Master Gardener Foundation of Kitsap County

Growing your own fresh food is fun, can improve your health, and is a great family activity! 

Our demonstration gardens are located at Anna Smith Children's Garden,  Blueberry Park, Heritage Garden at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, and Raab Park Youth Garden. Master Gardener Foundation of Kitsap County provides necessary funding to maintain and improve these gardens so that Kitsap County residents can observe and learn successful organic gardening techniques specifically for our PNW climate!

Note: You can select what your donation will support from four options via the "Designation" line during the Donation process:

Raised Bed Replacement Fund:  Every growing season Master Gardeners make repairs to the numerous individual garden beds within our four demonstration gardens.  In 2024 the Foundation provided funds for replacement beds at several gardens.  Raab Park Demonstration Garden has raised beds of many different styles - check out which one(s) you want to incorporate in your garden! for This fund sets aside monies specifically for replacement raised beds of various construction techniques.  

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Garden Shed Replacement Fund:  This year we intend to replace the garden shed at Hertiage Demonstration Garden.  In 2026-2027, we anticipate replacing the garden shed at Raab Park.  Over the years, each of our gardens have repaired, added new, or otherwise performed maintenance on these critical garden structures.  Several of our gardens have sheds that are approaching the end of their useful life.  This fund is designed to have money available to build new sheds when they are needed.

New South Sound garden:  your donation will be set aside so that once planning is complete for a new Master Gardener demonstration garden in the south end of Kitsap County, the Foundation will have the funds available to support the project! This project is estimated at close to $40,000, to date the fund has nearly $18,000.

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General Fund: to help provide seeds, soil, garden bed maintenance items for our demonstration gardens; and prepare for summer children’s education programs;

In case you missed it, throughout 2024, Kitsap County Master Gardeners (MGs) were able to:

PROVIDED 16,466 hours volunteer time:  Equating to $551,463 labor savings for Kitsap County for informed public outreach on sustainable gardening and environmental protection.  (National volunteer hourly rate $33.49). This represents the efforts of 253 certified MGs, with 28 newly certified MGs in 2024.

INDIVIDUALIZED ASSISTANCE: MGs answered community questions at weekly Farmers Markets clinics across the county, during 33 events at 27 locations with the travel clinic, as well as13 MG “Chats” via Zoom!  2535 specific garden related questions were answered by MG volunteers.

ADULT WORKSHOPS: MGs taught advanced training sessions in the fall, educating 82 MGs and community members on various gardening topics.  

YOUTH PROGRAMS: MGs taught highly successful youth summer programs at Blueberry Park, Raab Park, and Anna Smith demonstration gardens!  

ORGANIC GARDENING CLASSES: 118 people completed the series of 12 day Organic Vegetable Gardening Classes taught by 5 Master Gardener volunteer educators.

ORGANIC PRODUCE DONATIONS:  3875 pounds of produce grown with organic methods donated to 4 local food banks from 4 designated demonstration gardens. MG volunteer educators led & coordinated 4 demonstration gardens.

VEGGIE START DONATIONS:  Donated myriad veggie starts to 4 local food banks, along with applicable fact sheets to educate clients on how to plant and care for their starts. 

GARDEN TOUR SERIES:  Held 7 garden tours across Kitsap County and surrounding areas, providing continuing education credits to MGs on a large variety of topics, from native plants to cut flowers to apple orchards!

We hope that you will be a partner in our important work!