Green thumb serves Brooks Urbiha well

When Liberty Lake resident Brooks Urbiha was 5 years old, he had no idea that he would get hooked on growing sunflowers and rhubarb. But he now has the green thumb and the competitive bug to boot.

Brooks, now a fourth-grader at Liberty Lake Elementary, said five years ago his grandparents and his mother provided some seeds to grow watermelon and corn. His mother, Natalie Urbiha, encouraged him to enter his work in the annual Spokane Interstate Fair.

Since 2003, Brooks has earned close to 70 ribbons, 32 of them blue. “I started growing watermelon, corn and rhubarb. Now I also grow (green) tomatoes, cucumbers and squash and make fudge, banana bread and cookies to enter into the fair.”

He once made a 7-inch sculpture to enter into the fair. It was created from stalks of celery, cucumbers, rhubarb and squash. “I called it ‘The Veggie Man,’ ” Brooks chuckled.

Out in his back yard, Brooks points out his gardening spot. “He has tried out different spots in the backyard to see what might work best,” his mother said. “He has gotten better from trial and error.”

Over the years, Brooks discovered he could enter other categories at the fair. He says he likes the competition to win a ribbon. He also has entered derby cars that he’s made and art work.

“I painted this at the Liberty Lake Art Chalet using some glow-in-the-dark paint and added some salt and sand for the gravel in the painting,” Brooks said, proudly pointing to another blue ribbon.

His most memorable project to date was his prized 12-foot sunflower, which won him yet another blue ribbon. A few weeks ago, the Urbihas received a phone call from the Spokane Garden Society. They wanted to present Brooks with a trophy. “I had fun growing that sunflower; it had a 16-inch head,” he said. “But I also have fun watching my mom struggle to load my stuff into the van.”