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Your Monthly News & Updates
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February is the month to...
Do whatever you did in January, but with more light in your day!
Keep feeding the birds! Winter's far from over. Check out Bird Feeding Basics for tips and recipes.
Narrow down your seed orders! Vegetable Varieties for Maine can help your decision-making process. Brush up on Seed Saving facts before you order if you're thinking about saving seeds next year. Many seed catalogs are excellent references and contain a wealth of information. Most of you are likely pretty savvy, but here's a brief primer of common terms you may encounter in your perusals: Seed Catalogs Made Easy.
Test germination rates! If you have leftover seed from years past, or saved seed from your own garden, you should consider testing the germination of the seed you have saved. Check out the section on "Storing Seed" in UMaine Cooperative Extension's Seed Saving publication.
Start thinking about starting seeds! Check out UMaine Cooperative Extension's bulletin Starting Seeds at Home. Download the plans and materials list for a seedling stand here. Learn more about the science of plant propagation here.
Enter a coloring contest (deadline is February 28)! Fedco Seeds, famous for their exceptionally informative, but monochromatic, catalog has challenged customers to color this year's cover image "Magic Molly." Download a copy and print it out, use your favorite media, and send it to Fedco Coloring Contest, PO Box 520, Clinton ME 04927. You could win a $200, $100, or $50 gift certificate from Fedco!
Try new recipes! UMaine Cooperative Extension has a wealth of information on food safety, preparation, and preservation. Explore Recipes, Nutrition, and Eat Well's most recent newsletter (check out the archive here). Maine apples are still available at farmers' markets and grocery stores. Learn more about varieties and how to use them here.
Make sure your sugaring equipment is clean and ready to go! Clean sap collection equipment with a solution of 20:1 water:unscented bleach, and triple rinse with hot water. Do not use household detergents on any sap collection or syrup-making equipment. Read more from Penn State Extension here.
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Upcoming Events and Activities-
Do you know of a class, activity, or event that may interest gardeners in Piscataquis, Penobscot, or Somerset Counties? Please forward information to trisha.smith1@maine.edu for possible inclusion in our next newsletter.
- February 3-Seed swap and scion exchange, 6 pm, Abbott Memorial Library, Dexter. FMI call Sam at 277-4221
- February 10-Rural Maine's Next Economy, 55 speakers, 10 workshops from Envision Maine. 8a-4:40p, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor. $75 conference fee includes lunch.
- February 11-Beginning Beekeeping, 10am-4pm, MOFGA Education Center, Unity.
- February 11-Backyard Sugaring, 9-noon, free. Tessiers Farm, Skowhegan.
- February 11 (snow date February 18)- Winter Family Day, 3-6 pm, Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Old Town
- February 17 (snow date February 24)- Rural Energy Workshop, 9-2, Dover-Foxcroft. $30 registration includes coffee, snacks, and lunch. Please pre-register with Joanna, Lynn, or Heidi at PSWCD 564-2321, ext. 3.
- March 4-Spring Growth Conference: Soil Microbiology -9a-4p, MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. $75 for individuals, $100 for couples; $25 for students and apprentices; free for MOFGA Journeypersons.
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March 11-Winter Family Fun Day, 11a-3p,
Lily Bay State Park, Beaver Cove (north of Greenville). $1.50 admission for those 12-64. Kids and seniors free. FMI: (207) 695-2700
- March 15-Maine Vegetable and Fruit School, 8:30-4 pm, Bangor Motor Inn Conference Center. $45 course fee, 3 pesticide applicator re-certification credits offered.
- March 18 & 25, April 1 & 8-Pruning Woody Landscape Plants Course, 8:30-noon, UMaine Cooperative Extension Hancock County, Ellsworth. $55 course fee. Register online.
- May 8-12-Maine Composts! Week-Travis Blackmer, UMaine School of Economics, is looking for composting sites willing to open their facilities for students to learn about composting. To find out more, email travis.blackmer@umaine.edu.
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Making Maple Syrup from Backyard Trees
We have already heard about some folks in southern Maine tapping their Maple trees this year to get an early start on the sugar season. Soon it will be our time in central Maine.
Making Maple Syrup from your own Maple trees can be a fun early spring activity for the home gardener. Here are some of the basics
1. Be sure you are tapping Sugar Maple trees (Acer saccharum) to get the best yield.
2. Tap spouts with the appropriate sized drill bit (usually 7/16 inch.) Holes should be drilled 1-1/2 inch deep with a slight upward angle so the sap will flow out readily. Tap the spout in lightly.
3. Hang your food grade bucket the the hook of the spout. Or some folks use a plastic tubing.
4. Buckets should be emptied at least once a day to prevent spoilage. It will take about 10 gallons of sap to produce 1 quart of syrup. Average amount of sap per tap is five to 15 gallons.
5. Boil down the majority of the moisture outside in a shallow pan! Completing the whole process in the kitchen will result in the wallpaper pealing off the walls due to the steam. The syrup can be finished in the kitchen.
6. The sap is syrup when it reaches 7.1 degrees F above the temperature of the boiling point of water. Hint, the boiling point of water varies a great deal from 212 degrees so boil a pan of water and take the temperature to be sure.
7. The syrup should be canned hot (185 degrees F) using canning jars. It is best if you filter first to remove "sugar sand." Store in a cool, dry place. After the container is open the syrup should be refrigerated.
Source: How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup #7036.
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Invasive Plant Rules in Effect
New rules prohibit sale of 33 invasive
terrestrial plants
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Acer platanoides 'Crimson King' Oregon State University Photo |
AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) has adopted rules to prohibit the sale and distribution of thirty-three terrestrial plants that were deemed invasive. The plants were reviewed by a specially-convened committee of horticulture professionals, land managers, foresters, wildlife biologists and other
scientists. The new rule went into effect on January 14, 2017, but the prohibition of sales does not begin until January 1, 2018.
"The plants on this list have invaded farms, f
ields,
forests and wetlands throughout the state," said Commissio
ner Walt
Whitcomb. "Although
many were originally
promoted with good intentions, such as the prevention of soi
l erosion or to
support wildlife, they have spread throughout Maine to the detriment of native
species. In many
places they have
come to dominate
forests, wetlands, fields and local landscapes, excluding native plants that support our
economy and na
tural areas."
"The Maine Forest Service, Public Lands and the Natural Areas Program have joined with the Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources to locate and eradicate invasive plant and animal species,' said Doug Denico, Maine State Forester. "The Public Lands are a major focus of current efforts, with education of the public also a critical undertaking in order to extend the department's statewide effectiveness."
"All but three of the prohibited plants have been, or continue to be sold in the nursery trade, said Gary Fish, Maine State Horticulturist. "Some of them have already been discontinued by nurseries which recognized their harmful potential. Three are not intentionally sold, but are "horticultural hitchhikers" which sprout as weeds in the pots and rootballs of plants sold in the nursery trade. A few of the plants are still in some demand, including Japanese barberry, burning bush, privet and Norway maple, especially the 'Crimson King' variety. Maine nurseries and garden centers will have until January 1, 2018, to sell stock already on hand."
Many non-invasive alternatives are available to help
homeowners and nursery professionals satisfy their landscape needs without
using the invasive plants on the list.
A copy of the rules and the plant list are found on the DACF website. There is also a list of resources to help find alternative plants. You may also find UMaine Extension's publication
Gardening to Conserve Maine's Landscape: Plants to Use and Plants to Avoid useful.
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In the coming months we'll be sharing updates about the great work University of Maine Cooperative Extension Master Gardener and Maine Harvest for Hunger volunteers are doing in Central Maine. In 2016, our Penobscot, Piscataquis and Somerset County team:
- volunteered over 10,200 hours,
- donated over 70,000 lbs of fresh produce,
- and involved 520 youth in planting projects.
Their work supported:
- 40 food pantries, shelters, and free meal sites
- 13 community gardens
- 16 school gardens
- 18 demonstration gardens
- 21 youth programs
- 4 programs supporting seniors
- 7 gleaning sites
Join us!
Contact your local UMaine Cooperative Extension office to learn more about how you can help.
Master Gardener Volunteers,
Please be sure to let us know about your great work by reporting your hours using the appropriate online form below. Reporting can happen anytime, but is especially helpful if done before our annual reporting deadline of September 30th. If you have questions or troubles with the form, simply contact your local MGV coordinator. It's very important that our county, state, and federal funders are able to know about your efforts. Please choose the form for the county where you were trained.
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Reader Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
This section is for you, our readers, to share some of your favorite gardening "hacks." Send your clever ideas to
trisha.smith1@maine.edu. We may not post all submissions depending on the volume we receive.
If you have a big garden, you might use a mechanical seeder. A good seeder can save you time, conserve seed, and reduce the need for thinning, but it may need calibration. A good way to do this is to spread a white sheet on the floor, load your seeder, and check that it's doing its job. Adjustments can be made accordingly.
Thanks to
Ripley Farm for this great tip!
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The Maine Food System, What's That?
University of Maine Cooperative Extension helps support, sustain, and grow the $3.9 billion food-based economy in Maine. We are the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. Read more here.
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| Graphic by Michael Mendoza |
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If you eat, you are part of the Maine Food System!
You may also be growing food for yourself and/or others, supporting farmers' markets and CSAs, volunteering at food cupboards, community meals, or soup kitchens. If you aren't, we're trying to make it easier for you to get involved.
Organizations that address food insecurity with distributions of free food and meals exist in most communities. Many welcome volunteers as well as donations of food, including fresh garden produce in season. Access to refrigeration and timing of food distributions can limit an organization's ability to accept donations. It is best to contact them first. With this in mind, we aim to provide a comprehensive list of these organizations. Please do not hesitate to email trisha.smith1@maine.edu with additional or corrected information.
The Maine Food Atlas is an interactive mapping project created by the Maine Network of Community Food Councils and the Center for Community GIS. Explore or even contribute-The Maine Food Atlas relies on individuals to submit and update listings.
Click here to see a list of organizations tackling food insecurity in Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Somerset Counties.
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Organizations of Interest
Click the links to learn more, find a chapter near you, and get involved.
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.
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 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.
Maine State Beekeepers Association
Northern Penobscot County Beekepers Association
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.
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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Mission
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.
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Quick Links
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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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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
The goal of the Central Maine Gardening Newsletter is to connect gardeners with resources and events that encourage and inform.
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T
he 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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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
307 Maine Ave. Bangor, ME 04401 207-942-7396 or 800-287-1485
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Open Monday, Thursday, Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm,
Open By-chance on Wednesday
, Closed Tuesday
165 East Main St. Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491
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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
7 County Drive Skowhegan, ME 04976-3117 Phone: 207.474.9622 or 800.287.1495 (in Maine)
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