Empowering Young Gardeners to Establish a Sustainable Future
How We’re Inspiring Youth With Our Vertical Vegetable Garden
We are firm believers that the ability to grow your own food should be a right rather than a privilege. That’s why it’s our mission to make gardening accessible to everyone starting at a young age to encourage new hobbies and educational opportunities. As the creators of the vertical vegetable garden, we’re here to show you our commitment to young gardeners and creating a more sustainable future.
Why Gardening Education is Crucial For Youth
Creating a Better Future Through Accessible Gardening
Getting our youth’s hands in the dirt from an early age to learn about gardening improves their mental and physical development. Not only does this give them a new hobby to pursue, but it also teaches them more about biology and nutrition. Nutritional education helps youth create a healthy relationship with food and develop a deeper understanding of what they’re putting in their bodies. Plus, it also helps enforce good eating habits, leading to longer, healthier lives. Besides the purely educational factors, gardening can be a great way to bond as a family, classroom, or even friend group. By working together to grow food, children can learn more about the world and create stronger bonds with those around them.
Making Gardening Accessible to All Through Vertical Vegetable Gardens
Allowing Anyone and Everyone to Grow Their Own Food
In 2023, over 330 schools utilized the Garden Tower® in classrooms across North America. Not only did this bring organic, fresh food into different communities, but it taught children around the continent about organic gardening, too. When we created the Garden Tower®, its design was modeled around convenience and accessibility to accommodate those living/learning in urban environments and individuals with disabilities. With its compact design, rotating base, and short height, gardening is a breeze for those with limited mobility or who may need to remain seated.
We didn’t just make our Tower accessible, but our tools, too. They are all easy on the hands (and wallet!) and aren’t difficult to use. We wanted to create a line of products that everyone could use to grow their own food, no matter their age, physical ability, or living arrangement. The spare corner of a classroom or balcony is all you need to begin teaching children about food freedom and sustainability.
How We’re Playing a Role in the Youth Gardening Movement
Educating Youth One Vertical Vegetable Garden at a Time
To further make gardening education more accessible for children, we wanted to take it a step further than simply creating handy products and tools. So, how’d we do it? We partnered with KidsGardening to give vertical gardens to schools and children in need. While we’ve participated in their gardening grants in the past, we significantly increased our donation for the 2022 Youth Grant Giveaway. We weren’t just supplying Towers—each winner received two Garden Tower 2’s, two Premium Caster Kits, four Soil Moisture Indicators, Dr. Earth Premium Organic Plant Food, and a $50 gift card towards purchasing local potting soil. This totals more than $5,000 in winnings across each year's winners:
- Buckeye Community School: Marion, Ohio
- HomeGrown NC: Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Inner-City Neighborhood Art House: Erie, Pennsylvania
- San Miguel Joint Union School District: San Miguel, California
- The Governor Morehead School for the Blind: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Albuquerque Public Schools (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- Andrew J. Brown Academy (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Downside Up (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
- Geraldine Public Schools (Geraldine, Montana)
- Shady Brook Elementary School (Kannapolis, North Carolina)
Through KidsGardening’s grant programs, we believe we can create and inspire the future generation of gardeners one grant at a time.
11/7/2023 IMPORTANT UPDATE:
The 2024 Youth Garden Grant is OPEN Apply here!
Application Period: Nov 6, 2023 - December 15, 2023
Award Announcement: January 19, 2024
There’s nothing we love more than seeing young gardener’s passions begin to bloom just like the fruits and veggies they’re planting! Plus, we can’t wait to see the sustainable future that they create. Want to learn more about accessible gardening for a child in your life? Visit Garden Tower Project today to learn more about how you can bring gardening into your own home or classroom.