The Seeds to Plate Program was created in 2010 by a group of volunteers who value community, health and education. The trend that had once allowed for the creation of school gardens was soon to return. Historically, Mark Twain Middle School had a farm program that flourished from 1948 to1985 when school-based garden experiences waned across the U.S. The 1948 garden design included a classroom, a g
reenhouse, a shade house and a row of concrete composters. All that remains today are the concrete composters. When state funding for instructional gardens became available in 2006, the Mark Twain Middle School community worked together to clean up the third acre garden space and plant trees, vegetables and flowers. Since 2010, six Volunteer Garden Educators, most with Master Gardener training through University of California Cooperative Extension, developed an instructional school garden program, using the garden as an ideal place for inquiry-based learning grounded in the outdoors. In 2013, The Seeds to Plate Program became the first school to sell its produce at their local farmers’ market, thus providing additional learning opportunities to students in entrepreneurship. At present, we are working towards full funding of our Master Plan, which includes a school farm, an outdoor classroom, a native garden, an amphitheater and lots more.
