Home Gardens
Home garden installations, seeds, plant starts, classes, mentors and more.
Click here to learn more about how to take part in the Home Gardens Program. You can also email laura@growing-gardens.org or call us at 503 284 8420. We're looking forward to hearing from you!
Limited income households don’t always have the option to put fresh nutritious food on the table. The Home Garden Program decreases chances of food insecurity by empowering low-income families to grow food for themselves, friends and neighbors in their own back yard. 
With the help of hundreds of volunteers, Growing Gardens installs raised garden beds in the yards of low-income households. Gardeners in apartments or with limited space receive containers to grow food on patios and porches. Each household is enrolled into a three year support program. Seeds, plants, compost bins, tools, soil amendments and education through experienced volunteer Mentors, educational newsletters & workshops in the Learn & Grow Program all assure the success of Home Gardeners.
"The day everyone came to build the garden was really impactful and great- I knew with their help I could grow my own food. It's been thrilling to learn about the quality and taste of the food I've grown."
-1st year Home Gardener
In 2011 Growing Gardens:
- Enrolled 41 new 1st year Home Gardeners, reaching 74 adults and 35 children.
- Supported 72 2nd year Home Gardeners and 56 3rd year Home Gardeners, reaching 190 adults.
- Distributed over 2500 seed packets to Home Gardeners and 913 seed packets to 26 community groups.
- Over 100 Home Gardeners attended annual Plant Distribution Day and over 2000 plant starts were distributed.
- Worked with 306 community volunteers who put in 1699 hours of service to support the Home Garden Program at a value of $28,883.00.
- Distributed 18 compost bins and 25 worm bins to 1st year Home Gardeners.
- Matched 26 Volunteer Mentors with Home Gardeners, who attended at least 3 trainings, and provided multiple site visits for their gardeners.
- Conducted soil tests and provided education about the dangers of lead contamination for 32 low-income households, 1 non-profit organization, 2 schools, and 1 community center.
Our 2011 end of year surveys found:
- 93% of Home Gardeners saved money on food as a result of their garden.
- 88% of Home Gardeners shared extra produce with someone outside of their household.
- 46% of Home Gardeners met new neighbors as a result of their garden.
- 66% of Home Gardeners increased their daily fruit & vegetable consumption as a result of their garden.
- 54% of Home Gardeners spent more time outdoors as a result of their garden.
- Of the Home Gardeners who report regularly using emergency food boxes 32% decreased the number of food boxes as a result of their garden.
“My kids enjoyed eating veggies more because they helped grow them and beacuse they could harvest them right off the plant and pop them in their mouths. They also ate vegetables that previously they wouldn't touch. Again, being able to harvest and eat was a big reason for that.”
-1st year Home Gardener
"It was a very positive and rewarding experience and we helped to inspire our neighbors to grow as well. We grew some food to keep for the winter."
-1st year Home Gardener
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