School & Youth Gardens
The UCCE Orange County Master Gardeners are active with schools, churches and Boys & Girls Clubs in our community. We have established a group of volunteers who have been trained to assist local educators in their efforts to implement a school garden.
We are passionate about “propagating” the next generation of home gardeners and opening the eyes of children to the experience of agriculture, the taste of foods that provide a healthier lifestyle and their responsibility for environmental stewardship.
Master Gardeners of Orange County Work with JourneySchool to Develop and Guide Their Gardening Program
School Garden Grants
Follow the link below for complete details of Garden Grants currently open for applications.
CA Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom
This site has links to grants available to schools throughout California.
LifeLab and CSGN
The California School Garden Network Grants and Fundraising Page lists some of the best garden-based learning grant resources plus much more to help your program raise funds.
When to Plant Guide - A handy chart depicting, by month, the optimal times to plant many vegetables in our Southern California climate.
These resources are available for free to anyone working to support others in creating and sustaining school gardens. At the CSYSG Trainer Page you will find the following:
- A download of CSYSG Workshop Handouts, Trainer Outlines (TO), and Supplementary Trainer Materials - currently only one at a time.
- PDF file of CSYSG Workshop Handouts - currently only one at a time
- Workshop PowerPoints
- Gardens for Learning Guide Book
- Selected CSYSG Materials in Spanish
- Freebies, fliers, and handouts to promote school gardens
Kids Cook Farm-Fresh Food – the California Department of Education’s webpage that offers several links focusing on sustainable, environment conscious gardening for Grades 2-7.
Nutrition to Grow On - 9 lesson plans for teachers that focus on how growing a garden can encourage a student’s academic capabilities in all subjects in the classroom. These lesson plans are geared more for elementary school students.
Garden Education Resources - download this document which contains links to websites listed above plus to the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, high school level composting curriculum, sources for free seeds and much more.
Coloring books that can be printed out:
Questions and Requests for information or help - Youth Gardens
We provide free on-site consultations for sites in Orange County. The following "survey" can be used to request a consultation at your youth or school garden by a Master Gardener. Please give the name of site and the city location in the comments section to help facilitate finding a volunteer.
Complete the fields below and include your question or comments regarding school gardens. Thank you.