Washington Youth Garden

The Washington Youth Garden, managed by the Friends of the National Arboretum, is located near Fern Valley along Crabtree Road. It connects children and families to where their food comes from, and empowers youth to become advocates for environmental stewardship and healthy communities. Each year, thousands of children experience hands-on gardening and nutrition activities at the garden through family events and field trips. Garden staff also work with and at DC Public Schools to provide free science enrichment and nutrition education, including establishing school gardens.

The Washington Youth Garden is a working garden, and you will find a wide variety of food crops growing between April and October. Pollinators are an important part of any garden’s success. A butterfly garden offers these beautiful pollinators tasty reasons to come visit, and bees hum busily near their hives in a rear corner.

The Garden is open whenever the Arboretum is. Don’t be deterred by the fence—it’s there to keep out deer, not visitors! Please be sure to close the gate behind you.

To learn more, please visit Washington Youth Garden’s website, www.washingtonyouthgarden.org.