Rainier Beach Learning Garden

Kids and adults in Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood are learning about growing and eating healthy food at the Rainier Beach Learning Garden.

Over 500 students each year learn about composting, soil building and environmental stewardship. They gain a new appreciation for the natural world and an awareness of where food comes from, and have fun outside in the garden!

Students participate in all stages of growing food, from preparing the soil to harvesting, cooking, and eating. The garden is behind South Shore Elementary School and Rainier Beach High School and serves those and several other nearby schools, community centers and day care programs. The Rainier Beach Learning Garden is part of the Rainier Valley Eats coalition working to increase access to fresh healthy food for folks in Rainier Valley.

See Us
Take a look at photos from the RBLG Garden Party on Facebook.

Volunteer Opportunities

Community volunteers are key to the success of this garden! If you'd like to help maintain the landscape and garden beds, or assist in teaching children, please visit our volunteer page.

Summer Garden Camp at RBLG
Garden camps keep young people learning during the summer while having fun playing garden games, singing songs about critters and tending the garden. The result is abundant fresh vegetables, healthy snacking, plenty of exercise and happy young gardeners. Send your kids to garden camp at the Rainier Beach Learning Garden! Find out more.

Growing a Garden - Our Story

The Rainier Beach Learning Garden was created in August, 2009, from the work of 50 dedicated volunteers and a local landscape design firm. Parents, students, teachers, and community supporters came out to build raised beds that have been supporting garden education ever since. Educational programs are being led and managed by Seattle Tilth supported by our partners, the New School Foundation and Seattle Parks Department.

In 2010, we doubled the garden space thanks to the work of dozens of volunteers from the community and local landscape architecture firm, Barker Landscape Architects. The new design, based on feedback from the local community, has increased our growing space and added fantastic new features including a rain garden, a tool shed, perennial edibles, and a native plant garden.

Find Us
The Rainier Beach Learning Garden is behind the South Shore School in the Rainier Beach neighborhood at 4800 S. Henderson, Seattle, WA 98118.  See a map and Get Directions.

For more information or to get involved, contact Maren Neldam, Program Coordinator at marenneldam@seattletilth.org.