“From little seeds, grow mighty trees...”
Tamara M. Ashton is an environmental arts and food systems educator dedicated to connecting youth and families to land, culture, and nourishment. She specializes in experiential learning, urban agriculture, and community-centered program design.
Tamara has led impactful initiatives such as the Farm & Enterprise middle school program, seasonal garden stewardship projects, the Arts & Nature experiential learning series, a sustainable chicken coop revitalization project, and a creative entrepreneurs forum featuring young Black innovators. Her work integrates ecological literacy, food culture, creative expression, and community resilience.
With expertise in curriculum design, garden education, and partnership building, Tamara creates vibrant spaces where students learn to care for themselves, their communities, and the environment.
“Planting seeds for wellness, creativity, and environmental stewardship.”
Explore her work and connect to collaborate on programs that nurture healthy, sustainable, and culturally grounded communities.
Featured Events
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a poetry garden
6.5 6:00 - 7:00PM | DC Public Library | DC
a poetry recital + discussion
Enjoy a sunny evening outside while listening to the work of D.C. poet Tatiana Figueroa Ramirez and gardener Tamara M. Ashton. Moderated by award-winning poet María Fernanda (she/her/hers), artists will speak about the literal and figurative gardens that inspire them and their writing practice. Preceding their presentations, there will be a seed discussion and a brief ten-minute conversation open to the audience.
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a poetry garden
8.21 7:00 - 9:00 PM | Rewild Capitol Hill | DC
gardener talk + poetry reading
a poetry garden aims to honor DC’s history, gardening communities, and poetry traditions by featuring Black gardeners and poets.Enjoy an evening with DC award-winning poet María Fernanda and local gardener and educator, Tamara M. Ashton to discuss gardens, creative practices, and more!
This event is open to all and is preceded by a seed discussion, which is a brief ten-minute open to audience members to share their own experiences with gardens, history, or poetry. Audience members are not required to participate. María Fernanda developed the seed discussion to deepen a collective exchange.
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grow your own food workshop
Spring 2026
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2024 Summer Institute for Garden-based Teachers
7.21 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
The Summer Institute for Garden-based Teaching is a four-day long professional development course. This training inspires and connects teachers and school staff to more fully integrate their school garden into their daily educational activities.
Tamara M. Ashton has been invited to serve as a presenter for Math in the Garden, a portion of the training that allows teacher to explore math concepts for students in grades Pre-K to 8th grade.
