Join the Grow This! Oregon Garden Challenge

From microgreens to pole beans! Home gardening is part of Oregon’s history, but more than ever before, Oregonians can benefit from growing gardens and sharing garden knowledge and skills. The Grow This! Oregon Garden Challenge is a call to action to families, schools and other groups to garden together and eat what we grow.  

What is the 2022 Challenge? Anyone can join using their own seeds! While supplies last, Oregonians who sign up and request seeds will be mailed seeds free of charge:

• Households: five seed types (cilantro, green onions, kale, mesclun lettuce mix, zinnias)

• Teachers (pre-K through high school): an “all you need” seed-starting classroom kit plus, while supplies last, an option to add a potato-growing classroom kit and Explore Oregon Bees activity book class set

• School and community garden coordinators: an A-to-Z mix of seed packets

• All other groups: seed packets to meet your needs

Garden videos, tips and how-to handouts are posted weekly on the Food Hero Facebook page and added to the Food Hero garden tips website page (foodhero. org/garden-tips). Join virtual visits to Oregon potato farms to learn about planting and harvesting from Oregon farmers!

Once a month, Oregon State University garden, nutrition and bee experts will email participants a fun letter with new, simple ideas for growing; tips on harvesting, seed-starting, seed-saving and pollinators; recipes; and more. Who can join? Anyone from anywhere can join the Challenge! Current participants are the first invited to sign up for the following year. How do I join? Starting on January 3, 2022, fill out a very short survey at this link: https://foodhero.org/growthis. 

Want to know more?

• Watch a 30-second video: https://foodhero.org/growthis

• Leave a phone message: 541-737-1017

• Email: food.hero@oregonstate.edu