Where to Find School Garden Resources
Once you’ve received permission to start a school garden and selected a location, you might wonder rces to create your swhere to find school garden resources. From soil to seeds to funding, you’ll need a variety of resouchool garden and sustain it over time. Here are a few places in California where you can find school garden resources.
Grants
Many nonprofits and businesses offer grants for school gardens. In general, the more local the organization is, the easier it is to secure the grant. You may wish to use grant funds to purchase supplies for raised beds, irrigation, tools for maintaining the school garden, and/or a school garden curriculum for teachers.
Local Grant Resources
Local community or educational foundations
Nonprofits that support school gardens specifically, like us - Yolo Farm to Fork
California Grant Resources
California Native Plant Society
California Fertilizer Foundation
National Grant Resources
Whole Foods - Whole Kids Foundation
Soil & Compost
Most school gardens will need regular soil amendments and compost to provide sufficient nutrients to grow healthy plants. Consider asking a local company that sells topsoil and other products for a donation or a discount.
When it comes to compost, you could ask a local waste and recycling company for a donation. As a Yolo County nonprofit, we provide local school gardens with free compost donated by
Napa Recycling.
Wood Chips
Wood chips make excellent mulch, which helps garden soil retain moisture. Wood chips can also help suppress weeds and prevent excess mud, keeping students’ shoes cleaner when they visit the school garden.
One convenient source of free wood chips is
Chip Drop. After you sign up with Chip Drop, a local arborist or tree service company will deliver a truckload of free wood chips from trees they have serviced.
Be sure to let the principal, staff, and groundskeepers know when the delivery will happen. Be aware that someone will need to give the truck access to the school garden site upon delivery and that it will be a very large load.
Seeds & Starts
Many local seed companies, nurseries, or stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s will donate seeds and veggie starts to school gardens. Yolo Farm to Fork receives many such donations to share with the Yolo County school gardens we support.
Volunteers
Are you in need of labor to construct your school garden? In addition to your school garden committee (including supportive parents, teachers, staff, students, and community members), local Rotary Clubs or Girl Scout or Boy Scout troops may be willing to volunteer to build raised beds, install irrigation, and provide necessary manual labor.
If you are a school in Yolo County, California looking for support, feel free to reach out to us. We can help you find school garden resources as you get started.
