ROCKPORT — Starting May 10, Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), in collaboration with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, will host a six-month session of Kids Can Grow, a program introducing families with children between the ages of seven to twelve to growing vegetables for healthy eating.

Families will receive materials – lumber, soil, nails, seeds and seedlings – to build their own raised beds at home and will be assigned a garden mentor to provide inspiration and assistance with their home garden bed once a month. Kids and adults will learn the basics together in six monthly group classes at the preserve’s gardens and practice their skills in their own 3’ x 5’ raised bed gardens at home.   

The program will begin with an orientation for the adult family members on Wednesday, May 10, from 4 to 5:15 p.m., at Erickson Fields Preserve, 164 West Street in Rockport.

MCHT staff and Master Gardener Volunteers will lead a series of six monthly group classes from 4 to 6 p.m., at Erickson Fields. The first class will be held Wednesday, May 17. The following classes will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month, June through October.   

The fee to participate in the program is $60. Financial assistance is available on a sliding scale. Space is limited. Registration is recommended by Monday, May 8. For more information and to register, visit aldermere.org/kids-can-grow, call (207) 236-2739 or email aldermere@mcht.org. 

Erickson Fields is a preserve of MCHT, a statewide land conservation organization. More information about MCHT and its community programs is available online at www.mcht.org.