A giant check, just like Publisher's Clearing House! Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Agriculture
Amber Trachsel, a Califorinia, Mo. fourth-grader, now has a $1,000 savings bond in her college education fund, thanks to a giant cabbage.
Right before Christmas, Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler visited California Elementary School to recognize Amber as the winner of the 2011 Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program for Missouri. The check, of course, was written by Bonnie Plants, an Atlanta-based plant wholesaler that sponsors the annual gardening competition. Each spring, Bonnie transports O.S. Cross cabbages to third grade classrooms across America, and challenging kids to grow the biggest, frilliest, heaviest heads they can; some have weighed in at 40 pounds.
While cabbage is not really on most kids' top 10 favorite vegetable lists, it was the first plant Bonnie offered when it was founded in 1918. And, actually, you'd be surprised how a kid can warm up to a vegetable she thinks she doesn't like when she's grown it herself. That's the response that Bonnie, and educators, are hoping for. Bonnie President Stan Cope hopes it will pique kids' interest "in agriculture, while teaching them not only the basics of gardeining, but the importance of our food systems, and growing our own."
If you're an educator, and want to participate in the program in 2012, visit bonniecabbageprogram.com. And here's Bonnie's advice for growing giant cabbages, even if you are long past third grade:
- Let the sunshine in: Cabbages need at least six hours of full sunlight, more if possible.
- Cabbages need at least three feet on each side to spread out. If you don’t have that much space, use a large container.
- Supplement soil: Work some compost into the soil – cabbages love nutrient-rich soil.
- Feed the need: Start your cabbage off right with an all-purpose vegetable fertilizer, then fertilize it every 10 days to keep it growing strong.
- Water wisely: Your cabbage needs at least one inch of rainfall each week. If it doesn’t rain, use a watering can or a garden hose to gently water your plant.
- Tend to trouble: Keep weeds out of the cabbage patch – they compete for the food and water your cabbage needs. Be on the lookout for brown or white moths – these come from worms that love to munch on cabbage. If you see any, get rid of them right away. Cold weather can damage your cabbage. If the weather gets below 32° F, cover your cabbage with a bucket.
- Hefty harvest time: In just 10 to 12 weeks, you should have a humongous head of cabbage you can be proud of.
