May 28, 2010

Burpee Gives Vegetable Plants to Chicago CommutersSource: Burpee Home Gardens

The Burpee Home Gardens Team came to downtown Chicago on Friday, May 21, to celebrate the passing of the frost-free date and the arrival of the planting season by giving away nearly 2,000 potted vegetable plants to early-morning commuters.

Six racks of vegetables were carted to Riverside Plaza, filled with varieties of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, pumpkins and herbs. All 2,000 plants were gone in less than an hour.

“We were out there to encourage Chicagoans to try vegetable gardening this year,” said Jessie Atchison, brand manager for Burpee Home Gardens. “If they were gardening veterans, we were challenging them to try something new.”

The Burpee Home Gardens Team also wanted people to think about why they garden. The company sees four main motivators behind vegetable gardening, calling them the Four Es – eating better, education, environment and economy.

Burpee Home Gardens is a new product line of time-tested Burpee vegetable and herb varieties available in garden-ready plants at garden centers nationwide. This year, Burpee launched its “I Can Grow” program, a national program to support a new, popular interest in home vegetable gardening among younger and novice gardeners. Community and youth gardening events have been planned across the country as part of the “I Can Grow” program promotion.