[Image: Picture of Garden Vegetables]The LSU AgCenter sponsors an annual vegetable gardening contest for adults and youth the second week in May.
The contest is held to encourage home vegetable gardeners to produce quality vegetables for home consumption, economic gain, and to improve their knowledge and cultural practices of insect control in the home vegetable garden.
To enter the garden contest, one must have a vegetable garden in St. James Parish with a minimum of 4 or more varieties of vegetables.
Categories are:
Square Foot
Small
Medium
Large
Youth Contest Criteria:
Register through your 4-H club. Call or e-mail the 4-H Office at 225-562-2320, 225-265-3913, Ext. 320 or e-mail stjames@agcenter.lsu.edu for an application.
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Garden must be worked primarily by 4-H'er. Adults may assist in spading, roto-tilling and pesticide spraying.
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Garden must include at least one or more rows, with each row being at least 5-8 feet or longer. Each member's garden must be marked off separately from the family's garden.
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A row may have more than one crop of a certain type. For example: one row may have 2 feet of tomatoes, 4 feet of beans and 1 foot of green onions.
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Any of the following crop types must be planted.
| Root Crops |
Fruit Crops |
Vine Crops |
| Onions, Garlic, Shallots, Turnips, Carrots, Beets, Sweet or Irish Potatoes, Radishes, Peanuts, Other:____________ |
Okra, Tomato, Eggplant, Pepper, Beans or Peas,
Other:_____________ |
Cucumbers, Squash, Pumpkins, Watermelons, Cantaloupes, Other: _______________ |
Youth Gardens will be judged according to the following. Total possible points is 100.
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Site of Cultivation:
Comments:____________________________________ |
15 Points |
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Variety of Vegetables:
Comments:____________________________________ |
15 Points |
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Insect/Disease Control:
Comments:____________________________________ |
20 Points |
|
Quality of Vegetables:
Comments:___________________________________ |
15 Points |
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Quality of Garden Records:
Comments:____________________________________ |
10 Points |
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Neatness and General Appearance:
Comments:____________________________________ |
15 Points |
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Size:
Comments:___________________________________ |
10 Points |
Adult Gardening Contest:
The criteria for judging the gardens is:
- Insect-free - 15 Points
- Disease-free - 15 Points
- Spacing/Planting in Season - 15 Points
- Appearance/Overall Cleanliness/Weed-free - 20 points
- Vegetable Site - 10 Points
- Adequate Drainage - 10 points
- 4 different vegetable varieties - 10 Points
- More than 4 vegetables - 5 Points
- Bonus (Records on food preservation and insect control - 10 Points
If you wish to enter the contest, call the St. James Extension Service at 225-562-2320, 225-265-3915, Ext. 320 or e-mail stjames@agcenter.lsu.edu