In an effort to support local food sustainability, Bayer Hawaii, in partnership with the Hawaii Farm Bureau, gave away 1,000 free veggie seed packets, starter pots and more than 500 pounds of soil at the Mililani Farmers Market on Sunday, April 11. Available on a first-come first-served basis, all 1,000 seed packets were given away within the first hour of operation. 

“We got a really great response from the community and discovered that there are a lot of people interested in growing their own food and seeing where their food is coming from,” said Alan Takemoto, community affairs lead at Bayer Hawaii. “Bayer has always been a supporter of local agriculture and we are proud to partner with the Hawaii Farm Bureau on this event. It was a great way to educate the public and hopefully we were able to encourage people to start their own vegetable gardens at home.”
 

In addition to the four varieties of vegetable seeds, including broccoli, tomato, green onion and peppers, shoppers were also provided free starter pots and soil for home gardening use. Representatives from Bayer Hawaii and the Hawaii Farm Bureau were available throughout the morning to offer gardening tips and answer questions.

“We were happy to partner with Bayer on this veggie seed giveaway. All of our customers who were able to visit the booth were very excited and grateful,” said Megan Kono, the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Farmers Market general manager. “Our farmers markets across the state are an important aspect of supporting local. When you buy local, you’re supporting the local farmers who grow your food.” 

The Mililani Farmers Market is open every Sunday from 8-11 a.m. at Mililani High School. The weekly farmers market features Hawaiʻi grown products, including fresh produce, flowers, plants, poultry, ready-to-eat foods, and more. 

The veggie seeds were provided by Seminis, the home garden division of Bayer Crop Science which is dedicated to providing growers with cutting-edge seed solutions that increase productivity for commercial farmers as well as home gardeners. Bayer plans to donate more than 20,000 Seminis vegetable seed packets to various community organizations throughout the state, including the Hawaii Farm Bureau, the Institute for Human Services (IHS) and University of Hawaii Master Gardener Program and more, throughout the month of April. 

Bayer has launched a series of I Grow, You Grow: Helping to Grow Hawaii Forward “How To” videos to help home gardeners get started on their growing journey. To view the videos, click here.