Upcoming Trainings

UConn Extension is partnering with the CT Department of Agriculture to provide a series of three school garden trainings, designed to be relevant for individuals new to school gardens as well as those with established school garden experience. Please email Abby DuBois at abigail.dubois@uconn.edu with any questions, comments, or concerns.

Register for the School Garden Training Series here.

  • Starting to Grow: Building the Garden and Creating a Crop Plan
    • April 27, 2026, 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm [Virtual]
  • Putting Down Roots: Maintaining the Garden and Developing a Work Plan
    • June 1, 2026, 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm [Virtual]
  • The Harvest: Sustaining the Garden and Enjoying Its Benefits
    • Fall 2026 (Date TBD), 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm [Virtual]

Funding for this project was paid for by the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant program. All funding is awarded and administered by the CT Department of Agriculture.

Past Trainings

For meeting recording and resources, reach out to abigail.dubois@uconn.edu

  • Food Safety Plan with UConn Extension** December 12, 2024, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm (for Farmers) [Virtual]
    • Develop your food safety plan and write a Standard Operating procedure. (SOP)
  • Farm to School in the Classroom** December 19, 2024, 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm [Virtual]
    • Join Abby DuBois and Emma Rotner to engage with resources to teach farm to school through nutrition, science, etc and meeting curriculum standards.
  • Culinary Training and Knife Skills** February 13, 2025,  3:00 pm – 5:30 pm, East Hartford Public Schools
    • Join Chef Kashia Diaz to learn knife skills and culinary tools for scratch cooking local foods, gain knowledge to take back to your school food staff.
  • Culturally Appropriate Culinary Training** April 3, 2025, 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm, Middletown Public Schools
    • Join Brigaid to explore seasonal ingredients and discover ways to adapt recipes that reflect various culinary traditions.
  • Programming in the Garden** April 22, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm, Cheshire Public Schools
    • Meet the Farm to School program in Cheshire, and experience a greenhouse to classroom process in action.
  • Best practices for Farm to ECE** April 26, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, ACES Middletown (for Early Care Providers, Bilingual)
    •  Join guest trainer from All Our Kin for a seed to plate demonstration, take home seedlings for your garden!
  • Building a Farm to School Program for the Future** May 19, 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm [Virtual]
    • Join Sherlene Rodriguez to discover ways to increase the longevity of your program: developing a Vision Statement, creating an Action Plan, and building a Farm to School Team.
  • Farm Early Care Resource Fair: Wednesday, June 25th, 2025, 10:30-12:30, Wallingford Public Library
    • Join us to learn about food and nutrition activities, garden support, seedlings, and seeds, compost lessons and more!  For questions reach out to Shannon.Raider@uconn.edu 

    *Funding for this project was paid for by the CT Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Funds and by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant AM22SCBPCT1132. **Funding for this project was paid for by the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant program. All funding is awarded and administered by the CT Department of Agriculture.