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Exercise your runner beans, get your tomatoes into training and start preparing for the sweet taste of victory at the world’s largest annual flower show this summer. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is calling for entries to the RHS Summer Fruit & Vegetable Competition held at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show this July.

The competition is open to anyone who grows fruit, vegetables or herbs in their own garden or allotment and there are dozens of classes you can enter. For the chance to see the fruits of your labours displayed at the show please contact the RHS Shows Department on 020 7821 3328, or send a self-addressed A5 envelope to Shows Department, Royal Horticultural Society, 80 Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PE, marking your envelope 'Fruit & Vegetable Comp HCPFS'. The closing date for entry forms is 30 June 2006.

The competition will take place in the Growing & Showing Marquee, in partnership with New Covent Garden Food Co.1, at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show over the show’s final weekend (8-9 July) when the marquee is transformed into a festival of seasonal produce. For this weekend, the marquee sponsors, New Covent Garden Food Co., have created a special 'Most Meritorious Dish of Vegetables' award for the exhibitor with the most outstanding dish of vegetables in any of the competition classes. New Covent Garden Food Co. have teamed up with the RHS for their new 'Grow, Cook, Enjoy' campaign which kicks off with a special RHS 'Soup of the Month - March Savoy Cabbage' which will be on sale throughout March.

Guy Barter, Head of the RHS Advisory Service, said, "The race for the 'Good Life' is on and it is no surprise to hear that sales of vegetable seeds overtook sales of flower seeds last year. There are several varieties which the RHS can recommend for beginners as many crops are surprisingly easy to grow. At the RHS we believe anyone can experience the joy of harvesting their own produce. The freshness beats anything on sale in the supermarket, the flavour is second to none, it encourages a healthy diet and plenty of exercise whilst tending to them!"

Alongside the competition entries, the gardeners from RHS Garden Wisley will be exhibiting a special display of container crops in the marquee to demonstrate how to grow a range of fresh produce in a small space - perfect for those with only a patio, balcony or window box to grow their own. Established growers such as the Dorset Blueberry Company, The Garlic Farm, herb-specialists Newlands Nursery and chilli pepper growers Cookoo Box Nursery will be displaying the best quality produce.

Within the RHS Summer Fruit & Vegetable Competition dozens of classes are open to all entrants in both fruit and vegetable categories, including; French beans, courgettes, shallots, salad onions, coloured potatoes, spinach and kohlrabi in the vegetable categories; and blackcurrants, strawberries, tayberries, red currants, gooseberries and jostaberries in the fruit categories. Culinary herbs will also be judged in collections of six types from varieties such as angelica, borage, chervil, coriander, fennel, rosemary, sweet cicely and tarragon. A monetary prize for first, second and third are given in each class.

To make sure your produce is at its best for the competition, the RHS website offers a wealth of practical advice on growing fruit and vegetables. Visit www.rhs.org.uk/advice/problems_archive.asp for everything you need to know about growing your own produce, including 'Ten Easy Vegetables', and 'Growing Salads and Herbs'. Fruit fans can find advice on topics such as ‘Choosing Apple Cultivars’, and 'Pruning and Training'. To make sure that you’re choosing and growing the best varieties, browse the latest downloadable list of AGM (Award of Garden Merit)3 plants including fruits and vegetables visit www.rhs.org.uk/plants/awards2005.asp.

For tickets to the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, call the ticket hotline on 0870 906 3791 (public line) or 0870 906 3790 (RHS Members). Tickets range from £12.50 to £29 with children aged 5-15 years £5 and under-5’s going free. For further show information and online booking visit www.rhs.org.uk/flowershows