Written by Burpee Home Gardens Team. Burpee Home Gardens was a Supporting Sponsor of The Edible Garden.

Getting kids to make healthy food choices can be a struggle. One of the best ways to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetable is to provide them with a sense of ownership and understanding of where their food comes from. Children-focused vegetable gardens are a great way to start.

In 2010, Burpee Home Gardens was happy to sponsor a handful of community and youth gardens all over the United States through its “I Can Grow” initiative. We saw the excitement in the participants’ eyes, and we were honored to be a part of programs like The New York Botanical Garden’s The Edible Garden, where the interest in cooking with home-grown produce was celebrated.

Now we’re thrilled to be offering even more chances for youth- and education-focused gardening programs to get the funding and plants they need to be successful and fun. The 2011 “I Can Grow” Youth Garden Award will support and sponsor urban school and community youth gardens with vegetable and herb plants, garden layout expertise, event promotion, and of course money for supplies!

Learn how to apply for this award below.

Yesterday a colleague and I headed over to the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden for a video shoot with the curator of the garden, Peter Kukielski. I’m new to The New York Botanical Garden, and haven’t been able to explore the 250 acres of gardens, exhibitions and forest as fully as I would have liked to by this point (Oh meetings! Oh weather!), so imagine my surprise when we crested the hill overlooking the Rose Garden and were enveloped by the intoxicating scent of the roses welling up to meet us.

Unreal. I wish smell-o-vision existed so I could give you a small preview of the aroma! Sadly it doesn’t. And even though I had previously read about the phenomenal show that the roses put on in fall, I still wasn’t prepared for how glorious the Rose Garden is right now. So, if you’re in the New York City area this weekend and looking for something to do, come to The Garden and take time to smell the roses. You won’t be sorry.

Roses not your thing? Never fear! There’s plenty going on at The Garden this weekend.