Why I Love My Patch

It’s hard to describe to someone that doesn’t garden the joys that we find in tending our patches. Everyone grows for different reasons, relaxation, the harvest, flavour, beauty, kinship, no matter the reason, we love our patches. To enter this category you can either send us a picture or video of your patch, along with a description about why gardening and your patch is important to you. The winner will be the person that best captures the essence of what it is to be grow your own food

Judge: Costa

A national living treasure, a garden gnome incarnate and Grow it Local’s spiritual leader, the one and only Costa Georgiadis. Whether it’s hosting iconic Australian gardening program, Gardening Australia, inspiring and educating people all over the country at festivals and community gardens or bodysurfing a 4ft shore break at Bondi all the way to the sand, there is no mistaking this man, his epic beard and his impact on the gardening in Australia.

Homegrown Harvest

One of the biggest joys for the home grower is popping out into the patch, harvesting some goodies and then sharing them with your nearest and dearest. This award is your chance to show off to Australia the backyard bounty that you’re growing! To enter this category, arrange some of your homegrown goodies, take a picture and then send it in along with a description of everything you’ve grown!

Judge: Connie Cao

Connie Cao is a passionate urban gardener based in Melbourne, Australia. Here in her home,  she looks after a garden filled with all the veggies, fruit and flowers that she could only ever dream of planting when she was a kid!

She has recently become a chook mum to 15 fluffy chickens and has released an amazing book called “Your Asian Veggie Patch”, teaching people to embrace Asian vegetables, herbs and fruits.

Best Chicken Name

We love our chickens. Anyone that keeps chooks knows that you can spend countless hours watching them go about their business without a care in the world. One of the best parts about being a chicken owner is coming up with fun and creative names for our feathered friends. Names like Dame Eggna and Hen Stefani, Princess Laya! To enter this category, send a picture of your fantastic feathered friends along with their names, winners will be chosen based on creativity and flair

Judge: Mandy from Here Chook Chook

Mandy lives in Toowoomba, Queensland, and has been keeping bantam chickens for over fifteen years. In that time she’s learned how smart, funny and lovable they are, each with their own personalities. She treasures every egg they lay while respecting their need for rest and replenishment during their non laying cycles. She also creates crochet hats for chickens to use for a quick photo op (just for fun) but mostly her chickens live the life of luxury free ranging in her big backyard cottage garden!

Local Grower

We all know a local legend, you know the one, the person that’s out there tirelessly and selflessly making a difference in the community. This award is all about celebrating that local grower, whether they’re transforming and nurturing their own space at home, inspiring students and parents at a school food garden or making good things happen as a part of a community garden

Judge: Paul West

Paul West is a passionate advocate of growing food in backyards, cooking simple, nutritious meals and fostering connections to community and country. Paul is a co-founder of Grow it Local, working as the head of Content and Horticulture.

Paul lives with his wife, 2 children and Digger, his dog, in Bermagui on the NSW South Coast. When he’s not on the road, he can be found bobbing around in a wild patch of ocean or poking around in his garden, usually staring for extended periods at his chickens.

Patch People

People that grow their own food at home are a colourful bunch. Just like their gardens, no two are alike, they’re welcoming, down to earth and sometimes a little chaotic. We want to celebrate all those beatiful and unique gardeners out there! To enter this category, post a picture of yourself, or a gardener that you know, in your patch! The winner will be chosen based on the colour and creativity of the photo entry

Judge: Mel Logozzo

Mel Logozzo is a self taught home gardener, who grows spray free food and Australian natives, an artist and phone photographer turned accidental educator on a mission to change the way people see and use their gardens.

Our gardens are bursting with life and crawling with extraordinary worlds that are often overlooked, under appreciated or unseen. 

She helps others discover these worlds in their own backyards.

Wonkiest Veg

Who says that homegrown prodice has to be perfect? Absolutely no one! This category is to celebrate the weird and wonderful things that we grow in our patches. It can be long, small, short, wobbly, enormous or bear an uncanny resemblenace to favourite aunty. The wonkier and more creative the entry the better. To enter this category send us picture of your weird and wonderful veg with a creative description to tell the story

Judge: Nick the Happy Harvester

Nick Rendina, from The Happy Harvester’s Table, is an Italian-born Aussie from the beautiful region of Puglia, Italy. Passionate about growing and gardening, Nick also loves cooking, using his imagination to create healthy meals with his fresh homegrown produce. He’s dedicated to sharing his knowledge, hoping to inspire others to start their own veggie patches and discover the joy of growing their own food.