and THE LINN COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATION
PRESENTS
GARDEN AT THE FAIR CONTEST
In an effort to help beautify the fairgrounds, The Linn County Fair Association will be holding a “Garden at the Fair” contest for the 2008 fair. It is open to all residents of Linn County. The Fair will provide specific areas on the fairgrounds for garden plots for individuals or groups to grow a garden. During the fair these gardens will be judged and prizes awarded.
Garden plots will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis according to receipt of contest registration. You may be begin bed preparation this fall as soon as your registration is received. To register, copy and paste the following form and email to: sueabel@thelinncountyfair.com. GARDEN at the FAIR CONTEST
Official Registration Form Due by April 1, 2008
NAME (individual or group)
ADDRESS STREET CITY , IA ZIP
CONTACT PERSON (if group)
HOME PHONE CELL PHONE
AGE (circle one) Under 19 years Over 19 years Group- all ages
SIZE OF GARDEN PREFERRED (circle one)
Small (less than 50 sq. ft) Medium (50-100 sq. ft.) Large (over 100 sq. ft.)
SUNLIGHT REQUIREMENT PREFERRED (circle one)
Shade Morning sun Afternoon sun Full Sun
By entering this contest it is understood that I will be responsible for the garden area assigned to me from spring until frost of 2008. It is my responsibility to keep the garden presentable, free from weeds and pests, and watered. All trash and garden refuse generated by my efforts is my responsibility and I will properly dispose of them or be subjected to disqualification from the contest. I understand that no compensation will be received (other than prizes as a result of the contest judged during the fair) and that this garden is part of a community service project to beautify the Linn County Fair grounds.
I have read the above statement and agree to all terms
SIGNATURE
CONTEST RULES
“Garden at the Fair”
RULES
1. The Linn County Fair Association will supply a pre-selected area of the fairgrounds for you to plant your garden and a compost bin to recycle your garden waste. Water will be available for your use and bathroom facilities will be open on Saturdays.
2. There are two categories for individual gardens – child (up to 19 years of age) and adult (over 19 years of age)
3. There are two categories for group gardens – children’s group and adult group.
i. Children’s groups can consist of 4-H clubs, school classes or entire schools, Scouts, Campfire, Boys and Girls Clubs, or informal group of children. The children’s group must have adult supervision. Minimal assistance from adults (using tilling machine and heavy lifting) is allowed, but the children must do the majority of the planning and work.
ii. Adult groups can have children participate (as in a family group), but the adults would do the majority of the planning and labor with some assistance from the children.
4. You will need to bring your own tools (including garden hose), plants, fertilizer, etc.
5. You will be starting from scratch – digging up the sod, tilling, planting, etc.
6. You will be responsible for keeping your garden watered, weeded, and tended. [If you leave a mess behind that our maintenance men have to clean up, you will have points deducted from your garden judging at the time of the fair. If it becomes an ongoing problem, you can be disqualified from the competition.] You are responsible to keep tending the garden up until frost.
7. Some of the gardens will have slopes and proper erosion control must be used to prevent erosion from occuring.
8. You must use plants appropriate for our USDA planting zone.
9. The garden must have at least two perennial plants.
10. It must be an ever-blooming garden – spring thru fall there will be some plant/s blooming at any given time. You can incorporate vegetables if you want to companion plant, but the majority of the garden should be flowers. This is a beautification project for the fair. If vegetables are planted, you must harvest them at the appropriate time.
11. Organic gardening methods are encouraged, but not required. There will be a separate prize for organic gardens.
12. A Garden Journal will be displayed with each garden so the judges and public can read about the garden. [It will also be used next year when planning for each particular garden.] Photos can be included and are encouraged
Each book must contain:
A. The name of the garden (if any) or the type of garden (butterfly garden, herb garden, native Iowa plants, etc.)
B. The name of the organization that planted the garden. List all members involved in the project.
C. Describe what method you used to prepare your soil and any amendments that were used.
D. Include a drawing of the design of the garden identifying each plant.
E. List a description each plant grown in the garden. This should include:
i. The botanical name of each plant, along with the variety name, if available
ii. Where the plant was purchased, found (if transplanted from an area in the wild), or the donor (family/neighbors garden, a sponsoring garden center, nursery, etc.)
iii. Whether it is an annual or perennial, perennial grown as an annual, and whether it will self-seed
iv. Whether it is native to Iowa
v. The flowering time
F. If you used companion planting, why the plants were planted next to each other, and what benefits they receive.
G. Your method of weed, disease, and insect control. List the problem and what you used to solve it (either the chemical used or the organic method used including recipes where appropriate).
H. A summary of what you have learned during this project.
13. Garden accoutrements (edging, fencing, statuary, garden signs, etc) can be used.
14. Be considerate of your neighbor and don’t plant trailing or climbing plants unless you can train them to stay within your garden plot. When the grounds are mowed, the mower will go right to the edge of the garden plots and may mow over plants if they are not contained within the garden border. You may need to trim the grass from the borders of your garden before the fair and judging.
15. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories (a garden can win in only one category with the exception of Best of Show and Best Journal):
A. Best Children’s Garden (up to age 19)
B. Best Use of Native Plants*
C. Best Theme Garden
D. Best Organic Garden
E. Most Whimsical Garden
F. Best of Show –selected from all gardens
G. Best Garden Journal– selected from all gardens