Willie and the Salad Bonanza 2026
Updated July 2026
Willie and the Salad Bonanza is a contest open to elementary, middle, and high school teams, along with other K-12 community organizations such as 4-H, Scouts, FFA, or other teams, interested in the scientific principles surrounding plant growth.
The challenge is to grow the largest amount of three designated and provided varieties of leafy greens in a communal container using no more than five-gallons of growing medium over a roughly 45-day time span, documenting this effort.
The contest will have four divisions, K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grades, as well as Mixed Age. This year’s program will run from Friday, September 11 through the last week of October. Measuring day varies by age group. Seeds and a limited number of hydroponic setups are available for dispersal from the Extension office while soil and other containers are the responsibility of participants. Extension support will be available to participating groups throughout the 45 days. Deadline for registration is September 1st.
Elementary School Program Participation
The Willie and the Salad Bonanza program (as opposed to the older-youth competition) brings plant science to life by giving elementary classrooms the opportunity to grow their own salad greens while exploring the basics of plant growth.
Rather than competing against one another, classrooms compare their results, share growing methods, and learn from one another while reinforcing key concepts such as soil health, soil amendments, lighting, temperature, and watering. Classrooms will grow three provided varieties of leafy
green seeds provided by the Extension office in a single container over a six-and-a-half-week growing period.
Students will document their growing practices in the Practices Packet provided after registration. Teams may choose how many seeds of each variety to plant, but all three varieties must be grown together. Soil-grown entries may not exceed a 5-gallon container. Hydroponic classrooms are limited to four systems, which are available in limited quantities and require a $50 refundable deposit per classroom returned upon the return of all borrowed supplies.
At the conclusion of the growing period, an Extension representative will visit participating classrooms to measure plant growth, discuss results, and reinforce the fundamentals of plant science with your classroom.
Middle School and High School Competition
The Willie and the Salad Bonanza competition is a hands-on program for older youth that brings plant science into the classroom, challenging middle and high school teams to grow their own salad greens while exploring the factors that influence plant growth. Teams compete to produce the largest harvest of three provided varieties of leafy greens over a 48-day growing period while documenting their process along the way.
Each team is tasked with growing all three varieties together in a single communal container using no more than approximately 5 gallons (18.927 liters) of growing medium. Teams determine how many seeds of each variety to plant, with at least one seed of each type required. The container volume may not exceed 18,927 cm³ (18.927 liters), including liquid solution for teams using hydroponic systems. Throughout the competition, teams must document their growing practices. The required Cultural Practices Document must be submitted with the final entry at the time of weighing and may be used as a tiebreaker in the event of a tie.
At the conclusion of the growing period, an Extension representative will visit participating classrooms to measure plant growth, discuss results, and reinforce the fundamentals of plant science with your classroom.
Following judging, plaques will be awarded to the top entries in each category: grades 6–8, grades 9–12, and mixed ages. Plaques will recognize the winning school or organization and include the names of team members (maximum of four members per team).
Questions about Participating?
Please email Horticulture - Small Farms agent Anthony Reardon with inquiries. Happy growing!
