Let’s Hear it For Youth Gardens!

Posted in The Edible Garden on November 23 2010, by Plant Talk

Written by Burpee Home Gardens Team. Burpee Home Gardens was a Supporting Sponsor of The Edible Garden.

Getting kids to make healthy food choices can be a struggle. One of the best ways to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetable is to provide them with a sense of ownership and understanding of where their food comes from. Children-focused vegetable gardens are a great way to start.

In 2010, Burpee Home Gardens was happy to sponsor a handful of community and youth gardens all over the United States through its “I Can Grow” initiative. We saw the excitement in the participants’ eyes, and we were honored to be a part of programs like The New York Botanical Garden’s The Edible Garden, where the interest in cooking with home-grown produce was celebrated.

Now we’re thrilled to be offering even more chances for youth- and education-focused gardening programs to get the funding and plants they need to be successful and fun. The 2011 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award will support and sponsor urban school and community youth gardens with vegetable and herb plants, garden layout expertise, event promotion, and of course money for supplies!

We’re encouraging interested teachers, organizers and others to download the award application, and to share this announcement with friends, neighbors, administrators, and others. Burpee Home Gardens is ready to support America’s youth in the garden, but we need to hear from you. Tell us how you plan to incorporate the gardening experience into your curriculum, and have a chance to become one of our garden award winners in spring 2011.

But you have to hurry; postmarked deadline for applications is Friday, Dec. 3.

To learn more about the 2011 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award program, and to send us an email to receive an application, click here.