# Event Details

- **Event Name**: School & Youth Garden Workshop
- **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 26 Sep, 2026 at 07:45 am – Sat, 26 Sep, 2026 at 03:30 pm (-04:00)
- **Event Description**: Join educators & community partners for a hands-on day of learning to grow, teach, and sustain school & youth garden programs in SWFL.About this EventUF/IFAS Extension Lee County and ECHO Global Farm are hosting the School & Youth Garden Workshop, a full day of hands-on training for anyone building, leading, or supporting school & youth garden programs in Southwest Florida. This year's workshop runs a full day and includes three hands-on ECHO farm experiences, sessions on building programs that last and teaching in the garden, crop-specific growing sessions on tomatoes and peppers, and a live cooking class using garden produce. Presented in partnership with the Lee County School District's-Healthy Living Collaboration (HLC), UF/IFAS Lee County Master Gardeners Program, Sakata Seeds America, Inc, and The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation.TopicsBuilding a school garden program that lasts beyond one school yearHands-on farm, community garden, and urban garden techniques adaptable to school gardensA Peer Learning Session focused on working through the real challenges of classroom management outdoors and connecting garden time to classroom curriculumGrowing tomatoes and peppers in Southwest Florida school gardensA live class connecting cooking, gardening, and learningWho should attendEducators, school leadership and administrators, volunteers, Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) staff using garden grown produce, school garden support organizations, and community partners working and supporting youth & school garden education programs.Free RegistrationPhase 1 (August 27 – September 10): Open to school educators only.Phase 2 (September 11 – September 25): Open to the general public, including additional school staff.Space is limited to 40 attendees, so educators are encouraged to register early during Phase 1 to guarantee their spot before it opens more broadly.Lee County teachers: this training includes in-service hour credits. Contact Susie Hassett at susanpha@leeschools.net or (239) 699-4476 with questions.ContactFor questions or help with registration, contact Kathleen Morales Perez at kmoralesperez@ufl.edu or (239) 839-4582.AccommodationsIf you require special accommodations, such as interpreter services for the deaf or hard of hearing, please email kmoralesperez@ufl.edu at least four days before the program begins. TTY/TDD/FRS: dial 711.*An Equal Opportunity Institution.Agenda🕑: 07:45 AM - 08:15 AMArrival, Registration & WelcomeInfo: Participants check in and get oriented for the day.🕑: 08:15 AM - 09:15 AMECHO Experience: Guided Farm Tour, Community Garden, or Urban GardenHost: ECHO Global Farm TeamInfo: Attendees are divided into three groups. All three sessions run at the same time, each one hour long, and each group attends only the one session they are assigned to, there is no rotating between groups. This format gives participants a more focused, hands-on experience in a smaller group setting.🕑: 09:25 AM - 10:25 AMSession 1: Building School Garden Programs That LastHost: Kathleen Morales Perez, Food Systems SpecialistInfo: This session opens the instructional portion of the day by zooming out from the garden itself to the program around it. What does it actually take to keep a school garden going year after year? This session looks at the systems, structures, and decisions that determine whether a program survives leadership changes, funding gaps, and teacher burnout, or doesn't. Includes a hands-on activity and structured time for participants to share their own experiences and challenges. Designed to be the foundation for everything that follows in the day.🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AMSession 2: Teaching in the Garden: A Peer Learning SessionHost: Susie Hassett, Environmental Education Resource TeacherInfo: Participants work in small groups using discussion prompts covering the day-to-day realities of teaching in the garden, classroom management outdoors and connecting garden time to classroom curriculum. Groups reconvene at the end to share what surfaced, so the whole room leaves with strategies gathered from each other, not just from a single presenter.🕑: 11:40 AM - 12:40 PMCooking Class & LunchHost: Daniela Craciun, Assistant Manager for School GardensInfo: This session is a full hands-on cooking class that invites everyone to experience the connection between food, community, and learning. Using fresh produce, including popular school garden crops, participants cook and eat as a group, experiencing firsthand how garden-to-table activities work in a school setting. Daniela will model how to facilitate this kind of experience with students to celebrate garden successes and harvest.🕑: 01:55 PM - 02:55 PMSession 4: Growing Peppers in School GardensHost: Randy Johnson, Senior Station Manager/Plant PathologistInfo: Peppers are among the most versatile and commonly grown vegetables in SWFL school gardens. This session covers pepper variety selection, growing tips for raised bed and container settings, seasonality, and how to make it a hands-on science and agriculture learning experience for students. Randy will also draw on his broader growing experience to talk about the garden as a connected system, common problems like blossom end rot and what actually causes them, and integrated pest and disease management appropriate for school campuses where chemical use is limited. Sakata Seeds is an existing partner with many Lee County schools through soil, seedling, and produce donations.🕑: 12:50 PM - 01:50 PMSession 3: Growing Tomatoes in School GardensHost: Tom Quigley, UF/IFAS Extension Master GardenerInfo: Tomatoes are one of the most commonly grown crops in school gardens across the region. This session covers what teachers need to know to grow tomatoes successfully with their students, variety selection, planting timing, raised bed management, common problems, and how to turn the growing process into a hands-on learning experience. Designed for teachers managing groups of students in a school garden setting in Southwest Florida's climate.🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:30 PMClosing & GiveawaysInfo: Post-survey, group reflection, resource distribution, plant and seed giveaways, and closing gratitude. Participants leave with materials, connections, and a clear sense of next steps for their programs.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/north-fort-myers/school-and-youth-garden-workshop/100001995735928887
- **Event Categories**: workshops, cooking, art, nonprofit, science-fair
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 0
- **Event Highlights**: 
  - Duration: 7 hours 45 minutes
  - Location: ECHO North America Impact Center
  - Languages: English

## Ticket Details

- **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD

## Event venue details

- **city**: North Fort Myers
- **state**: FL
- **country**: United States
- **location**: ECHO North America Impact Center
- **lat**: 26.7180796
- **long**: -81.7919096
- **full address**: ECHO North America Impact Center, 17391 Durrance Road, North Fort Myers, United States

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: School & Youth Garden Workshop
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events5/banners/b21894ffe3a092949a6336c4159f49da885792551d04ed5cd86a139c96cc686f-rimg-w1200-h600-dc085828-gmir.jpg?v=1787703555

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is School & Youth Garden Workshop being held?
  - **A:** School & Youth Garden Workshop takes place on Sat, 26 Sep, 2026 at 07:45 am to Sat, 26 Sep, 2026 at 03:30 pm at ECHO North America Impact Center, 17391 Durrance Road, North Fort Myers, United States.
- **Q**: Who is organizing School & Youth Garden Workshop?
  - **A:** School & Youth Garden Workshop is organized by Lee County Extension.
- **Q**: What has been the experience of attendees at Lee County Extension's events?
  - **A:** Attendees have given Lee County Extension a rating of 5/5 based on reviews from early attendees on AllEvents. Lee County Extension has a verified profile on AllEvents where you can read reviews and explore their upcoming events.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** School & Youth Garden Workshop is ideal for curious learners, students, and skill-builders looking to gain hands-on knowledge and practical expertise in a focused, interactive setting. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in North Fort Myers, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If School & Youth Garden Workshop sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

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