Hunt for top young gardeners begins

Entries for this year’s Young Gardener of the Year awards have opened, the organisers urging children, and their primary schools, around the country to enter.

A new category this year, the T&G Passion for Growing Award, means that any primary school can enter, even if they aren’t yet part of the Garden to Table programme. Prizes will include a professional garden design and a year’s online membership of Garden to Table (which provides curriculum support, child-friendly recipes, kitchen skills instruction videos and support material for gardening through to cooking.

Landscaper Dan Mackay said he was excited about sharing his love of gardening and sustainable living with schools.

“The Young Gardener Awards is such an awesome way to show our school kids that success doesn’t just lie in the classroom and on the sports field,” he said.

“Anything that gets kids excited about exploring what they can do in the garden is a win by me.

“It’s also great to help kids see that fruit and veges don’t just magically appear at the supermarket.”

The competition will be run in four categories — for schools that have been involved in Garden to Table for more than two years, those involved for two years or less, those not involved at all, and five passionate (and successful) young gardeners.

Schools and students are being to urged to dig into the entry website (www.young gardenerawards.co.nz) and take photos of their gardens before winter really sets in and they begin to lose their lustre.