Planting, Growing and Judging

Pumpkins for everyone!

Kids invitation: Kids, come join the fun at (garden center). There is nothing quite like growing your own pumpkin patch. You will be able to witness the miracle of plant growth. As the season progresses, the blooms will fade away, allowing the fruit to set and the pumpkins to appear, let the fun begin! You will then begin to care and nurture these little buds of fruit into massive orange melon shaped objects, growing larger and larger each day.

Details:
We will be planting our pumpkin seeds in (month) to get a jump on spring. (Garden center) will also provide greenhouse space to allow your plants to germinate and become established. Once we are past our last frost-free date, you will be invited back to pick up your plants and take them home to plant. At that time, if you would like to join in the “Great Pumpkin Growing Contest” we will have all the forms and rules available.

Funding the Event: Minimal costs, three pumpkin seeds and 4 or 5-inch pot, along with potting soil and identification stake. You will need a little space in a greenhouse (great place to hype the program with some signage) and some labor to water the seedlings. Prizes are up to you, could be merchandise, or savings bonds for the top prizes.

The Event: You should have no problems signing up a group to participate in the contest. Our thought/s are that you might want to have the children check in with photos and measurements as the season progresses, perhaps three times. This keeps the family coming into the store and helps keep the competition honest. Take the photographs and information and post it on poster board. With the information posted, they will be able to see their progress and the progress of the others.

As soon as you have a date in mind for judging, get someone to commit to being the judge. First choice, a local television weather person, most markets have three channels and each have up to three personalities. Tell them what’s going on and that the activity has kids, fun, fall and they should sign on. And hopefully, they might even bring a cameraman along to film some of the activity. They love using filler on a slow weather day.

Not a bad return on three pumpkin seeds and a 4-inch pot, six visits per family to your nursery and a free one-minute spot on television.

Notes: If you want to maintain anonymity among the children, think about a numbering system to keep up with their project. Some parents are hesitant about having children’s pictures displayed in public with names, so a number might ease that issue.