Emma Pritchard

The next generation of backyard producers throughout the Clarence Valley are being encouraged to enter their best homegrown fruit and vegetables in the 2023 Grafton Show and help to sow the seeds for their future success at the popular annual event.

All that you need according to Chief Steward of Farm Produce Ian McGaw and regular Grafton Show volunteer Mark Lloyd, is a green thumb and plenty of enthusiasm.

“We’re really hoping to see a lot more children get involved with the Grafton Show this year by bringing in their produce which they’ve grown at home,” Mr Lloyd explained.

“You don’t have to be a farmer, and you don’t have to live on acreage or even have a big backyard.

“Anyone can have a pot in their house, and there are a lot of really easy crops to grow like radish, lettuce, and herbs.

“We would love to see younger people who enjoy doing a little bit of gardening at home bring in anything they have grown, and to keep going with it and continue to enter their produce in the Grafton Show.”

“The whole Covid-19 situation ripped our social life to bits, but it has encouraged a lot of people to start growing their own fruit and vegetables, and we’d like to see them, especially children, support the farm produce section at the Grafton Show each year by bringing in anything they’ve grown,” Mr McGaw added.

“The local high schools have always been very supportive of the Grafton Show, and we’re also hoping the local infants and primary schools will become involved too and have their own displays in the farm produce pavilion.

“It really is great to see such a variety of homegrown produce on display, and it’s always popular with the crowds who come to have a look.”

Describing the current climate as being very unpredictable for homegrown fruit and vegetables compared to the extremely wet conditions backyard producers experienced last year, Mr Lloyd said 2023 will be a good year for citrus, pumpkins, and potatoes.

And he is expecting to see lots of them on display during the 2023 Grafton Show.

“When children enter something that they’ve grown at home, and they come into the farm produce pavilion and they see their entry on display with their name on a card attached to it, and the way their faces light up, that’s a great sight to see,” Mr Lloyd said.