Owen recalls his time as a judge at the local annual ploughing match where he assessed the straightness of the furrows drawn by competitors...
Hello Ole Partners,
My gardening tips this month:
Broad beans should be through now and a second sowing can be made. Sow a row of garden peas too
If you took last month’s advice about salad onions they should soon be ready. Water the row well and prise the biggest ones out with a large screwdriver. Cut off the roots, wash well, and add to your salad bowl
If you planted lettuce in a pot they should be ready to plant out in odd corners of your garden. Once the pot is empty put a fresh handful of compost in and plant another lot of seeds
It's a bit early for runner beans but French beans, being slightly hardier, can now go in. If frost threatens they are easily covered with garden fleece
Early potatoes should now be in. If frost is due cover the emerging shoots with soil. They will soon push through this and no harm will be done
Why not try a row of white Turnips? If lifted when small and cooked as though they were early potatoes they will make a different and tasty addition to your Sunday roast
Swede can also be sown now but take much longer to mature.
As I sit here I'm thinking of my time as a judge for the Carleton Rode and District Ploughing Association from the 1970s onwards. This was an event organised by the Greenwood family of The Ashes in Carleton Rode. Competitors had to drive a tractor and plough in a straight line over a piece of ground set aside in one of their fields - often in Old Buckenham. There were many competitors with a large variety of different classes. One group of competitors used to travel up from Suffolk every year to take part in the competition and one or two of them would generally go home pleased with the fact they had won a class.
It was both a rural spectacle and a great social occasion among the farming community. Most importantly there was always a large refreshment tent so everyone could quench their thirst!
There were classes for the youngsters and ladies as well as men. Also present was a man with a pair of horses harnessed to a plough and anyone who thought themselves good enough could drive these horses over a set course. This was much more difficult than you might think as you had to drive the horses with one hand on the reins and the other hand had to be on the plough handle to keep it upright. Several ladies would have a go but they usually relied on the keeper of the horses to drive them.
Each section had a cup or trophy of some description for the winner to display in his or her cabinet. These trophies were held by their respective winners until the following year. The cups and trophies were presented at an annual dinner held in the autumn in Carleton Rode Village Hall. I remember my employer, the late Diana Penson, having a beautiful cup made and presented to the Association. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, the correct name and address of the winner was not recorded properly one year and after being presented it became lost. Miss Penson was not amused. I'm not sure if it's ever been found but I do hope so.
Judging a ploughing match is a difficult task and I was privileged to be considered good enough to be a judge. I held the position for many years and I was very reluctant to give it up but, due to my failing eyesight, I could no longer see the entire length of the furrow and it was not fair for me to judge others’ work.
I do hope that this virus will have passed us by the late summer so we can once more have a day out watching competitors driving their tractor as straight as they can – I would love to see this spectacle again.
Until next time, moined ‘ow yer go.
Owen
First published in Wymondham Magazine, May 2021.
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