Our Programs
Youth Grow
Getting children in the garden to learn about nature, nutrition, and food system sustainability.
Did You Know?
Studies have shown that school gardens can positively impact children’s food choices by improving their preferences for vegetables and increasing their nutrition knowledge overall.
What We Do
The Youth Grow program collaborates with twelve Portland public schools to provide learning gardens, hands-on education opportunities, and comprehensive lesson plans in both English and Spanish.
~ 2nd grade teacher at Glenfair Elementary
“Growing Gardens planted not just things that grow in gardens but the seeds of inquiry for my students this year. When we are outside for any reason they now see things they never knew existed: birds, pollinators, insects and seedlings. They want to learn more and more about each of these. It’s like a light-switch was flipped on!”
How We Do It
Our holistic garden-based curriculum grows along with the student leading them to a deeper understanding of nutrition, science, nature, and their local food system.
Classroom Curriculum
Our team of trained educators use a standards-aligned curriculum to teach environmental science, nutrition, and food traditions in the classroom setting.
School Learning Gardens
Participating schools can take the classroom curriculum outdoors for hands-on learning in their very own school garden (created by the students- for the students!).
Cafeteria Tastings
Produce harvested from the school's own learning garden is brought indoors for cooking classes, tasting sessions, and supplemental nutrition in the cafeteria.
Take Home Kits
Additional produce is packaged into engaging and culturally-appropriate recipe kits designed to inspire healthy eating habits at home.
After-School/ Summer Programs
Students are encouraged to deepen their learning through a variety of age-appropriate after-school programs.
Teen Internships
We inspire the next generation of food leaders through a variety of summer programs and internships for high school-age students.
School Garden
Coordinator Certificate
Want to cultivate your own garden program? We are excited to offer our School Garden Coordinator Certificate in partnership with Oregon State University. By the end of this training, you will have the knowledge, skills and resources required to implement an edible garden program at your own school.
Youth Grow Projects
Explore the amazing projects and initiatives of our Youth Grow program in a team interview series we call "In Our Own Words"Â
Get The Fact Sheet
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Youth Grow has worked with hundreds of teachers and thousands of students over the years. Download our recent fact sheet to see what they have to say about our program...
Explore Our Programs
Follow the links to learn more about the powerful programs we offer at Growing Gardens.
Lettuce Grow
Our Lettuce Grow program offers direct support for incarcerated individuals through hands-on garden training and certificate programs that enhance workforce options upon release.
Home Gardens
Our Home Gardens program provides individuals with the training and resources they need to cultivate healthy culturally relevant produce to feed their families.
Garden Consultations
Did you know that we offer sliding-scale garden consultations as well? Let our expert garden advisors tackle your toughest gardening questions.
