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Your Monthly News & Updates
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April is the month to...
By Amy Witt, Horticulturist, UMaine Extension Cumberland County and Trisha Smith, Home Horticulture Aide, UMaine Extension Piscataquis County
Celebrate National Garden Month! April a great time to plan and partake in activities that celebrate the benefits of gardening and plants. Here are some ideas from the National Gardening Association to get you started.
Buy a grafting knife ($15 from Fedco) and find a grafting workshop near you! April is a great time to hone your blades and skills. Several options are in our Upcoming Events listing. Complete any tree and/or shrub pruning. Keep in mind that you do not want to prune spring flowering plants (like forsythia and lilacs) until after they are done flowering and the flowers are spent. For more information, see Bulletin #2169 Pruning Woody Landscape Plants.
Stand back, breathe in the spring air, listen to the birds, and notice the plants that are emerging from the ground and the buds swelling on the trees and shrubs. Contribute your observations to a national database. You can be an important part of tracking weather patterns and climate change. See Nature's Notebook, and sign up to be an observer.
Test your soil if you are installing new garden beds or if you haven't done a soil test in the past three years. As soon as the snow melts and the soil thaws, you will be able to dig down 8-12" to get a sample. It doesn't matter if your soil is wet. Soil test kits are available from your local UMaine Extension county office or the Analytical Lab and Maine Soil Testing Service.
Work compost into your garden beds as soon as the soil is not frozen or wet. The compost will improve aeration in clay soils and increase the water holding capacity in sandy soils.
Dig up and enjoy the parsnips left in your garden from last fall. Try this recipe from Kathleen Savoie, UMaine Extension Educator, for
Refrigerator Spring Pickles using parsnips and other spring vegetables.
As soon as soil is thawed and dry enough to be worked, it will be safe to sow: peas, parsnips, spinach, carrots, lettuce, onion sets, beets, turnips, parsley, and radishes; as well as plant these seedlings: broccoli, cauliflower, and cauliflower outside in the garden. You can also start cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower seeds in a cold-frame or in a seed bed outside. It is a good idea to use row covers to protect seed beds from birds and late frosts.
Maine Vegetable Gardening: Keep Your Garden Growing - Plant from Spring to Fall is a great resource to get you started.
Sprout seed potatoes by moving them from cold storage to room temperature. Refer to Bulletin #2077
Growing Seed Potatoes in the Home Garden for detailed tips on growing potatoes successfully.
Remove tree guards that were placed around the trunks of young trees to keep mice and voles from damaging the trees during the winter. Guards left in place will trap heat and injure the bark.
Many local farmers are still accepting CSA members. Community Supported Agriculture helps farmers with a needed financial boost early in the season. Come harvest time, you get a share of the bounty. See MOFGA's interactive list of farms by county. Select your county and put "CSA" in the search bar.
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Upcoming Events and Activities-
Do you know of a class, activity, or event that may interest gardeners in Piscataquis, Penobscot, or Somerset Counties? Please forward information to trisha.smith1@maine.edu for possible inclusion in our next newsletter.
Check UMaine Extension's calendar for educational opportunities all over the state.
- ASAP - Sign up for a plot to grow your veggies or flowers at the Bangor or Maple Street (Brewer) Community Garden this summer. Space is limited, so don't wait!
- April 8- Rural Living Day, Mt. View High School, Thorndike. 8:30-3:45. Class sizes are limited and fill quickly. Pre-registration required by April 7. $20 suggested donation for classes and lunch. Register and pay online.
- April 8-Grafting Fruit Trees, Abbot. 10a-2:30p. $35. Bring a grafting knife and bagged lunch (snacks and beverages provided). Class size limited to 30 participants, and pre-registration is required. For mor information or to register, call Piscataquis Soil and Water Conservation District at (207)564-2321, ext. 3 or email info@piscataquisswcd.org
- April 8-Grafting Fruit Trees, Unity. 10a-3p. $50/ $40 MOFGA members. Bring a grafting knife and bag lunch. Register online.
- April 8-9-Shrub Crawl and Spring Plant Preview, Sprague's Nursery & Garden Center, Bangor. 9a-4p each day. See Sprague's website for more information.
- April 15, Organic Orcharding 101, with Michael Philips, author of The Apple Grower. Unity. 10a-4p. $50/$40 MOFGA members.
- April 15-Eggstatic for Spring Celebration, Leaves and Blooms Greenhouse, Dover-Foxcroft. 9a-3p. See their Facebook Event for details and registration instructions for workshops.
- April 18-Garden Basics, Starting from Seed, and Season Extension, Millinocket Memorial Library, 6-7:30p. Free, all ages welcome. Visit their Facebook Events calendar for more great programs.
- April 19-Garden Party and Silent Auction, Old Town Elementary School 6:30-9p. $7/$5 for Hirundo Wildlife Preserve members. Get hands-on experience in mini workshops about grafting, pruning of small fruit crops, growing micro greens and flower arrangement. Workshops are on a 30 minute rotation schedule beginning at 6:30 pm and ending at 8:00 pm. Reserve your spot by April 16 by calling 207.394.2171. See their poster for more information.
- April 22-Trail Clean-up Day, Philbrick Trail, Skowhegan. 10;30-noon. Meet near the water treatment plant at the end of Joyce St. Call or email Derek Ellis with questions: 207.538.7006 or derekellis28@gmail.com.
- April 23-Spring Maintenance Trail Day, 8:30a-3p. Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Old Town. Volunteers are welcome all day or a half a day, morning (8:30 am - 12 pm) or afternoon (12:30 - 3 pm). Please make reservations by April 21 by calling 207.394.2171 or emailing web@hirundomaine.org.
- April 29-May 1-Art in Bloom, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Book a tour for a group of 10 or more.
- May 2-Garden Soil, Fertility, Amendments, and Compost, Millinocket Memorial Library, 6-7:30p. Free and open to all ages.
- May 3-Mothers' Day Container Gardens workshop, Leaves and Blooms Greenhouse, Dover-Foxcroft, 6p. $35 includes all materials. See their Facebook Event for more details and how to register.
- May 5-6-Fedco Tree Sale, Clinton. 9a-3p each day. Click for details and directions.
- May 8-Non-Chemical Pest and Disease Management, Millinocket Memorial Library, 6-7:30p. Free and open to all ages.
- May 9-Introduction to Beekeeping,Millinocket Memorial Library, 6-7:30p. Free and open to all ages.
- May 8-12-Maine Composts! Week-Travis Blackmer, UMaine School of Economics, is looking for composting sites willing to open their facilities for students to learn about composting. To find out more, email travis.blackmer@umaine.edu.
- May 19-21-Home Garden Flower Show, Fryeburg Fairgrounds, Fryeburg. $10 adult admission ($8 pre-sale), $4 youth 11-16, 10 & under free.
- May 20-Hampden Garden Club's annual Perennial Plant and Pie Sale, 8-noon. Harmony Hall, 24 Kennebec Rd., Hampden. For more information contact Anne Bennett, 207.862.3467 or Barbara Packard, 207.862.3080
- May 20-Skowhegan Home Show, Skowhegan Fairgrounds, 10a-5p. Learn about services and products for your home building, remodeling, or landscaping project.
- May 20 - Hancock County Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale, 8-noon (rain or shine). Hundreds of perennials including Maine natives along with children's activities, a raffle, and the following scheduled talks: Gardening for Biodiversity 9am, Self-Irrigating Planter Systems 10am, and Square Foot Gardening 10:30am. Location and full details.
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Gardening is for the Birds!
By Amy Witt, Horticulturist, UMaine Extension Cumberland County
Gardens bring delight to gardeners, visitors, and people passing by. They can also provide important habitat for birds, and in return, more enjoyment for the gardener and visitors.
Gardening successfully for birds involves meeting their basic needs of food, water, nesting sites, and shelter.
Read the full article
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Staff Picks: Maine's Wild Leeks (
Allium tricoccum)
By David Fuller, Agriculture and Non-Timber Forest Products Professional, UMaine Extension Franklin County
Wild leeks, also known as ramps, are a tasty herbaceous perennial with very scant distribution in Maine. The Maine Natural Areas Program lists wild leeks as a plant of special concern. Wild leeks are in the Allium family along with other members including onions, garlic, and chives. Emerging very early in the spring, wild leeks prefer locations along streams and rivers in the understory of hardwood trees such as maples and ash.
Read the full article in Maine Home Garden News
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Maine Harvest for Hunger's Collaboration with Southern York County Food Pantries
By Frank Wertheim, Educator, UMaine Extension York County, and Zelda Kenney, Master Gardener Volunteer
York County has had an Active Maine Harvest for Hunger (MHH) program for 17 years now, and through the tremendous generosity and farming skills of the Spiller Farm in Wells, our volunteers are able to glean 20,000-30,000 lbs. of fresh vegetables each year from that one farm alone. Read more
Click here to learn more about Maine Harvest for Hunger and how you can help.
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MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS
Now is the perfect time to line up your volunteer project for the upcoming season. Check in with the MGV coordinator in your county to discuss plans and ideas, make sure your enrollment is current, and pick up Extension publications to support your endeavors. We appreciate all you do in our communities!
It's important that our county, state, and federal funders know about your efforts and impact in our communities. Choose the link to the online form for the county where you were trained (unless you have made other arrangements):
Extension's reporting deadline is September 30, but you may enter your hours anytime. Google forms will magically compile your entries!
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Volunteer and Employment Opportunities
Blue Seal Feeds in Bangor is hiring a full-time Horticultural Specialist and part time seasonal garden center position. The ideal candidate has a passion for agriculture and experience growing in controlled environments. They are seeking a candidate with a strong desire to learn and are willing to invest in education to develop the right individual.
See the full description
here
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Bangor
Blue
Seal
also has a part time seasonal position to fill. This position would be 20 hrs a week starting mid to late April tending to and maintaining their nursery stock and outside garden center.
Apply by bringing a complete resume to Jeremy at Blue Seal Feeds, 876 Stillwater Ave. Bangor, Maine or calling 207-947-6326.
Sprague's Nursery and Garden Center are hiring for several positions.
See their list and download their application.
Piscataquis Master Gardener Volunteers are gearing up for spring and summer. Dover Cove Farmers' Market and Dover-Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard are among the organizations that rely on volunteers to be successful. See more detailed descriptions
here. Call (207. 564.3301) or email
Trisha if your Piscataquis MGV project didn't make this list.
Maple Street Community Garden in Brewer is accepting applications for garden plots. Thirty 4x10x2 foot deep raised beds are available for $25 each for the 2017 growing season. Supporters and volunteers are also welcome. Applications are available
online or request a paper application by calling Ellen at 207.619.3724 or emailing
maple.street.community.garden@gmail.com. Follow them on
Facebook to learn more.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension has employment opportunities across the state. Find the list
here.
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Food & Nutrition: Food Safety for Food Pantry Donations
By Kate Yerxa, Associate Extension Professor, UMaine Extension
Donating, recovering, and gleaning foods that would otherwise go to waste helps feed hungry Mainers. When donating food, it is important to consider both the safety and quality of the food.
Use the following checklist to decide whether foods are unsafe to give to food pantries, cupboards, and shelters.
Find the checklist here
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The Maine Food System, What's That?
University of Maine Cooperative Extension helps support, sustain, and grow the $3.9 billion food-based economy in Maine. We are the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. Read more here.
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| Graphic by Michael Mendoza |
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If you eat, you are part of the Maine Food System!
You may also be growing food for yourself and/or others, supporting farmers' markets and CSAs, volunteering at food cupboards, community meals, or soup kitchens. If you aren't, we're trying to make it easier for you to get involved.
Organizations that address food insecurity with distributions of free food and meals exist in most communities. Many welcome volunteers as well as donations of food, including fresh garden produce in season. Access to refrigeration and timing of food distributions can limit an organization's ability to accept donations. It is best to contact them first. With this in mind, we aim to provide a comprehensive list of these organizations. Please do not hesitate to email trisha.smith1@maine.edu with additional or corrected information.
The Maine Food Atlas is an interactive mapping project created by the Maine Network of Community Food Councils and the Center for Community GIS. Explore or even contribute-The Maine Food Atlas relies on individuals to submit and update listings.
Click here to see a list of organizations tackling food insecurity in Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Somerset Counties.
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Organizations of Interest
Click the links to learn more, find a chapter near you, and get involved.
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.
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 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.
Maine State Beekeepers Association
Northern Penobscot County Beekepers Association
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
Dexter Dover Area Towns in Transition (DDATT) meets every first Friday at 6 pm, Abbott Memorial Library, Dexter. Contact Sam Brown 277-4221 or email info@ddatt.org
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.
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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Mission
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.
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Quick Links
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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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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
The goal of the Central Maine Gardening Newsletter is to connect gardeners with resources and events that encourage and inform.
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he 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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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
307 Maine Ave. Bangor, ME 04401 207-942-7396 or 800-287-1485
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Open Monday, Thursday, Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm,
Open By-chance on Wednesday
, Closed Tuesday
165 East Main St. Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491
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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
7 County Drive Skowhegan, ME 04976-3117 Phone: 207.474.9622 or 800.287.1495 (in Maine)
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