Monthly News for Gardeners |
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News and events for gardeners from Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Somerset Counties from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and other trusted partners |
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mid-July 2021
Fellow gardeners of Central Maine,
Summer's sailing by so fast, it's not even mid-July anymore! What happened?
Weeds have been loving the weather lately. Did you find the weeding tips in last month's newsletter helpful? This month, check out the weeding tools videos Kate mentions in "Now Is the Time To..." The weed/non-native invasive plant conversation is always a lively one! I really like this Introduction to Weeds from Penn State, and this discussion of invasive plants in Maine (includes recordings of webinars).
As with insect pests, it is important that you identify what you have before taking action, and crucial if that action involves a pesticide. Remember, pesticides are anything that is intended to kill plant, insect, or fungal pests, even concoctions from "harmless" household ingredients. This article explains why commercial preparations are superior. Keep these guidelines in mind when using pesticides: "think first, spray last" and "the label is the law!"
Be well
-Trisha Smith
Community Education Assistant, Home Horticulture
Piscataquis County
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Regular Feature:
Now Is the Time To...
By Kate Garland, Horticulturist Penobscot County
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Make weeding more fun and efficient with a new tool. UMaine weed management researchers have produced a really nifty collection of short youtube videos showing how those interesting and sometimes odd-looking weeding tools really work. Check out their channel “Zero Seed Rain”.
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Add some excitement to your salads by stealing a bit from the crops growing in your field. Young leaves of carrots, peas, beets, radishes, onions, and basil are all fun flavors that will add a little flair to the traditional veggie side dish. Here are more examples of surprising secondary edible parts of vegetables.
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Mulch! It’s not too late to add a layer of mulch to your ornamental or edible beds. The options are endless and the approach depends on the types of plants you’re working with, the weeds you’re battling and the aesthetic you’re aiming for. At the Rogers Farm Demonstration Garden in Old Town, we’ve transitioned to mulching our ornamental beds with compost. It has the same dark appearance as the bark mulch we’ve used in the past, but is finer textured and will eventually break down faster so as not to accumulate as new mulch used to freshen up the look every year.
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Try your hand at propagating shrubs from softwood cuttings. Different species root well at different times of the year and some may require special conditions such as a rooting hormone or a particular type of growing media in order to successfully develop roots. Viburnum, elderberry, weigela, and forsythia are all examples of shrubs that root well from cuttings taken in early July. Collect cuttings from well-hydrated plants in the early morning, use a well-drained potting mix, such as a 50/50 mix of peat and perlite, and follow the instructions outlined in this helpful fact sheet. For those interested in diving deeper into propagating native plants, tap into the Native Plant Network Propagation Protocol Database for species-specific information.
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Make a trip to the farmers’ market part of your weekly routine or even a destination for a day trip. This is the perfect time to enjoy the freshest ingredients you’ll have all year and fall in love with a new vegetable or fruit. Maine farmers have so much to offer and are looking forward to seeing you at markets every day of the week and throughout the state.
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Remove spent flowers from annual plants and early blooming perennials. Not only will this practice result in a tidier look, but most flowering annuals will produce significantly more flowers with regular deadheading. Some perennials may even put on an encore performance, such as hardy geranium, dianthus, and Canada anemone.
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Garden CSI – How to Think Like a Diagnostician
By Alicyn Smart, DPM Plant Pathologist & Director of the Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
Anyone who slows down and looks at their plants often can think like a plant diagnostician and act like one. The more familiar you become with plants and how they look when they are healthy, the easier it becomes to determine when things are “off.” You become more likely to notice changes early if you start really paying attention to your plants — not just paying attention to them when you expect them to have produced a harvest. I will warn you, though, depending on how serious you take this charge, your driving skills might become impaired as you notice plant abnormalities and try to take a few seconds too long to get a better look — trust me.
Once you come across a symptom on the plant that shouldn’t be there, that’s when the real fun starts! It’s not merely identifying a chlorotic (yellow) leaf but considering all the possible reasons that leaf may have turned yellow. There are many reasons a leaf can turn chlorotic, so you are forced to view all the factors that might have resulted in the leaf being discolored. You start listing in your head all the possible reasons and then counterarguing them as if you are a diagnostician with a JD.
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Black Swallow-wort, the Bane of the Garden
By Lynne Holland, Community Education Assistant, Androscoggin & Sagadahoc Counties
Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice and this plant is everywhere. It was in October, a few years ago when we moved into a new “old” house. It had a lovely rock wall on one side of the property and an established, professionally maintained garden next to that wall. On moving day, the wall was a vivid mix of old weathered stones partially covered with a dark green vine with light green pods weaving through the red wild grape leaves like a river of summer. I could not wait to dig into that border planting in the spring and make sure that vine was uniformly spread along that 75-foot wall. The next spring I went to work transplanting that vine and waiting to see what flowers produced those green pods. The dark purple, almost black star-shaped flowers were small but plentiful. By later that summer I began to think that maybe I had too much of a good thing. By August, I was doing research and then cursing myself for spreading dreaded swallow-wort throughout my entire perennial border.
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Farmer Donations of Seedlings on the Rise
By Lynne Holland, Community Education Assistant, Androscoggin & Sagadahoc Counties
Many years ago a man who sold seeds for a living told me, “Every packet of seeds is a packet of dreams, that’s why there are so many seeds in each packet.” If you have ever started seeds you know you will either have too many or not enough when all those dreams germinate. You will also know how hard it is to throw a seedling out into the compost pile.
When a farmer starts seeds it is generally to create seedlings for the farm, or the farmstand, or for both. By the middle of June the market for seedlings has dried up and most folks are looking for the early season radishes, lettuce, turnip, and other June harvested food. The farmers in Maine began a trend last year as the pandemic peaked and a scarcity of seeds meant many new gardeners had nothing to plant...
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Extension Programs in other states:
For instance:
Heroes To Hives is a unique program offered through Michigan State University Extension that seeks to address financial and personal wellness of veterans through professional training and community development centered around beekeeping.
Food Solutions New England (part of UNH) is a network of people, organizations, businesses and other groups across New England who are committed to a shared vision and values for the regional food system. Anyone doing this work is considered part of the network.
If you find a great program when you're poking around online, let me know so I can share with your fellow gardeners: trisha.smith1@maine.edu
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Click the links to learn more, find a chapter near you, and get involved.
Bangor Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that has conserved over 800 acres of land with public access in the Bangor area. Our mission is to protect for public benefit land and water in the Bangor region that have special ecological, natural, scenic, agricultural, or recreational significance; and to increase public understanding of the value of land and water conservation.
The Garden Club Federation of Maine National Garden Clubs, Inc. provides education, resources and national networking opportunities for its members, to promote the love of gardening, floral design, civic and environmental responsibility.
Good Shepherd Food Bank In addition to distributing food to Mainers in need, the Food Bank is leading a statewide effort to combat the root causes of hunger by engaging in advocacy, nutrition education, and strategic partnerships. Good Shepherd welcomes you to join in this effort.
Maine Audubon is a member-based organization that engages people in conservation, education and advocacy to advance wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation in Maine.
Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets' mission is to cultivate a vibrant, sustainable farmers' market community as a vital part of Maine's local food network. The Federation works with farmers, consumers, and communities to make wholesome, locally-grown foods available to all residents, to educate consumers about food resources, and to support farm viability.
Maine Gleaning Network A collaborative farm surplus rescue effort gathering crops from Maine's fields and engaging communities in resourceful and equitable food system activities.
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) The purpose of the Association is to help farmers and gardeners: grow organic food, fiber and other crops; protect the environment; recycle natural resources; increase local food production; support rural communities; and illuminate for consumers the connection between healthful food and environmentally sound farming practices.
The Grange provides opportunities for individuals and families to develop to their highest potential in order to build stronger communities and states, as well as a stronger nation.To inquire about finding a nearby Grange, contact Walter Boomsma at grange@boomsmaonline.com
Transition Towns The Transition Movement is comprised of vibrant, grassroots community initiatives that seek to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. Transition Initiatives differentiate themselves from other sustainability and "environmental" groups by seeking to mitigate these converging global crises by engaging their communities in home-grown, citizen-led education, action, and multi-stakeholder planning to increase local self reliance and resilience.
Transition Skowhegan meets every 1st Thursday at 6 pm, Skowhegan Public Library.
Contact Iver Lofving 474-7370 or Jason Tessier 474-4380
Wild Seed Project works to increase the use of [Maine] native plants in all landscape settings in order to conserve biodiversity, encourage plant adaption in the face of climate change, safeguard wildlife habitat, and create pollination and migration corridors for insects and birds. Check out their Native Plant Blog.
Maine Agriculture in the Classroom promotes the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public. Curricula and resources for educators and others working with young people. Check out newsletters and/or subscribe here.
Maine Farm to School Network supports the rapidly spreading farm to school movement in Maine. This network knits together a wide diversity of students, teachers, school nutritionists, parents, farmers and groups who support child nutrition and Maine agriculture. Search their resource database, join the network.
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University of Maine Cooperative Extension County offices are open, at least part-time, and most projects allow in-person volunteering. The health and safety of the community are still important to us as we re-adjust to unrestricted activities. We have developed a number of online resources for those who have reliable internet connections. Here are a few ways we’re available:
New Resources to Meet New Needs
You may have missed the live Zoom presentations, but we've rounded up fact sheets for each week's discussion for your reference
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Victory Garden for ME series: videos for first time vegetable gardeners
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Growing Maine Gardeners: An initiative led by UMaine Extension’s Home Horticulture team to address the increased demand for gardening education throughout the state of Maine and to provide additional support for beginner gardeners.
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Garden Mentorship Program: direct technical assistance and encouragement via phone or email throughout the season from trained Master Gardener Volunteers
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Maine Farm Products and Pick-Up Directory: The directory provides information on available local farm products and alternative pick-up options developed by farmers statewide to accommodate the recommended social distancing in light of COVID-19.
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Learn at Home: Educational Resources to Use During School Closures: With novel coronavirus closing schools across Maine for several weeks, UMaine Extension has assembled a collection of helpful educational resources for parents and caregivers. From science to financial literacy, whether for toddlers or teenagers, we encourage you to take advantage of these activity books, guides, and other resources to help children remain engaged in educational experiences throughout their school closure.
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Learn at Home with 4-H Friday Fun! Each Friday, watch for a new hands-on activity that you can try out with simple materials you have at home. Watch a short video clip to see how it’s done or download our 4-H Learn from Home activity sheets. Each activity outlines materials needed, easy-to-follow instructions, reflection questions for discussion and activity extensions.
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Social Media: Many of our staff are stepping up efforts to communicate to audiences via social media. For example, see Rogers Farm Demonstration Garden’s short educational Facebook videos (also on Instagram).
Traditional Services Being Offered in New Ways
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Identifying insect pests: Clay Kirby, Associate Scientist/Insect Diagnostician, will identify pest samples via images. See instructions for submitting an insect specimen.
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Identifying plant diseases: Dr. Alicyn Smart will identify plant disease samples via images. See instructions for submitting a sample.
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Tick testing: Ticks are being tested on a limited basis. See instructions for submitting a tick sample.
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Publication orders: We are still processing orders from our publication catalog, including pesticide application training materials.
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Soil testing: The Analytical Lab and Maine Soil Testing Service remains open and is taking samples with a priority on commercial samples. If you need to drop off a sample, you can place it in the box outside of Deering Hall; do NOT enter the building.
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General gardening questions: Contact your county office. Emails are preferred. If it’s necessary to leave a voicemail, please leave your email address (if available) or a mailing address in addition to your phone number.
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Master Gardener Volunteers |
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COVID-19 MGV Policy
Guidelines for Master Gardener Volunteers (Updated 6/8/21):
Master Gardener Volunteers no longer need to receive individual approval to volunteer in-person. All MGVs volunteering in-person are expected to follow these guidelines:
- MGVs will travel solely to and from the destination, unless traveling with a member of your household.
- Physical Distancing: there are no longer any physical distancing requirements for adults, indoors or outdoors, unless otherwise required by Maine civil authorities. Three foot social distancing indoors is required for programs for youth.
- Volunteers should stay at home if:
- They have a cough or a sore throat.
- They have a fever or feel feverish.
- They have shortness of breath.
- They have a loss of taste or smell.
- They have been around anyone exhibiting these symptoms within the past 14 days.
- They are living with anyone who is sick or quarantined.
- Masks:
- Indoors: all youth and adults must wear a face mask
- Outdoors: face masks not required.
- Avoid shared tools when possible. Sanitize shared tools/surfances after use.
- Volunteers should bring their own food to the volunteer activity if needed as sharing of food is discouraged at this time.
- Volunteers must report their hours via the hours reporting form at least once a month.
- Volunteers must follow any site specific guidelines in addition to the above.
For Public Programs: please use the appropriate checklist from this page.
Guidelines for Projects:
- Project coordinators are responsible for tracking volunteers and making it available to UMaine Cooperative Extension staff, in the event contact tracing information is necessary.
- Hand washing stations and sanitizer should be available on site.
- Have materials on hand so volunteers can sanitize shared tools/surfaces as necessary.
- Communicate any site-specific guidelines to volunteers, in addition to the above requirements.
If you have any questions about the status of a specific project, please contact your County MGV coordinator.
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Mission
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is the major educational outreach program of the University of Maine with offices statewide. UMaine Extension provides Maine people with research-based educational programs to help them live fuller, more productive lives.
Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.
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The goal of the Central Maine Gardening Newsletter is to connect gardeners with resources and events that encourage and inform.
Quick Links
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Local Weather Anytime
Most outdoor activities are driven by the weather. Our local National Weather Service in Caribou has meteorologists on staff 24 hours a day. They are willing to talk with you about predictions for your town. Give them a call at 492-0180. Or check out their online detailed maps at http://www.weather.gov/car/.
Need Pesticide Credits?
Interested in Volunteering with UMaine Extension?
Nearly 8,000 volunteers devoted more than 150,000 hours to their communities last year through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension! Look around our
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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Professor
Kate Garland, Horticulturist
Brian Erickson, Sustainable Agriculture Professional
Trisha Smith, Community Education Assistant
The goal of the Central Maine Gardening Newsletter is to connect gardeners with resources and events that encourage and inform.
The University of Maine does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status and gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director, Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, 207.581.1226.
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Piscataquis County Office |
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Open Monday - Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm
307 Maine Ave Bangor, ME 04401 207.942.7396 or 800.287.1485
Piscataquis County Office - website
Open Monday, Thursday, Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm
165 East Main St Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207.564.3301 or 800.287.1491
7 County Drive Skowhegan, Maine 04976-4209
Tel: 207.474.9622 or 1.800.287.1495 (in Maine)
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