Our History

About MSGN

The Maine School Garden Network is a group of committed individuals who believe in the profound importance of teaching children to garden, and the far-reaching value of adding a gardening curriculum to our schools. We volunteer our time and knowledge to provide guidance and support to anyone who works with educational gardens in Maine. Our Board members have experience and skills in such diverse fields as education, nutrition, horticulture, agriculture and soil science, environmental studies, community building, and resource management.

MSGN looks forward to helping school gardens grow and works with contractors to accomplish our goals. Together they are working us focus our efforts, reach out to like-minded organizations across the state, and increase our outreach. MSGN office is based out of Augusta, and contract staff can be reached at info@msgn.org.

MSGN became an official 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2014. We extend our sincerest gratitude to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association for acting as our fiscal sponsor in previous years.

We can always use new people and ideas. If you would like to find out more about us, volunteer to be a local resource for teachers, or otherwise get involved in the exciting work we are doing, contact us at info@msgn.org.

We hope you will find valuable information here to get your garden project started, or to enrich an existing project. We appreciate your contributions to the site, and hope you will tell others about the Maine School Garden Network!

History of the Maine School Garden Network

The Maine School Garden Network (MSGN) was created in 2002 through the dedicated volunteer efforts of dietitian Anne Johnson, who was education coordinator at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and UMO professor Mary Bird. They designed an organization that would support and promote school garden programs, realizing that through such programs children would:

Learn how food and fiber is grown and gain an understanding of Maine agriculture
Experience growing, preparing, and enjoying their own food
Discover first-hand the connection between locally-grown fresh produce and good health
Participate in a garden-based curriculum to enhance learning across subject areas
Spend active time outdoors, cultivating an appreciation for nature
Be part of a project which connects their school with the local community

For several years, the Maine School Garden Network held conferences and distributed newsletters. Unfortunately, Anne Johnson passed away in late 2004, and the work of the MSGN was set aside. In the fall of 2008 Jessica Rhys, formerly of Cultivating Community, gathered volunteers and the Network began holding regular meetings again. During 2009, a MSGN advisory board was formed and we began formulating new goals and projects.

A coordinator was hired in 2013 to organize educator training events, maintain the MSGN website, distribute newsletters, and be available to answer questions or direct them to experts. The Maine School Garden Network proudly became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2014. Our work strives to help new programs find start-up information and connections they need to become viable; and existing programs find the support they need to thrive.

We offer programs and events such as Maine School Garden Day and our Annual Meeting, collaborate with Maine Agriculture in the Classroom to offer School Garden Grown where school gardens can exhibit their produce at Maine Fairs, our website with funding and teaching resources plus our Garden Directory of Maine school gardens, as well as an informative Facebook page and monthly newsletter.