Photo Blog: RHS Harvest Festival

Enormous pumpkins greeted visitors at the door to RHS Lindley Hall this week. Photos don't really do their size justice. Their sprawling girth reminded me of Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars. 

This year's star of the Giant Pumpkin Show with its prize-winning rosette:

It wasn't Stars Wars, although I understand that competition can get pretty fierce among vegetable growers.

Large rosettes announced the prize winners of the RHS Giant Pumpkin Competition at the Royal Horticultural Society's Harvest Festival Show 2018.





An incredible variety of apples lined two long tables. Their scent filled the air.

Children admiring Chisendale School's RHS display

Nothing tastes as good as home-grown fruit and vegetables. The RHS has a wonderful scheme to help children learn about growing flowers, fruit and vegetables. Some great artwork and produce were on display from a selection of inner-London primary schools.

Some schoolchildren were in the hall admiring their own work and the produce of others. Maybe some of these enthusiastic young vegetable growers may return in future? Enthusiasm captured at a young age often lasts a lifetime.

Displays from John Ruskin Primary and Christ Church (Battersea) Schools

I loved this poster from Portway Primary School using actual seeds in its design:

Another eye-catching display for children was the carved pumpkin competition. I remember doing this for Halloween with my own children every year. The RHS competitors were much more imaginative.

Mouse pumpkin with cheese

Carved insect pumpkin

Moon and stars pumpkin

Witches' cauldron pumpkin

Bejewelled Day of the Dead pumpkin

My personal favourites were the Bloom carved pumpkin and the Mexican-inspired Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos pumpkin.

After the show I visited the RHS Lindley Hall Library and its exhibition. I found out from the librarians how they got the giant pumpkins into the hall without damaging them. They had to use the same special lifting gear as is used to get cars into the hall.


All photos and text copyright: Karen Andrews