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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April 2022
Fellow gardeners of Central Maine,
Yours,
Donna, Kate, and Laurie
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It's "Tick Time" in Maine |
Lyme Disease Awareness Month:
With warmer weather on its way, Lyme Disease Awareness Month is here again! Health care providers reported 1,508 cases of Lyme disease in 2021 (as of March 25, 2022). The 2022 Lyme Disease Awareness Month theme this May is “Tick Wise.” This reminds us to stop and practice tick prevention measures frequently. The easiest way to avoid tickborne diseases is preventing tick bites. Please remember to be “Tick Wise” and: 1) Know tick habitat and use caution in areas where ticks may live. 2) Wear light-colored clothing that covers arms and legs. 3) Use an EPA-approved repellent such as: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. 4) Perform tick checks on yourself, family members, and pets daily and after any outdoor activity. Take a shower after exposure to a tick habitat to wash off any crawling ticks
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Gardening Does Not Require A Plié
By Nancy Donovan, PhD, PT, Master Gardener Volunteer
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When I was very young my mother enrolled me in every recreational activity or instructional class she could. I never explicitly asked her why, but, I was informed by other relatives that I was, let’s say, inclined to be very, very active. Actually, the earliest one I remember was ballet when I was perhaps 4 years old. Anyone that knows me will chuckle, or outright howl, at this fact. I remember that the first, and last, recital for me was one in which we performed to the song “I’m Learning To Speak French in Dancing School”. The words included plié, relevé, jeté, arabesque, etc.
Now that I have freely chosen gardening as one of my activities, I have continued to learn new words associated with gardening practices (and, I specifically chose the word “practices” for my gardening. Gardening is truly one of those activities where one often learns from mistakes). From the many gardening books I have purchased, but more importantly from the Master Gardener Volunteer class I enrolled in, once again there are new words and concepts to learn.
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Pollinator-Friendly Gardens |
The Pollinator-Friendly Garden Certification program was developed in 2020 to educate the public on the importance of supporting pollinators which are in decline and need our help. Reasons for pollinator decline are due to habitat loss, climate change and contact with pesticides. Certifying your garden helps not only educate your community but also provides much needed habitat for pollinators. Residential, community gardens, school gardens, businesses, municipalities, farms and other organizations are all open to apply.
In 2021, UMaine Cooperative Extension joined forces with UNH Extension to further expand the program. The Master Gardener Volunteer review committee now has Master Gardener Volunteers from both Maine and New Hampshire. Master Gardener Volunteers not only review applications but also provide outreach to promote the program and support others interested in certifying or creating a pollinator-friendly garden space as well as providing educational programming. If you are interested in helping by providing outreach to let the public know about the program or educational programs please contact laurie.bowen@maine.edu or 207.942.7396 or 207.564.3301. If you would like to request educational programming in your area please complete the request for educational programming.
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Cooking for Crowds is Back! |
Cooking for Crowds
Food Safety Training for Volunteers:
Many organizations and community groups rely on volunteers like you for a variety of food events for fundraising, fellowship, food pantries or other services to the community. But cooking for a crowd is tricky! How do you store all that food? When is the food completely cooked? How long can you leave food on the buffet table? Now there is a workshop on Safe Food Handling designed specifically for Volunteers.
This class meets the Good Shepherd Food Bank food safety training requirements.
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Invasive Plant Management Program |
Attention foresters and other natural resource professionals:
- Woodland owners need help identifying invasive plants in their woods and figuring out what to do about them
- This program offers financial incentives to landowners to have Invasive Plant Control Plans written by a trained professional. This means YOU!
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The free Invasive Plant Academy (May 2022) will train and certify you to participate in the program and prepare Invasive Plant Control Plans for your clients; contact Jan Santerre at Jan.Santerre@maine.gov or 287-4987 to apply
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2022 MAITC Summer Teachers Institute |
August 2-4, 2022
University of Maine, Orono
All participants will leave with armloads of materials, megabytes of technology, and new partnerships and ideas for integrating agriculture into your classes.
At this Educator's workshop, participants will receive 22 contact hours or 2.2 CEU's from the University of Maine for recertification credit.
This year the group will visit the Rogers Farm Forage and Crop Research Facility in Old Town, which is a learning space for researchers, commercial farmers, UMaine students, and home gardeners. Now, through a partnership with the Old Town Elementary School garden team, the farm also serves as a learning space for local elementary school students. Learn more about how the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Old Town Elementary School garden team collaborate on initiatives including their 4th grade potato project and food security efforts.
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Piscataquis Regional Food Center (PRFC) is partnering with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Piscataquis County Office for the second year to bring the Garden in a Box learning program to the region. Garden in a Box aims to bring gardening know-how and enthusiasm to people with limited mobility, small space, or lack of resources.
Sign-ups to be a Garden in a Box participant are limited but many of the program resources will be available to the general public through local libraries that plan to host the Garden in a Box resource binder and a demo garden. In addition, a 5-part Garden in a Box education series will take place at Thompson Free Library, Dover-Foxcroft. These presentations are free and open to everyone.
Small Space Gardening; April 28th @ 6 pm. Thompson Free Library, Dover-Foxcroft (Facebook Live Event)
Program Description: Are you short on space? Many kinds of vegetables can be easily grown in containers by following a few basic guidelines. What to grow and where will be the topic of conversation in Part 2 of this series. Part 3 on May : What's Wrong With my Vegetable Plant? Adapted from Victory Garden for ME, Episode #7, join us for an overview of cultural practices to prevent disease in your garden, how to diagnose a disease problem , common vegetable plant diseases and how to submit your plant to the diagnostic lab.
To learn more about the program or to sign up to be a Gardener, visit prfoodcenter.org/garden-in-a-box or call Kazia Knepp, PRFC Community Food Services Coordinator at (207) 802-8230. If you are interested in becoming a Garden Coach, please contact Laurie Bowen, UMaine Extension Food Systems Program Assistant at (207) 942-7396.
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It's estimated that one million birds die per day around the country after colliding with glass windows. We need your help understanding this problem in Maine so that we can best craft and implement solutions.
As spring migration gets underway, millions of birds will be moving north through the state. Some will collide with reflective glass windows, and we'd like your help in identifying which birds are dying, and which windows they're hitting.
What You Can Do
Maine Audubon has partnered with the University of Southern Maine and the Portland Society for Architecture on BirdSafe Maine, a project to understand and address bird / building collisions in Maine.
We will use this data to better understand timing and at-risk species, and help identify solutions homeowners can take to reduce these deaths.
If you find a dead or stunned bird, please:
- Take photographs of the bird in place.
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Email images with the date and address to BirdStrike@MaineAudubon.org
- No need to collect the bird, but (wearing gloves) you can move it to a safe place to decompose if you feel comfortable.
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If you find an injured but living bird, please contact Avian Haven at 207-382-6761.
We can reduce our impact on bird populations. Many products now on the market can be used to treat problematic windows in your home to reduce the threat of bird strikes. Learn more about those products and their effectiveness here on the American Bird Conservancy website.
Thank you for your assistance. Together we can help protect wildlife.
Thank you,
Nick Lund
Advocacy & Outreach Manager
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New Garden Resources to Meet New Needs
- Webinars & Videos
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Garden Chats: Growing Resilience From the Ground Up- 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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Free Distance Nutrition Education Classes through UMaine Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program is free to income eligible adults with children or your adults and if you are eligible for programs such as SNAP, WIC, or Head Start.
- Other
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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: 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: Charley Armstrong, 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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Extension Programs in other states:
If you find a great program when you're poking around online, let me know so I can share with your fellow gardeners: donna.coffin@maine.edu
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Garden Organizations and Allies
Click the links to learn more, find a chapter near you, and get involved.
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Master Gardener Volunteers
Guidelines for Master Gardener Volunteers (Updated 6/8/21):
Reminder for MGV
Check out Kate Garland's information about the "Take Five" Winter Walk Series for Master Gardeners starting in January that was sent to MGVs in a separate email.
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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
Photos: Edwin Remsberg, Donna Coffin, or Laurie Bowen unless other listed.
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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Professor
Kate Garland, Extension Horticulturist
Laurie Bowen, Food Systems Program 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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