Skip to main content

Growing With Your Food

Growing our food, we become more environmentally friendly and aware! Schools, kindergartens and families from all over Southern Estonia are involved in the initiative “Growing with Your Food” introducing organic food and community gardening.

Story

The habits and preferences of children and young people are influenced by parents, but also vice versa. In cooperation with educational institutions in Tartu and South Estonia, we show local children where and how food comes to the table – this is how they grow up to be better food consumers.

You can grow your own food following organic farming principles even if you live in the city and only have a small piece of land. We introduce the activities of Tartu community gardens to demonstrate that growing edible plants unites people of different ages and with different cultural, linguistic or social backgrounds.

Eat food that has a story and that you have grown with your own hands!

Experience

The goal of the creative education program “Growing with Your Food” is to raise the awareness of growing food among children, families and educational institutions.

Anyone interested, can participate in the activities of an active and open network of community gardens. If you want to know more about urban gardening, you can learn about soil, composting, traditional Estonian varieties, plant protection and food preservation when taking part in our public lectures. In 2024, we will also have a big harvest party.

We publish several study materials as part of our creative education programme. Gardening videos and lesson guides help teachers to share information about food plants in school and also encourage hesitant green thumbs to start gardening.

We also show how and which food plants are grown by other European educational institutions. Schools and kindergartens from all over Europe can take part in the international photo contest organized in cooperation with the EcoSchool Programme in Estonia.

There will be more exciting ventures – just be open and brave enough to become a gardener!

Impact

We plant a seed in fertile soil and it grows. As a result of the project, Estonian children will grow up to be wise plant enthusiasts who value home-grown food. Estonian organic food and local food culture become valuable in Europe, and community gardens become a popular activity in Tartu and small towns in Estonia.

Let’s grow and eat our own food!

A child feeding a lamb.