School Gardens
Growing Gardens gets numerous requests from parents, teachers and community members who want to start or maintain a school garden. We are happy there is such a demand for school gardens, and hope that the resources compiled on this page will help with these efforts.
Starting a school garden is a big undertaking and we recommend that a garden committee is formed and clear goals and objectives for the garden are set before a garden is built. We also recommend starting small and then building upon small successes. We are excited to offer our newly developed 35 hour School Garden Coordinator Certificate Training program to share best practices for building, using and maintaining school and youth food gardening programs in our region.
Contact Youth Grow Manager Caitlin [at] growing-gardens.org for more information.
Starting and maintaining school gardens
The links below are for anyone considering starting a school garden or for anyone who would like to use and/or maintain an existing garden.
School Garden Wizard was created for America's K-12 school community through a partnership between the United States Botanic Garden and Chicago Botanic Garden. This site provides information and resources to start and sustain a school garden.
National Gardening Association Kids Gardening
This website has information regarding funding school garden projects, activity ideas, gardening advice. It also has a very in depth store for buying books, materials and resources to support kids gardening.
Life Lab
This website has useful information on sustaining a school garden and has other helpful information including their Life Lab curriculum books.
Oregon School Garden Projects
Raleigh Park Elementary School Garden
Garden Based Curriculum
These are some of the curricula Growing Gardens' Youth Grow program uses:
This year-round curriculum provides kids from varied backgrounds a fertile environment in which they can develop an appreciation for the close links between farming and food systems. Lessons range from practical, hands-on activities to social and economic aspects of the food cycle. The lessons and activities are organized by seasons. This book is an excellent resource for classroom and community educators. Geared toward teenagers. 240 pages; gr 5-12.
Developed by WSU King County Extension, this 'Cultivating Health and Nutrition Through Garden Education (CHANGE)' curriculum offers hands-on gardening, nutrition and cooking activities for elementary aged students. The lessons are aligned to the Washington Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR's) and Grade Level Expectations (GLE's).
Garden Detectives is a curriculum guide and gardening book that helps students use their powers of observation to solve the mystery of creating a healthy garden. The language is geared for kids 10 and older, but the concepts are applicable to and easily adapted by teachers for younger children. Students explore their garden environment through 20 hands-on activities covering soil fertility, planting strategies, plant selection, composting, watering techniques, and beneficial plants and insects. The guide includes an extensive reference section on nontoxic, kid-friendly treatments for the top 10 garden pests in coastal Southern California. Perfect for home or school gardens. Spiral bound. 125 pages; gr 4-8.
A science education program that combines intergenerational mentoring, community action, and
understanding different cultures. Youth learn from elder community members, who share their gardening
practices, cultural backgrounds, and wisdom about their community.
Developed by the National Gardening Association and written and field-tested by educators, this complete curriculum uses fun, illustrated activities to explore plant life cycles, examine plant diversity, and investigate the interdependence of plants, humans, and other living and nonliving things. It's a must for any plant-based studies! Meets National Science Standards; 307 pages; gr K-8.
Healthy Food from Healthy Soils by Elizabeth Patten and Kathy Lyons
Help children understand how their food choices affect not only their own health, but also farmers, the environment, and your local community. This book invites you and your students to discover where food comes from, how our bodies use food, and what happens to food waste. You’ll participate in the ecological cycle of food production, compost formation, and recycling back to the soil. Includes background information and a guide for integrating activities into the classroom. 256 pages; gr K-6.
Two manuals are available, 1 for teachers/leaders, 1 for students. Activities and information.
Teaching Peace Through Gardening by Ane Peterson (Seattle Tilth)
Calls for an expanded role of organic gardening in environmental education. Describes a successful program called Teaching Peace through Gardening at the Seattle Tilth Children's Garden. This program advocates establishing an environment that promotes a sense of ownership, safety, community, and nurturing. (AIM)
This Life Lab book has step-by-step instructions for setting up a garden-based science program and outdoor classroom activities. Topics include working together in the garden, growing, nutrients, garden ecology, climate, nutrition, gardening tips, and food choices. The new edition includes updated content as well as an expanded gardening tips section. 496 pages.
Worms Eat Our Garbage by Mary Appelhof
This curriculum uses over 150 worm-related classroom or home activities to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in children grades 4-8. Activities integrate science, mathematics, language arts, biology, solid waste issues, ecology, and the environment. Grades 4-8
Portland area farm programs
These Portland area farms offer educational tours and/or on-site activities geared for youth. These programs are willing to coordinate with teachers, schools and other groups who would like to have their students visit a local farm.
Zenger Farm - located in SE Portland in the Lents neighborhood
Garden Based Research
Cornell Unviversity has complied a list of research studies that support garden based education.
Farm to School information
Farm to School programs aim to connect schools with local farms with the objectives of serving healthy food, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities and supporting local farms and agriculture.
Ecotrust Farm to School
Portland Public School's Harvest of the Month program
National Farm to School
Portland area Gardening information
Growing Gardens workshop schedule; these are great workshops for beginning gardeners.
Oregon State University Extension's Gardening Encyclopedia
Metro's Natural Gardening Guide which is full of techniques to garden without chemicals.
Learning Gardens Institute
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