More Than Just Beans & Rice
Centro Escolar Los Gramales (The Gramales Scholastic Center); Gualococti, Morazan, El Salvador (Grand Prize Tie, $250 donated by Mother Earth News). Aiming to add vegetables to the traditional community diet of beans, rice and tortillas, the school started a kitchen garden with tomatoes, peppers and pipian, a type of squash. After witnessing the great success of their organic garden, many local parents are now beginning to compost and garden with their children at home.

Ultra-High-Altitude Gardening
Gargy Shiksha Sadan; Kathmandu, Nepal (Grand Prize Tie, $250 donated by Mother Earth News). In this cold region with mainly yak farming and little fertile land, most of the people suffer from malnutrition. The Gargy Shiksha Sadan kitchen garden program was launched to improve the health of the community. The two women shown are working in their new cauliflower field.

Spreading the Hilladay Cheer
Jennifer Hill; Danbury, Conn. (2nd Prize, a portable tiller/cultivator donated by Mantis). Hill inspires new gardeners to take up the trowel by sharing tips and recipes, plus new and unusual kitchen garden varieties from her garden and garden blog: hilladay.blogspot.com.

Lettuce & Laughter
Christopher Brandow; Pasadena, Calif. (3rd Prize, eco-friendly gear from Patagonia).
Brandow planted his vegetable garden in the front yard due to space constraints. He’s since watched both the veggies and his community friendships grow, with neighbors dropping by to inquire and sample. Christopher says among his tomatoes, eggplant and artichokes he grows conversation,laughter and community. He's also growing a great blog here: frontyardveggies.wordpress.com

By Crikey, Let’s Grow Food!
The Hills and Plains Seed Savers; Adelaide, South Australia (4th Prize, a $100 gift certificate to Johnny’s Selected Seeds). The Seed Savers have built an international network of thousands of new and experienced gardeners. They are “truly making a difference, by telling our own stories, and linking people to Web sites all over the world that offer new and interesting ideas.” You can connect with our Australian friends at: hillsandplainsseedsavers.blogspot.com.

Kids Dig In
Garden at Kachina Country Day School; Paradise Valley, Ariz. (5th Prize, organic fertilizer from Neptune’s Harvest). SunflowerOcity.com members revitalized this neglected garden in August 2007. The garden project has sparked additional kitchen garden efforts, inspiring the school to sponsor an “Adopt a School Garden Contest” of their own.