Champion vegetable grower Medwyn Williams is well into his preparations for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September and has revealed how the beginning of his new growing season has progressed.
When the world-famous event announced its postponement for the first time in its history, Medwyn got straight to work to make sure his growing schedule adapted to the new date. This involved pulling plants and re-sowing many of others 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.
Sharing how his new growing schedule is progressing, Medwyn said: “This year has definitely been one of the strangest seasons I’ve tried to grow in, throwing up another challenge with the weather, which has been very wet and cold, interspersed with hot sunshine. This can upset the plants – they like continuity rather than change so we’ve been taking great care to keep a steady environment to help them grow as best they can.
“I’m growing many of my crops this year using plant nutrient and specialist growing products from CANNA to provide the plants with the best growing conditions possible. The thing about CANNA products is that they just work. They help me achieve the beautiful smooth and shiny skins and uniform root plants that I need for my displays – which at 25 feet are quite a feat to put together.
“I’m growing a lot of my vegetables – including leeks, onions, and potatoes - planted in CANNA Coco ProfessionalPlus this year and feeding them with CANNA Coco A&B nutrients as and when required. I’ll also be storing my potatoes in containers filled with CANNA sieved Coco once they are harvested and graded, which will make sure the skins set firmly and clean up well for the show in September.
“I’m on my third growing attempt for Chelsea in two years thanks to last year’s event being cancelled, and this year’s being postponed – but I’m confident September’s display will be spectacular. I’m coming up on my 80th year and people often ask when I’m planning to stop, but I haven’t the intention to stop anytime soon. I’m lucky that the pandemic hasn’t stopped me growing, and I’ve been doing this for most of my life, so what would I do if I stopped?”
Medwyn will be sharing his preparations for his return to Chelsea, along with tutorials and step-by-step growing videos on his Instagram and Twitter accounts in the run up to September.
To access the full video interview with Medwyn Williams on his preparations for RHS Chelsea 2021, please click here.