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Maine School Garden Network

LXCL:The mission of the Maine School Garden Network is to promote and support educational gardens for youth and to encourage school programs which teach healthy eating and environmental stewardship. Our vision is that all school gardens in Maine connected to the resources and support they need to thrive.

Maine School Garden Day 2026

Maine School Garden Network&rsquo;s 2025 Annual Meeting Be our guest for an afternoon and evening as we wrap up 2025! Take part in engaging workshops (2.5 contact hours), connect with the school garden community over a shared potluck meal, and hear highlights from the year in our annual report. We&rsquo;ll also have fun door prizes to round out the event! This year&rsquo;s theme, &ldquo;Small Seeds, Big Impact,&rdquo; celebrates how every school garden, and each moment spent with students outdoors, contributes to a statewide effort to engage the next generation with nature and the food system. Workshops will reflect this theme, exploring the powerful results of small actions&mdash;from sowing seeds in native meadows to growing microgreens that pack a nutritional punch. Together, we&rsquo;ll explore how individual efforts can create lasting change. Agenda:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">2:00pm: Guest Arrival, light snacks</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">2:30pm:&nbsp;Seed Sowing with Andrew Tufts, Maine Audubon<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Outdoor workshop in a meadow, dress accordingly</li></ul></li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">3:45pm: &quot;Microgreens: The Easiest Way to bring Ag into the Classroom&quot; with Randy Cummings, Bootstrap Farm</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">5:00pm:&nbsp;Potluck dinner&nbsp;<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Guests are invited to bring a dish</li></ul></li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">5:40pm: Annual Report</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">6:15pm:&nbsp;Door prizes and goodbyes</li></ul> Workshop Descriptions:&nbsp; <div fr-original-style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" id="isPasted" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;">1.&nbsp;Sowing Seeds of Stewardship: Teaching Maine&rsquo;s Native Meadows</div><div fr-original-style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;">Description: Discover the beauty and ecological value of Maine&rsquo;s native meadows in this hands-on seed sowing workshop designed for educators. Participants will learn how to establish and care for native plant meadows, explore the vital role these habitats play for pollinators and wildlife, and practice simple, classroom-ready methods for sowing native seeds. Together, we&rsquo;ll connect curriculum to the natural world, giving teachers the tools and confidence to bring these lessons back to their students.&nbsp; Presenter:Andrew Tufts is the Program Manager of Maine Audubon&rsquo;s Bringing Nature Home initiative, where he leads efforts in native plant education, ecological gardening, and habitat restoration. With a background in landscape architecture and a lifelong passion for birds and plants, Andrew works to connect people with Maine&rsquo;s native biodiversity through hands-on teaching, public programs, and community projects.</div> &nbsp;2. &quot;Microgreens: The Easiest Way to bring Ag into the Classroom&quot;Description:&nbsp;A guide to what is a microgreen, what lessons can students learn, and what&#39;s needed to roll it out in the classroom. Presenter:Randy Cummings, Sales Director of Bootstrap Farmer.Presenters Bio:Randy Cummings is the Director of Sales at Bootstrap Farmer with 15 years of experience in the Seeds, Tools and Ag supplies industry. He specializes in Protected Culture and hydroponic growing methods, and has worked with farmers across all climates throughout North America. Based in Waterville, Maine, he&rsquo;s passionate about exchanging ideas that help communities grow&mdash;both crops and connections. Door prizes generously donated by:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">MSGN will give away two door prize packages of 10 calendars each to help a school garden jump start a fundraiser as well as a sample calendar to everyone who attends the Annual Meeting!</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Johnny&#39;s Seeds</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Allen Sterling Lothrop</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The Outdoor Learning School &amp; Store - A Charitable Non-profit&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Coast of Maine Organic Products (all guests will leave with a bag of compost or soil!)</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Kathy Gunst Cookbooks</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Plants Unlimited in Rockport</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The Bankery &amp; Skowhegan Fleuriste</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Skillins Greenhouses</li></ul> Thank you to our event sponsors! Real Maine Foreside Garden Club

MSGN Annual Meeting 2025

Maine School Garden Day 2025

<p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Annual Meeting 2024: Harvest Homecoming<p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Join us on Friday, November 8th at the Exhibition Hall on the MOFGA fairgrounds for a Harvest Homecoming afternoon and evening filled with insightful workshops, networking, MSGN's Annual Report and a potluck meal!<p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"> <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">We will host two workshops equating to 2 contact hours for educators:<p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">1. Fruit Tree Care with Students: C.J. will work with educators to discuss and demonstrate general fruit tree care that can be done in school environments and with students engaged in the majority of the orchard work.  He will cover fruit tree basics around soil building, fertility, pruning and shaping young trees.<p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"> <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">C.J. Walke (he/him), MOFGA's Orchard Program Manager, manages MOFGA's orchards in Unity, ME with help from a dedicated crew of seasonal staff and long-time volunteers.  C.J. has worked for MOFGA since 2006 and has been working with organic fruit trees the majority of that time.<p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">The Maine Heritage Orchard (MHO) is a 10-acre preservation and educational orchard that is home to over 360 varieties of apples and pears traditionally grown in Maine. The collection includes varieties from all 16 counties in Maine dating back as far as 1630.  <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"> <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">2. Preserving Demo: Join us for a food preservation workshop where we will go over the essentials of food preservation.  We will discuss what types of food can be done in different types of canners according to pH and temperatures.  An overview of favorite canning tools as well as tested recipes and reliable resources.  A recipe for low sugar blueberry jam will be demonstrated and samples will be available for tasting.  Time will be available for questions and an overview of properly storing your canned goods.   <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"> <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Laurie Bowen (she/her) is a Food Systems Professional with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and has been with the University since 2017.  She is also a Certified Master Food Preserver and ServSafe proctor and instructor.  Laurie provides food safety training and teaches hands-on food preservation for Penobscot, Piscataquis, Hancock, Waldo, Knox and Lincoln Counties.   <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">Following the workshops we will gather for a potluck meal. Guests are invited to bring a dish to share with the community. Please include a label with any allergens listed. We’ll present the MSGN Annual Report highlighting another great year, and guests will have a chance to win some fantastic door prizes.  MSGN will provide a main dish and attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to share. We look forward to seeing you there!<p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial"> <p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 28px;padding:0px;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Jost, sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:300;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial">For more information, email Rachel Solomon, Program Organizer at <a href="mailto:rachel@msgn.org" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:0px 0px;transition:0.1s ease-in-out;color:rgb(23, 114, 66);text-decoration:inherit;user-select:auto">rachel@msgn.org</a>

Annual Meeting 2024

Grow your year with our School Garden of the Month calendar 🌱 Each month features a different Maine school garden, with real students, real soil, and seasonal snapshots from beds and greenhouses across the state. Your purchase helps more kids connect with nature and their food through hands-on garden learning. Hang it in your home, classroom, or office to stay inspired and keep school gardens thriving all year long. 📅

Grow your year with our School Garden of the Month calendar 🌱 Each month features a different Maine school garden, with real students, real soil, and seasonal snapshots from beds and greenhouses across the state.Your purchase helps more kids connect with nature and their food through hands-on garden learning. Hang it in your home, classroom, or office to stay inspired and keep school gardens thriving all year long. 📅

Maine School Garden Network's School Garden of the Month CALENDAR Shop

Your gift helps more Maine students get their hands in the soil 🌱. You support school gardens that teach kids where food comes from, how plants grow, and how to care for the earth. Donations support and promote school garden programs across the state. Give today to grow healthy food, curious minds, and stronger school communities 🥕.

Your gift helps more Maine students get their hands in the soil 🌱. You support school gardens that teach kids where food comes from, how plants grow, and how to care for the earth.Donations support and promote school garden programs across the state. Give today to grow healthy food, curious minds, and stronger school communities 🥕.

Support youth gardening in Maine with a donation!

Maine School Garden Network&rsquo;s 2026 Annual Meeting Be our guest for an afternoon and evening&nbsp;as we wrap up 2026! Take part in engaging workshops (2.5 contact hours), connect with the school garden community over a shared potluck meal, and hear highlights from the year in our annual report. We&rsquo;ll also have fun door prizes to round out the event! Join us for an inspiring afternoon exploring how school gardens can be beautiful, meaningful spaces that nurture both people and the planet. During our themed annual meeting &quot;Where Beauty Meets Purpose&quot;, we&rsquo;ll consider how thoughtful garden design can create opportunities for hands-on learning, support biodiversity, build resilience, and strengthen connections between students, schools, and their communities. Come share ideas, learn from one another, and discover ways to create school gardens that are not only productive, but places of beauty, curiosity, and belonging. Agenda: <ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">2:00 pm: Guest Arrival, light snacks</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">2:30 pm:&nbsp;Tour of the NEW Ledge and Meadow Garden</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">3:45 pm: Little World and Big Lessons: Succulent Gardens in the Classroom</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">5:00 pm:&nbsp;Potluck dinner and Educator Advisory Group (EAG) meet-up&nbsp;<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Guests are invited to bring a dish</li></ul></li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">5:40 pm: Highlights from the Year: Annual Report</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">6:15 pm:&nbsp;Amazing door prizes and goodbyes</li></ul> Workshop Descriptions: 1. Garden Tour: New Ledge and Meadow Garden Description:&nbsp;&nbsp;We will discuss the organization&#39;s experience re-designing an aging garden and the successes and learning areas of working on such a large project with garden history, working with landscape architects, building meaningful collections, construction, and plant health.&nbsp; Presenter:&nbsp;Delaney Pitman Presenter Bio:&nbsp;Delaney has her Bachelor&#39;s Degree in Environmental Biology and Ecology from Western Colorado University where she discovered her passion for plants and the importance of conservation. She had done vegetation monitoring and invasive species research with the Bureau of Land Management, before focusing more on the horticultural side of plants by attending the New York Botanical Garden&#39;s School of Professional Horticulture. After two years at NYBG, she began working at CMBG as a Horticulturist. She later took on the role of Conservation Specialist, working with the PSC Department to grow wild collected seeds for our living collections and for in-situ population augmentation. 2. Little World and Big Lessons: Succulent Gardens in the Classroom Description:&nbsp;Discover how succulents can bring hands-on learning to life! In this interactive session, participants will learn about succulents and their unique growing needs, explore ways to integrate succulent cultivation and care into classroom lessons, and create their own mini succulent potted garden to take home. Come grow a little world while discovering the big learning opportunities plants can offer! Presenters:Beth Jarvis and Erika Huber Presenter Bios:Erika Huber is the Youth Education Manager at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens where she has worked since 2012. She holds a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master&#39;s in Horticulture from Kansas State University. She started working in the field of environmental education over 20 years ago and has been fortunate to continue connecting children with nature since that time, through school, community and public garden programming. Beth Jarvis has been educating children about the natural world for more than 20 years. Though a majority of that time was spent as a classroom teacher, she is now a Youth and Family Programs Educator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. There she utilizes her classroom experience to lead the summer camp programming and to facilitate and support natural history and gardening education at the local schools.

Maine School Garden Network

Maine School Garden Network

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MSGN Annual Meeting 2026

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Maine School Garden Network's School Garden of the Month CALENDAR Shop

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