Winter Greens

At the end of 2024, Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District put together and planted a Garden Tower. Seeds for kale, lettuce, cilantro, basil, chives, and green onions were planted in the final days of 2024 and we’re already seeing so many seedlings in the first weeks of 2025 that we’re going to need to weed some of them out!

The tower is unique because it combines vertical gardening principles and vermicomposting with a column in the middle for the addition of composting and worms.

The garden towers available for teachers to borrow for their classrooms. Each tower comes with grow lights, the composting/vermicomposting tower, a base on wheels and leachate/worm casting catchment areas, and 3-6 rows of planters! These towers are great for promoting food security, teaching about plant life cycles, and introducing new planting strategies in the classroom.

This activity is funded by Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and led by the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District.