About

Our Farm to School Program offers Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS) help in creating school gardens to use as outdoor classrooms.

Our work includes:

• Help with planning and building a new school garden

• School garden curriculum linked to Montana and MCPS standards

• Educational programs in the garden in the spring, summer and fall

• Maintenance support throughout the growing season

We also consult on school garden projects outside the MCPS district.

While much of the learning happens in the growing of the food, we learn by eating the food, too!

Here’s how:

• Students eat it on the spot, right in their school garden, during school garden lessons

• Harvested and eaten during afterschool programs with partners like Missoula Parks and Recreation or Flagship

• Brought home to student’s family tables, harvested during summer open garden hours

• Used as all-school snacks in the fall

The spaces cultivate learning, and more:

• Teachers can use the gardens as outdoor classrooms to teach students about math, science, art, ecology, cooperation, and more

• Some schools take their lunches to the gardens!

• Some school counselors make the garden a place for therapy sessions

Teacher Resources

School garden curriculum written by our Farm to School team (by grade level!), recipes, and links to great organizations and resources across the country. MORE

Want more information?

Contact our Farm to School Director, Jason Mandala, at jason@gardencityharvest.org or 406-239-5524.

Garden City Harvest supported school gardens

Chief Charlo Outdoor Learning Center - established 2012

Franklin Outdoor Learning Center - established 2013

Hawthorne Outdoor Learning Center - established 2014

Jeannette Rankin Outdoor Learning - established 2021

Lowell Outdoor Learning Center - established 2009

Paxson Outdoor Learning Center - established 2011

Rattlesnake Outdoor Learning Center- established 2010

Russell Outdoor Learning Center - established 2022