Summer in Maine: the weather is warm, the sun is shining, and it’s a great time to get outdoors with your family. And what do kids love more than getting their hands in the dirt while learning about all of the beautiful nature this state has to offer?
Gardening is a great way to get fresh produce for your family right at home and to spend quality time with kids. It can even help keep your grocery budget down too – for every $1 dollar spent on supplies like seeds, home gardeners can grow an average of $25 worth of produce1. Those are pretty big savings! You can even use your SNAP benefits to purchase seeds or food-producing plants, like vegetable seedlings. Learn more from our partners at Healthy Acadia here.
Want to get started with gardening, but not sure how? Check out these three resources below.
- USDA: Grow Veggies at Home
- Learn about starting a garden, container gardening, and companion planting (which is planting that takes advantage of the natural “relationships” between different vegetable crops and other plants). Growing guides give good descriptions and growing instructions, site and soil needs, and more. Check out the landing page here.
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Did you know that even the same types of plants will grow and thrive differently in different kinds of climates? The University of Maine Cooperative Extension has plenty of resources specific to Maine that walk first-time gardeners through how to plan and plant their garden at home. Some key highlights to check out: a video series about planting a vegetable garden, a troubleshooting page for common issues with container gardens, and more.
- Get in Touch With Your Local Maine SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator
- Maine SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educators across the state don’t just teach classes – they get involved in their local community, too! Their work promotes better access to nutritious foods and physical activity, and many Nutrition Educators are involved with community and school garden efforts across the state. Want to learn more about how you and your family can join in the fun? Reach out and get in contact today. You can check out some success stories involving garden efforts here, too.
Maine families can find fun, easy recipes that use fruits and vegetables on the Maine SNAP-Ed website here. Happy gardening!
