A DALGETY BAY gardener has come out top of the crops, for the 24th year in a row, with his enormous home-grown veggies.

Jim Thomson (88), of The Beeches, has scooped the Beautiful Fife West Fife vegetable section award each year since 1990 and has won the Fife wide competition for 12 years – which he is hoping to pick up next week for a lucky 13th time.

Mr Thomson, who is a retired civil servant, said, “I am so delighted to have won it again and hopefully I will win the Fife wide competition on Wednesday - I am well in the running but will have to wait for the results.

“Gardening is very relaxing and it is getting quite popular - there is a lot of people taking up allotments which is good.

“This year my leeks, cabbages and onions have been the biggest. “I grow a range of different vegetables including carrots, parsnips, different variations of leeks, cabbages, kale, cauliflowers, french beans, runner beans, broad beans, beetroot and more! “I have been a gardener all my life and think it’s great. It would be good to see younger gardeners - I hardly know anyone under 40 who has taken it up.” Jim puts his prize garden down to a “well dunged” patch and a lot of hard work attending to the many different kinds of veggies.