Mayor John Marks Brings Phase Two of the iGrow Whatever You Like Youth Farm to Frenchtown District as Part of National GRO1000 Gardens and Green Spaces Program

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the 2,500-square-foot iGrow Whatever You Like Youth Farm expands by an acre as a part of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company's and The U.S. Conference of Mayors' nationwide GRO1000 gardens and green spaces program. The expansion will include a new outdoor kitchen, a bio-digester for sustainable produce cooking and a market stand, among other features. iGrow Whatever You Like Youth Farm grows and donates food for local residents, many of who live in a food desert, and engages with area youth to establish support for a community food system.

GRO1000 is a national program launched by ScottsMiracle-Gro in 2011 to create more than 1,000 community gardens and green spaces in the U.S., Canada and Europe by 2018. The U.S. Conference of Mayors partnered with ScottsMiracle-Gro on the GRO1000 initiative to recognize mayors for the installation of innovative, public green spaces designed to improve our nation's cities. The iGrow Whatever You Like Youth Farm will support Mayor Marks' advocacy for local health and wellness initiatives, gardening and green spaces, and community education.

"Located in the heart of Tallahassee's historic Frenchtown district, the iGrow Whatever You Like Youth Farm represents the culmination of our community's efforts to enhance access to healthy foods, education, and overall wellness for our city's youths," said Mayor Marks. "This project will serve as a model of what can be done when government and businesses work together with citizens to create something truly extraordinary."

The GRO1000 Tallahassee event at iGrow Whatever You Like Youth Farm kicks off at 10 a.m. on April 12 at 514 Dunn St., Tallahassee, Fla. 32304. More than 50 area children from Frenchtown will join local volunteers, including area residents and ScottsMiracle-Gro associates, city officials, and GRO1000 national and local partners, to partake in educational, gardening and cooking workshops, as well as enjoying local musical entertainment and face painting. Deserving youth will be presented with the ScottsMiracle-Gro Give Back To Gro Youth Gardener Award.

"We are proud to partner with the City of Tallahassee to reach a wider, deserving audience in Tallahassee's Frenchtown District," said Chris Allen, President, South Region, ScottsMiracle-Gro. "The expansion of this youth farm will help area children and families learn more about healthy eating, nutrition and gardening."

GRO1000 Tallahassee was made possible through the combined efforts of local partners, including the City of Tallahassee, Tallahassee Food Network and Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency, along with national partners including The U.S. Conference of Mayors, ScottsMiracle-Gro, Plant A Row for the Hungry, the National Gardening Association, the Garden Writers Association, and Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  The Tallahassee GRO1000 event is one of several public installation events being held in the U.S., Canada and Europe in 2014.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro
With more than $2.8 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business.  In Europe, the Company's brands include Weedol®, Pathclear®, Evergreen®, Levington®, Miracle-Gro®, KB®, Fertiligene® and Substral®. For additional information, visit us at www.scotts.com.

About the U.S. Conference of Mayors:
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,210 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Find us at usmayors.org, on facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

SOURCE The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company