Click here to download, print and mail the application form (doc)

Teaching students how to plant, water, weed, harvest and prepare the food they have grown builds a knowledge base that supports healthy living and a healthy environment for the community of the future.

Monterey Bay Master Gardeners raise money to support a variety of projects including school gardens. Grants are available to schools for expenses related to the development of gardens with a long-range vision or plan.

Twelve schools applied for and received up to $500 each for their gardening programs in 2007: Bay View Elementary, Bradley Unified, Branciforte Middle School, Boulder Creek Elementary, Harden Middle School, Mission Union School District, Mt. Madonna Elementary, Mt. Madonna High School, San Lorenzo Valley Elementary, Main Street Elementary (Soquel), and Watsonville Charter School for the Arts.

The application process is not difficult. It requires that applicants

• describe the connections between the garden and the school curriculum;
• list the desired learning outcomes for the garden program;
• describe the plans to maintain the garden when school is not in session; and
• list what they plan to buy with the grant money.

In 2007 preference was given to schools participating in the California Instructional School Garden Program as that program required extensive planning and organization and our funding was able to supplement gardens with a proven track record.

Principals, teachers, and involved parents or Master Gardeners may apply. Applications are now being accepted for funding. Call the hotline at 831-763-8007; email Claudia Boulton at claudia@wildroselandscape.com; or download, print and mail the application form (doc) .