leaf sail, a tree with colourful wool blossoms, etc

Planted Footwear - 1st place (photo taken at home before show - didn't take one at the show for some reason).

Daddy's old shoe planted with flowers

Animal made from fruit and/or veg - 1st place

Simba from the Lion King ("as an adult, because the carrots are his mane") - all Imogens idea, but Mommy helped with the cocktail sticks after one stabbed her hand.

Artwork, theme Flowers - 3rd place

Picture - theme - flowers

Lots of success again this year meant that she also won the trophy for the Best children's exhibit. Retained her title from last year!

Receiving her trophy

Alex entered the Fruit display and came 2nd, same as last year. He also entered the novice growers category for beetroot and came 1st! He says that he won't let it take the shine of winning that his was the only entry in this category. They are lovely beetroot. He also entered the photography competition based on local wildlife with a picture of a snail but didn't win any rosettes here.

Fruit selection - 2nd prize

Beetroot - 1st place

I entered the photography competition with a picture of a butterfly and came 2nd. My other entry was the hand knitting category in which I had knitted an allotment/garden - something I have been working on for a while on and off. Remember this post? That last photo? Well, here is is all knitted and sewn together.


I came 1st in this category and received so many comments about the piece, people were amazed by it and loved it. I should add that I was the only entry this year in the knitting, although the consensus was that I probably would have won it anyway with my garden. And the garden now? Well as Imogen has been watching me create this, she longed to have a garden for her dolls house ... so that's where it is now, being played with and loved.

I have to say I had so much fun knitting this. It includes a shed, a lean-to greenhouse, a coldframe, cloches, a water butt, a large potted sunflower, apple tree, bean wigwam, rhubarb, cauliflowers, carrots, cabbages, seedlings, paths and grass edging. I also won a cup for the most points in the arts, crafts and photography section.

Next year with better planning and more time, we really hope to enter far more, especially the vegetables. We thought about entering the cherry tomatoes but weren't sure we'd have enough of the same variety, same size ripe enough at the time as we hadn't been to the allotment for a while. We were very wrong - there were tonnes to choose from, but never mind. As gardeners say, there is always next year.