The village flower show is held twice a year in the village hall.
Next event: Autumn Flower show (and plant sale/raffle) 2019
The next Dorchester on Thames flower show is scheduled in for 12th September 2019. You should now have plenty of time to:
Flower Show helpful hints and tips
We are always looking for ways to increase the number of exhibitors to the shows, and thought that some guidance about how to prepare and present the exhibits might encourage those of you who are quietly producing prize winning carrots but don’t know what to do with them.
The advice below is taken from RHS’s Horticultural Show Handbook, and the RHS’s Great British Village Show.
| Beetroot |
Avoid specimens with poor skin colour at the base of the root or that do not have a single small taproot. Small side roots should be removed. Trim foliage to approximately 75mm (3in). |
| Carrots |
Choose firm, fresh, blemish free specimens of good even colour and uniformity, without discolouration at the top. Cut off the foliage to approximately 75mm (3in). |
| Courgettes |
Can be any colour as long as they are well matched. Stage with or without flowers attached. |
| Cucumbers |
Fruits should be matched and of a good, fresh green colour. The flower end should be completely developed, the barrel (main body) well shaped and with a short handle (thin end). Show with or without their flowers. |
| French Beans |
Cut specimens from the vine, leaving a portion of stalk on each pod. Choose pods with no outward sign of seeds. Judges will break one pod from each exhibit to determine freshness and condition. |
| Leeks |
Roots must be washed and teased out but not trimmed. Avoid stripping too many outer leaves. |
| Marrow |
Wipe clean and lay directly on the show bench. |
| Onions |
Bulbs should be uniform, well ripened and of good colour. Do not over-skin. The tops should be neatly tied and the roots neatly trimmed back to the basal plate. |
| Parsnips |
Roots should be straight and evenly tapered. Cut off foliage to approximately 75mm (3in). |
| Peppers |
Leave a portion of stalk on each fruit. |
| Potatoes |
Select medium sized specimens, generally between 200g and 250g (7-9oz). Choose equally matched tubers with shallow eyes. |
| Rhubarb (natural) |
Trim the top foliage from the start of the leaf stalks to approximately 75mm (3in). Trim off any bud scales at the base. |
| Shallots |
Stage as separate bulbs and not as clusters. Trim off roots to the basal plate, shorten the necks and tie the tops neatly. Can be placed on a layer of fine dry sand for stability. |
| Squash |
Retain a portion of stalk, trimmed neatly. |
| Tomatoes |
Aim for a uniform set of ripe fruits with firm, fresh calyces. Avoid fruits with a hard ‘green back’ around the calyx. Stage on a plate with the calyces uppermost, if possible. For cherry type tomatoes, small rings or sand can be used to steady their bases. |
| Apples (cooking and dessert) |
Cut fruits to ensure the stalks remain intact. Stage on plates with the stalk ends facing down. |
Some of our past shows
