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Cabbage Patch Kids Learn and Earn Green11-19-14 | News
Cabbage Patch Kids Learn and Earn Green





Madeleine Lukowiak of San Elijo Elementary in San Marcos, Calif., was the winning cabbage grower among the state's third graders. The winning third-grade growers in each of the contiguous 48 states won a $1,000 scholarship from Bonnie Plants. The cabbages took between 10 to 12
weeks to fully grow.
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This year, more than 1.5 million third graders in 48 states participated in the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage program. Students in each state vied to win "Best in State," and receive a $1,000 scholarship from Bonnie Plants.

Since 2012, Bonnie Plants, a national vegetable and herb plant wholesaler based in Alabama, trucks free oversized cabbage plants to third-grade classrooms across the country whose teachers have signed up for the program. The cabbages start out as a 2-inch OS (over-sized) Cross variety of the leafy green plants. Why cabbages? Cabbages were the first plant sold by Bonnie Plants in 1918. With proper nurturing and care, these cabbages can grow to
over 40 pounds.

At the end of the season, teachers from each class select the student who has grown the "best" cabbage, based on size and appearance; those students are entered in a statewide drawing. The Commission of Agriculture in each of the 48 participating states randomly selects the state winners.

The cabbage program is all about giving children some basics of gardening, hands-on experience of growing food, teaching responsibility and allowing the kids to experience a sense of accomplishment and the confidence such successes build.

The kids received these instructions:

Plant the cabbage in an area that gives the plant room to grown (at least three feet on each side), or use a
large container.

Give the plant at least six hours of full sunlight.

Work some compost into the soil.

Start the cabbage off right away with an all-purpose vegetable fertilizer, then fertilize it every 10 days.

Give the cabbage the equivalent of one inch of rainfall each week, using a watering can or garden hose to gently water the plant at soil level.

Keep weeds out of the cabbage patch, as they compete for the food and water the cabbage needs.

Look out for brown or white moths, which develop from worms that love to munch cabbage.

If the weather gets below 32° F, cover the cabbage with a bucket or clothe.

Third-grade teachers can now register for the 2015 program bonniecabbageprogram.com.








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