Tomatoes, pumpkins and walnuts will be included for the first time in the National Fruit Show 2006 - and the exhibition is set to be the bigger than ever, according to its organisers.

The stand space for the show, which runs from October 18-19, has been fully booked.

Marden Fruit Show Society chairman Jeremy Scott, who grows top and soft fruit in Yalding, near Maidstone, said: “There have been a number of developments in addition to the main core of the show which are exciting. To a large extent this has been possible because of the financially healthy state of our society over the last few years, passed on by my predecessor, Robert Mitchell, to which we are indebted.

“I want the word ‘fruit’ to reflect its fullest meaning in the future.”

The winning tomato entry in the Tastiest Tomato Competition, organised in conjunction with the Tomato Growers’ Association, will receive the ‘David Stapley Trophy’ in tribute the late renowned Kent grower.

Scott said: “We expect the interest generated by this first competition will result in a number of classes being competed for next year.”

This year has seen an increased number of entries for the Long Term Storage Classes, with UAP Limited collecting the fruit samples from the all over the country.

The youngest fruit competitor is five-year old Danial Carter, grandson of grower exhibitor and committee member, Brian Tompsett. He will be competing in Class 20 for Dessert Apples, for those who have not entered before. The rules state that entrants can receive advice, but must pick, select and pack the fruit themselves.

The exhibition fruit will be taken to Borough Market in London two days after the show on the Saturday to celebrate their 250th birthday on the same site.

Hop Research, East Malling, Hops Labour Solutions, the Soil Association, Tomato Growers’ Association and the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, who are celebrating their 400th anniversary this year, are among the new exhibitors.

Ben Raskin, at the Soil Association, said: “We wanted to exhibit at the National Fruit Show to engage with growers and learn from them.”

The Environment Agency will also be first-time exhibitors at the show.

The seminar programme for the second day of the show, which is sponsored by East Malling Research, includes talks on developing tree fruit growing systems to reduce labour costs, pesticide residues, apple leaf midge pheromone research at EMR, and current world resources in rosaceous fruit breeding programmes, all from EMR experts.

Other seminars sponsored by Hadlow College include discussions on recruitment and the retail apple market.

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