Incredible Edible Milbridge
Free, pick-your-own vegetable gardens and education initiatives designed to create a community that is stronger, healthier and more food independent.Incredible Edible Milbridge (IEM) is our community’s response to the ongoing food challenges, food security challenges, inflation and supply chain mishaps. Our wildly successful food security initiative was launched in 2013. Public gardens produce vegetables for 30,000 meals each growing season, building a stronger, healthier, and more food-independent community. By sharing organic vegetables with everyone, we ensure our neighbors have access to nutritious food.
The produce at the pick-your-own gardens is free for everyone. You can find vegetables in raised bed gardens throughout town, the 15,000-square-foot garden next to the Red Barn Motel, and the 19,000-square-foot garden at Milbridge Commons Wellness Park. Combined, we grow over 10,000 pounds of vegetables each year.
The Incredible Edible gardens feed people and create a conversation about food, nutrition, and the benefits of going organic. The gardens have created a new mood in town, one of growth and prosperity, self-reliance, and respect for the environment.
Since its inception in 2013, more than 100 volunteers have contributed to help transform Incredible Edible Milbridge into a reality. A sense of community pride comes with an activity that unites people and creates beauty where there was none.
Incredible Edible Milbridge was inspired by Incredible Edible Todmorden in England.
Help Our Garden Flourish: Garden Guidelines
- RESPECT signs and picking instructions
- Be CONSIDERATE–pick only enough for
meal or two–leave some for your neighbors - Be HEALTHY–no dogs in the garden
- Be MINDFUL–stay on paths, leave no trace
- Be ATTENTIVE–supervise children
Imagine the community you want.
Together, we can create it.
Family Container Gardening Workshop
Incredible Edible Workshops
Families are welcome! All Incredible Edible workshops are FREE unless noted; advance registration is required. Dates and times subject to change!
Registration typically opens the month before the program.
Milbridge Commons Garden Tour
Milbridge Commons Garden Tour
Learn about what is planted in the garden and how to pick and harvest it. Mark Grant, IEM Coordinator, will discuss Incredible Edible and food insecurity in the region and answer questions!
Held weekly through the first week of August.
Thyme to Grow: An Herb Gardening Adventure
Thyme to Grow: An Herb Gardening Adventure
Fresh herbs take your meals from good to Great. It is easy to grow many different herbs in Maine. We will explore how to grow, harvest, and use a variety of annual and perennial culinary herbs you can grow at home or find in our Incredible Edible gardens. During this workshop, we will sample some of the herbs growing at the Milbridge Commons Wellness Park and taste a few healthy herb-based recipes. Participants will receive recipes to try at home and a few herb plants to plant in th...
Fungi Fun: A Mushroom Foraging Adventure
Fungi Fun: A Mushroom Foraging Adventure
Join experienced local fungi forager Steve Hartley for a guided woodland walk. Learn the basic skills of mushroom foraging as we discover and collect specimens together. Our foray will be followed by an identification session where we will share our discoveries, identify our mushrooms, and learn about mushroom taxonomy. This workshop is open to families with children ages 8+.
Registration opens June 13th.
Golden Magic: DIY Salves and Lip Balms with Calendula
Golden Magic: DIY Salves and Lip Balms with Calendula
A wealth of wellness can be found in Calendula, which is abundant in the Incredible Edible Gardens. In this workshop, Community Herbalist Jennifer May will share about Calendula as a plant with many wellness benefits. She will discuss how to harvest and dry calendula and the various forms and methods that can be used to work with it. There will be a hands-on demonstration where we will make calendula-infused oil and then turn that oil into salves and lip balms. Each guest will come away with ...
The Stinking Rose: Everything You Need to Know about Garlic!
The Stinking Rose: Everything You Need to Know about Garlic!
Have you ever wanted to grow your own garlic? Here's your chance! Join local farmer Dan Cunningham of Folklore Farm for this hands-on workshop. You'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about growing garlic while getting your hands in the dirt and helping to plant a row in our community garden. Dan will teach you everything from how to plant, to harvesting, curing, and storing your garlic. Dan Cunningham has owned and operated Folklore Farm in Cherryfield, Maine, since March 2021. He...
Rooted in Giving: The Modern Victory Garden
Inspired by the spirit of the Victory Gardens from the past, Women for Healthy Rural Living, through our Incredible Edible Milbridge program, invites community members to join together in cultivating a stronger, more self-sufficient neighborhood. During this growing season, we ask gardeners to plant an extra row of vegetables grown without the use of pesticides in their gardens and share their harvest with others in the community.
The Victory Gardens of old were a way for citizens to contribute to the war effort and to help feed their neighbors during times of need. In this same spirit, our program promotes community resilience, fosters connection, and supports those who might need extra help. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, every contribution counts.
Simply plant an additional row of fruits or vegetables, and at harvest time, share what you grow with others at Milbridge Commons Wellness Park. Popular vegetables include beets, carrots, green beans, root vegetables, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. Please no lettuces/greens or peas due to storage issues.
Let’s come together to grow, share, and nourish our community – one extra row at a time!
Registration is required. Complete this quick form to let us know, and Mark, our Incredible Edible Milbridge Coordinator, will follow up throughout the season with more information. Questions? Contact Mark at mark@whrl.org.
Rooted In Giving: The Modern Victory Garden
Are you interested in participating? Let us know! Registration is required.
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