Exhibition Seeds - In Depth Growblog written by Keith Foster

The Grow Tent

Keith Foster — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:34:25 +0000

I have a Grow Tent where I grow my onions and leeks , in fact you can grow whatever you like in them. Our grow tents available here have the following…

Fast Assembly
Fully light proof material
Tough Stitching
Heavy duty light proof zip
Double sealed cuffs on inlets and outlets
Fully lined with highly reflective Mylar
Heavy duty hanging points for lighting and extraction
Adjustable velcro sealed window
Compact carry car

I use these myself , see below ….

They are excellent when used with the TS Lights, all you then need is a small fan heater to maintain about 18c , a CO2 bottle with controller and a extraction fan to change the air every so often.

Many growers fail to recognize the importance of Carbon Dioxide in their growroom. most plants grow faster and larger with enhanced CO2 levels because of more efficient photosynthesis and a reduction in water loss. There are also many other benefits for plants, among them greater resistance to temperature extremes and other forms of stress, better growth at low light intensities, improved root/top ratios & less injury from air pollutants.

Photosynthesis is the term used to describe the process by which plants combine CO2 molecules with water molecules to form complex sugars, there is a resultant spare oxygen atom which is released back into the air, the sugars being further processed by the plant to form natural polymers for growth. The ambient level of CO2 in air is 300-400 PPM, fast growing plants in your growroom or glasshouse can use all the available CO2 in less than an hour slowing photosynthesis and therefore growth to a virtual halt.

It can be seen that the rate at which plants are able to grow is relative to the availability of photosynthesized complex sugars. Raising the ambient CO2 level in your growroom causes more sugars to be produced allowing the plant to grow bigger and faster. The optimum level of CO2 for plant growth is generally accepted at 1200-1600 PPM, plants grown in this environment can grow up to 40% faster thus shortening crop times and increasing yields. This is of course assuming no other limiting factors such as lack of available light etc. Peter Glazebrook used CO2 when he grew is world record bulb in 2011 . Its best applied in the Grow Tent via a cylinder and controller , when you use it in the tunnel or greenhouse you can use either the cylinder or a gas burner CO2 generator, whichever your plants will do much better. Many commercial grows use added CO2 in their growing areas.

Here is an image of my CO2 controller ….

I also use a Systemair RVK fan set on the top of my Grow Tent this is set to come on for just 1 minute every 1/2 hour , it has an intake duct attached from the bottom of the fan to one of the socks on the bottom of the Grow Tent where it pulls in fresh air, I also leave another sock open so the fan can suck fresh air in, this air is then circulated around my grow tent and the old air extracted out.

Heres an image of my fan….

And the ducting…

More to follow..

Growing Pot Leeks

Keith Foster — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:06:08 +0000

Keith Foster owner of the company Exhibition Seeds is the breeder of the Pot Leeks Yorkshire Green, Yorkshire Blue and the new Yorkshire Giant, the Yorkshire Green is responsible for many of the championship wins in the last 5 years. I bred the Yorkshire strain of leeks from the Joe Jones leek crossed with the Molyneax the parent seeds came from a leek that Joe Jones gave me the last year he grew them, he had a stroke and I used to travel 3 times a week from Richmond to Stanhope in Weardale and look after them for him, he was 4th that year at Ashington, he gave me a super leek that I looked after and that was the parent, It was the last year he ever grew as he died shortly afterwards, we lost probably the finest Pot Leek grower to have ever lived and I regret he never had chance to grow the Yorkshire Green, what would he have done with those? we will never know.

Below the very first Yorkshire Giant seen, it was at Harrogate Autumn Show on our stand, it measure 19.5 in circumference and was 6 inches to the button.

Below Pot Leek Yorkshire Green taken in 2001 the first year I released it, these war on my garden seats.

Anyway he left us his legacy in the Yorkshire strain and I will continue to try and breed new leeks but they take time. Pot leeks require starting around November time and to grow them really well you must have Grow Lights our T5 Fluorescent units are ideal for Pot Leeks as they give you the correct light of 6400 k that makes them have short wide flags.

When starting Pot Leeks it is essential to get hold of clean decease free stock, many Pot Leeks in the North East are infected with yellow streak virus so its hard to find clean stock. You must also ensure that your stock is free of rust. The Yorkshire Green and Giant are clean at the moment but they only have a life of about 10 years so its essential to breed new stains.

Below the Yorkshire Giant first year I grew them.

All Pot Leeks for show are grown from known strains and are propagated from grass or bubils from the mother leek seed head. See below…

The young grass must be pearly white when you take them off the head, they then need to go a seed tray filled with good clean seed compost at temperature of 65f , at this temperature they root well in 7 days they then need to be potted into 9 cm pots (1/2 litre) of good compost and placed under lights for 12 hours a day. You should be aiming to pot them on every 3 weeks so you go into 1 litre, 2 litre, 3 litre and so on until planting time around early May under cover . Always keep them almost right up to your light source so they stay short. If you grow them well from November to May under the lights you should be measuring in the region of 10 inches in circumference and be in 10 litre pots.

Below John Pearson with the Yorkshire Giant Pot Leek world record weighing 20lbs 5 ounces. Image by North News.

More to follow…..

T5 Fluorescent Grow Lights

Keith Foster — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:37:46 +0000

I use the the T5 Fluorescent Grow Lights for my grow tent, they are extremely efficient at providing good light and will give you about 15000 lux at 1 meter high above your plants, the tubes are 5/8 of an inch in diameter thats where the 5 comes from.

At 54 watts per tube and with 8 tubes you are using 432 watts which on my electric tariff is 12p per KWh @ 24 hours a day cost £1.24 so it costs about £52.00 for 6 weeks . You can buy them here

These are what you need to do to grow Giant Onions, Pot and Blanch Leeks

For Blanch Leeks and Pot Leeks use at 12 hours a day so the cost would be half the above.

Here is an image of mine, click to enlarge….

They are switchable from 8 tubes to 4 tubes. For propagation there is nothing to beat them and growth is extremely fast with dark green short leaves. In a Grow Tent you rarely need extra heat as the beta they give off is sufficient but they dont burn. In 10 weeks you will have very large plants for planting out.

Growing large onions 2012

Keith Foster — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:29:48 +0000

Peter Glazebrook below with his amazing world record bulb 17lbs 15.5 ounces and big proud grin on his face. This was an accumulation of 30+ years hard work and dedication to the art of growing giant onions. No secrets just lights, good culture and knowledge.

Well I sowed my onions on the 13/11/11 this year 3 days earlier than last year, I am well behind Peter Glazebrook (pictured above) the current world record holder, he was away on the 26/10/11 .See here

A thought for poor Ian Paton who is laid up in bed with at trapped nerve in his back, his onions are way ahead of anyone looked after at the moment by his brother Stuart See here

I am not too worried as I believe most of the real growing is done in the final pots and the real secret of getting that is to provide minimum 60f at night, not easy in February once you go into the tunnel or greenhouse. Its pretty much a waste of time if you are chasing the world record in your grow chamber but then don’t provide ideal temperatures when planted out. more to follow…

Just received this image from Ian Paton his onions are just 6 weeks from sowing and look at the size? he uses our Maxibright T5 Grow Lights 8 tubes

Looking to the new Onion and Leek growing season

Keith Foster — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 15:41:10 +0000

Time has moved on in the last 20 years with Technology really starting to make a real difference in growing vegetables, particularly the giants. If you want to grow them to perfection you ought to take a look at the Grow Tents and also our Grow Lights that are ideal for propagating them in the first 3 months.

Its not long now before the top growers will be sowing their onion seeds again and Ian Paton will be sowing next week! I was talking to Peter Glazebrook, the current world record holder and he is sowing around the third week in October .

Now is the time to be preparing your greenhouse or tunnel and get the big pots washed and cleaned in readiness for the early planting the big onions need.

Order your clean sterilised John Innes Compost for use in the final big pots, (see below) I use JI no 3 from Keith Singletons at Cumbrian Garden and Pets they will delivery to your door if its a pallet load. You may well think whats wrong with your garden soil but even if you sterilise your soil it will not be done correctly and you are bound to get some sort of soil borne decease. JI compost from reputable supplier is pasteurised with steam so its totally sterile, that means no Onion White Root, no Pink Rot etc etc.

more to follow….

Growing Large Exhibition Onions in The Greenhouse – update 19/09/2011

Keith Foster — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:57:12 +0000

Well Harrogate Autumn show is over , I grew my best onion in many years with a 13lb 2 ounce bulb and had several over 12.7 lbs out of just 11 bulbs that grew OK. Peter Glazebrook broke the world record with an amazing onion weighing 17lbs 15.5 ounces. He really deserves the record after 30 odd years of trying.

Below is Peter Glazebrook and his wife with the world record onion, Copyright Keith Foster

Yorkshire Giant Pot Leek

Keith Foster — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:47:55 +0000

In 2005 I bred the now famous York shire Giant Pot Leek, it is now being recconised as an outstanding Pot Leek and on Saturday 17th September it broke the world record with a 20Ib 5oz specimen grown by John Pierson at the top North East horticultural show in Stanley Co Durham.

Here is link to the story

Growing Large Exhibition Onions in The Greenhouse – update 06/08/2011

Keith Foster — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:57:19 +0000

Well I am late with this post, the onions have slowed right down now, in fact they have probably stopped growing as I see no real swelling of the bulbs, I was expecting them to grow on until at least the end of August. my best bulb is 28.8 inches in circumference, I was hoping for 30 inch as that would have given me a 14lb bulb . Peter Glazebrook reports that last year in August his onions put on about 6/10ths of an inch a week till the end of August but I dont see mine doing that. My best bulb here is Ailsae, I have 8 originally and 8 of Peter Glazebrooks the only real difference I see with Peters is they are a taller bulb, Ailsae as in my picture here is more the traditional onion shape but to break world records one would need to grow it to about 33 inches in circumference.

Growing Large Exhibition Onions in The Greenhouse – update 23/06/2011

Keith Foster — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:18:17 +0000

Onions continue to do ok with the exception of one thats got Saddlback whereby they growing point gets stuck and grows out of the bottom of the bulb! it completely ruins that bulb.

The best bulb at the moment is about 24.5 inches in circumference, that says they have grown about 10.5 inches in 5 weeks, I would have expected more but June has not been very warm on the North East Coast. There is still nearly 3 months growing time before the big show but growth of onions slows down from now on , I am just hoping they dont stop growing as they sometimes do.

I have applied Red Spider Mite predators Phytoseiulus persimilis as we move into Red Spider Mite season.

The onions get watered every 2 days with about 3 litres per pot around the edges taking care not to get water on the leafs or the bulb. I do not feed them at all with any liquid feed, there should be ample in the soil.

Peter Clark vegetable grower elite

Keith Foster — Tue, 24 May 2011 09:55:51 +0000

Peter Clark has been growing outstanding vegetables for Exhibition for many years he as won hundreds of championship awards, for Collections, Blanch and Pot Leeks, Carrots, Potatoes and many other vegetables in the National Vegetable Society shows and of course the famous Harrogate Autumn Show the Olympics of vegetable growing.

Peter grows on quite an exposed plot in Potto near the Cleveland Tontine, his attention to detail is amazing, he now concentrates of Carrots, Onions Parsnips and Leeks. More will follow soon on Peter…