How to start your own vegetable growing tradition 🌻🏆 A few years ago, I wanted to get the younger members of the family excited about growing their own food. And so, the vegetable growing competition was born. Funnily enough, the adults became just as involved as the kids, and now it’s one of my favourite traditions to mark the beginning of Autumn. The thing about traditions is you don’t have to follow what those before you did — you can create your own with friends and family at any point in the year and have memories for generations to come. If you want to start your own veg growing tradition, here’s how! 1. Choose what to grow 🎃 There are so many options, but choose something that will keep relatively well. For example, lettuces may be difficult, as everyone’s may be ready at different times, and they won’t keep until the competition date. Things like pumpkins, marrows, onions, and giant sunflowers work well for this reason. 2. Secure your seeds 🌱 Once you’ve chosen, buy the seeds. Seeds are inexpensive, so you can do this with even the largest of families. I give everyone two seeds each in case one doesn’t germinate. Find out what month is best to plant the seeds and then give them out a little early, so the younger ones can plan and get excited. 3. Set the rules ✍🏻 What are the rules for growing? Can people use fertilisers? Can they germinate their seedlings in greenhouses, or not? And will the winner be decided by the weight of the vegetable, or size, or quality? Keep it simple, but make sure everyone is clear on the rules before you start! 4. Choose the prize🥇 Growing may take months, so have an incentive for people not to forget about their plants or lose interest. I opted for a simple trophy, but one with plenty of space to engrave names of the winners for years to come. 5. Set the competition end date 📆 Choose when it’s time to harvest. We usually do this on a weekend in October. Have everyone bring in their veg, weigh or measure, and crown the winner! It’s up to you how much of an event you make of this, but choose something you know will be enjoyable and memorable in years to come. 🎶 Willow Grove, The Lakes (via Uppbeat) - @fromscratchwithbob