USA - MAINE: Katahdin Students Grow Fresh Greens For WHS Cafeteria With Indoor Garden
March 13, 2026
By Lorraine Glowczak
Fresh, locally grown food has long been a priority for the RSU 14 nutrition program. But Maine’s long, harsh winters typically bring the growing season for leafy vegetables to a halt. Now, thanks to the rising popularity of hydroponic gardening, RSU 14 can keep fresh produce growing year-round with a portable, vertical indoor garden system that has recently made its way to the RSU 14’s Katahdin program, giving students the chance to become the district’s first “gardening stewards” while learning how to grow vegetables year-round.
This compact hydroponic unit, known as a Flex Farm, is roughly the size of a residential refrigerator and includes a self-contained water system with energy-efficient LED light towers. It is designed by Fork Farms, an agricultural technology company from Wisconsin. The organization’s mission is to have more schools, companies and communities “join us at the table to provide fresh food to everyone, everywhere.”
Jeanne Reilly, RSU 14’s nutrition director, said she was first exposed to this indoor gardening technology a couple of years ago.
“I first met the Fork Farms team at a national school nutrition conference, and I really like the ease and portability of the Flex Farm,” she said. “I really wanted to purchase one for our department, because it aligns so well with our commitment to local food and with our district farm to school focus, but I knew that our school nutrition team didn’t really have the time to devote to the growing process.”
As a result, Reilly knew they would need a classroom or group to partner with the nutrition department to help grow and maintain the Flex Farm’s vegetables.
“That’s where the Katahdin program came in,” Reilly said. “I mentioned the idea to Christine Fredette, the STEM teacher at Katahdin and she was all in.”
Fredette says that the students are shocked to discover they can grow fresh vegetables in the winter, all while learning about science and math, as well as their role in promoting healthy eating. She said that the students are also learning about environmental sustainability as the Flex Farm includes a submersible pump, reducing water usage by up to 95 percent compared to traditional farming and eliminates the need for pesticides.
As for science and math, Fredette said, “In hydroponics, there’s no soil to buffer pH changes, so the water’s pH directly affects nutrient uptake. The students are learning how to measure pH and test the water to make sure the nutrient levels are balanced.”
Students and staff were both amazed that one Flex Farm unit in Katahdin’s main classroom holds 288 plant spaces and can grow food in just four weeks for roughly $1 per pound.
In addition to leafy greens, the Flex Farm has the capacity to grow a variety of vegetables such as herbs, grape tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, edible flowers, and much, much more. However, for this first-time experience, the students are focusing on just two main vegetables.
“Right now, we are growing heads of lettuce and spinach to get our feet wet with this new technology,” Fredette said. “In just 30 days, we will have grown 144 heads of lettuce, and we are so excited to watch their progress. Every day when the students arrive they are surprised by how much the plants have grown overnight.”
A few students shared their own thoughts about their learning experiences and excitement about the Flex Farm.
“Until the Flex Farm arrived and we got to experience it, I didn’t know you could grow vegetables indoors, especially during winter,” Landin Olin said.
Both Brandon Feyler and McKenzie Harris agreed with Olin, saying they were amazed that so many seeds can be planted in the Flex Farm and grow so quickly to be eaten within just 30 days of time.
Harris saw a similarity between the Flex Farm and another piece of technology, “It’s like it is a tanning booth for vegetables.”
The spinach and lettuce will be arriving in the Windham High School (WHS) cafeteria soon where the students will get to eat fresh greens grown right in the WHS building. And, if production is good, other schools in the district will get to partake of the organic fare.
“Although the produce grown at Katahdin will be primarily used for the WHS cafeteria, as capacity builds and if there is abundance, we will utilize the produce in other buildings.” Reilly said.
It is the goal to purchase more Flex Farms in the future to help cut food costs, provide healthy cafeteria food, while at the same time adding hands-on and real-world curriculum in the classroom.
“Fork Farm’s mission aligns well with our district mission of serving fresh local food, and we believe there is incredible value in students participating in food growth, knowing where food comes from and from the interdisciplinary STEM aspects of involving students in gardening,” Reilly said. “We are excited to see and taste our success.” <
Posted by Ed Pierce
SUBMITTED PHOTO: Katahdin STEM teacher Christine Fredette joins students Landin Olin and Brandon Feyler in front of the Flex Farm that is abut the size of a residential refrigerator when closed.