I want to enter some produce in the local flower show which is on 14th
Aug. Everything seems to be coming on well but I need to know how much
time in advance is recommended to lift the onions in order to be able to
show them at their best. Any advice welcome. Thanks.
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Gopher wrote:
I want to enter some produce in the local flower show which is on 14th
Aug. Everything seems to be coming on well but I need to know how much
time in advance is recommended to lift the onions in order to be able to
show them at their best. Any advice welcome. Thanks.

I always have problems with this - I try to pick everything on the day, but
there's never time to get everything ready, since I also do the baking
section, and carrying everything over is a nightmare.

I've already lifted most of my onions this year and am drying them off and
will show them like that. Courgettes, beans, tomatoes, carrots and leeks
all need picking on the day, imho (or the day before if you're disorganised).
Potatoes we take up when they're ready then search through what we have for
suitable specimens when we get the chance.

I forgot to plant beetroot and carrots in time this year. :-( Although I
suspect I may be the only leek entry again at this rate ...

In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote:

Just remember, local flower and produce shows are deadly serious,
don't be fooled by anyone who trills that it's all good fun, that's a
dirty trick trying to lull you into a false sense of security. This is
war.

In my village, peace broke out a few years ago, and the show is no
more - though it was pretty desultory. I was a bit cheesed off when
my borlotti beans were excluded as 'out of category' for French beans,
and the prize went to someone who had submitted runners!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , Sacha
writes
On 2010-07-15 13:39:16 +0100, said:

snipwar.
In my village, peace broke out a few years ago, and the show is no
more - though it was pretty desultory. I was a bit cheesed off when
my borlotti beans were excluded as 'out of category' for French beans,
and the prize went to someone who had submitted runners!
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In ours, one man won every singe year - his displays were stupendous.
Then one year he showed something-or-other which had a slug pellet or
two clinging to it and he was marked down. He refused ever to enter
again but does a display just to show everyone else what would happen
if he cared to enter again! What's shown depends on the show schedule
but ISTR ours has things like 3 onions or 5 runner beans on a plate, 6
potatoes, 6 eggs, things like that. There's quite a lot of info he
http://tinyurl.com/2wb37fs

Thanks Sacha and the others who responded. I know about the dressing
(with raffia according to those who know) but I went a blank when
wondering how early I should lift the onions. I know I rather messed it
up last year by not leaving enough time for them to be stripped to a
consistent skin colour and left to go golden. Last year I rushed it and,
while I thought they looked great, I had to admit that those chosen
ahead of me, looked much better. So this year I'm going to lift them 3
weeks before our village show...... if I remember. That means they have
10 days still in the ground. The rain will help the runner beans and
French beans while with the other bits and pieces it's "fingers
crossed". And then there's the Men's home baked Cake category - it
always provokes the competitive juices. The show certainly is deadly
serious .... in the most light-hearted and fun way however. Fortunately
we don't seem to have any examples of sulkers .... maybe it's the cider
that makes the difference :-))

Many thanks for the advice. Roll on 14th Aug.
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Janet Baraclough wrote:
each kind, and they probably take their secret methods to the grave :-)
From memory, onions are displayed well dried, the necks are all
trimmed to matching length and each is bound with a little collar of
very fine string.

We've been watching this for a few years, as we're /really/ bad at
presentation (last year I got 2nd out of 1 entry for my leeks! *sob*) and I
think you're right but missing a step - the trimmed stalk is folded down
before the binding stage, and then ...

make-up. Some of the showers here sit onions, or is it shallotts, on a
plate of very fine sand, which was probably sieved through the hair of
virgins.

.... this. Although I suspect it's a coarser grain sand than your virgin-
filtered stuff. Hard to come by round here, innit ...

Just remember, local flower and produce shows are deadly serious,
don't be fooled by anyone who trills that it's all good fun, that's a
dirty trick trying to lull you into a false sense of security. This is
war.

Heh. I walked away with 3 trophies last year from our local gardening club!
But it was a very poor turn out, and I didn't win any for flowers or
vegetables, unfortunately (most points in show, most points for club member,
specimen rose - year before I won the domestic trophy, which gave me more
satisfaction, really).

wrote:
In my village, peace broke out a few years ago, and the show is no
more - though it was pretty desultory. I was a bit cheesed off when
my borlotti beans were excluded as 'out of category' for French beans,
and the prize went to someone who had submitted runners!

Ooh, harsh! I had a victoria jam sponge disqualified a few years back for
including butter cream (I didn't know you /could/ make them without butter
cream!!) - and worse, the year before my coffee + walnut cake got left
behind in the fridge and we never even entered. *sob* It was /really/
yummy though. :-)

The thing I've never worked out is whether white potatoes with coloured eyes
go in the white or coloured potato categories. Anyone know for sure? It
seems to be a bit arbitrary with what wins at ours

In article , Sacha
writes
What's shown depends on the show schedule but ISTR ours has things like
3 onions or 5 runner beans on a plate, 6 potatoes, 6 eggs, things like
that.


We have two shows one in spring always won by one exhibitor (well almost
every class) lots and lots of boring daffodil classes and chairman won't
change date or time to allow for different classes. (Chairman grows lots
of daffs)
Then members show much less full on RHS classes but added in there's
biggest weed or longest root veg etc.
I do the lunches for that usually 20 people book then 28 expect to eat
This year a new class copied from bellingdon show. Board which fits
nicely over a Indian takeaway plastic dish. Board has 9 holes and class
is for 9 fuchsia heads (but could be nine other flowers in next years
class if successful) means people don't have to lug in whole tubs or
pots with plant in.
Difficulty to get anyone to enter anything.
We had an amazing class three years ago for model garden. Absolutely
superb entries with little cabbages and paths and a greenhouse all done
in less than 12 x 12 inches
Tomorrow is Lee Flower Show MUCH more competitive and not very welcoming
to non locals who get 4 classes only to enter otherwise you HAVe to be
living in area or have child at Lee school.
Good show though and races/stalls and fantastic teas.
There is a book you can get from the RHS which tells you the definition
of classes and what you have to do. For instance you must leave top on
tomato to show you haven't bought them and courgettes mustn't be over a
certain length etc. etc.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article ,
writes
Heh. I walked away with 3 trophies last year from our local gardening club!
But it was a very poor turn out, and I didn't win any for flowers or
vegetables, unfortunately (most points in show, most points for club member,
specimen rose - year before I won the domestic trophy, which gave me more
satisfaction, really).


One year they wanted entries so i put in my plate of 9 currants, the
judge wrote "nice try, but we wanted redcurrants or blackcurrants NOT
dried fruit" on my entry card

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet Tweedy wrote:
Then members show much less full on RHS classes but added in there's
biggest weed or longest root veg etc.

Ooh, I like biggest weed! We have longest runner bean, but that's the most
interesting it gets. :-( I suggested "ugliest vegetable", but no-one went
for it.

I do the lunches for that usually 20 people book then 28 expect to eat

Oh, that's interesting. Our chair wanted to put the entry price up -
currently 30p to get in, 20p per exhibit. I suggested she could make it a
pound and include a cup of tea and a biscuit. But then, there's nowhere in
the hall to put seats, so that may not work.

This year a new class copied from bellingdon show. Board which fits
nicely over a Indian takeaway plastic dish. Board has 9 holes and class
is for 9 fuchsia heads (but could be nine other flowers in next years
class if successful) means people don't have to lug in whole tubs or
pots with plant in.

We have that, but I think it's 6 not 9. In a 'society box'. But they also
have a fuchsia category separately.

There is a book you can get from the RHS which tells you the definition
of classes and what you have to do. For instance you must leave top on
tomato to show you haven't bought them and

Ooh, I will have to investigate that. Would be useful

courgettes mustn't be over a certain length etc. etc.

I always struggle getting my courgettes to stay small enough. :-( I think
it's 4-6", at which point they're all scrawny!

Janet Tweedy wrote:
One year they wanted entries so i put in my plate of 9 currants, the
judge wrote "nice try, but we wanted redcurrants or blackcurrants NOT
dried fruit" on my entry card

Heh. Yeah, it's always fun nipping around looking at the little notes of
sarcasm by the judges.

In article ,
Janet Tweedy wrote:
In article ,
writes

Heh. I walked away with 3 trophies last year from our local gardening club!
But it was a very poor turn out, and I didn't win any for flowers or
vegetables, unfortunately (most points in show, most points for club member,
specimen rose - year before I won the domestic trophy, which gave me more
satisfaction, really).

One year they wanted entries so i put in my plate of 9 currants, the
judge wrote "nice try, but we wanted redcurrants or blackcurrants NOT
dried fruit" on my entry card


If they were home-grown, then you would definitely have had grounds
for complaint :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
says...
This year a new class copied from bellingdon show. Board which fits
nicely over a Indian takeaway plastic dish. Board has 9 holes and class
is for 9 fuchsia heads (but could be nine other flowers in next years
class if successful) means people don't have to lug in whole tubs or
pots with plant in.

Ours had a similar class for pansies; and I've seen begonia heads
done that way at other shows.

A regular class which always attracts a good number of entries here,
is "floating flowers". People bring their own container, usually some
shallow glass dish. All sorts of flowers take really well to being
displayed that way and even children can do it.

Janet

In article ,
writes
If they were home-grown, then you would definitely have had grounds
for complaint :-)


Cant complain, it was what I had left over after making the fruit cake
for the teas
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk