Storm’s impact rumbles on
Prize-winning gardener loses chance to defend title
A keen gardener’s hopes of retaining a South Canterbury gardening award were dashed by the hail.
Malcolm Blackmun’s extensive prize vegetable garden was decimated, ruining his chance of defending his best small kitchen garden title in the upcoming South Canterbury Horticultural Society competition.
He won the title, and the best vegetable title, for the first time in 2015, and then again in 2018. He was hoping to make it a trifecta this year.
On average the 37-year-old builder spends more than 20 hours a week tending his vegetables after work, and in the weekends, but when the hail hit all he could do was watch.
‘‘I’ve never seen anything like it . . . I felt helpless,’’ Blackmun said.
His broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, shallots, parsley, pumpkins, zuchinnis, onions, rhubarb, silverbeet and potato tops were all destroyed.
Other plants including strawberries, tomatoes and beans were spared as they were sheltered against the house.
Blackmun estimated the lost plants, along with fertilisers, probably cost about $500.
Many of the ruined plants were about six weeks away from harvest.
Blackmun grows enough vegetables to feed his family of two children, and gives away excess to elderly neighbours and friends.
His grandfather, the late Doug Shirley, taught him to garden as a child growing up in Ashburton.
‘‘He [grandfather] used to say ‘there’s no point watering it if you can’t eat it’.’’
South Canterbury Horticultural Society president Maureen Ng said she was unsure if the contest would go ahead as other contestants were probably also affected by the hail. A decision would be made before the
December 2 competition based on the number of entries – a minimum of six required.