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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February 2022
Fellow gardeners of Central Maine,
Yours,
Donna, Kate, and Laurie
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Pollinator-Friendly Garden Certification Program |
In Maine and New Hampshire, we have many different kinds of pollinators, such as bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds, all of which need our help! Both native and domestic pollinator populations are declining, affected by habitat loss, climate change, and contact with pesticides. UMaine and UNH Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are taking action to protect pollinators by planting pollinator-friendly gardens and educating the gardening public. You can join this effort by providing food and habitat for native insects and animals. Pollinators will, in turn, provide the pollination needed to protect our plant diversity and food sources. Certifying your property or garden as “Pollinator-Friendly” will help support a healthy ecosystem for our community and our future, and will help to spread the word about the importance of pollinators.
We'd love to hear from you! Please let us know if you have any questions or comments about the Pollinator-Friendly Garden Certification.
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A number of off-brand lids were marketed last fall. Some of these may create a vacuum seal. However, anecdotal reports from home canners tell us that many of these have higher rates of seal failure. If you choose to use them, follow the manufacturer's directions for preparing and using the lids. It would be good to check the lids for quality (or lack of quality) signs. Is the sealing compound uniformly applied? Is the metal disk symmetrical and the metal evenly coated?
Consumers have reported buying what they thought was a major brand of lid online, only to discover they were counterfeit. Minor changes to the labeling of the box and print on the lid itself alerted the brand name manufacturer to the problem. Unfortunately, consumers ended up with lids that did not seal.
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Updates to Maine's Invasive Plants List |
Most home gardeners have had to do battle with plants that refuse to stay within bounds, whether rhizomatic spreaders like bishop’s weed, creeping bellflower, and Japanese knotweed, or rampant self-seeders like barberry, buckthorn, and Norway maple. Invasive plants are not native members of Maine ecosystems. They have the potential to invade natural habitats and overwhelm valuable native species, causing economic as well as ecological damage.
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Maine Maple Syrup Sunday March 27, 2022 |
Maine Maple Sunday®
Always the fourth Sunday in March! Maine Maple Sunday® is a long-standing tradition where Maine's Maple producers open their doors to their sweet operations for a day of educational demonstrations, Sugarbush tours, fun family activities and samplings of syrup and other great maple products.
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Propagating Trees and Shrubs in the Winter Months |
March 7, 2022
6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
We all know that from an acorn a mighty oak can grow but did you know there was another way to start a tree? Creating new plants from cuttings is an inexpensive and fun gardening project that can take place even in the winter months and is often not as challenging as you would suspect. Certain trees and shrubs are best propagated from cuttings taken in late winter or early spring while plants are still dormant. Dr. Bryan Peterson will share suggestions on which plants to propagate this time of year, essential tools and supplies, and best practices for success.
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Piscataquis Regional Food Center (PRFC) is partnering with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Piscataquis County Office for the second year to bring the Garden in a Box learning program to the region. Garden in a Box aims to bring gardening know-how and enthusiasm to people with limited mobility, small space, or lack of resources.
Sign-ups to be a Garden in a Box participant are limited but many of the program resources will be available to the general public through local libraries that plan to host the Garden in a Box resource binder and a demo garden. In addition, a 5-part Garden in a Box education series will take place at Thompson Free Library, Dover-Foxcroft. These presentations are free and open to everyone.
Tips and Tricks for Garden Chores
March 24, 2022, 6 pm at Thompson Free Library, Dover-Foxcroft
Learn how to plan your day in the garden, proper stretching and lifting techniques, selecting ergonomic tools, adapting existing tools to improve their ergonomics, designing your garden to match your abilities and much more! Adapted from Episode #9 of Victory Garden for ME.
To learn more about the program or to sign up to be a Gardener, visit prfoodcenter.org/garden-in-a-box or call Kazia Knepp, PRFC Community Food Services Coordinator at (207) 802-8230. If you are interested in becoming a Garden Coach, please contact Laurie Bowen, UMaine Extension Food Systems Program Assistant at (207) 942-7396.
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On Demand Webinar Bundles |
The On Demand Webinars series includes bundles of three to four prerecorded webinars about starting and maintaining a home orchard, gardening with native plants, composting and soil health, and seed selection and starting. The webinars allow viewers to watch and learn at their own pace and include lists of recommended resources.
The webinar bundles are offered on a sliding scale fee of $0–$30. More information about how to purchase the bundles is available on the gardening webpage. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Rebecca Long, 207.743.6329; extension.gardening@maine.edu.
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New Garden Resources to Meet New Needs
- Timely UMaine Extension Publications
- Bulletin #7036, How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup
- Bulletin #4300, Steps to Organizing Your Community Garden
- Bulletin #1075 Tarping in the Northeast: A Guide for Small Farms
- Webinars & Videos
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Garden Chats: Growing Resilience From the Ground Up- You may have missed the live Zoom presentations, but we've rounded up fact sheets for each week's discussion for your reference
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Victory Garden for ME series: videos for first time vegetable gardeners
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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.
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Free Distance Nutrition Education Classes through UMaine Extension Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program is free to income eligible adults with children or your adults and if you are eligible for programs such as SNAP, WIC, or Head Start.
- Other
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Garden Mentorship Program: direct technical assistance and encouragement via phone or email throughout the season from trained Master Gardener Volunteers
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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.
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Learn at Home: Educational Resources to Use During School Closures: 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.
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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.
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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
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Identifying insect pests: Charley Armstrong, will identify pest samples via images. See instructions for submitting an insect specimen.
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Identifying plant diseases: Dr. Alicyn Smart will identify plant disease samples via images. See instructions for submitting a sample.
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Tick testing: Ticks are being tested on a limited basis. See instructions for submitting a tick sample.
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Publication orders: We are still processing orders from our publication catalog, including pesticide application training materials.
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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.
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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.
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Extension Programs in other states:
If you find a great program when you're poking around online, let me know so I can share with your fellow gardeners: donna.coffin@maine.edu
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Garden Organizations and Allies
Click the links to learn more, find a chapter near you, and get involved.
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Master Gardener Volunteers
Guidelines for Master Gardener Volunteers (Updated 6/8/21):
Reminder for MGV
Check out Kate Garland's information about the "Take Five" Winter Walk Series for Master Gardeners starting in January that was sent to MGVs in a separate email.
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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
Photos: Edwin Remsberg, Donna Coffin, or Laurie Bowen unless other listed.
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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Professor
Kate Garland, Extension Horticulturist
Laurie Bowen, Food Systems Program 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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