KINGFIELD — Maine School Garden Day [MSGD] 2024 is gearing up to host educators, professionals, and enthusiasts in a celebration of school gardens. With the theme “Harvesting Knowledge: Nourishing Minds Through School Gardens,” this year’s event promises a variety of educational experiences.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 18, at Kingfield Elementary School.

The Growing Gardeners Program at Kingfield Elementary School happens during Community Time every Friday afternoon for eight weeks in the spring and fall with a school garden curriculum using the seed to plate concept incorporating science, social studies, math, and English language arts.

It is managed by Selina Greene Warren, a key organizer of MSGD 2024. The Garden Classroom consists of eight large raised beds, a meeting area with stumps and a chalkboard/teaching space, benches and picnic tables for a workspace, a large outdoor pavilion, a compost program and a new greenhouse.

Rachel Solomon, representing the Maine School Garden Network [MSGN], highlighted the significance of this year’s theme, “Just as harvesting is vital in agriculture, gathering knowledge from peers and professionals is essential in education to keep both teachers and students inspired.”

“Our goal is to enrich the minds of attendees who contribute significantly to experiential learning in schools statewide, thereby enriching the minds of students in their care,” Solomon added. “School gardens offer invaluable teaching moments, fostering teamwork, and incorporating subjects like math and science. Our event covers a wide range of educational opportunities, from garden planning to hands-on cooking with students.”

Maine School Garden Network hosts two key events annually: Maine School Garden Day and the fall annual meeting. Solomon said following each gathering, attendees receive surveys to provide feedback.

Solomon said feedback from the 2023 survey played a pivotal role in shaping this year’s event. “The 2023 survey results were carefully reviewed to pinpoint the most requested topics for educational sessions at this event,” Solomon continued. “Subsequently, our event committee diligently selects leaders in the field to host workshops based on these top requests. By prioritizing community input, we ensure that our events are tailored to their needs and support the valuable work they do.”

The event will feature workshops tailored to launching and maintaining school garden programs. The event will kick off with a keynote address, titled School Gardens 101, from Laura Hoeft, the school garden coach for nine schools in Franklin County, providing gardening and nutrition education to over 900 students on a regular basis.

Solomon said, “In the afternoon we will host six different educational workshops digging deeper into the different elements of a school garden program.”

Workshop topics will be: The Procrastinator’s Garden: late season planting strategies to adhere to the school calendar, How to Fund School Garden Projects, Is Something Bugging You in the Garden? [garden/and garden educator skills acquisition], Growing Gardeners Digital Curriculum: A Comprehensive, Standards-Aligned 20 Lesson K-8 Curriculum for Educators of ALL Gardening Abilities, Gardens without Borders: the place for wild foods in education for ecological literacy, and Cooking with Students.

Warren will lead a workshop on the Growing Gardeners Curriculum Team, showcasing a digital resource co–authored by education professionals. Warren will lead a tour of the outdoor learning spaces and gardens in the afternoon. Additionally, along with her team comprising Laura Hoeft, Katie Wuori, and Sarah Reynolds, she will present an extensive curriculum program they have developed over the years, now ready to be shared with the broader community.

“This workshop will introduce attendees to an amazing digital resource that was co–authored by these four education professionals in Franklin County, then fine-tuned by the UMF design team to create a navigable, user–friendly resource that will be available to all attendees,” Solomon said. She said the session will walk through how to best utilize this resource, pointing out its assets that will guide which garden path to follow for individual school’s programs, amongst other things.

Solomon said the tour marks the beginning of the Summer School Garden Tour season, during which various school gardens across the state open their doors to community members, sharing their inspiring work and sparking new ideas for attendees.

“In addition to providing gardening and nutrition education to over 900 students on a regular basis, I am excited to share the top 10 best practices to creating and sustaining a school garden program,” explained Solomon.

“Innovative approaches to season extension, including a growing dome and hydroponics system at Stratton Schools will be highlighted during a tour of the school gardens on Sunday,” Solomon noted.

Solomon said one of the main challenges with school gardens in Maine is the short growing season, which often overlaps with students’ summer break. “Stratton Schools have effectively addressed this challenge through their growing dome, hydroponics and indoor growing towers,” Solomon said. The growing dome and hydroponics system extends the growing season and towers are rotated through different classrooms during the off-season.

“Recognizing that Kingfield is not conveniently located near major highways, we understand that many community members face a long commute to attend our event,” Solomon acknowledged. She said to alleviate this they’ve added an extra day to the schedule and made arrangements with Hostel of Maine to open its doors during the off season for community members.

With a deadline for registration set for Friday, May 10, Solomon urged interested individuals to secure their spot for MSGD 2024. “We encourage those who are interested to book as soon as they are able to,” she said.

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