The first questions are in!

If any of my more esteemed & experienced chums have anything to add please feel free to comment.


1) How do you remove the tomato from the plant, with calyx attached---I suspect it should be obvious, but I don't know!.
No great technique required to this, just a bit of care. Make sure you have a compartmentalised carry box of some description with soft tissues to protect the fruits once picked. Support the tomato as if you were cradling one of your own bollocks, then snip the stalk of the calyx past the 'knuckle' with sharp scissors. Careful not to pierce the skin with the end of the scissors. I like to leave the stalk as long a stalk as I can get as I think this stands out and I know this was the method favoured by Charlie Maisey, but it's only a personal preference. Cut just past the knuckle if you prefer.

2)Is there an optimum pea size? I didn't grow many last year but intend to grow more next season. Many of my pods when left on the plant at maturity resulted in the peas showing bulges on the outside of the pod. Is this expected and necessary to be successful on the show bench?
The short answer to this is no there isn't an optimum pea size. The NVS Judes Guide states pods should be long, fresh, smooth well-filled pods with good bloom and colour. In practice that means getting 9 (or more - see schedule) pods that are as large as possible for the variety without pea bulge (this is considered a fault therefore) or going over on skin condition. At National level you need pods with 11 or 12 peas in them although at local level 10 would be very good. But bear in mind that size only carries 4 points out of the total 20 on offer and as with most show vegetables is a relatively small proportion of the points on offer. Condition scores up to 6 points, uniformity 4 points, fullness of pod 4 points and colour 2 points so for local level just grow a mildew tolerant variety as unless you live in Scotland or the North you will struggle to exhibit 'Show Perfection' past mid-August. If you have a variety that only has 8 peas in, but you can get nice clean pods benched, all the same size with no bulge then go for it. Peas need to be picked at their optimum condition, and they only last in a perfect state for 5 or 6 days so you need to time your row to make sure you have plenty to choose from. Show Perfection takes approx. 80-85 days from sowing to showing depending on location and climactic conditions during growth.

3)I'm hoping to show at some local shows next year. My difficulty is to choose what veg to show and how many of each individual veg' to grow to give me a chance. (i.e. to get a uniform set of 3 do I need to choose from 10? Also sowing intervals to give progression...... 4 weekly?


The scoring system and detail of what is expected, uniformity, size, condition & how this effects the scoring would also be useful.
Right, quite a few questions in this one. First of all scoring systems. You need to find out under what rules your show is being judged, whether it's RHS (more usual for village shows) or NVS rules. There are subtle differences between them but nothing to worry about if you concentrate on quality and uniformity above all else. Try and purchase a copy of The Horticultural Show Handbook 2008 ISBN 9781902896830 which you will find enormously useful if you're just starting out.

All vegetables are given a points value depending on how easy they are to grow, so you will find the hardest to grow well are termed '20 pointers' and include long carrots, parsnips, leeks, potatoes, large onions, caulis, long beet and celery. Other veg are deemed easy to grow well, such as small fruited tomatoes (12 points), pumpkins (10 points) and radishes (10 points). These points are broken down into 4 or 5 sections usually, so if we look at parsnips for instance under the NVS rules it is awarded a maximum of 6 points for condition, 4 for uniformity, 4 for shape, 3 for size and 3 for colour. Virtually without exception all vegetables will score highly if in good condition, although i'm afraid you need to be prepared for an untrained judge being blinded by size at a small village show.


If you're doing shows for the first time try not to be too ambitious. Ask yourself what you have personally grown well in the past and try and concentrate on these. In my opinion a good starting point for local shows would be tomatoes, globe beet, onions from sets, courgettes, potatoes, french beans, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, cabbages and maybe short carrots grown in sandy raised beds. Don't get hung up on growing the biggest, but rather try and get matching specimens that are grown to perfection with few signs (if any) of damage from pest or disease. Really get close to your plants and learn how they grow, and try and spot any problems before they get too far out of hand. Remember, a perfectly grown small to medium set of onions can beat a huge set that is disease or pest damaged, non-matching or poorly shaped. You need to give yourself plenty of vegetables to choose from but don't go so mad that you can't maintain steady growth. It's better to mollycoddle a few to perfection than grow a field of mediocre specimens. With experience you'll be able to grow fewer specimens and still make good matching exhibits. Certain vegetables are quicker to grow to maturity such as beetroot which usually take 12-15 weeks. However, I have had them reach grapefruit size in 6 weeks so sow a row per week from mid-May until mid-June and you should cover the show season.