Boyd Street Urban Garden in Portland, ME

Interactive workshop on soil health in urban gardens offered by UMaine Extension

April 30, 2026 Agriculture, Androscoggin-Sagadahoc, Cumberland, Food and Health, Garden and Yard, Horticulture, In-Person, News, York

PORTLAND, Maine — University of Maine Cooperative Extension is hosting a workshop with community partners to explore best practices for growing food safely in urban soils. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 28 at the Boyd Street Urban Garden, 2 Boyd Street, Portland. The event is co-hosted with Cultivating Community, the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District, the City of Portland Sustainability Office, Fresh Food Gardens, and American Farmland Trust.

Urban farmers and gardeners will engage in activities and discussions to understand the potential contaminants in urban soils and strategies to grow food safely. The workshop will feature several interactive sessions to prepare growers to interpret risk, amend their soils, build raised bed, and learn the history of lead contamination. Partner organizations will be tabling with information about sustainable urban growing, soil testing and community events.

Refreshments will be provided. The event is free and registration is requested on the Cooperative Extension in Cumberland County website. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Carrick Gambell at carrick.gambell@maine.edu or 207.691.1238.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension

As a trusted resource for over 100 years, Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension seeks to build thriving communities and grow the food-based economy, focusing on aspects from production and processing to nutrition, food safety, and food security. Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H, which offers hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture, and civic engagement and creates a positive environment where participants are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles.