The Grow This: West Virginia Garden Challenge is looking for a talented gardener to help West Virginia University Extension make history.
On July 28, Grow This will attempt to break the record for the world’s largest gardening lesson at a West Virginia Black Bears baseball game in Morgantown. To decide who will teach the lesson, Grow This is hosting an online talent contest.
“Grow This participants have shown so much talent, creativity and passion in our previous challenges. It only makes sense to use those talents to help us break this world record,” Kristin McCartney, WVU Extension assistant professor and public health specialist, said.
To enter, record a 60- to 90-second video of you teaching a gardening lesson using recycled household items. Please shoot your video vertically — TikTok style! Submit the video via this Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/n8TZTNskjhiWysbgmX3S
Entries will be judged on the strength of the performance, as well as the content and creativity of your lesson. The winner will receive a trip to Morgantown, the opportunity to present their lesson to a world record-setting crowd and a Grow This prize pack.
This contest is open to West Virginia residents only — only one entry per person.Entries must be submitted by 12 p.m. on June 19, 2023.
Grow This will announce the winner on June 26 via the Grow This Facebook page.
On July 28, the Black Bears will face the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of Niles, Ohio. First pitch is at 7 p.m.
“The West Virginia Black Bears are excited to team up with the WVU Extension Family Nutrition Program in this attempt to break the world record,” Trevor Dolar, Black Bears sponsorship and sales manager said. “We look forward to packing the Monongalia County Ballpark and help fans get their green thumb!”
The current world record was set in Turkmenistan in October 2022, where 569 people learned how to plant grape vines.
Grow This, created by the WVU Extension Family Nutrition Program, gives away free seeds to any West Virginia resident who fills out an online survey. The program’s popularity exploded in 2020 when COVID-19 lockdowns sparked an increased interest in home gardening. Over 16,000 people signed up for seeds in 2023.