Calling all school and community gardens! Burpee is now accepting applications for its 2012 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award. This special program provides vegetables, herbs and other gardening resources to worthy organizations.

Do you have what it takes to win the grand prize? We’re looking for established or start-up gardens that demonstrate well-developed and staffed plans for youth-centered gardening education. If your program emphasizes nutrition, food production, environmental awareness and/or social responsibility, we want to hear from you!

To-date Burpee has given away more than 8,000 vegetable and herb plants to help create 16 gardens nationwide in cities such as Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Denver; Dallas; Nashville; Detroit; Tampa Bay, Fla.; and other areas “hungry” for educating kids on where food comes from.

This year Burpee will provide winning entries with vegetables from our new Burpee BOOST collection of high-nutrition vegetables. The six varieties contain higher levels of antioxidants for an even bigger “boost” in healthy eating. Burpee BOOST will be introduced in stores and online next spring.

Educators and community garden leaders can visit the “I Can Grow” portion of this website to learn about the grand-prize award and to download the 2012 application. But don’t delay! All entries must be postmarked by Friday, Dec. 23, 2011.

To review the lucky winning gardens from 2011, check out the Burpee blog archives under the “I Can Grow” category.

Good luck to all! If you have any questions, email us at gardenhelper@burpeehomegardens.com.