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Lauren Motley, a third grader at Daisy Bates Elementary in Little Rock, was selected as the state-wide winner of the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program after growing a four-foot, 16 pound cabbage in her back yard.
Motley received the O.S. (oversized) Cross Cabbage Plant at her school in the spring as part of the program and took it home to nurture it over the summer.  
“[The program is] very independently done,” said Virginia Thompson, Motley’s third grade teacher. “[Motley] was very self-motivated with it.” 
April Farris, Motley’s mother, said her daughter was initially motivated by the competition (the state’s winner would win a $1,000 scholarship); however, once she saw how big the cabbage was growing, she got really excited about just watching its size.
“She was shocked that it got to be so big,” Farris said.
Farris said her daughter grew the cabbage in a bathtub in her grandmother’s backyard. She and her grandmother tended to the cabbage daily, checking for bugs, fertilizing it and covering it during hard rain.
After meeting the requirements for entry, Motley’s cabbage, which she nicknamed “Cabby,” was randomly selected this fall 
as the state’s winner, earning her the 
$1,000 scholarship.
And what did the family do with all that cabbage? “We gave it to my mom so she could make stuffed cabbage and boiled cabbage,” Farris said.
Bonnie Plants is a national plant wholesaler in Alabama that supplies vegetables, herbs and flowers to retail stores all over the United States. The company launched its Third Grade Cabbage Program in 2002 to engage children’s interest in agriculture through hands-on experience. Teachers interested in signing up for the program should visit BonnieCabbageProgram.com.