Though this weekend has been decidedly soggy, we’ve not let it dampen our spirits. It’s time for our yearly harvest activities and this weekend visitors to the Demonstration Garden have been able to sample some harvest delights with tasters from the garden, a family friendly trail, free seeds and growing tips for Autumn.
This year we’ve had to be a little inventive with our Harvest Produce Competition. Usually the competition is open to community gardens and groups, but we know that some many of you have found solace in your gardens and allotments, and particularly in growing your own food, over the Covid-19 lockdown. For this reason the team decided to open the competition to a wider range of people and accept online submissions for the first time.
The submissions we received were truly wonderful. Congratulations to all who entered, as your efforts in the garden have clearly been worthwhile! Lots of colourful snaps of tasty, healthy food flooded our email inbox and we’ve been delighted to show our shortlisted entries this weekend in the garden.
Winners with photographs are below, but first let us congratulate all of our shortlisted entries:
Individual entry shortlist
Betsy Anderson ( a selection of produce)
Dave Hurst (artichokes)
Hannah Ayre (a selection of produce)
Helen Wass O’Donnell (sweetcorn)
Jane Hogg (figs)
Jean Dickson (betroot)
Jim Morrice (a selection of produce)
Linda Hamilton (a selection of produce)
Liz Sutherland (cabbage)
Mairi Marlborough (a selection of produce)
Peter Brown (artichokes)
Malcolm Bruce & Helen Todd (quinoa)
Sheena Irving (apples)
Individual entry result
There were some outstanding entries to this category and our gardeners found it too difficult to make a choice! Therefore, we’re delighted to announce two joint winners as well as two ‘highly commended’ entries: Jim Morrice, Linda Hamilton, Hannah Ayre and Liz Sutherland.
![Image shows a dining tables full of homegrown vegetables: potatoes, salad leave, cavelo nero, courgettes, carrots of all colours, golden betroot, turnips, different types of onions and tender stem brocolli](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Winner-jim-morrice-768x1024.jpg)
![Image shows a box of homegrown vegetables; tomatoes, salad leaves, green squash variety, leeks, turnip, courgettes, kale and rainbow chard](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Winner-Linda-Hamilton-768x1024.jpg)
![Image shows a large purple cabbage on a set of scale. The cabbage is huge!](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highly-commended-Lizsutherland.jpg)
![Image shows a person holding up their homegrown vegetables against a blue sky: salad leaves, broad beans, herbs, betroot and courgette](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highly-commended-Hannah-Ayre.png)
Group entry shortlist
Drylaw Community Garden
Royal Edinburgh Hospital Community Garden (with Cyrenians)
University of the Third Age Edinburgh
Group entry result
Again, it was incredibly difficult to choose between these three groups as each had entered a fantastic array of produce, presented beautifully. In the end though, the U3A Edinburgh were triumphant in first place, with Drylaw Community Garden and the Royal Edinburgh Hospital gaining Highly Commended.
![Image shows a beautiful basket of produce: potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, peas, brassicas including cavelo nero, leeks, betroot, edible flowers like nastutium, courgette flower and flowering herbs.](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Winner-U3A-1024x897.jpg)
![Image shows a large display of lots of types of vegetables in the community garden; pumpkins and squashes, carrots, turnips, courgettes, potatoes, brassicas including cavelo nero, salad leaves, fennel and parsnip](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highly-commended-Royal-Edinburgh-Hospital-community-garden-1024x768.jpg)
![A colourful display of baskets of vegetables and fruit; leeks, beans, potatoes, courgettes, betroot, tomatoes, apples, grapes and a display of edible flowers.](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highly-commended-Drylaw-Community-Garden.jpg)
Young people’s group entry shortlist
When we launched the competition we hadn’t created this category, however, we received some really excellent entries from groups of children and young people that we felt really needed to be celebrated! Very well done to both of these groups for being shortlisted:
Fox Covert Young Gardeners
Rossie School, Montrose
Young people’s group entry result
Rossie School win first place, with the Fox Covert group receiving Highly Commended.
![Boxes of produce from the school garden: tomotoes of different colours and sizes, herbs like parsley, rosemary and chives, courgettes, white and red onions and peas.](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Winner-Rossie-School.jpg)
![A collage of images of young people who have been learning food growing skills. They are tending their plants and showing the radishes they have grown.](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highly-commended-Fox-Covert.png)
Children’s entry shortlist
We love to see children beginning the home-grown journey while young. What better time to learn? We had some great entries again and our shortlisted children are:
Amos
Robin
Wilfred and Alfie
Children’s entry results
We were so impressed with you all and you should all be proud of your lovely vegetables. This year Amos wins first place, and Robin and brothers Wilfred and Alfie win Highly Commended.
![A photograph of a boy pointing to the large green pumpkin he has grown.](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Winner-Amos-768x1024.jpg)
![A collage of images of a child growing their own carrots from planting the seeds to digging them up and eating them](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highly-commended-Robin-1024x1024.jpg)
![A basket of produce on the dining room table: onions, tomoatoes, courgettes, herbs, rhubarb, raspberries.](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highly-commended-Wilfred-and-Alfie-768x1024.jpg)
Wonky veg entry shortlist
This category is the one that made us laugh most. It seems carrots are the funniest of all the veg, with our two shortlisted entries being carrots, though not necessarily orange!
Mica
Adam Lopez and Jennifer Baugher
Wonky veg entry results
Mica, who also comes under the children’s category, wins first place for her wonky veg, and Adam and Jennifer win Highly Commended for their joint entry.
![A chopping board full of wonky carrots. They are yellow, white, orange and purple and in all sorts of shapes with extra appendages.](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Winner-Mica-Lewis-Biddick.jpg)
![A carrot on a table that is said to look like the shape of a football streaker running across the pitch!](https://stories.rbge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Highly-Commended-Jennifer-Baugher-Adam-Lopez-1024x1024.jpg)
Well done to all of those who entered and all of our first place and highly commended winners. We will be in touch over the next few days to arrange delivery of your prizes. Although we did say that we would give prizes to winners, we feel that our highly commended entries also deserve prizes, so will contact those too.
We’re so pleased so many of you are growing your own at home. Keep your eyes on our Botanics Stories blogs for more growing tips as well as www.facebook.com/EdibleGardeningProject and www.twitter.com/EdibleGarden1
The Edible Gardening project is kindly supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Jim morrice
Just like to thank you for winning joint first prize. Look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks
Jim morrice
Charlotte Walker
You’re very welcome, it was a brilliant entry!