By Heather Foran
Perhaps you’re a green-thumbed veteran looking to expand productivity, creativity, and diversity. Maybe you’ve had a difficult time keeping a cactus plant alive, but have a yearning to try for vegetables. Or maybe you’re an urban dweller using window boxes and 5 gallon buckets. Regardless, there are resources throughout Maine to support each of us as we seek to grow a bit of our own food. Here are four that top our list.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
The cooperative extension service provides locally-based information and support grounded in university research to farmers and gardeners of all scale and level of experience. Check the cooperative extension website for county office contact information and events particular to your area.
What they offer:
- Classes/Events: Offered seasonally and ranging from “Intro to Beekeeping” to “Growing Hops in Your Backyard” to “Garlic 101” ($5 – $190 depending on course duration).
- Online resources and handouts specific to growing vegetables, berries, fruit trees, etc.
- Soil tests and recommendations for amendments.
- “Ask a gardening question” and problem diagnosis: Email, text, call, message on Facebook or submit an online form with a question or concern about your garden and receive a quick answer!
- And if you’ve been at the gardening thing for awhile, consider the Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener program for people with previous gardening experience looking to take it to a higher level.
Contact:
Headquartered in Orono, with offices in each county
(207) 581-3188; For problem diagnosis or questions, text: (207) 735-4145
www.extension.umaine.edu
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)
MOFGA is revered nationally as one of the most extensive organic farmer and gardener support systems. Based in Unity, they are well known for the Common Ground Fair, which draws 60,000+ people annually.
What they offer:
- Classes/Events: Offers numerous classes and events throughout the year such as “Grow Your Own Organic Garden,” a 3-hour class offered annually in April at 30 locations around the state.
- Farm apprenticeship: For those who want to dive into growing food on a closer to full-time basis, MOFGA pairs apprentices with experienced farmers for the season. Apprentices exchange work for learning, room and board, and a small stipend.
- And of course, the Common Ground Country Fair. Always the third weekend in September, Common Ground is a 3-day celebration of organic growing, with dozens of workshops, skill shares, and presentations.
Contact:
(207) 568-4142
www.mofga.org
Portland Maine Permaculture / The Resilience Hub
Portland Maine Permaculture/Resilience Hub is an active community group of people interested in developing solutions, connections, techniques and skills—strongly rooted in permaculture—to create resilient and sustainable communities. This is a great group to check out for creative growing ideas for urban/suburban environments and also for more information about the political, economic, and environmental context of growing your own food.
What they offer:
- Skill-shares and workshops: Regular hands-on classes in all sorts of skills relevant to growing food.
- Movie nights through the winter: An opportunity to meet others interested in permaculture and to watch inspiring and informative films about current issues and transformative solutions around the world.
- Permaculture courses (intro and full): Courses offered in the design philosophy and implementation of permaculture. A helpful way to take stock of the big picture, and “work smarter, not harder” on your property.
- Permablitzes/work parties: Hands-on educational opportunities leveraging volunteer hours to transform portions of urban and suburban properties.
- Meetup message board: An active message board where people post questions, articles, and thoughts relative to permaculture and sustainable living.
Contact:
[email protected]
www.meetup.com/portlandpermaculture
Wolfe’s Neck Farm
Wolfe’s Neck Farm’s bucolic landscape next to the ocean in Freeport makes it an especially enjoyable place to learn about growing your own food. Wolfe’s Neck periodically offers adult gardening classes and encourages people to explore their demonstration gardens. But perhaps most importantly, Wolfe’s Neck Farm provides incredible opportunities for children and youth to learn about farming and gardening.
What they offer:
- Sustainable living classes: Basic food production and homesteading skills classes such as how to raise backyard chickens.
- Summer day camp and other educational programs: Children 4-12 years old can spend a week in the summer caring for barnyard animals, learning about compost and soil, working in the gardens, and exploring the forest and ocean surrounding the farm.
Contact:
(207) 865-4469
www.wolfesneckfarm.org
Additional Resources
- Many local adult education programs offer gardening classes in the spring.
- Kitchen Gardeners International offers an excellent web resource for gardeners, including a very useful garden planning tool. Learn more at www.kgi.org.
- Garden.org, and particularly their plant care guide which includes information for planting and maintaining some of the most popular plants (vegetables, herbs, trees, bulbs, fruits and perennials).
