Growing for the glory of a first prize card
Autumn is not only prime harvest time, but show time. I’m not referring to shows like the Chelsea Flower Show, but dozens of smaller events in towns and villages throughout Scotland. Musselburgh Horticultural Society show is today. Some shows have already taken place but there are more to come. The Edinburgh Allotment Show is at the Methodist Church Hall, Nicolson Square, on 2 September. Glasgow’s Berridale Allotments have their own show for their plotholders on the same day. Dundee Flower and Food Festival is a three day affair over that weekend.
They are family-friendly events where exhibitors and visitors are welcome. Some classes will be hotly contested by experienced growers, but others are for novices and firsttime entrants. There will be classes for children, such as miniature gardens and fruit/vegetable monsters. Edinburgh Allotment Show is devoting a whole section to giant vegetables which will be fun to see. Show secretaries will have been toiling away with arrangements and it is up to us to take part staging our best produce.
The rules are simple but need adhering to. You are expected to have grown the exhibit yourself. A little bit of root and some foliage on root vegetable exhibits not only looks good, but proves they haven’t been bought in the supermarket. The judges look for unblemished and matching exhibits. For French beans, the aim is to find straight ones all the same length. Some show organisers suggest laying them on a bit of black cloth or paper to display them to advantage. When competition is
A bit of foliage on root vegetables not only looks good, but proves they haven’t been bought in the supermarket
fierce, attention to small details can sway the decision one way or the other. Exhibits need to be assembled the night before the show or, better still, early on the show morning as judges are impressed by freshness. They may open pea pods and snap beans in half as a test of freshness. Size isn’t everything. Courgettes are usually expected to be about 150mm in length and no more. Anything larger is too much like a vegetable marrow.
Old allotment and horticultural societies accumulate an impressive array of trophies over the years for various categories. The most coveted prize in Musselburgh Horticultural Society’s show is the Riding of the Marches Trophy. However, don’t expect to get rich on your winnings – the top prize money is usually a pound or two and not much more. The glow of going home with a first prize card is what it’s all about. n