Winter Planning for the Farm & Garden Section

Callum Staley Latest News February 17, 2026 Comments Closed

With the Royal Manx Agricultural Show taking place on Friday 7th & Saturday 8th August this year, the groundwork for a successful Farm & Garden entry starts much earlier than many people realise. Late winter is all about planning, preparation and ordering rather than rushing to sow.

Here’s what you should be thinking about at the minute:

Order Seeds and Tubers Early

Many popular and exhibition-quality varieties sell out quickly so now is the time to order seeds for long-season crops and greenhouse plants.

Consider ordering:

  • Onions (from seed)
  • Leeks
  • Celery
  • Tomatoes & cherry tomatoes
  • Sweet and chilli peppers
  • Chrysanthemums
  • Sweet peas
  • Dahlias (tubers)
  • Gladioli (corms)
  • Seed potatoes (early or second early varieties)

Choosing reliable, uniform varieties is especially important for Show entries where consistency is judged as highly as size.

Prepare Your Growing Space

Before sowing begin take time to get everything ready:

  • Clean seed trays, pots and labels
  • Check greenhouse 
  • Refresh compost supplies, avoid using old or tired compost

Good preparation now helps prevent problems later in the season.

Start Early Sowing Under Cover

If you have heat and light available, you can begin sowing a few key crops:

Sow now (indoors or under heat):

  • Onions (from seed)
  • Leeks
  • Celery
  • Peppers and chillies
  • Early tomatoes (towards the end of winter)

These crops need a long growing season to reach peak condition by early August.

Check Existing Plants

If you’re planning to enter:

  • Roses – complete winter pruning and plan feeding schedules
  • Fruit trees and soft fruit – carry out winter pruning and check for pests
  • Rhubarb – clear crowns and remove weak growth

Strong and healthy plants now mean better exhibits later.

Think About Classes and Goals

Now is the perfect time to:

  • Read the Farm & Garden class list carefully
  • Decide which classes you might enter
  • Consider trying something new or entering a novice class

If you’re new to showing, start small, one or two well prepared entries are better than many rushed ones.

View the full class list for the Farm & Garden section here.

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