RHS Tatton success for Cheshire West teen allotment gardener

At the tender age of 19, Harry Dean brings the average age of an Over Allotments Association member down by no small amount.

But what the Reaseheath landscape architecture student may lack in experience, he certainly makes up for in ambition.

In the year Over Allotments in Winsford turns 100 years old, Harry submitted an entry for a pumpkin-themed border, called A Gourd Time, to judges at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Flower Show Tatton, held in July.

Harry, who designed the garden, has no shortage of volunteers to help him (Image: Becky Edwards)

On Tuesday, May 14, he and the other members were informed by RHS  their entry has been accepted.

The design is a nod to former member, Mr Alfred Palfreyman, who held the British record for a giant pumpkin briefly in 1990, with a behemoth weighing in at 579lbs. 

Mr Alfred Palfreyman with his Over-grown 579lb giant pumpkin, grown in 1990 (Image: Over Allotment Association)

Harry said: “It's brilliant, though a bit of a surprise, if I’m honest.

“Long borders are a really popular category of the show gardens, so a lot of us thought we wouldn’t get in. 

“As it’s our centenary this year, we’ve been looking at the history of the allotments.

“There was a pumpkin grown here in the 1990 which held the British record for about a week. That’s something to be proud of.

“Our Tatton garden tries to recreate the same feelings as that would have done. 

“As we’re a community group with pretty good facilities, we’re able to grow all the plants ourselves.

“After the show, some people sell the plants on, and others just throw them in the skip.

“We’re going to replant and rebuild our entry at the kids park just outside our allotment gate.”

Harry's design brief says: “The central motif of A Gourd Time is edible and ornamental planting which represents a thriving pumpkin in a vegetable patch.

“We want to celebrate the record pumpkin grown on our site using a restricted colour palette representing it.

“Reinforcing the idea of fork to plate, the border can be derived from two words - harvest and habitat:  A place where we can harvest, and habitat for wildlife.

“Allotment sites are a vital food source for wildlife and aid biodiversity, as well as all the human benefits. The elements of sight, scent, sound, touch, and taste can help connect people with nature.

“A Gourd Time has the power to unify, to delight, and to bring people together.”

Over Allotments committee member and official beekeeper, Becky Edwards, says there’s no shortage of people willing to help Harry make A Gourd Time a real showstopper.

She said: “He has a team of people all waiting in the wings, and everyone on site will be able to help with growing the plants he’s planning to use.

“There’s going to be a bit of everything in it, but there’ll have to be some squashes and pumpkins in there with a name like that.”