Seed to Supper

Seed to Supper is a beginning garden course focused on reducing food insecurity in Oregon. Learn more about the program, and how to become an official Seed to Supper provider.

History of the program

Seed to Supper was co-created by the Oregon Food Bank and OSU Extension. For many years, Oregon Food Bank oversaw administration, and OSU Master Gardeners served as program educators. Today, the program is entirely run and administered as an OSU Extension project. We are grateful for Oregon Food Bank’s generosity and former partnership for Seed to Supper, and have pledged to maintain a focus on communities who have historically experienced disproportionate rates of hunger. This includes people of color, immigrants and refugees, trans and gender nonconforming communities, and single moms and caregivers.

The course has been taught in partnership with many different community organizations, from food pantries and food banks, to places of worship and prisons.

Learning to grow food on a limited budget

Seed to Supper is a free, comprehensive, six-week beginning gardening course. It’s designed to give beginning, adult gardeners the tools they need to successfully grow a portion of their own food on a limited budget.

The curriculum for Seed to Supper is available in English, as well as in Spanish. In Spanish, it is called Siembra la Cena.

“I started seedlings from seed for my garden for the first time in my life.”

—Seed to Supper participant

How Seed to Supper is administered

When you become a Seed to Supper Provider, you receive:

Access to the digital PDF copies of the Seed to Supper program course book;
Access to digital presentations (Powerpoint files) to teach Seed to Supper;
Access to digital templates for customizing and promoting Seed to Supper;
Program updates and supporting information sent in a newsletter 2x a year;
In 2024, the Seed to Supper program has funding that will allow us to distribute free printed course books for participants and instructors of Oregon-based Seed to Supper courses. After this funding is exhausted, Seed to Supper providers may order course books at cost.
A facilitator orientation that includes training in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Photo: Andrii Zastrozhnov, Adobe Stock (Cropped from original)

Localize the content for your region

Seed to Supper curriculum is designed for the maritime Pacific Northwest, or Plant Hardiness Zone 8b. Providers of the program are encouraged to be creative and customize the materials for their climate.

Become a Seed to Supper provider

To get started with Seed to Supper, please fill out the Seed to Supper Facilitator Interest Form.

Among other details, this form asks for:

Your organization’s name
Contact information for the person responsible for implementing Seed to Supper in your community
Your plan for outreach and commitment to engaging low-income and food-insecure participants in the program
Community partners you will be working with
Commitment for your local facilitator(s) to attend the required diversity, equity and inclusion training provided through OSU Extension.

Once program staff have reviewed your responses to the form—a process that typically takes 2-3 business days—they will send links to course materials and provide you with instructions for how to order books for participants.

Plan ahead: It's best to submit your application 2-4 weeks in advance of when you would like to start advertising the class.

"I love that there is a community of gardeners out there that is interested in learning how to grow their own food! It's motivating!"