(Mostly) 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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Regular Features
- This is the time to...
- Pest Reports
- Plant Picks
- Skill Share
- Volunteer and Project Profile
- Food and Nutrition
- Organizations and Resources
- Upcoming Events
- Mission and Quick Links
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This is the time to...
By Tori Lee Jackson, Extension Educator, Agriculture & Natural Resources in Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties
- Get ready to transplant cool season crops (ex: brassicas, onions, leeks, spinach, etc.) into your garden by hardening them off and moving them outside once daytime temperatures are reliably above 45 degrees F.
- Start your warm season crops (tomatoes, peppers, and cucurbits) indoors for transplanting in mid-June, once the threat of frost has passed.
- Build raised beds to reduce the amount of bending you need to do to maintain your garden. Watch Extension Educator Frank Wertheim in these videos for instructions, and download a diagram and materials list to get started.
- Plan for a healthy gardening season by making sure your tools are clean, sharp, and designed for a full season of comfortable use. Consider a 3- or 4-wheeled wheelbarrow to make hauling materials easier on your back. Be sure you have well-fitting gloves, sunscreen, and insect repellant that hasn’t expired, and a sun hat that keeps your face and neck in the shade. For more healthy and accessible gardening tips, check out Maine AgrAbility.
- Finish up your spring pruning. For an overview of pruning woody plants, check out Bulletin #2169, Pruning Woody Landscape Plants, which includes diagrams, videos, and explanations of how, when, and why to prune. For some more specific options, you may also watch these videos:
- How to Prune a Crabapple Tree
- How to Prune a Forsythia
- How to Prune a Lilac Bush
- Pruning Ornamental Trees
- Consider a University of Maine Cooperative Extension workshop, class or event to keep up to date on new techniques.
- Identify any new plants in your landscape by submitting photos with our new Plant Identification Submission Form!
- Plan to combat food insecurity in your community with your excess garden vegetables by donating through Maine Harvest for Hunger.
- Keep a close eye out for ticks! If you find a tick on yourself or a pet, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab can identify the species (free) and test any suspicious ticks for diseases ($15) so you can quickly treat any tick-borne diseases.
- Be careful around any suspected Browntail Moth caterpillars or places where their shed skins and hairs may have accumulated. 2019 is expected to be a https://em-ui.constantcontact.com/em-ui/em/page/em-ui/email#particularly bad year for this pest.
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May Is Lyme Disease Awareness Month
By Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Adult and nymph deer ticks. Image by Griffin Dill
Warmer weather is on its way, which means that everyone needs to be doing their part to help prevent tickborne diseases. Providers reported over 1,400 cases of Lyme disease in 2018 (preliminary data as of 3/25/19). May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month each year in Maine—the perfect time to remind everyone to be “Tick Aware and Tick Alert” when spending time outdoors since ticks are most active in warmer weather.
Lyme disease is treatable and most individuals recover completely with proper treatment, however easiest way to avoid tickborne diseases is prevention. This May, please remember to be “Tick Aware and Tick Alert”:
- Use caution in areas where ticks may be found;
- Wear light-colored clothing that covers arms and legs;
- Use an EPA approved repellent such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus; and
- Perform tick checks daily and after any outdoor activity on yourself and pets. Taking a shower after exposure to a tick habitat is an effective way to wash off any unattached ticks and provides a good opportunity to do a tick check.
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American Hazelnut: A Low Maintenance Shrub with Big Rewards
By Leala Machesney, Environmental Horticulture Student at the University of Maine
American Hazelnuts. Photo by Dragan Nestorovic, elektra, Bugwood.org .
American hazelnut (Corylus americana) is a native shrub that is incredibly valuable to North American wildlife. Many moth and butterfly larvae feed on American hazelnut. Some, like the moth Bucculatrix fugitans, feed exclusively on American hazelnut foliage. Elongated male catkins form in early spring that release pollen and are a favorite food of ruffed grouse. American hazelnuts are monoecious—both male and female flowers are present on the same plant—but the female flowers are small and fail to attract the attention of many herbivores. While fruit will set with just one shrub, yield will be greatest with cross pollination between multiple shrubs placed in close proximity. The nuts mature in July or August and are protected by an attractive fringed bract called an involucre. Squirrels, deer, turkey, pheasants, and woodpeckers are as fond of the nuts as humans.
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2019 Spring Plant Sale Fundraisers in Maine: Find One Near You!
Editor's note-plant sales are a great place to connect with other plant lovers and share skills and advice, so I'm categorizing this as "Skill Share!"
Photo courtesy of Lance Cheung, USDA.
Buy local plants; help a local cause!
Are you starting to get excited about gardening? Do you wish there was a place to find all of the plant sales happening around the state? Well, some of our fine Master Gardener Volunteers pulled together a fantastic list, which we used to create an interactive map showing the locations of more than 40 plant sales coming up in the next few weeks.
View the map
and mark your calendars!
If you don’t see your group listed, please email
lynne.holland@maine.edu
with the information for your sale so it can be added to the map.
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Passport to Summer Fun Project: A Ticket to Learning, Community Engagement, and Healthy Habits
By Trisha Smith, Community Education Assistant, Home Horticulture, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Piscataquis County
The “Piscataquis Passport to Summer Fun” project began in 2017 to incentivize participation in the free summer meal program held at the SeDoMoCha school in Dover-Foxcroft. The collaborative effort led by Healthy Piscataquis (now Piscataquis Regional Food Center) and UMaine Cooperative Extension has since evolved into an even larger program focused on motivating kids and their families to engage with various community agencies, events, and learning opportunities that support positive youth development and aim to reduce potential food insecurity and summer learning loss.
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Food & Nutrition: Food Safety and Infused Water
By Kathy Savoie, MS, RD, Associate Extension Professor, UMaine Extension Cumberland County
With no added sugar and virtually no calories, water flavored with fresh fruit, also known as infused water, has become a popular way to increase water intake. It is also a creative and healthy way to use leftover fruit. However, if the fresh produce is not properly prepared, it may increase the risk of someone catching a foodborne illness.
A recent study conducted by Callejon and colleagues has found that of all foodborne outbreaks that occurred in the U.S. between 2004 and 2012, incidences caused by fresh produce ranged from 23 to 60 per year. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), fresh-cut fruit is considered potentially hazardous. When fruit and vegetables are fresh-squeezed or used raw, bacteria from the produce can get into your juice, including your infused water. With this in mind, it is important to handle fresh fruit safely when making infused water. Follow these tips for food safety.
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Organizations and Resources
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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
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. 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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Upcoming Events
May 6-Choosing Nursery Plants
Part of the Old Town Public Library's Garden Workshop series. Free and open to all. Please RSVP at 827-3972. 5:30pm, refreshments served.
May 18-Perennial Plant & Pie Sale.
Hampden Garden Club's annual sale at Harmony Hall, 24 Kennebec Rd, Hampden, 8 am-12. Hundreds of perennials dug & potted by club members.
May 20-Cooperative Extension Offerings
Part of the Old Town Public Library's Garden Workshop series. Free and open to all. Please RSVP at 827-3972. 5:30pm, refreshments served.
May 22-
Paint and Plant Night
-Skowhegan Public Library, Skowhegan. 6-7:30. Pre-registration and payment of $5 required.
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Master Gardener Volunteers
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It's re-enrollment season! All required "paperwork" is available and accessible online. Contact your county coordinator for the password.
Report your volunteer hours online anytime:
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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 Educator
Kate Garland, Horticulturist
Kathy Hopkins, Extension Educator
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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