Youth Gardening is Fun & Educational!
Resources for 4-H Plant Science Contests at the Lancaster County & Nebraska State Fairs.
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2020 Lancaster County 4-H Plant Science Contests
Due to COVID-19, the Lancaster County 4-H Plant Science contests previously planned for July 8 will be changed from in-person to online. The contests will be open to all youth, as well as adults. Youth do not need to be enrolled 4-H members to participate. Advance registration is not needed. Ribbons and premiums will be provided to enrolled Lancaster County 4-H youth.
Participants choose which portions of the contest to participate in:
- Horticulture Contest (use Nebraska 4-H Online Horticulture Judging Contest)
- Tree Identification (use Lancaster County 4-H Online Tree ID Contest)
- Grass & Weed Identification (use Lancaster County 4-H Online Grass & Weed ID Contest)
2020 Nebraska 4-H Online Horticulture Judging Contest
Nebraska 4-H offers a statewide online Horticulture Judging Contest which tests 4-H'ers knowledge in three areas: general knowledge questions, plant part and seed identification, as well as a judging portion. This year the contest will be available from Friday, June 5, 8 a.m. through Monday, June 22. The link to participate will be https://go.unl.edu/hortcontest.
2020 Lancaster 4-H Online Tree ID and Grass & Weed ID Contests
The Lancaster County 4-H Online Tree ID and Grass & Weed ID Contests provides youth an opportunity to test their knowledge of identifying plants that grow in Nebraska. The contest is open to all youth, as well as adults. Youth do not need to be enrolled 4-H members to participate. The contest will be available from Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 9 a.m. through Friday, July 17, 2020, 9 a.m. The link to participate will be https://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/youth/fair/treegrassweedcontests.
Tree ID Contest Study Resources:
- Nebraska Extension publication Tree Identification Manual (4-H 332). $5.50 for pdf.
Weed and Grass ID Contest Study Resources:
- Nebraska 4-H (pdf) Weed & Grass Plant List for Identification Contest.
- Nebraska Extension publication Common Grasses of Nebraska (EC170). Free web versions, $5 for print version.
- Nebraska Department of Agriculture Weeds of the Great Plains. As of January 2020, inventory clearance of $12.50 per copy to make room for an updated version which will be available in 2020.
Horticulture Contest Study Resources:
- National Example (pdf) NJHA Horticulture Contest Identification Answer Sheet.
- Lancaster County 4-H PowerPoint With Lots of Photos (.ppt - large file) Landscape Ornamentals.
- Lancaster County 4-H PowerPoint With Lots of Photos (.ppt - large file) Flowers and Indoor Plants.
- Lancaster County 4-H PowerPoint With Lots of Photos (.ppt - large file) Vegetables.
Resources for Plant Exhibits at Lancaster County Super Fair & Nebraska State Fair
4-H members and volunteers should use these resources to help prepare plant exhibits for Lancaster County Super Fair and Nebraska State Fair Contests.
- Lancaster County 4-H website with Fair Book, Resources, Forms and Fair Results/Photos
- Nebraska Extension free online publication (pdf) Selecting and Preparing Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruit or Exhibits at County Fairs and the Nebraska State Fair - Nebraska 4-H.
- Nebraska Extension free online publication (pdf) Preparing Cut Flowers for Exhibits at County Fairs and the Nebraska State Fair.
- Lancaster County 4-H handout (pdf) Showing Flowers and Vegetables at the Lancaster County Super Fair
- Nebraska Extension NebGuide (pdf) NebGuide G1853 "Propagating House Plants" includes a list of includes a listing of common houseplants found in Nebraska.