(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...
- Plant Picks
- 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 Frank Wertheim, Extension Educator, UMaine Extension York County
Start your own seedlings
. Consider using supplemental lighting. Sunny windows usually do not provide sufficient light and consistent temperatures for optimal seedling development. Seedlings growing in limited light and cooler temperatures develop more slowly, are often lanky, can have a less developed root system, and are more susceptible to diseases such as damping off. Learn more about
Starting Your Own Seedlings at Home
in our comprehensive bulletin that includes plans for building an inexpensive light stand and a handy instructional video.
Get your seeds ordered
. Maine has several excellent seed companies that have varieties suited to our region. Looking for advice on which varieties to choose? Check out this listing of suggested
vegetable varieties for Maine gardens
from the researchers at UMaine’s Highmoor Farm or explore the newest award-winning varieties promoted by
All America Selections
.
Tap maple trees for making maple syrup.
If you have either sugar maple or red maple on your property, you could experiment with making your own maple syrup. Trees make their own sweet sap through photosynthesis for growth and development during the spring and summer months. In the later summer and fall, maple trees virtually stop growing and begin storing excess starches throughout the sapwood, especially in cells called ray cells. In late winter/early spring, the sap is translocated back to the growing points throughout the plant. When we tap trees, we are borrowing a bit of the sugars for our own enjoyment. To learn more, see
How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup
.
Prune out broken or crossing/rubbing branches, and remove water sprouts from deciduous trees
. The lack of leaves allows a good assessment of form, and the frozen ground prevents damage to the lawn caused by dropping branches. Thin out congested shrubs by removing up to 1/4 of the oldest stems at the base.
To learn more, read
Pruning Woody Landscape Plants
and check out the video
Pruning Apple Trees
, and also review the pruning section in
Growing Fruit Trees in Maine
.
Search for gardening advice wisely.
There is a lot of good information available for gardeners online. However, be careful of “.com” sites that sometimes have inaccurate information. To focus your home garden searches on unbiased, research-based information, try typing “site:edu” after any of your information searches. For example, “Growing
Highbush Blueberries in Maine site:edu”. This will lead you to links to sites from universities with dependable information. Also try the
eXtension
One Search site.
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Five Award-Winning Tomato Varieties to Consider
By Kate Garland, Horticulturist, UMaine Extension Penobscot County, with tomato variety descriptions and photos courtesy of
All-America Selections
.
Many great gardeners get their start by growing tomatoes. There’s something about that juicy fruit, warmed by the summer sun and easily preserved for enjoyment during the winter months, that sparks a passion and excitement in a great number of gardeners. I always love hearing reviews about favorite tomato varieties and feel lucky to get a chance to try out new award-winning varieties in our
All-America Selections
(AAS)
Demonstration Garden at Rogers Farm
in Old Town. If you’re looking for something new, here are 5 AAS winners to consider trying this year:
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Auburn Community Garden Initiative: Growing Community as Well as Plants
By Lynne Holland, Community Education Assistant, UMaine Extension Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties
Photo courtesy of Charis Heisey.
A garden by its nature is a growing thing. It is impossible to characterize it at exactly one point in time and decide “it’s done.” The Auburn Community Gardens Initiative is a perfect example of this. This garden project was conceived in 2014, implemented in Spring of 2016, and now is readying its third garden for later this year. A product of the collaboration between the city of Auburn, the Androscoggin Land Trust, the UMaine Cooperative Extension, Saint Mary’s Nutrition Center, and community residents, these gardens continue to grow not just food but also a sense of community in Auburn.
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Food & Nutrition: Cooking for Crowds- Food Safety Training for Volunteers
By Kathy Savoie, MS, RD, UMaine Extension Cumberland County
Many organizations and community groups rely on volunteers for a variety of food events for fundraising, fellowship, food pantries or other service 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 serving table? UMaine Cooperative Extension offers a workshop on safe food handling designed specifically for volunteers. Visit
Cooking for Crowds
to learn more about workshop dates or to request a workshop in your area.
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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
March 17-2019 Bangor CSA Fair.
Get your favorite vegetables and support local farmers through Community Supported Agriculture. Sea Dog Brewing Company, 2 pm.
March 21-Home and Small Scale Greenhouse Program,
UMaine Cooperative Extension, Piscataquis County, Dover-Foxcroft. 10-noon.
Pre-registration required
, $10.
March 28-31-
Maine Flower Show
, Thompson's Point, Portland. General admission $20, 65+ $15.
April 3,10,17,24-The Able Gardener.
Series of 4 classes discussing strategies, tools, and equipment to make gardening accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Pre-registration required.
$50
April 6-Rural Living Day,
Thorndike Elementary School, 8:30-3 pm, all ages. Free.
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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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