No secret to being Oamaru's Top of the Crops

Oamaru's Richard Wallace does not stress too much about growing his vegetables, as long as they get off, or out of, the ground.

At the North Otago Horticultural Society Autumn Show at the Scottish Hall over the weekend, he was surprised to find one of his pumpkins, weighing in at a hefty 15kg, sitting on the premier bloom table after winning its category.

His parsnips, potatoes, marrow and rhubarb also won places in the top three.

However, there was "nothing special" about how he grew his veges, perhaps with the exception of adding a few grass clippings here and there.

When it came to his premier pumpkin, he said its size was a bit of an anomaly.

"They're never usually that big. We grew a different variety this year, but I don't know what sort it was.

"I didn't expect it to be on the premier table, to be honest. To me, it's just a seed to grow. It's a bit hit and miss, really. Some years you have a good year and other years you have a bad year."

Displayed alongside Wallace's vegetables were numerous blooms of various types and colours, including petite roses floating in glasses filled with water and flowers and other plants arranged to create picturesque displays.

A good crowd wandered about the hall to enjoy the bursts of colour on Saturday afternoon and throughout the day yesterday, many engaging in long conversations about everything gardening.