Cash Rewards For Gardeners Who Help Others, Beautify Neighborhoods (NAPSA)—According to the National Gardening Association, 83 percent of U.S. households participated in lawn and garden activities last year. For some, gardening is more than just a hobby—it’s a way to make a difference. With green thumbs and Preses eee Whether you’re looking fo start a community garden or plant a garden of your own, here are sometips from ScottsMiracle-Gro that will help you get started with gardening practices that are friendly to your plants—andto the environment. elbow grease, volunteers across the nation are growing food to feed the hungry, revitalizing crime-ridden areas, teaching chil- . haeeate* |1 dren environmental stewardship which will offer a total of $40,000 to the winners—$5,000 each to four first-place category winners and $2,500 to two additional final- ists in each category. “Gardens can transform com- munities, and the seeds of these transformations are often planted by volunteers,” says Jim Hagedorn, chairman and CEO of ScottsMiracle-Gro. “The Awards recognize selfless heroes for their efforts to grow a better world.” Nominations are being accepted for these categories: Classroom Gardener of the Year—Salutes elementary through high school teachers who incorporate gardening into their curriculums. Urban Greenup Gar- dener of the Year—Salutes volunteers who use gardening to address the challenges of an inner-city neighborhood. Community Beautification Gardener of the Year—Salutes volunteers who demonstrate their commitment to environmental e Use natural water resources wisely. Use rainfall as the garden’sprinciple water source. Watch forsignsof lack of water, such as dry soil or slight wilting, before and beautifying neighborhoods. To reward them, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is seeking nominees for its seventh annual Scotts Give Back to Grow Awards, GardeningTips For Beginners stewardship throughbeautification of a main street, park or neighborhood within their city limits. Good Neighbor Gardener of the Year—Salutes volunteers who help feed the hungry by grow- ing produce for donation to food banks or participating in pro- grams such as Plant a Row for the Hungry. The winners of the sixth annual Awards included a middle school teacher whose students learned importantlife skills in their classroom garden; a commu- nity member who spearheaded the restoration of an abandoned, for- merly segregated park; a generous gardener who led the donation of watering. Only water during the cooltimes of the day. Water deeply, andless often. Light daily watering encourages the developmentof a shallow root system. Less-frequent deep watering encourages plants to grow deep roots that better withstand pests and periods of drought. e Protect the soil with mulch. Use mulch around andin gardens fo conservesoil moisture, prevent weeds and moderate soil temperatures. e Always read the label. Use garden products correctly by following the labelinstructions. Overapplication will not improve product performance and can harm plants and the environment. Never dumpleftover productinto the storm sewer or down the drain. more than 16,000 pounds of fresh produce to the hungry; and a volunteer who established a program e Bring nature home. For versatile, portable gardens in homes and apartments, grow plants such as annual life through year-round organic food production. bestfit the growing conditions where the pots will be that improves quality of inner-city Nomination forms for the sev- enth annual Awards can be found at www.scotts.com/gbtg or by calling (866) 565-3554. Deadline for entry is Dec. 1, 2006. Winners and finalists will be announced on or before Feb. 9, 2007. flowers and foliage in containers. Choose plants that placed, use a potting soil, and care for the plants with mulch, fertilizer and water. For more gardeningtips or to learn more about the Scotts Give Back to Grow Awards,visit www.scotts.com/gbtg. D
