Hands On Education
FOOD RESCUE / GLEANING
The USDA defines gleaning as collecting farm crops left in fields that have been mechanically harvested, or from fields that wouldn't be profitable to harvest. Working with Manna Food Center, Community Food Rescue (CFR), HarvestShare and other organizations dedicated to reducing food insecurity in the county, Montgomery County Master Gardeners harvest thousands of pounds of otherwise unwanted fruit and vegetables each year and help distribute it to local “agencies that serve people who may not know where their next meal will come from.”
During the spring, summer and fall growing seasons, these organizations find gleaning opportunities with local farms and gardens and coordinate the demand from nonprofits and charitable organizations that provide this nutritious food to those in need, reaching out MCMG's to harvest and deliver the bounty to the selected non-profit or charitable organization.
For more information, contact email the Montgomery County Master Gardeners or phone via (301) 590-2842. If you would like to learn more about the HarvestShare organization please email HarvestShare.
Therapeutic Horticulture
The goal of Therapeutic Horticulture is to bring hands-on experience in the garden or with nature to an audience of special needs residents and elderly County residents who are either no longer able to be outside gardening or need assistance to do so. Whether making a floral arrangement of fresh or dried flowers, planting seeds in a garden bed, growing lettuces in a salad box, pressing flowers for bookmarks, or potting up houseplants, every project has an educational component with a specific topic and theme which Master Gardeners present to accompany the physical work product.
Click to the left to see a short video featuring our Therapeutic Horticulture Program which was created for Montgomery County Cable TV.
For more information on these programs or to inquire about a new program contact email mgmont@umd.edu, or by call (301) 590-2842.
The following list of locations where Montgomery County Master Gardener Volunteers conduct Therapeutic Horticulture Programs:
Bethesda
Fox Hill Residences
2nd Tuesday of the month at 2:00 p.m.
Brookeville
Marian House Assisted Living
2nd Tuesday of the month at 1:00 p.m.
Friendship Heights
Brighton Gardens, Assisted Living
3rd Wednesday of the month at 1:00 p.m. from March to December.
Friendship Heights
Brighton Gardens, Dementia Unit
3rd Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. from March to December
Gaithersburg
Asbury Methodist Village Assisted Living
2nd Wednesday of the month at 3:15 p.m.
Gaithersburg
Wilson Healthcare at Asbury Methodist Village
3rd Wednesday of the month at 10.30 a.m.
Kensington
Kensington Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (Nursing Home)
3rd Thursday of the month at 2:15 p.m.
Rockville
Landow House Assisted Living
1st Tuesday of the month at 1:30 p.m.
Rockville
Raphael House Assisted Living
2nd Thursday of the month at 2:30 p.m.
Sandy Spring
Brooke Grove Retirement Village ('Woods' and 'Meadows' Assisted Living and Rehab / Nursing facility)
2nd Wednesday of the month at 10:00am alternating months between the three units.
Sandy Spring
Friends House Assisted Living
Last Tuesday of the month at 3:00p.m.
Sandy Spring
Friends House Garden, Independent Living
Every Tuesday in season from 9:00a.m. to 11:30a.m.
Sandy Spring
Friends House Nursing Home
Last Tuesday of the month at 2:00pm
Silver Spring
Grace House Assisted Living
2nd Wednesday of the month at 11:00a.m.
Silver Spring
Holiday Park Senior
Center Activities Room
Every Tuesday and Friday from 9:00a.m. to noon
Master Gardeners act as mentors to volunteers and are available for plant advice.
Occasional group classes are offered.
Plants are grown and are sold at the center to sustain the program.
Silver Spring
Layhill Center Nursing Home
2nd Thursday of the month at 2:30p.m.
Youth Gardening PROGRAMS
Our vision is a future in which Montgomery County Youth have multiple opportunities to connect with nature, to develop a stewardship interest in the natural environment, and to realize that individual and group actions can impact our health and the health of the environment.
Our mission is to provide students with an opportunity to develop organic gardening skills, prepare them to share their knowledge with others, and to foster the development of self-confidence, teamwork skills, scientific thought, responsibility, and an interest in healthy eating through a hands-on, curriculum-based gardening program.
Click the image to the left to learn more about our Youth Gardening program. Read more about our White Oak Youth Gardening Campers recent experience as recently featured on Montgomery Community Media.
Growing Forward: White Oak Youth Garden Program
Master Gardeners work with Montgomery County youth from the after-school program and the summer camp program to garden with the children, teach nutrition, and send harvested food home with them.
Audubon Youth Learning Garden
School groups, summer campers, and the onsite Nature Forward pre-school students use the Master Gardener-supported Learning Garden at Woodend Learning Garden in Chevy Chase to plant seeds, harvest vegetables and fruits, and observe the wildlife that also visits the garden. School groups and summer camp groups learn about pollination, what plants need and lots more about the natural world, but mostly we hope they just love to be there.
Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts
Master Gardeners work with Boy and Girl Scout troops to complete merit badges on gardening.
School Garden Program
Master gardeners support East Silver Spring Elementary School teachers with their students in outdoor garden classes. They help plant seeds, demonstrate caring for plants, show how to harvest produce, and help prepare it for tasting.