riverman - welcome.
As far as preventing drawstring effect, it may be more difficult in your climate because of the amount of rain you get. The time-honoured solutions are to go really easy on water and fertilizer until after the plant has leafed out as both tend to make it grow faster and, of course, the green part grows faster than the white. I've also heard that you can simply removed the earliest growth if it's really unsightly. And finally, grow varieties that are not as subject to drawstring.
