In this year’s Veg Fest there are 12 types of vegetables and fruit which you can grow for the October Veg Fest event.
You do not have to enter all of the categories, you can just choose a few on which to focus. These are all crops which need little attention over the summer, other than a thoroughly weekly watering if its dry, once they are established and are well protected from pests. Information and advice about growing these crops will be provided at the after school sessions and via this blog. Information about what we are looking for in terms of ‘Best’ will be provided later in the year along with details of the Veg Fest event and what to do for the day.
| Crop | Variety | Notes |
| Main crop potatoes | Cara | These should already be in the ground but if you have not planted them don’t worry as there is still time for them to grow. |
| Carrots | Paris market | Sow 1 row asap then do successional sowing every 2 weeks. Fine, stone free soil/ compost – should not be freshly manured. Companion plants – spring onion |
| Carrots | Ideal Red | Sow 1 row asap then do successional sowing every 2 weeks. |
| Carrots | Samurai & goldfinger | Sow 1 row asap then do successional sowing every 2 weeks. |
| Parsnips | White gem | All seeds to be sown asap. |
| Pumpkin (plant) | Amazonka | Plant to collect on 15 June – these are being grown for you by the Bridge Project at Stockwood Discovery Centre. |
| Beetroot | Golden detroit’ | Sow 1 row asap then do successional sowing every 2 weeks – sowing a crop in mid June for an October harvest. |
| Popcorn | Fiesta | Sow immediately in paper or fibre pots so that you can plant out as soon as the risk of frost has passed. |
| Chilli ( plants) | Zimbabwe Black | Plant to collect on 15 June |
| Autumn raspberries (plants) | Autumn Treasure | Canes (plants) to collect on the 15 June and to be planted immediately after that. |
| Cabbage (plant) | Durham Early | Plant on into a bigger pot to give stronger plants before planting out ( or if you have protection in place plant out now) |
| Onion | Ailsa Craig | Plant out now either into individual pots to plant in the ground in a few weeks’ time or they can go straight into the ground now. |
Other categories for the competition
This year we have tried to make it simpler for schools so that you do not have too much to do on the day therefore the following categories need to be evidenced in the journal. There will be separate trophies but the evidence to be judged will all be in your journal for the first four categories listed below.
Your gardening journal
We will be looking for clearly presented, attractive journals which evidence how pupils and adult gardeners are involved, the journal should have clear pupil input. The journal should be clearly labelled with the schools name and the ages of the pupils involved. Trophy presented for best journal
The journal should also show evidence of your eco-friendly garden practices and your use of recycled materials in the garden – e.g. photos of pollinator plants growing around the veg; use of recycled materials for pest control; use of eco-friendly pest control. Trophy presented for most eco-friendly school garden
The journal should evidence pupils involvement in preparing a food dish using some of your crops, this can be any crop you have grown i.e. it does not have to be the competition crops. The entry should contain photos of the dish made, the children making it, and it should describe the ingredients and comments on tasting. Trophy presented for best food dish
Crop comparison trial – you have been provided with 3 types of carrots to compare in a growing and tasting experiment. Your journal should evidence the pupils work on this experiment. The write up could include information such as germination rates; growth rates, pest resistance, crop size, appearance and taste. Trophy presented for best crop trial
Luton Young Gardener of the Year -If you took part in Veg Fest 2013 you may recall meeting Alex Hines who was, for a time, the gardener at Whipperley Infant School. Alex was a passionate gardener and had a long association with Luton’s parks and gardens as she trained with Luton Borough Council’s Parks Department and was a gardener at Luton Hoo. Sadly Alex passed away last summer and a special trophy has been included in the project in her memory, as Alex was very enthusiastic about getting kids growing. We are looking for the young gardener who demonstrates a passion for gardening and has made an outstanding contribution to gardening at school. To nominate up to 3 pupils for this category please describe the young person’s achievements in 200–300 words and include up to three photos. Trophy presented for best young gardener
Entries for this category should be posted (Groundwork Luton & Beds, Stockwood Park, Luton, LU1 4BH) or emailed to vicky.duxbury@groundwork.org.uk by 30 September.
Best healthy picnic – (see full project details here) As detailed in the project agreement we would like you to hold an in-school competition for your pupils and their families to design a healthy picnic to bring to the Veg Fest event to be judged. The named entry should show photos or sketches of the design with details of the ingredients and the cooking method. Information and advice will be provided by Live Well Luton and the NHS dietician team. A prize will be presented by Live Well Luton to school for the winning family
It is also required that you complete the start questionnaire by 15 June 2016.