Medwyn ready for postponed RHS Chelsea
Although the 2021 RHS Chelsea Flower Show has had to be postponed from May until September 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this has not daunted champion vegetable grower and 12-time gold medal winner Medwyn Williams, in his preparations for the show.
He may be disappointed at the delay but he won’t let it deflect him from ensuring that he produces his usual award-winning display in September.
Medwyn already had more than 70% of his vegetables growing in preparation for the usual May date commenting: “RHS Chelsea is the biggest event in the calendar for gardeners and growers – it’s a real crown jewel, often seeing royal visits. So, like many that were hoping it would be one of the first major events to return this year, I am disappointed at the date postponement – even though the decision is completely understandable in the circumstances. But the important thing is to adapt my growing schedule straight away – and I have spent the last week making sure my plans will coordinate with the intended September dates.”
Medwyn will now re-sow many of his crops to make sure they reach their optimum size and appearance for his display which usually follows the traditional 1920s style of showcasing first made popular by Edwin Beckett.
He points out that it was sad to have to pull up the long carrot plants, parsnips, leeks and other vegetables as they were growing well, but space is needed to re-sow as soon as possible before the nutrients in the pipes and bore hole in his growing set up became depleted: “If this is not done quickly, it would have meant having to re-core the holes in the barrels of sand and refilling them once again,” he said.
Medwyn (pictured left) uses products from CANNA UK (a producer of nutrients and growing mediums for the cultivation of fast-growing plants) and attributes his growing success to his use of plant nutrient and specialist growing medium: “All of the blanch leeks, pot leeks and onions were growing really well in CANNA Coco Professional and in 25-litre Auto Pots and were being fed automatically with CANNA Coco A&B nutrients as and when the plants required. My plan is to save a few of all the leeks and onions, leaving them to grow on to test the system,” he says.
This will also let him double check his dates were correct for a mid-May harvesting originally, so he can make sure he harvests at the optimal time for the September show: “Unfortunately, leaving them to grow on until September would have been futile as they would almost certainly have bolted and gone to seed,” he added.
We wish Medwyn every success in his preparations for September and will no doubt be in awe of his display, despite the delay.
Banner:Medwyn and Gwenda Williams pictured at RHS Chelsea 2019.
