Calling all young gardeners! Are you interested in growing your own food and flowers? If the answer is “yes”, then dig right in by registering for the Arboretum’s Family Gardening Club!

This monthly program series will take place on Sunday afternoons from January to June. Participants will receive all the supplies necessary to grow six seasonally appropriate plant varieties from seed to harvest, including seeds, soil, and full-size containers suitable for small outdoor spaces.

Activities will include:

seed starting or direct sowing
plant education lessons
plant care instructions
fun garden crafts
an opportunity to build community through sharing successes and learning from one another
If the weather is warm, we will meet in the Glass House in the Childhood’s Gate Children’s Garden. If it’s cold, snowy, or rainy, club meetings will move indoors to the Mimi Barash Coppersmith Studio Classroom in the Palmer Museum’s education and administration wing.

Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. One accompanying adult is included with each child registration.

2026 Family Gardening Club Schedule
January 25 – Wheat Grass & Plant Misters
Plant your very own wheat grass tray suitable for an indoor location and craft a misting spray bottle for watering your plants. Program activities will include planting sprouted wheat grass and crafting a mister from a recycled bottle.

February 15 – Tomatoes & Greenhouses
Plant the seeds for your very own patio tomatoes in a full-size container suitable for small outdoor spaces, make a plant label, and craft a mini recycled greenhouse.

March 29 – Kale & Dinosaurs
Plant your very own lacinato (dinosaur) kale seeds in a full-size container suitable for small outdoor spaces, create a plant label, and craft a mini dinosaur habitat for your garden.

April 26 – Green Beans & Garden Gnomes
Sow bush bean seeds in a full-size container suitable for small outdoor spaces, craft a plant label, and paint a wooden garden gnome to keep your plants company.

May 17 – Herb Gardens & Paper Windmills
Plant the seeds for your very own herb garden in a full-size container suitable for small outdoor spaces and craft a waterproof paper windmill to deter garden pests.

June 14 – Marigolds and Pollinators
Plant seeds to grow your very own marigolds in a full-size container suitable for small outdoor spaces, create a plant label, and craft a pollinator water dish to provide a drink for thirsty insects.