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...
- Pollinators and Pests
- Skill Share
- Organizations and Allies
- Extension Resources
- Mission and Quick Links
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This is the time to...
By Kate Garland, Horticulturist, UMaine Extension Penobscot County
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs before they develop flower buds for next season. Examples include azalea, flowering quince, deutzia, forsythia, lilac, cornelian cherry dogwood, bridalwreath spirea, rhododendron, and many viburnums. Although pruning in winter does not damage these plants, doing so eliminates many of the flowers for that season. Several shrubs may produce a second flowering if they are lightly pruned just after their early summer flowering. The success of this technique greatly depends on plant type, plant vigor, and season length (it is less successful in northern Maine’s cool, short summers). Learn more.
- Visit a pick-your-own berry, flower or vegetable farm. Farmers are working hard to keep everyone safe. Please get your farm info before you go, wear a mask around others, give each other space, keep your group as small as possible, stay home if you feel sick, follow the farm’s rules, and don’t eat until you get home. Find a farm here.
- Be ready to capture that local bounty with four new food preservation webinars from UMaine Extension staff. These 45-minute sessions are full of useful ways to preserve local food with safety and flavor in mind.
New topics for July include:
- July 7 – Quick-Pack Cucumber Pickles
- July 14 – Fermented Cucumber Pickles
- July 21 – All Things Green Beans: Pressure Canning and Freezing
- July 28 – Freezing Maine Seafood.
Registration is required
; a $5 donation per session is optional. If you can’t attend the session live, register to receive the follow-up email with recipes, resources, and the link to the webinar recording. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, call or email Kate McCarty at 207.781.6099 or
kate.mccarty@maine.edu
.
- Make the commitment to establish drip irrigation. While it might be challenging to install irrigation around existing plants this year, now is a very good time to assess your irrigation needs and take measurements and develop a layout for a future watering system. If it seems to be an overwhelming task, plan the project in phases by designing and installing one “zone” at a time.
- Propagate softwood cuttings (PDF) of select woody plants. Examples of plants that root well from cuttings at this stage of growth include serviceberry, forsythia, weigela, various dogwoods, viburnum, lilac, summersweet, Japanese maples, and flowering quince.
- Plant crops now for a fall harvest. Beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, leafy greens, turnip, summer squash, cucumber, and peas are among the crops that can be planted in July. While you’re at it, plan ahead to use season extension strategies this fall.
- Monitor your garden frequently and have your concerns identified before using any pesticides. Catching problems early and determining the pest or environmental conditions causing the symptoms will make management much more efficient and effective. Extension staff and volunteers are very happy to help!
- Remove garlic scapes just below the bulbil capsule. Keep up with weeding and irrigating garlic. Harvest and enjoy the scapes. UMaine Extension research has shown that bulb size is reduced by up to 54% if scapes are not removed. Young scapes are more tender than their older counterparts.
- Learn more about how to support pollinators. “Choosing Native Plants for Pollinators” will be the first of our summer gardening webinar series. Registration is required; a $5 donation per session is optional. If you can’t attend the session live, register to receive the link to the webinar recording. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, call or email Pamela Hargest at 207.781.6099 or pamela.hargest@maine.edu.
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Bees of Maine: Family Melittidae (Melittids and Oil Collecting Bees) Family Andrenidae
(Miner and Sand Bees)
By Jennifer Lund, Maine State Apiarist, Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Division of Animal and Plant Health
(photo by Megan Leach)
Nearly 4,000 bee species have been identified in the United States. Maine has more than 270, representing six families. This is the third of a series of articles where we explore the types of bees found in Maine and learn about their biology, foraging preferences, and nesting requirements.
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Gardener Confessions: Mistakes, We’ve Made a Few… (Part 1)
By Nancy Donovan, Oxford County Master Gardener (with input from fellow gardeners who shall remain nameless to protect their reputation)
When I moved into my new home 12 years ago, I decided I wanted to grow some of my own food, I had no desire for a lawn, and I wanted to surround myself with lots of color. I began my adventure by purchasing clothes specifically for gardening, multiple tools, and a two-wheeled wheelbarrow. So far, this gardening stuff was really fun. A trip to the garden center left me overwhelmed. There were at least a dozen types of tomatoes with some labeled “determinate” and some “indeterminate” (those two words were not in my vocabulary), several varieties of cucumbers and squash, ground covers, and plants of various heights and bloom times and sunlight requirements. Not to mention a dizzying array of fertilizers, composts, mulches, soil amendments, and concoctions for preventing various plant diseases and for killing pests. It did not take long to figure out that looking spiffy was not going to guarantee success.
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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
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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While University of Maine Cooperative Extension buildings are CLOSED until further notice in an effort to ensure the health and safety of the community, and to help stem the spread of the Coronavirus, we are still here to help! Here are a few ways we’re available:
New Resources to Meet New Needs
You may have missed the live Zoom presentations, but we've rounded up fact sheets for each week's discussion for your reference
- Victory Garden for ME series: videos for first time vegetable gardeners
- 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.
- Garden Mentorship Program: direct technical assistance and encouragement via phone or email throughout the season from trained Master Gardener Volunteers
- 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.
- Learn at Home: Educational Resources to Use During School Closures: With novel coronavirus closing schools across Maine for several weeks, UMaine Extension has assembled a collection of helpful educational resources for parents and caregivers. 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Identifying insect pests: Clay Kirby, Associate Scientist/Insect Diagnostician, will identify pest samples via images. See instructions for submitting an insect specimen.
- Identifying plant diseases: Dr. Alicyn Smart will identify plant disease samples via images. See instructions for submitting a sample.
- Tick testing: Ticks are being tested on a limited basis. See instructions for submitting a tick sample.
- Publication orders: We are still processing orders from our publication catalog, including pesticide application training materials.
- 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.
- 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. Since most staff are working remotely, there may be a slight delay in response time to messages. Thank you for your patience.
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Master Gardener Volunteers
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All in-person Master Gardener Volunteer-related activities are suspended until further notice, including, but not limited to: plant sales, meetings, gleanings, demonstration garden maintenance, and workdays.
Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we are encouraging all of our volunteers to stay home and practice social distancing as recommended by the CDC. We will not be approving any volunteer hours that require Master Gardener Volunteers to travel or be present on-site of a garden project while in-person activities are suspended.
There will be modifications made to the volunteer hour reporting requirements for all new and existing Master Gardener Volunteers in the near future. Please contact your MGV Coordinator if you have any questions and/or concerns. The situation will continually be assessed and updates will be provided to all active Master Gardener Volunteers and partner organizations.
(updated 3/24/20)
Catch up on reporting your hours while you're observing stay-at-home directives:
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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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