The goal of Urban Harvest’s Youth Education Program is to educate the next generation of gardeners in Houston.

Each School Garden is Unique. Based on the status and needs of your garden, we have a pool of resources and opportunities for your school to build a thriving and sustainable School Garden Program.

Your school doesn’t have a garden yet? If your project is just starting or at the idea stage, this is the ideal time to take our “Starting a Community or School Garden Workshop”. 

Urban Harvest’s School Gardening Guide: The Urban Harvest’s School Gardening Guide is a comprehensive resource with a focus on how to grow and teach with vegetables and fruit trees that are appropriate to the Greater Houston area and why these are important plants to us scientifically and culturally. Includes subjects and gardening lesson topics correlated to Texas Essential Knowledge skills.  

• • • Get the Urban Harvest’s School Gardening Guide: Click here to download a digital copy. If you are an educator, attend our in-person Edible Academy professional development workshop and receive a complimentary printed copy)
    • Pre-requisite: None. 

Affiliate Gardens’ Network: Become an Urban Harvest Affiliate Garden and join one of the largest networks of community gardens and school gardens in the country! Each season you will receive seeds, transplants, enrollment to our organic gardening classes (up to three gardeners), access to our Facebook Group, and other opportunities to sustain your garden.

• • • Cost: $50 one-time lifetime Membership (Membership is tied to each school)
    • Pre-requisite: For active gardens only (Scroll down to learn what qualifies as an active garden). 
    • Register your garden: If your garden is active, click here to submit a request.
    • We accept applications on a rolling basis.

The Edible Academy (CPEs credits awarded): This series of workshops prepare schoolteachers, parent and volunteer garden coordinators with innovative curriculum to transform school gardens into outdoor classrooms, teaching youth how to grow their own food, eat nutritious diets, and live healthy, active lifestyles.

• • • We are an approved Texas State Board of Education Certification (SBEC) CPE provider. We offer Edible Academy teacher workshops each Fall, Spring and Summer Academy.
    • Pre-requisite: Designed for participants who have an existing school garden. For teachers, Garden Educators, and Parents.
    • Click here to visit our Edible Academy Page to learn more and register.

Direct Services Available For Schools.

• These services are available for existing gardens only.
• We receive applications from schools between June 1st and July 31st.
• Cost range between $5,000 to $15,000 per year.

Visiting Garden Educator Residency: We offer on-site visits wherein Urban Harvest’s Garden Educators provide ongoing classroom training and support to classroom teachers. Teachers and their students participate in integrated Texas Essential Knowledge Skills (TEKS) garden lessons and demonstrations.  The Garden Educator also serves as a mentor to the classroom teachers and collaborates with them to model and demonstrate how to optimally utilize the school garden.

After School  Gardening Services: Led by an Urban Harvest’s Garden Educator, this after-school program includes hands-on lessons in life skills and core subjects while helping students have fun “playing in the dirt” is a great opportunity to build support and enrichment for the school garden. Through the After School Gardening Program, students have the opportunity to grow fruits and vegetables, harvest and forage. With planning, the garden can be used as a multi-disciplinary learning tool throughout the school day by teachers as well as during the After School Gardening.

Click here to apply for our Direct Services. Our application period is June 1st and July 31st. Click here to sign-up to our School Gardens Newsletter to receive a notification once our application period is open.