Applications are now available for University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s 2022 Kids Can Grow youth gardening program in York County. Children ages 7-12 will learn how to grow vegetables, flowers and herbs, and build and maintain their own raised bed garden at home.
Teaching sessions are held monthly on Saturdays, April 30 through Sept. 24, at Sanford Community Garden, 246 Blanchard Road, Sanford.
UMaine Extension Master Gardener Volunteers work with participants throughout the gardening season in teaching gardens. The children then work on their home gardens with help from their Master Gardener mentors. The children also learn about community service by donating produce from the teaching gardens to local food pantries and shelters.
The registration fee is $25 per child; the application deadline is Monday, April 4. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants. For more information, to request a brochure or application, or to request a disability accommodation, contact UMaine Extension in York County, 207-324-.2814, or 800-287-1535 in Maine; susan.tkacik@maine.edu.
Kids Can Grow provides children with a positive first experience with gardening and growing their own food, according to UMaine Extension Professor Frank Wertheim. The hope is that this early experience will inspire in young people a life-long interest in gardening, healthy eating and further exploration of natural resources related fields. The program, which has its roots in York County and is being adapted across Maine and in other parts of the U.S., is gaining in popularity as national interest in youth gardening and local foods has grown.
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