In the spirit of old fashioned fun, Island Farm will host its first “Great Cucurbit Competition” this upcoming October. Hobbyists and serious farmers alike are welcomed to try their hand in this unique vegetable competition.
What is a Cucurbit you may ask? The Cucurbitaceae family, or Cucurbits for short, include the beloved pumpkin, gourds, squash, cucumber, watermelon and many more genera. And spring is the time to start acquiring seeds and planting!
Participating growers may enter their produce into competition, being judged by three classes; Largest, Highest Quality, and Most Bizarre. This year, the competition will be limited to pumpkins and gourds and will take place on October 15th, 2022, during the farm’s annual Pumpkin Patch event. In addition to the three classes, two vegetables will be voted on by the public for vegetable King and Queen – merely by popular vote.
Details
Competition Categories:
- Pumpkins
Classes:
- Largest
- Highest quality
- Most bizarre
2. Gourds (bottle, dipper, bushel, etc)
Classes:
- Largest
- Highest quality
- Most bizarre
3. Vegetable King/Queen
All exhibitors entered into the above categories will automatically be entered into the competition for Vegetable “King/Queen”, determined by popular vote.
Judging:
Produce will be judged by a panel of 3 judges. Judges will be members of the community with experience in gardening and agriculture.
Rules and Regulations:
- All produce must be grown and prepared under the personal supervision of the exhibitor.
- All produce entered into the competition must be grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
- All varieties will be permitted.
- The judge’s decisions are final.
- Vegetables entered into the “Largest” class will be judged by weight.
- Damaged produce will not be accepted into the competition.
- If produce exceeds the scale limit, the weight will be approximated by measurement.
- Each exhibitor may have only one vegetable entered into each class.
- Each vegetable must have been harvested within the last 12 months.
Timeline:
October 3, 2022 – Application due
October 15, 2022 – Competition date
- 6:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. produce drop-off
- 12:00 noon – pumpkin and gourd category winners announced
- 2:00 p.m. – Vegetable King/Queen announced
Application Process:
Fill out the below form by October 3, 2022. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. On the date of the competition, October 15, 2022, a competition fee of $10.00 per exhibitor will be due. If you prefer a paper application, please call Island Farm at (252) 473-5440.