With traditional school subjects taking up most of the school day, there is usually little time left in K-12 classrooms for education about horticulture and gardening. However, research indicates that gardening education provides students with benefits like increased nutritional awareness, environmental awareness, and life skill development. Plus, it’s a fun change of pace for students and teachers.

To address this need in Clatsop County, Master Gardener volunteers used funding awarded to the Clatsop County Master Gardener Association from an OR Bottle Drop grant to start facilitating horticulture activities with youth in 2024. Master Gardener volunteers have partnered with a variety of community partners to facilitate educational activities in classrooms, summer camps, and other events: 4-H, Sunset Empire Parks + Recreation, the Seaside Library, the Astoria Library, Consejo Hispano, and STARBASE Rilea. As a result of these programs, hundreds of young students tried growing a vegetable on their own for the first time, learned to appreciate bees, or became more aware of the native plants around them.

Master Gardener volunteers are now working to develop horticulture activity kits that will be available for free checkout by teachers and parents. Stay tuned for information on kit checkout in 2026.