Families Can Plant Seeds of Adventure with these Gardening Kits and Tools for Kids
For Release:
02/12/2009
Contact Information: Jo Natale, Wegmans’ Director of Media Relations, 585-429-3627
ROCHESTER, NY - Now arriving in Wegmans stores are all the tools that youngsters need to experience the magic of growing vegetables themselves. From “Veggie Tales” Seed Packets to “Dora the Explorer” trowels and “Go Diego Go” garden gloves, families who want to teach kids more about where food really comes from will find everything they need to start a vegetable garden at home.
“Lots of grownups remember starting seeds in a milk carton on the window sill, or watching what happens when you plant seeds in a clear plastic container and see roots form beneath the soil,” said Donn White, Wegmans’ category merchant for seasonal merchandise. “The items coming in for this year’s growing season are updated for today’s kids, and they’re really fun.”
There are good reasons to teach children how to garden. As they see plants thrive under their care, they feel a sense of accomplishment. They may be more eager to eat vegetables they’ve grown themselves. Also, knowing how foods grow prepares them to make smarter environmental and nutritional choices as they reach their adult years.
While the weather is still cold outdoors, kids can get a jumpstart on the growing season with the “Sprout & Grow Window with Wonder Soil” from Educational Insights at $14.99. With this kit, kids plant seeds of peas and beans and watch them sprout, develop leaves, and grow roots over a month’s time. The transparent box in which the plants grow gives kids a “worm’s eye view” of how roots form beneath the surface. A collection of did-you-know facts also teaches other fun facts. Examples: The biggest seed is a coconut; a peanut is a seed; a carrot is the root of a carrot plant. Other growing kits include the Veggie Tales Garden Pail Growing Kit, with seeds, potting medium, and a pail to hold growing plants for $8.99, and the Veggie Tales Kids Greenhouse for $5.99.
Stores will also carry items young gardeners need for spring planting outdoors. There are trowels, cultivators, and gloves that fit small hands, as well as “Veggie Tales” seed packets from Ferry Morse Seeds.
The inspiration for featuring seeds and other gardening items came from watching trends in customer interests. Sales for canning supplies were up 31 percent at Wegmans in 2008, White says. “Customers want to save money by cutting back where they can, such as taking fewer vacations and doing more at-home activities. More people are canning these days. More people are interested in healthier, locally grown foods – and harvesting food from your own backyard is as locally grown as you can get!”
For grownups, Wegmans will carry an assortment of seeds, flower and vegetable plants, and other gardening items. “Have you ever been to a gathering at a home with a backyard garden? People love showing what they’ve grown to their guests, and the guests just rave about being able to eat something that came from the garden,” says White.
This year, there may just be a bumper crop of backyard gardens!
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Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 72-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Maryland. The family-owned company, founded in 1916, is recognized as an industry leader and innovator. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 12 consecutive years. In 2009, Wegmans ranked #5 on the list.
