Time to get started in the garden for show season

Fermanagh County Show is encouraging existing and new exhibitors to plan ahead in order to have produce available for the wide variety of fruit, vegetables and flower classes at this year’s two-day event.
By Joanne Knox
Published 23rd Apr 2023, 11:00 BST
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​The Senior Gardener and volunteers at Florence Court’s Kitchen Garden have been regular exhibitors at the show and have won many awards over the years.

This month, they are continuing with seed sowing, as well as preparing to plant potatoes and other vegetables and, of course, some exotic fruit.

This year is different for the Florence Court team because this is the first season they are using their new glasshouses, built as part of the restoration project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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Ian Marshall, Senior Gardener, Florence Court with Kathy Dunphy, Senior Project Co-ordinator, encouraging gardeners to start sowing and planting for a summer display. The Kitchen Garden Volunteers have been successful exhibitors at Fermanagh County Show in previous years.Ian Marshall, Senior Gardener, Florence Court with Kathy Dunphy, Senior Project Co-ordinator, encouraging gardeners to start sowing and planting for a summer display. The Kitchen Garden Volunteers have been successful exhibitors at Fermanagh County Show in previous years.
Ian Marshall, Senior Gardener, Florence Court with Kathy Dunphy, Senior Project Co-ordinator, encouraging gardeners to start sowing and planting for a summer display. The Kitchen Garden Volunteers have been successful exhibitors at Fermanagh County Show in previous years.

With heated grow boxes, and the benefits of the warmth of glasshouses, they are able to sow tender seeds early to have them established before planting out in the beds.

The Senior Gardener, Ian Marshall, has also begun the planting of the new peach, nectarine and apricot trees, as well as waiting on the arrival of lemon trees and vines.

Ian, along with Kathy Dunphy, the Senior Project Co-ordinator, are in the midst of spring activities in the Kitchen Garden, having welcomed around 500 primary school children and their teachers to participate in the ‘Secrets of Spring’ programme.

As part of the programme, children learnt about the life cycles of plants and got the opportunity to sow some seeds.

Ian Marshall (centre), Head Gardener at Florence Court with Ernie Vance, Kitchen Garden Volunteer and Steward at Fermanagh County Show and Georgina Wallace, Florence Court Volunteer, planning some seed sowing in the Kitchen Garden.Ian Marshall (centre), Head Gardener at Florence Court with Ernie Vance, Kitchen Garden Volunteer and Steward at Fermanagh County Show and Georgina Wallace, Florence Court Volunteer, planning some seed sowing in the Kitchen Garden.
Ian Marshall (centre), Head Gardener at Florence Court with Ernie Vance, Kitchen Garden Volunteer and Steward at Fermanagh County Show and Georgina Wallace, Florence Court Volunteer, planning some seed sowing in the Kitchen Garden.

The Kitchen Garden volunteers, who meet twice a week, have also had an away day at the Organic Centre, Rossinver, making connections there and attending a ‘no-dig’ workshop with Charles Dowding.

This year’s Fermanagh County Show will be held in the new setting of Castle Irvine Estate, Necarne, Irvinestown.

Details of the various classes will be released in June at the show launch. The show will take place on Friday 11 August and Saturday 12 August.

The new showgrounds, and new weekend dates, offer lots of new opportunities for the popular county show, which is the last agricultural show in the Northern Ireland Shows Association calendar.

Related topics:Florence Court