An Independence student Brody Brock has earned a lot of “green” after being selected as Kentucky’s winner of the Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program.
Brody of Kenton Elementary has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from Bonnie as well as “Best in State” bragging rights for growing a 26-pound cabbage.
Bonnie relaunched the Cabbage Program this year as a remote-friendly learning activity to safely bring education outdoors. With so much stress surrounding learning during the pandemic, connecting with nature through gardening has never been more rewarding for the physical and mental well-being of kids.
At the start of the program, Bonnie sent each participating student a starter O.S. Cross variety cabbage plant and the lessons needed to care for and nurture their plant every step of the way. Once fully grown, students took a photo with their cabbage and submitted it for a chance to win.
Brody was selected by Bonnie Plants in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture based on the student’s enthusiasm to participate and learn in addition to the size and overall appearance of their cabbage.
This year, nearly 200,000 third graders in the 48 contiguous states got hands-on gardening experience growing colossal cabbages with one student in each state awarded a $1,000 scholarship towards education from Bonnie Plants, the largest grower of vegetable and herb plants in the U.S.
“It’s truly amazing to see firsthand how the 3rd Grade Cabbage Program is able to inspire a love of vegetable gardening in young people and grow our next generation of gardeners,” said Angela Thomas, Corporate Communications Manager at Bonnie Plants. “We’re proud of all of this year’s participants and would like to congratulate all of the winners whose hard work is paying off.”
Bonnie Plants launched the 3rd Grade Cabbage program in 1996, choosing cabbages because they were the first profitable crop the company sold. The cabbages utilized for the program are the O.S. Cross variety, which is known for producing giant, oversized heads of cabbage that can tip the scales at more than 40 pounds.
Bonnie Plants