Growing Gardens

07/20/2026

🐝🍯We found our queen bees! 🐝 What a wonderful beekeeping workshop we had with Jacobsen Salt Co. to learn about hands-on beekeeping. Our team got on bee suits, got into the hives and we were about to find our queen! In addition we gave some gardening advice on what to plant in this lot for increased pollinator habit to feed our bee friends. ????? ⁉️❔ Challenge for you all- comment below on what you think would be the best 🌱 or seeds here for pollinator habitat- but keys are only irrigation from rain 🌧️ (no access to water) can’t be deep rooted, and needs to thrive in hot, dry, poor soil quality. ☀️. GO! Don’t worry, we’ll comment what advice and plants we debated on

07/14/2026

07/07/2026

What if school lunch looked like this? 🥗🌼

As the school year wrapped up, students at Scott Elementary celebrated one of our favorite traditions: the end-of-year garden salad tasting.

Every leafy green and edible flower on these salads was grown by students in their school garden. (The toppings were purchased to round out the meal.)

The best part wasn't just the fresh food. It was the pride. Students eagerly pointed out the vegetables they had grown, encouraged friends to try new flavors, and celebrated a harvest they helped create.

When children have the opportunity to grow food, they build more than gardening skills. They develop confidence, curiosity, and a meaningful connection to the food on their plates.

Now that summer is here, we're looking back on these joyful moments and celebrating everything our Youth Grow students accomplished this school year. We can't wait to see what they'll grow next.

🌱 Here's to growing healthy eaters, confident gardeners, and thriving communities, one school garden at a time.

06/20/2026

🌿 Looking for plants that thrive with less work?

Our Executive Director, Jason Skipton, was recently featured in The Spruce, sharing expert recommendations for low-maintenance plants that can add beauty, resilience, and ecological benefits to your garden.

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just getting started, these easy-care plants can help you create a thriving outdoor space with less upkeep.

Read the full feature through the link in our bio on the Media page! 💚

06/18/2026

🎉 We're honored to be recognized as one of the *100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon for 2026* by Oregon Business Magazine!

Growing Gardens ranked #90 on this year's list, a recognition that reflects our commitment to sustainability, environmental stewardship, and creating a workplace that supports both people and the planet.

A heartfelt thank you to our staff, volunteers, partners, and supporters who make this work possible every day. 💚🌱

06/09/2026

What does resilience actually look like?

According to Portland writer Peggy Acott, it looks a lot like a garden.

In celebration of our 30th anniversary, Peggy spent time with our staff, volunteers, and community members to learn more about the work happening across Growing Gardens. The result is a beautiful reflection on the power of growing food, sharing knowledge, and building community together.

The article highlights the thousands of backyard gardens created through Home Gardens, the students discovering food and culture through Youth Grow, and the adults gaining skills and opportunity through Lettuce Grow.

More than anything, it tells the story of people coming together to create a more resilient and equitable food system.

For 30 years, this work has been rooted in a simple belief: when people have access to food-growing knowledge, they gain more than fresh produce. They gain confidence, connection, self-sufficiency, and the ability to nourish their communities.

We're honored to have our story shared so thoughtfully.

🌱 Read the full article here:
https://www.goodstuffnw.com/2026/05/growing-gardens-planting-seeds-of-resilience-rooted-in-communit/

Thank you, Peggy, for helping tell the story of what grows when communities invest in one another. 💚

05/20/2026

Did you know school gardens need care just like tomatoes and tiny humans? 🌱

We offer free, personalized support for school garden programs because thriving garden spaces don't grow from seeds alone. Whether you're looking for curriculum guidance, planting plans, garden design support, grant writing assistance, or help bringing new ideas to life, we're here to grow alongside you.

School gardens can become spaces where students connect with food, culture, curiosity, and each other. Sometimes all it takes is a little extra support to help something beautiful take root.

Interested in partnering with us? Reach out and let's grow something together.

05/18/2026

Fresh from the soil to the lunch line 🌱

Last month, our Youth Grow Cafeteria Tasting brought locally grown radishes from Campo Collective straight to students during lunch service. Harvested the very same day we picked them up, these radishes were unbelievably fresh, juicy, crisp, and sweet.

Cafeteria Tastings are one of our favorite ways to connect students with fresh, nourishing food grown close to home. When young people get to taste produce at peak freshness, something shifts. Curiosity grows. Confidence grows. Sometimes even a lifelong love of vegetables grows. Yes, even radishes. Miracles happen every day.

Here’s what students had to say:

“This stuff is amazing. It’s like heaven in food form. I’ve never felt more alive.”
– David, fifth grader

“This is bussin.”
“I love radishes!”
“Can I have more?”
– Students from Patrick Lynch Elementary

Huge thank you to our partners at for helping us bring locally grown food and joyful food experiences to students.

04/24/2026

Healing can start with something as simple as tending a plant 🌱

In partnership with Raíces de Bienestar, we joined Charla: La salud mental y la jardinería in Washington County to explore the connection between mental health and gardening 💚

Community members came together to reflect, share, and get their hands in the soil. Each participant received a container garden to take home, creating a small, living space for care, grounding, and growth 🌿

Because sometimes support looks like conversation. And sometimes it looks like something you can water, nurture, and return to day after day 🌼

04/22/2026

Care does not have to be expensive, complicated, or hidden behind a label 🌿

Sometimes it looks like a room full of people sharing what they already know ✨

In partnership with Adelante Mujeres and Metro, we co-hosted Care for your Body, the Earth, and your Mind, a community workshop rooted in environmental justice, cultural knowledge, and everyday practice 💚

Participants from Adelante Mujeres’ Environmental Justice and Leadership Program, Home Gardens families in Washington County, and community members came together to explore safer, more sustainable personal care. Not just learning, but teaching. Sharing recipes, swapping stories, and building on generations of lived experience 🌱

Together, we used Metro’s personal care kits to create DIY skin scrubs and reimagined what self-care can look like when it is rooted in accessibility, culture, and care for the earth 🌎

Use the group photo for this one. The collective energy says it best 🤝