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Maryland Department of Agriculture

School Gardens in Maryland

An abundance of research shows the benefits of school gardens for education. Read more about school garden benefits research:

Videos and Webinars

University Of Maryland Extension: Home and Garden Information Center’s 2-part School Garden Series:

USDA Food and Nutrition Service: 

Programs and Grants

Maryland Agriculture Education Foundation​ 

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, non-governmental organization established in 1989 as recommended by a Governor's Task Force.

The Foundation's mission is to promote the understanding and appreciation of the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.

Visit MAEF’s site for information on Ag returns to the City Grants: 

  • Urban school garden grants between $250 - $500
  • Fund between 18-25 gardens per year
  • Any type of school, i.e. public or private and grade level
  • Application requires support from principal and teacher and tie garden to the curriculum and education standards

Maryland FSNE (Food Supplement Nutrition Education) 

FSNE (Food Supplement Nutrition Education) is Maryland SNAP-Ed and is funded by USDA FNS to provide nutrition education to low-income audiences. This means that the schools that we work with need to have 50% or greater free and reduced meals eligibility.

We work under 3 main Initiatives to include preschool and childcare centers, school community sites, and out of school sites. This means that the nutrition education and the gardening activities are driven by the site, so they are not necessarily linked to clubs, but they are all tied to a curriculum.

FSNE currently has about 45 gardening projects are in the following counties:

  • ​Baltimore County 
  • Baltimore City
  • Harford County
  • Carroll County
  • Allegany County
  • Garrett County
  • Calvert County
  • Montgomery County
  • Prince Georges County
  • St. Mary's County
  • Dorchester County
  • Talbot County
  • Washington County

Learn more about the FSNE program

D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education- School Garden Program 

OSSE’s School Gardens Program team assists schools in building and maintaining school gardens and provides training and technical assistance to teachers in utilizing school gardens as a teaching tool.

Learn more about OSSE's School Gardens Program

LEA Edible School Garden Activities, Practices, and Policies

As the prevalence of edible school gardens increases, several school systems across Maryland have adopted their own activities, practices, and policies related to edible school gardens.​​

Baltimore City Public Schools – Great Kids Farm

Great Kids Farm is a 33-acre outdoor learning laboratory that provides Baltimore City Public Schools’ students with hands-on, real world experiences. The Farm engages students from pre-kindergarten through graduation from high school in experiential learning visits that connect classroom curriculum to the world around them.

Great Kids Farm supports school-based gardens and food education programs through the use of a model schoolyard garden located at the farm, seasonal workshops focused on developing living educational spaces on school campuses, and assisting teachers in their efforts to incorporate these spaces into their curriculum. Farm staff is available to assist with site evaluation and planning for your schoolyard gardens, and can also provide vegetable transplants and various growing resources.​​

Baltimore County Public Schools

  • Edible School Garden curriculum is tied to Next Generation Science Standards
  • Gardens in the classroom or within enclosed courtyards
  • System-wide participation
  • Grow only products available during the school year​

Montgomery County Public Schools - Outdoor Environmental Education Program

  • Edible gardens can only be grown in containers
  • Environmental gardens can be grown on school property

Learn more about the Outdoor Environmental Education Program

Prince George’s County Public Schools – William Schmidt Center​

William S. Schmidt Environmental Center offers assistance in the planning and construction of gardens at county school sites. Specializing in the construction of raised beds for produce, butterfly, or native plantings gardens; center staff can be utilized by school staff in a variety of ways.​​​

Learn more about the assistance the William S. Schmidt Environmental Center provides