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Funding Our Own Program

How can our school fund a school garden program?

Gardens for Learning: Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden Chapter 6 - Finding Supplies and Funding Your Garden (this link will take you to the California School Garden Network website) lays out many strategies that schools use to support their gardens.

California School Garden Network - Resources Grants & Fundraising Section at: http://www.csgn.org/node/981

What local resources are available to school administrators, teachers, parent and community volunteers?

Schnell Garden Photo 3
The School Garden Network of El Dorado County (SGNEDC), formed in 2006, is a local group of garden-based learning supporters and experts.  The group include s the El Dorado County Farm Bureau, El Dorado County Office of Education, Ag in the Classroom, University of California Cooperative Extension, El Dorado County Public Health, UCCE Master Ga rdeners, El Dorado Irrigation District and school gardening coordinators and experts. For more information or to get involved contact us at schoolgardennetworkedc@ucdavis.edu or call Wendy West, UCCE (530) 621-5533.

SGNEDC projects include:

  • 1) surveying schools to document the current use of school garden programs in our area
  • 2) producing a quarterly e-newsletter (subscribe at schoolgardennetworkedc@ucdavis.edu
  • 3) providing free workshops for teachers and volunteers on how to start and maintain garden-based learning programs
  • 4) providing guidance to school's applying for grant funding through California Instructional School Garden Grants (AB 1535).

The UCCE Master Gardener Program offers school garden consultants to assist in establishing and maintaining school gardens.  Contact them at (530)621-5512.

For a wonderful article about school gardening, written by Master Gardener Robin Stanley, click on this link School Gardens - The Interest is Growing.