National Gardening Association

Our Mission is to promote home, school, and community gardening as a means to renew and sustain the essential connections between people, plants, and the environment.

The National Gardening Association (NGA), founded in 1973, is a nonprofit leader in plant-based education. We serve a national audience with timely materials designed to foster an appreciation for the benefits of gardening.

We believe plants have the power to change our lives. They enable the simple and therapeutic pleasure of working in one’s own garden. They play a basic role in providing clean air and serve as a nutritious basis for healthy living. And they are uniquely effective teaching tools. For more than 30 years, NGA has been working to renew and sustain the essential connection between people, plants, and the environment through gardening.

Our programs and initiatives highlight the opportunities for plant-based education in schools, communities, and backyards across the country. We serve as a bridge to connect people to gardening in five core fields: plant-based education, health and wellness, environmental stewardship, community development, and responsible home gardening.

National Gardening Association's Core Fields of Emphasis

Plant-Based Education
NGA is a leading national provider of K-12, plant-based educational materials. With teachers and community leaders serving as guides, our school and youth gardening programs help children gain knowledge in science, literacy, social studies, nutrition, the environment, and personal skill areas such as leadership, problem-solving, and team building.

Health and Wellness
The satisfying experiences of planting, cultivating, and harvesting fruits and vegetables creates a lifelong appreciation for healthy living. Beyond formal educational materials, our plant-based resources address pervasive health concerns such as poor nutrition and inactivity. By supporting thousands of school and community gardens nationwide, we help children and adults establish links between plants, gardening, food, and health.

Environmental Stewardship
Gardens are a microcosm of the environment. Landscaping with water, native plants, and habitat-friendly gardens is a portal for understanding concepts and issues in environmental education both at home and at school. NGA's programs foster environmental stewardship by providing the resources, knowledge base, and tools to help learners become environmentally connected.

Community Development
We have a long-standing commitment to community initiatives. Our programs help rebuild neighborhoods, instill community pride, build self-esteem, and rehumanize urban environments. Community gardens provide a source of food, add aesthetic value, encourage physical activity, help preserve cultural identity and, most importantly, cultivate neighborhood relationships.

Home Gardening
Although Americans consistently rank gardening as a favorite hobby, many lack the knowledge and confidence needed to be successful gardeners. NGA actively works to promote “best practice” principles that result in healthy lawns, gardens, and gardeners. We provide tools and resources needed to support gardening as an enjoyable, satisfying, and environmentally responsible activity. National Gardening Association's Core Fields of Emphasis

General Programs and Activities

Web Sites
Our Web sites represent crucial hubs where gardeners and educators find information and inspiration. Each month, nearly a million novice and experienced gardeners take advantage of biweekly Regional Reports for 12 growing zones; extensive article database, FAQ, and how-to project libraries; planting guides; horticultural news; online gardening courses; and garden industry research. Visit www.garden.org or www.kidsgardening.org for a full appreciation of our virtual garden community.

Free Newsletters
Subscribe to one or more of our free e-mail newsletters for information
on gardening in your region, special topics such as urban gardening and
gardening with kids, or to receive e-mail sales flyers for our online
stores. View e-newsletters and subscribe.

Grants & Awards Programs
NGA supports plant-based education through its innovative Youth Garden Grants and an array of awards programs. Corporate partnerships provide funding to support schools and organizations that exemplify sustainable and successful youth gardening practices. View a complete list of all of our grants and awards programs.

Curriculum Guides & Resources
NGA creates and publishes curricular materials that support plant-based education efforts in school and community gardens nationwide. These include Steps to a Bountiful Kids’ Garden, Schoolyard Mosaics: Designing Gardens and Habitats, and Growing Ventures: Starting a School Garden Business, as well as home gardening titles such as our highly received series of “… for Dummies” gardening books.

Teacher Professional Development
NGA helps teachers expand their knowledge of plant-based education and use school gardens effectively. We offer numerous online resources, as well as seminars and workshops. In cooperation with universities and related nonprofits, we also act as a clearinghouse for results of research on plant-based education presented in a condensed and user-friendly format.

Gardening with Kids Resource Catalog
School and youth gardens are ideal vehicles for teaching across the curriculum, enlivening learning, and helping young people develop lifelong social skills. Our print and online catalogs offer plant-based curricula, horticultural information, products that engage kids in active learning and exploration, and general items sized for young gardeners or designed to solve gardening challenges. Visit the Gardening with Kids store.

Adopt-a-Garden Program/Registry
This “adopt-a-program” model invites schools and youth and community organizations to register to receive funding from local and national private donors for plant-based education and community development. Acting as a conduit connecting needs with resources, this program uses Web-based technology in conjunction with corporate, private, and government funds to advance plant-based education. Learn more about the Adopt a School Garden™ program.

Public Relations
NGA is a trusted source for garden news and information. We provide vital data services to lawn and garden, educational, and trade publications. NGA’s education programs, research highlights, and gardening information regularly appear in national magazines and newspapers and a variety of consumer media. Visit our press room.

National Garden Month®
This program, hosted by NGA, is a vehicle by which collaborating organizations can advance the value of gardening and plant-based education programs with a cohesive voice. "Green" organizations jointly impact government, media, and individuals throughout the month of April with the powerful message of how gardening positively impacts life. Visit the National Garden Month Web site.

Vermont Garden Park
Working with the local community, NGA manages an educational demonstration garden in Vermont that services community gardeners and offers visitors numerous themed gardens to enjoy. Plans are under way for an expanded public garden that will enhance NGA’s headquarters.

Gardens For All
NGA has a rich history of championing community garden projects. We work with youth and adult community groups, civic groups, and urban action leagues to encourage after-school, weekend, and community service garden projects whose focus is on reconnecting people to plants and gardening.

Research Services & Support
We actively work to expand the base of knowledge in the fields of lawn and garden care, environmental impact and sustainability of home gardening practices, and plant-based education. Our primary audience segments are 1) home gardeners/consumers and 2) educators and students. Learn more about our research services.

Industry & Corporate Partners
NGA collaborates extensively with corporations in support of K-12, health and wellness, environmental, community, and home gardening educational programs and initiatives. Our partners share in our work and our recognition as a leader in gardening and plant-based education. Learn more about our sponsors.

Spotlight on Key Programs

National Youth Garden Grants™
Established in 1982, these grants provide schools and community organizations across the country with resources that enliven the curriculum while supporting state and national standards for learning. These grants provide critical funding for garden supplies like seeds, plants, and tools. This program reaches thousands of school age children annually and is generously sponsored by The Home Depot®. Learn more about the Youth Garden Grants program.

GrowLab® Curriculum
With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), NGA developed GrowLab: Activities for Growing Minds, a K-8 inquiry-based curriculum that uses plants and gardens as educational tools to help students learn about science and the environment. The inquiry approach encourages students to use their own questions and observations as springboards for learning. Teachers serve as guides, helping students develop the confidence and skills to solve problems on their own.

Growing Ideas Books
Extending the topical focus of the Growing Ideas newsletters even further, the Growing Ideas books address a range of thematic concepts through school gardening. Topics include nutrition, sustainable development, indoor and outdoor school gardening basics, active science through plant-based education, and literacy through school gardens.

Educator Newsletters
NGA offers 2 free newsletters — our monthly online Kids Garden News and our quarterly print Growing Ideas. Both feature engaging plant-based activities, curricular connections, supporting resources, and success stories. Kids Garden News provides in-depth plant-based education ideas for educators, while Growing Ideas offers broadly appealing articles on plants and gardening methods, and how to enjoy gardening at school and at home.

Lawn & Garden Market Research
NGA is a recognized authority on the U.S. consumer lawn and garden market. Published annually since 1973, the comprehensive National Gardening Survey, conducted by the Harris Poll, studies consumer gardening practices, industry trends, and retail sales in 120 categories. NGA also offers custom market research and online survey services to help corporate clients assess product needs and trends. Learn about the latest survey results.