Youth Gardens

The Youth Gardens are a series of educational demonstration gardens grown and maintained for the annual Youth Summer Garden Camp hosted by the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Cumberland County.

2025 Youth Summer Garden Camp

Youth ages 7-12 are invited to join the Penn State Master Gardeners of Cumberland County for the 2025 Youth Summer Garden Camp series at the Penn State Extension office located at 310 Allen Road, Carlisle, PA 17013. The registration fee is $15 per youth per session and includes all supplies. Register online once for one, a few, or all camp dates!

Tuesday, June 10, 9am-12pm: Planning and Planting for a Bountiful Garden

Start a successful and fun garden this year! Learn about seed germination and growth, how to read a seed packet, and garden pests that can prevail. Plant vegetables seeds in the Youth Garden at the Penn State Extension office! Predict what items in our local landfill will decompose by the end of summer.  Receive a garden hat and plant an upcycled container to take home to nurture your own mini garden. Register by June 8.

Tuesday, June 24, 9am-12pm: Cool Beans

From seed to harvest, explore the growing process as you learn about all kinds of beans. Discover a variety of garden beans as you plant a pole bean teepee in the Youth Garden. Explore the parts of bean seed through a seed dissection lab. Share your knowledge about beans during a fun game. Harvest early summer vegetables and plant your own grow bag with wax bush beans to take home! Register by June 22.

Tuesday, July 8, 9am-12pm: Tree-mendous Adventures

Join us for an exciting exploration of the amazing world of trees! Investigate seeds, uncover the science of photosynthesis by examining leaf pigments, count tree rings to reveal a tree’s hidden story, and create bark tracings. Learn about Pando — the world’s largest living organism — and discover surprising products made from trees. Best of all, you’ll take home your very own tree to plant and grow! Register by July 6.

Tuesday, July 22, 9am-12pm: The 4Rs of Recycling in the Garden

Rethink, reduce, reuse, and recycle can be an integral part of garden plan as well as your lifestyle. Learn why rethinking your initial purchases of garden and household items can lead to a healthier garden and how planting seasonally can bring fresh flavors all year. Share your knowledge local produce, composting, and recycling as you spin the garden wheel. Make a compost stew in your handmade composter to take home. Register by July 20.

Tuesday, August 5, 9am-12pm: Garden Chefs

Let’s turn fresh veggies into delicious creations! Young chefs will whip up tasty veggie roll-ups, mix a zesty chopped salad, and mash up the perfect guacamole — all while learning about the colorful, crunchy foods that grow in the garden. We’ll also uncover whether each veggie is a seed, root, stem, flower, or leaf — and find out which ones grow above or below the ground. It’s a fun-filled day of cooking, exploring, and discovering how yummy veggies can be! Register by August 3.

Master Gardener Youth Programs

Youth Summer Garden Camp is a series of five camp sessions over the summer from June through August for youth ages 7 to 12. Youth tend garden areas, growing produce and flowers, with expert guidance from the Penn State Master Gardeners of Cumberland County. Campers learn about seeds, soil, composting, plants, pollination, and the environment in structured sessions that include time for working in the garden, science activities, projects, games, snacks, and exploration. Each session includes tasks in the garden, such as planting, weeding, watering, mulching, scouting for pests, and harvesting. Campers also record weather statistics, soil temperatures, and harvest data. Produce harvested from these gardens is distributed to youth and their families who participate in the camp and is also donated to Project SHARE to reduce food insecurity for Cumberland County residents.

Penn State Master Gardeners also host two Saturday workshops at the Extension Office for youth and their families. The Mother's Day Container Workshop is held on the first Saturday in May for youth to plant and take home a container of annuals and herbs with an ornament and card to gift on Mother's Day. The Wildlife Tree Ornament Workshop is held on a Saturday in November for youth to make and take home a series of outdoor wildlife feeders and ornaments from natural materials to provide food for birds and other wildlife during the winter. SAVE THE DATE! The Wildlife Tree Ornaments Workshop for youth ages 5-14 will be held on Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10am-12pm, at the Penn State Extension office located at 310 Allen Road in Carlisle.

Visiting the Gardens

The Youth Gardens are located at the Cumberland County Service Center at 310 Allen Road in Carlisle, which houses the Penn State Extension office in Cumberland County.

Parking for the gardens is available in the front parking lot accessible from Allen Road and the back parking lot accessible from Logistics Drive or the driveway connecting the front and back parking lots. Please do not park on the grass.

The garden is open daily to the public, free of charge, from dawn to dusk. Enjoy your visit and thank you for stopping by!