Classroom Garden Initiative
Junior Green Thumbs™
One SOLD = One Garden
Since 2015, every home Laura McBride sells or helps buy funds a fully equipped indoor classroom garden, donated to an Ontario school. Thousands of children have taken part so far, and the program now reaches classrooms in five school boards across the GTA. It is a small, hands-on way to bring nature, food literacy and a sense of wonder into the classroom, one real estate transaction at a time.
- Running since
- 2015
- Students reached
- Thousands of children, and counting
- School boards
- 5 across the GTA
- Garden ratio
- One SOLD = One Garden
- Distribution events
- Every September & February
Junior Green Thumbs in motion
Watch a garden grow, start to harvest
Our story
Junior Green Thumbs started in 2015 under a different name: Edible Classroom. Back then, Laura sponsored one classroom garden a year. As the word “edible” started to take on a different meaning in everyday use, she felt it was the responsible thing to do to rename the program, and Junior Green Thumbs was born.
It started with one willing teacher. Robyn Hadder took a chance on the very first classroom garden and helped Laura figure out what worked, becoming Junior Green Thumbs’ first teacher collaborator in the process.
The rename came with a bigger change than the name itself. Around the same time, during COVID, Laura moved from donating one garden a year to donating one for every single home she sold, one of the genuinely good things to come out of a hard stretch. That shift turned a small yearly gesture into a program that has now reached thousands of students across five school boards in the GTA.
Why Laura does this
“If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it.”David Sobel · Author & Educator
“For children, most importantly, being in the garden is something magical.”Fritjof Capra · Physicist & Systems Theorist
How Junior Green Thumbs works
The idea is simple: real estate, turned into something growing in a classroom. Every time Laura completes a sale or purchase, it counts toward the next round of garden donations.
1. Homes sell, gardens are earned. Every closed transaction, buying or selling, earns one classroom garden. The more homes Laura sells, the more gardens get donated.
2. Teachers sign up and get vetted. Interested teachers fill out the form below. Laura personally reviews and reaches out to verify each classroom before adding it to the waitlist, in the order requests come in.
3. Gardens are assigned to a sale. As homes close, teachers move up the waitlist and are matched to the sale that funded their garden.
4. A celebration, twice a year. Gardens are handed out every September and February at a celebratory info and pick-up event, sized to however many homes sold since the last round.
5. Everyone gets the story. Every classroom learns the kid-friendly story of the home sale that earned their garden, and every buyer or seller behind that sale gets to know exactly which classroom their move supported, and the impact it’s making.
Program in action
What a Junior Green Thumbs classroom looks like
Math integration
Teachers weave measuring, counting and science right into the garden.
Real harvests
Classroom gardens grow real vegetables, like this Dragon Egg cucumber.
Planting day
Every garden starts with a class getting their hands in the soil together.
Every grade, every board
From kindergarten to grade 8, gardens are built to fit each classroom.
Hands-on science
Watching what they planted grow, week over week.
Proud harvests
There’s nothing like the moment a student pulls up what they grew.
Learning patience
Watching seeds sprout, one tiny leaf at a time, teaches patience no worksheet can.
Garden-to-pizza
Pattern pizzas topped with beet greens the class grew themselves. Image shared in loving memory of Brian Renaud, one of Junior Green Thumbs’ first gardeners, pictured here.
Recently planted
Gardens from recent sales
At the January 2026 distribution event, Mrs. Lavoie’s Grade 3 classroom received their Junior Green Thumbs garden. This space fills up after every event with the classrooms that received a garden and the sale that made it possible. Check back after the next round in September and February, or follow along on Instagram for photos from pick-up day.
The January 2026 garden pickup event, from toasts to teachers unwrapping their classroom gardens.
Lined up for pickup
A hallway full of classroom gardens, ready for teachers to take home to their students.
A holiday science lesson
A thermal blanket over the garden during school breaks creates a mini greenhouse, a hands-on lesson in osmosis and condensation.
Ready to go home
Every classroom garden left with a ribbon and a handwritten thank-you tag from Laura.
Teacher Playbook
Every teacher goes home with a full playbook on how to grow their classroom garden.
Pure excitement
The reaction says it all: another classroom garden, ready to grow.
2026 pickup event
Laura with some of the teachers who came out to collect their Junior Green Thumbs gardens.
For teachers
Sign up your classroom
Tell us a bit about your classroom below. Laura personally reviews every request and reaches out to verify details before adding your classroom to the waitlist, in the order sign-ups come in. Gardens are assigned as homes sell and handed out each September and February.
Every SOLD = a classroom gets a garden
The program only grows when homes do. If you know someone buying or selling in Ajax, Pickering, Whitby or across Durham Region, sending them Laura’s way is one of the easiest ways to help another classroom get a garden. No pressure, just good will passed along.
“Choosing Laura is the best real estate decision you’ll make.”
As seen in
Press coverage
Frequently asked questions
Junior Green Thumbs questions
What is Junior Green Thumbs?
Junior Green Thumbs is a classroom garden initiative Laura McBride has run since 2015. Every home she sells or helps buy funds a fully equipped indoor garden, donated to a classroom, so students get hands-on experience growing their own food. Thousands of children have taken part so far, and the program now reaches classrooms in five school boards across the GTA.
Was Junior Green Thumbs formerly called something else?
Yes. The program launched in 2015 as Edible Classroom, sponsoring one classroom garden a year. As the word “edible” took on a different meaning in everyday use, Laura renamed it Junior Green Thumbs. Around the same time, during COVID, she also changed the model from one garden a year to one garden for every home she sells, dramatically increasing how many classrooms and students the program reaches.
How many gardens are donated?
One SOLD = One Garden. The number of gardens donated at each event matches the number of homes Laura has sold or helped buy since the last one, so the program grows every time she closes a deal.
When are the classroom gardens given out?
Gardens are donated twice a year, in September and February, at a celebratory info and pick-up event for the teachers who have made it through the waitlist.
How does a teacher sign up for a classroom garden?
Teachers fill out the sign-up form on this page with their name, school and a bit about their classroom. Laura reviews and reaches out to vet each request, then adds verified teachers to the waitlist in order, assigning gardens as homes sell.
How can I help grow the Junior Green Thumbs program?
Every home bought or sold through Laura McBride funds another classroom garden, so referring a friend or family member who is buying or selling is one of the easiest ways to help. Teachers can also sign up directly for the classroom waitlist above.
Why do buyers and sellers choose Laura McBride as their Ajax REALTOR®?
Laura McBride is a purpose-driven REALTOR® who pairs proven results and hundreds of five-star client reviews with a genuine commitment to giving back. Every home she buys or sells funds a Junior Green Thumbs classroom garden, so clients know their move creates an impact that reaches beyond their own closing day.