The first annual Iowa Kids Garden Day - May 2025- was a major success!
Read more about the over 100 statewide celebrations below.
Get ready to join us for the second annual Iowa Kids Garden Day, May 20th, 2026- celebrating children and educators growing and eating delicious foods!
Registration for 2026 will open March 1, 2026.
What
Iowa Kids Garden Day:
Celebrates Farm to School & Early Care across Iowa.Encourages kids and communities to grow and eat delicious, local foods.Supports educators to lead garden planning, classroom connections, and food safety.Builds relationships between educators, kids, and local food growers.
When
Next Event: May 20th, 2026
Every year on the third Wednesday of May, join us in bringing recognition to the people and programs providing these innovative, hands-on learning opportunities!If this date doesn’t work for your site, no problem! Schedule your celebration for another time that week or even another time during the month of May. 
How
Instructions for participation!
Plan an activity that best fits your program. Consider garden planning, planting, maintenance, harvesting, or STEAM learning.Register to get your garden on the map.Celebrate and take photos!Complete our short survey to share your stories and photos.
2025 Accomplishments
On May 21, 2025, and throughout the month, Iowa Schools, Early Care and Education organizations, and community organizations hosted garden builds, planting events, tasting stations, and all other sorts of celebrations of Iowa Kids and Gardening!
Over 30,000 kids at 107 sites participated in Iowa Kids Garden Day Activities!
More than half of the educators surveyed partnered with community organizations, including ISU Extension, county public health, Master Gardeners, FFA, 4-H, Scouts, local greenhouse and farms, and community gardens.
Locations include urban, suburban, and rural communities across all corners of the state!
Pictures and Learning from 2025 Iowa Kids Garden Day
Scroll through the photos from the first annual event below, and click here to read the full report!
Promote your event!
We provide multiple resources to support promotion of your Iowa Kids Garden Day event.
2025 Resources: Click the link to access a full folder of files, including the logo, save the date, press releases, draft social media posts, coloring sheets, posters, and more! Alternatively, you may click on the images here and download the resource to your computer for use.
Iowa Kids Garden Day Webinars
Check out our YouTube channel to stay up to date with all the information you need to keep up-to-date and involved! Click here to watch the recordings.
Need seeds or plants for your Celebration?
Click here for a list of resources to help you get started.
Pictures and Learning from 2024 Iowa Kids Garden Day
Scroll through the photos from the pilot-year event below, and click here to read our pilot-year report!
