Read the schedule carefully. If anything is not clear contact one of the stewards. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to stage your exhibits. Pay particular attention to the number of specimens required, and don’t forget your entry cards. If you know another member who has something worth entering try to persuade that person to take part, and be prepared to help as much as you can. If you notice someone has made a mistake when staging an exhibit, draw his or her attention to it, or let a Steward know, so that the mistake can be rectified.

All exhibits should be staged as attractively as possible. In close competition the presentation of an exhibit can be the deciding factor between first and second place. In fruit and vegetable classes uniformity is important, as is the number of items to be shown. Always take some spares.

Flowers:
Remove any damaged or discoloured flowers or leaves. The judge will notice anything that spoils an entry. Take extras so that if any get damaged in transport you have a replacement.

Fruit:
Pick as near to show date as possible. Handle the fruits carefully so that the natural bloom is not spoilt. Use scissors rather than fingers to remove soft fruits. Don’t use over or under-ripe fruit. Berries look most attractive if they are placed in lines; the stalks and calyces should look green and fresh and all point one way. Apples and similar fruit should be staged with the eye uppermost, stalk end downwards.

Vegetables:
Beans should be cut off the vine with scissors, leaving some stalk attached. Pods should be uniform in size and staged with stalks to the top, tails to the front.

Peas should be cut from vine with 2”/50mm of stalk. Handle at all times with the stalk to keep the bloom in tact. Pods should be uniform in size and staged with stalks to the top, tails to the front.

Carrots. Select uniform roots of good colour. Avoid those which have turned green at the top.

Courgettes. Choose young, tender and uniform fruits. Stage flat with or without flowers adhering.

Cucumbers. Choose cucumbers of a fresh green colour with flowers and a short handle still attached and waxy bloom unmarked.

Garlic. Clean off all soil fragments and dry completely. Show whole. Reduce the dried stem to 2”/50mm. Leave roots in tact.

Onions. Avoid soft specimens and avoid over-skinning. Uniform, well-ripened bulbs of good colour are required. Tops may be tied and the roots should be trimmed back to the basal plate.

Potatoes. Select equally matched tubers with shallow eyes. Avoid extra large tubers and those with deep-set eyes. Tubers should be carefully washed in clean water with a soft sponge. Stage on plates with the rose end outwards. Cover with a cloth to exclude light until judging commences. Tuber should be approx 5-6 oz, 150-175g.

Shallots. Stage as separate bulbs, not clusters. Bulbs should be thoroughly dry, free from staining and loose skin. Roots should be cut off to the basal place and the tops neatly tied. Stage on dry sand or similar material.

Tomatoes. Aim for a uniform set of fruit with small eyes and firm fresh calyces. Stage on a plate, calyx uppermost.

Beetroot. Choose roots of equal size, these should be about the size of a tennis ball. Avoid those which do not have a single taproot. Small side shoots should be removed. Take care in washing, as all marks will show up clearly after a few hours.

Sweet corn. Cobs of uniform size with fresh green husks with approximately one quarter of the grain exposed by pulling down sharply from the tip to the base, and removing a number of husks. The best cobs are filled to the tip, with straight rows of tender grain. The stalks should be trimmed.