Our Gardens

Outdoor classrooms in our community
WSU Extension > Yakima County > Master Gardener Home > Educational outreach > Our Gardens
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Our outdoor classrooms

Three Master Gardeners stand in front of an evergreen on a path covered in yellow and brown leaves. They are carrying large five-gallon buckets overflowing with flowers. There are two more buckets on the ground in front of them.

Experience sustainable gardening firsthand in our outdoor classroom gardens. Master Gardeners showcase techniques like water-wise landscaping, native plants, knot gardens, raised veggie beds, composting, containers, espaliered fruit trees, and berry patches through engaging classes and workshops.

Visit a demonstration garden near you!

The Demonstration Garden in bloom with purple flowers that blossom along a stalk in the front, black-centered daisies in the middle, and other bright orange and pink blooms clustered nearby. At the back, small trees and a flowering butterfly bush with pink blossom clusters on the end of the branches.

Ahtanum Demonstration Garden

Featuring flowers, trees, shade gardens, native plant beds, a xeriscape garden, numerous flower beds, berries, grapes, and a Children’s Garden, there is something here for every visitor to enjoy!

Address:
Ahtanum Youth Park
1000 Ahtanum Rd
Union Gap, WA 98903
Hours open to public:
The park is open from 8:00 am to sundown.
When staffed by MGs:
Tuesday mornings.
Learn more about the Ahtanum Demonstration Garden
Flowering plants in raised beds in front of an evergreen hedge. Trellises and support stakes dot the beds.

Heirloom Garden

This garden supports our Yakima Master Gardener Seed Library. Plants are selected because they are oven rare and endangered varieties that grow well in our Yakima climates and soils.

Address:
1522 S. 18th Ave,
Yakima, WA 98902
Hours open to public:
When staffed by MGs: Typically Thursday mornings
Learn more about the Heirloom Garden
Rows of vegetable plants supported by stakes and fence with mulched paths between them. Some of the plants have started to fruit, others are still blooming.

West Valley Food Garden

The development of this 5,000 sq ft garden began in spring 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown. Yakima Master Gardeners knew that as people were losing their jobs more people would become dependent on Food Banks, and they also knew they could contribute free produce to help the community.

Address:
602 S. 123rd Avenue
Yakima, WA 98908
Hours open to public:
When staffed by MGs: Typically Thursday mornings until 10:00 am
Learn more about the West Valley Food Garden
Melon vegetables in box

Kamiakin Gardens

This garden produces fresh produce for clients of the Yakama Nation Food Bank. This garden began as a community garden in 2018 and was converted to a food garden in 2020. All the food grown is donated to the Yakama Elders, the Diabetes Center and lower valley food banks.  

Address:
1020 Fort Road,
Toppenish, WA 98948
Hours open to public:
When staffed by MGs:
Learn more about the Kamiakin Gardens

Frequently asked questions:

A: During the growing season you will find Master Gardener’s volunteering in the different gardens in the mornings.  9-10:30 AM are the best times to catch them there.  Demonstration Garden at Ahtanum Youth Park meets on Tuesdays.  The Heirloom Garden meets on Thursdays and the West Valley Food Garden meets on Thursdays when harvesting, otherwise on Fridays.  Additionally, free gardening classes are hosted in or near our gardens on Saturdays at 10:00 AM.   Check out the class schedule on the “events” page.  

A: The Heirloom Seed Lending Library loans seed to gardeners who have taken our Seed Saving Classes usually offered during February.  (see our events page for the next seed saving class).  We ask you to plant the seed and then return new seeds that you grew from the borrowed ones. We understand that not all the borrowed seeds will grow to maturity and not all the seeds saved will be viable. 

A: The Heirloom Garden is accessible and can be viewed before or after summer classes offered at this site.  Watch our calendar for the 2025 summer class series.