(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 Kathy Hopkins, Extension Educator, UMaine Extension Somerset County and Caragh Fitzgerald, Associate Extension Professor, UMaine Extension Kennebec County
- Learn those weed pests! Look those stubborn weeds up on the Native Plant Trust’s GoBotany site, NRCS’ Plants interactive key, or University of Missouri’s Weed ID Guide. A great paper reference is Weeds of the Northeast by Uva, Neal, and DiTomaso. Still stumped? You can always send a picture or bring a sample to your county Cooperative Extension office.
- Fertilize and remove spent blooms on your annual flowers for a continuous show.
- Watch for hornworms on your tomatoes. You might also find them on peppers or eggplant! Hand-picking them daily works well for small plantings. They are well-camouflaged. Sometimes you can find them by spotting their droppings or by going out at night with a blacklight flashlight.
- Pick beans, peas, and zucchini every two days to keep them from getting overly large.
- Keep planting. Fill that spare garden space with beets, beans, kale, lettuce, carrots, and bunching onions.
- Visit your local farmers’ market to fill in the gaps of what you’re not growing yourself.
- Battle Japanese beetles by hand-picking early in the morning into a container of soapy water. If you use a trap, remember that it can attract more beetles to the area, so locate it away from the plants you’re trying to protect. Take solace in knowing that populations can vary from year to year. A big population one year does not necessarily mean you’ll have a lot the following year. Here’s a great video outlining management strategies.
- Set your mower at its highest level and do not remove lawn clippings. This will help keep turf healthy in the summer heat. Learn more about other best practices for a healthy, low-input lawn.
- Protect yourself from ticks and check yourself after being outside. The UMaine Tick Lab can identify ticks. If you remove one that’s embedded, they can test it for tick-borne diseases for a fee.
- Closely observe your garden for leaf, stem, and blossom damage and note any suspicious insects. Make an accurate identification of the potential pest or pathogen before choosing any treatment. If you need help, bring the insect or diseased plant tissue into your local UMaine Extension county office for identification or e-mail digital pictures to your local office.
- Order a copy of Pest Management for the Home Vegetable Garden in Maine, a 20-page publication with helpful photos from UMaine Extension.
- Compost grass clippings, leaves, and kitchen scraps. Find more information on how to have an efficient and productive system in our Home Composting bulletin.
- Make sure the birds have fresh water in bird baths or shallow dishes in the garden. Add some small rocks or float a few pieces of bark to create landing areas for insects to also access fresh water.
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Managing Invasive Plants in Maine
By Matt Wallhead, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist/Assistant Professor, UMaine Extension, Orono
Approximately a third of Maine’s vegetation is comprised of species not native to the state. Invasive plants are those that are non-native and have the potential to cause environmental and/or economic damage. Invasive plants can be introduced to an area in a variety of ways. Many invasive species were first brought to the state for ornamental purposes, including
Norway maple
,
burning bush
, and
Japanese barberry
. Accidental introductions and wildlife assisted dispersal are common as well. For instance, it’s not very difficult to find
glossy buckthorn
growing under power lines where birds perch.
The most effective way to manage invasive species is to prevent their introduction.
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Japanese Stewartia: An Ornamental Tree for Every Season
By Leala Machesney, Horticulture Student, University of Arkansas
Some trees provide ornamental interest for only a few weeks, but the Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia) remains decorative year-round. This stewartia is prized for two features: its elegant white flowers and multi-colored, exfoliating bark. The flowers, which resemble camellias, are 2 to 3 inches in diameter and begin to open in late June or early July. Although these flowers won’t bloom all at once, the tree will continue to flower for several weeks. Once the attractive display of flowers is over, the bark of Japanese stewartia can still be admired. The mottled bark comes in shades of gray, orange, tan, olive, and burnt umber. In a snowy winter landscape, the bark on a group of Japanese stewartia is picturesque. While Japanese stewartia is considered ornamental chiefly for its flowers and bark, the fall color of this tree can also be magnificent. It is most commonly a purple or bronze, but can occasionally be orange or red. Orange or red coloration is more typical of trees growing in full sun, or of cultivars that reliably possess this kind of fall color.
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Crop Rotation for Home Gardeners
By Pamela Hargest, Horticulture Professional, UMaine Extension Cumberland County
Peas and Oats at the UMaine Gardens at Tidewater Farm. Photo by Pamela Hargest.
No matter how small your garden is, it’s always beneficial to rotate your vegetables. Crop rotation is essential for producing quality vegetables, deterring pests and diseases, and maintaining good soil fertility from year to year. An important first step with planning crop rotation is to create a plan either in the fall or winter months before the growing season begins. This plan should lay out where your crops will be planted in your garden for the next 3 or more years and can be as detailed as your time and budget allows.
Start with a simple base map of your garden; be sure to label where you have any perennial herbs and/or vegetables that will be overwintering (e.g. Garlic, Thyme, Sage). After your base map is complete, list all of the vegetables you usually grow in your garden or the ones you hope to grow if this is your first year. Then, group those vegetables by their corresponding plant families (include any overwintering vegetables). For a list of plant families, check out
Plant Rotation in the Garden Based on Plant Families
by Elsa Sanchez, professor of horticultural systems management and Kathy Demcheck, senior extension associate in plant science from Penn State Extension. Plants belonging to the same family are usually susceptible to the same pests and diseases and require similar nutrients, which is why basic crop rotations are usually based on plant families.
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Volunteer Spotlight:
Growing with Children at Camp Discovery on Webb Pond
By Rose Ann Schultz, Master Gardener Volunteer
This Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) project began in the summer of 2017 as a collaboration between Down East Family-YMCA Summer Day Camp and the Hancock and Washington Counties MGV program. There’s much to be proud of already after only a few seasons of growth.
The approximately 3,000-square-foot garden is in an open field about 1/4 mile from the main camp buildings. Following soil test report recommendations, the ground was amended with wood ash and other organic amendments to bring the soil to near optimum growing conditions.
With support from various businesses and organizations, the garden received a significant boost in 2018.
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Food & Nutrition: The Missing Ingredient: Adherence of Food Blog Salsa Recipes to Home Canning Guidelines
By Kathy Savoie, MS, RD, Associate Extension Professor, UMaine Extension Cumberland County
Increased interest in home food preservation, the popularity of home canning salsa, and the emergence of food blogs as an easily accessible source for recipes has created concerns about the safety of home canning recipes on food blogs. How safe are the salsa recipes found on popular food blogs? According to a new research study by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, there are a lot of issues to be concerned about related to salsa recipes on food blogs—mostly what isn’t there.
The research study, “Adherence of Food Blog Salsa Recipes to Home Canning Guidelines,” by UMaine Extension Professor Kathy Savoie and Jen Perry, UMaine Assistant Professor, found that the majority of USDA home canning guidelines were not included in food blog recipes, an average 70% across all four categories analyzed, representing an overwhelming lack of adherence and cause for food safety concerns.
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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
July 18-
LakeSmart Volunteer Training
Piscataquis Soil and Water Conservation District, Dover-Foxcroft. FMI on this training or to register, please contact the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District, 207-564-2321 ext. 3, info@piscataquisswcd.org.
July 27-
Mattie Wadsworth Tea
. Learn about Mattie Wadsworth and her early 1900's insect collection. L.C. Bates Museum, Hinckley. 1-2:30
July 30-
Tractor Safety and Operations Workshop
, Law Farm, Dover-Foxcroft. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District, 207-564-2321 ext. 3, info@piscataquisswcd.org.
August 10
-Milo Garden Club Summer Fair. Three Rivers Kiwanis, Milo. 11-1:30.
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Master Gardener Volunteers
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Stay current with enrollment and reporting your volunteer hours! 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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