Cultivation Works, a social enterprise of Westbrook-based Creative Work Systems, will sell potted plants, herb and flower planters, hanging baskets and the organization’s trademarked “Teenie Greenies” microgreens, which have become a hit among Portland restaurateurs over the past year.
Every purchase made at the greenhouse will provide agricultural opportunities, support and independence for adults with disabilities, Margaret Logan, spokeswoman for Creative Work Systems, said Thursday.
“Our mission is to empower adults with disabilities at home, at work and in the community,” Logan said. “Cultivation Works is a social enterprise of Creative Work Systems, a small little business with a social mission and we’re able to employ adults with disabilities.”
The program currently employs three growers who transform seeds into greens, flowers and vegetables sold to the public. Logan said, with the opening of the new greenhouse, she’s hoping the program, too, will grow.
“We’re baby-stepping it right now, but (the greenhouse) is going to grow and develop both the program and the bountiful greenery we have now,” she said.
Pamela Hargest, greenhouse specialist for Cultivation Works, said the program gives adults with disabilities the opportunity to see projects — and plants — from beginning to end.
“I generally think this work is very rewarding because anyone can see a product from the very beginning, from almost nothing, to the very end,” she said Thursday. “You definitely see the excitement in our farmers every day in what we do here.”
Logan agreed.
“I think (our farmers) feel rewarded and they feel a part of something bigger — they feel a part of a community, which I think is so important,” she said. “That definitely ties back into our mission.”
The greenhouse, in addition to providing more opportunities for disabled adults, will also allow for expansion of the Cultivation Works program itself. Previously, the enterprise was only able to grow its Teenie Greenies outside.
In Maine, that means the non-genetically-modified greens — which have become a hot-ticket item for trendy Portland-area chefs and their restaurants — could only be grown in the warmer months.
“We needed a place to grow these (in) four seasons because we were growing them outside, but the demand wasn’t ebbing at all,” Logan said.
The new greenhouse, made possible by a grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, will offer a climate-controlled room with several shelves and state-of-the-art growing lights to grow microgreens year-round. The space can also be used to start seedlings.
“It’s like an oven,” Logan said. “It allows sunlight all day long to come through.”
That spells good news for an organization that provides programming to adults with disabilities in several locations in southern Maine.
“We look forward to becoming a larger part of the greater Saco community and creating awareness for our mission,” Heidi Howard, executive director of Creative Work Systems, said in a release. “We are thrilled to finally open the doors to our new greenhouse.”
Hargest also said the Cultivation Works program allows people to get outside and get their hands dirty.
“You’re outside and, for the most part, being active,” she said. “It’s connecting you maybe back to something you couldn’t relate to before.”
Cultivation Works is hosting a grand opening celebration on Saturday, for those who wish to stop by and see the facility. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., people can taste the famous Teenie Greenies and enjoy refreshments provided by the Creative Work Systems Culinary Program.
Children can take part in several activities, including hula-hooping, creating newspaper pots and planting seeds.
The greenhouse is located at 339 North St., Saco, on Route 112. Summer hours are: Wednesdays and Thursdays 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.
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