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 | |
|
June 2023
Fellow gardeners of Central Maine,
How you care for your home garden and landscape makes a difference, and the UMaine Cooperative Extension Home Horticulture team is here to support you! Check out this month's Maine Home Garden News for the full articles linked in this newsletter, plus more! Subscribe here to get Maine Home Garden News in your inbox every month!
Happy planting!
Yours,
Kate and Laurie
| |
INSECTS FEED BABY BIRDS
Author(s)
Terasa Lott, State Coordinator, SC Master Gardener Program, Clemson Extension
May 11, 2020
As a backyard bird enthusiast, I find watching the bluebird’s life cycle unfold in my yard to be fascinating. Each year, I anxiously await bluebird nesting season and feel a sense of accomplishment when another brood has fledged, even though my role in their life was minimal. I simply provided a nest box while the parents constructed the nest, incubated the eggs, and tended to the young.
Backyard birdwatchers know just what seed or suet to put out to entice certain birds to their yards, but insects are also an important food source. You may be surprised to learn that ninety-six percent of all terrestrial bird species rear their young on insects. Flies, beetles, and crickets may be on the menu but caterpillars are particularly important. This means if you hope to have bird reproduction occurring in your backyard, your yard needs to sustain a healthy insect population. When I say healthy, I mean large numbers, considering more than 5,000 caterpillars are needed for just a single clutch of chickadees (which incidentally, might also find a bluebird nest box to be desirable real estate).
So how do you go about supporting insects, especially caterpillars in your yard? The answer is native plants. Your landscape doesn’t need to be 100% native, so there’s still room for turfgrass for your kids to play or a special hand-me-down plant that holds sentimental value. You want to strive for 70% native. Research on Carolina chickadees found that populations could only be sustained when non-native plants represented 30% or less of the landscape’s vegetation.
Why are natives so important? It’s all about relationships. Many plant-eating insects can only eat species with which they have co-evolved, hence native plants for native insects. Plants have defenses, and native insects are not often equipped for dealing with the defenses of non-native plants.
You might also need to change your philosophy to be more tolerant of insect “damage”. Let’s think about the monarch caterpillar, which feeds exclusively on milkweed. While it might seem alarming to have your garden milkweed reduced to nubs, great things are happening. Your yard is supporting a native plant which is supporting a native insect, which is supporting native birds.
Plant selection can be a daunting task, but Clemson Extension has resources to help. HGIC 1852 An Introduction to Native Plants for South Carolina Landscapes provides some basic information along with the website for Clemson’s Carolina Yards Program. Within the Carolina Yards website, you’ll find a plant database that can help you make more informed decisions when it comes to adding plants to your landscape.
If this document didn’t answer your questions, please contact HGIC at hgic@clemson.edu or 1-888-656-9988.
| | | |
Growing Gardeners: Summertime Garden Fun
Helen Erdner
Master Gardener, Butler County
Summer is a great time to explore all of the fun that backyards and gardens have to offer.
Those lazy summer days can offer the perfect opportunity to learn more about what goes on in your backyard and to do some fun activities as a family!
Flower Pressing
Pressing flowers is a practice that dates back to ancient civilizations. In 16th century Japan pressed flowers were used to make large pictures known as Oshibana. As trade with Japan increased, people in Europe became fascinated with flower pressing, and it became a favorite pastime. Some people saved pressed flowers for sentimental reasons, while others kept botanical journals. Many of these pressed flower items are still in existence today. Flower pressing is a fun activity for kids. You can use the pressed flowers to make bookmarks and sun catchers, keep them in a journal, or use them for many other art projects.
Read more...
| |
Bulletin #2067, Growing Strawberries
Prepared by David T. Handley, vegetable and small fruit specialist, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Table of Contents:
Strawberries are an excellent crop for both home gardeners and commercial farmers in New England. With proper care, strawberry beds will produce good crops for three to five years, beginning one year after planting. An initial planting of 100 plants should provide enough fruit for a family of four, with a surplus to freeze or make preserves.
Selecting a Planting Site
Choose your planting site carefully. Strawberries grow best in deep, sandy loam soil, rich in organic matter. The soil must be well drained. Keep away from areas that remain wet late into the spring. The site should receive full sunlight and have a gradual slope. This helps prevent frost injury by allowing cold air to drain away from the plants.
Do not plant strawberries where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplant have been grown in the past four years. These crops carry the root rot fungus Verticillium, which also attacks strawberries. In addition, do not plant strawberries into recently plowed grass sod areas. This can lead to devastating weed problems and damage by white grubs, a common turf pest that will feed upon strawberry roots.
Finally, choose a site where there is ready access to a water supply. Irrigation is important for good plant growth during dry periods, and can also be used to prevent frost injury in the spring.
Preparing the Soil
Getting a site ready for strawberry planting may take up to two years, depending upon its present condition. Have the soil tested for pH and fertility levels. Strawberries prefer a soil pH of 5.8 to 6.2; this may require applications of ground limestone to increase the pH of more acid soils. Soil testing information is available at your local UMaine Extension County Office.
If the organic matter level of the soil is low and/or perennial weeds are a problem, cover crops such as buckwheat or oats can be sown and plowed into the soil before going to seed. There should be time for two sowings in a single season. Applications of barnyard manure or compost and regular tilling for a full season may be used as an alternative to cover crops.
In the spring of the planting year, broadcast 20 pounds of 10-10-10 garden fertilizer per 1,000 square feet of the site. Cultivate the soil to incorporate the fertilizer and break up any clumps or clods several days before planting. Organic fertilizer sources such as compost, manures, sul-po-mag, and rock phosphate may be used in place of synthetic fertilizers. Apply enough of these materials to deliver two pounds each of nitrogen, phosphorus (P2O5) and potassium (K2O) per 1,000 square feet.
Read more...
| |
Bulletin #4047, Let’s Preserve Strawberries
Bulletin #4047, Let’s Preserve Strawberries (PDF)
Developed by Penn State Cooperative Extension with special project funds from Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu.
Find more of our publications and books at extension.umaine.edu/publications/.
Some Recommended Varieties
Allstar, Earliglow, Guardian, Sparkle, Tribute, and Tristar are usually excellent-quality berries for freezing. Most other varieties are suitable, especially for making jams and eating fresh.
Quantity
A 24-quart crate weighs 36 pounds and yields 18 to 24 quarts. An average of 1 pound makes 1 pint of frozen berries.
Quality
Freeze strawberries or preserve them on the day they are harvested for best quality. They should be picked when they reach an ideal maturity for eating fresh. Select berries with fresh sweet flavor, deep uniform color, and firm texture. Smaller, misshapen, and seedy berries make good quality jams.
Berry Preparation
Remove caps. Wash 1 to 2 quarts at a time and drain. Do not soak berries.
Freezing Procedure
Don’t freeze more than 2 pounds of food per cubic foot of freezer capacity per day. To make a syrup pack, mix and dissolve 3 cups of sugar in 4 cups of water. Add 1 cup of this syrup per quart of prepared fruit. To make a dry pack, mix 2/3 cup dry sugar per quart of prepared fruit. To package, fill pint or quart freezer bags to a level of 3 to 4 inches from top, carefully squeeze out air, leave 1 inch of headspace, seal, label, and freeze. Before freezing, bags may be inserted into reusable rigid freezer containers for added protection against punctures and leakage.
Read more...
| |
Slugs and Snails
Home and Garden IPM from Cooperative Extension
17 Godfrey Drive
Orono, Maine 04473-3692
Both slugs and snails are members of the mollusk phylum and are similar in biology, except slugs lack the snail’s external, spiral shell. Slugs and snails are most active at night and on cloudy or overcast days. On sunny days they seek hiding places out of the heat and bright light. Slugs and snails overwinter mostly as eggs, but adults can survive Maine winters, if they hide in areas protected from freezing.
Management: An effective slug and snail management program relies on an integrated approach in which multiple control methods are used. Slugs and snails need moist areas, protection from sun and wind, and nourishment to speed their growth and increase populations. Good sanitation can deprive them of most of these needs. Removing boards, rocks, logs, leaves and dense growth helps. It is also wise to minimize shaded areas, rock walls, rock gardens, or forested borders and leave bare ground or close-cropped grass next to vegetable or flower beds. Slugs avoid crawling over anything dry, dusty or scratchy, such as lime, road dust, diatomaceous earth, cinders, coarse sawdust, gravel or sand. It is also reported that hydrated lime repels slugs. Remember, however, lime effects the pH of soil. Never use salt as it ruins soil for most plant growth. A metal fly screen, 4 inches wide, placed on edge and partly embedded in soil for support, keeps slugs out of an area. Boards, bark, or other materials not less than six inches square make effective traps when placed in gardens. Each morning you can gather the slugs from under the traps and destroy them. Slugs can be kept from potted plants by placing the pots on boards or other supports over water in a pan. Alternatively, wrapping stems with cotton batting may keep slugs off plants. Copper tape is commercially available as a slug barrier and is especially effective in raised bed plantings. Slugs are attracted to and drown in shallow dishes containing beer or baker’s yeast dissolved in water. Set the top edges of the dish at ground level and cover loosely with a board so slugs can easily get into the mixture. Iron phosphate and metaldehyde baits* are effective in controlling slugs. A perimeter treatment of deltamethrin can also be effective. Be sure to read the pesticide label carefully for information on bait placement and permissible crops. It is best to read the label even before you purchase the material.
| |
How to Construct a Raised Bed in the Garden
Andy Faust
Master Gardener Area Coordinator
Elizabeth Finlay
Former Master Gardener Area Coordinator
Learn the benefits of raised beds for growing vegetables along with tips and how-to advice for constructing them.
Why Raised Beds?
Raised beds create garden space where useable area is limited or soil is contaminated. Other benefits include a longer growing season, better soil structure and improved drainage. Raised beds built at the proper height are ideal for individuals with physical limitations.
Selecting a Site
When growing vegetables, site the bed in area that receives at least six hours of sunlight. If necessary, remove lower limbs on nearby trees for added light. Note: Do not install a raised bed near black walnut trees, as they produce a toxin that will inhibit growth of vegetables, particularly tomatoes.
The Layout
Locate beds so that plants receive maximum sunlight and do not shade each other. Determine the north/south axis of the site and lay out the beds either in a north/south or east/west direction, not on a diagonal. When incorporating a trellis for vine crops such as cucumbers, beans, or grapes, run it east/west, and locate it at the northern end of the bed. Shortest crops can occupy the southern end. Stake out the beds with garden twine to establish the outer dimensions of the beds and the paths between them.
Building Beds
Raised beds can vary in size depending on the location but they are typically 8 to 12 inches high to allow for adequate root development. They can be constructed using several types of building materials including wood, synthetic lumber, brick, or stone. Line the bed with hardware cloth to prevent burrowing animals like groundhogs from damaging crops.
Read more...
| |
|
Tick Bite Prevention
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
- Wear protective clothing. This includes light colored clothing so that ticks are easy to spot, long sleeves and pants, closed-toe shoes, and tucking pants into socks.
-
Treat clothes with permethrin. Do not use on skin.
- Protect pets. Talk to your veterinarian about tick prevention products for your pets.
- Wear EPA-approved repellent.
- Stay on trails and be aware of tick habitat.
- Check yourself for ticks. Check often during your outdoor activity and when you return to your campsite or home.
Learn about tick ecology, diseases, and prevention measures by watching the Forestry Friday Tick Talk presented by Chuck Lubelczyk, field scientist with Maine Health Institute for Research Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory.
| |
|
Sarah Spencer, Wildlife Biologist, Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Image by Amanda Reed and courtesy of Maine Audubon.
Piping plovers have arrived from their overwintering grounds. On May 1, the nesting pair count was two pairs at Scarborough Beach State Park, one pair at Crescent Beach, eight pairs at Popham Beach, and three pairs at Reid (one at Mile Beach, two at Half Mile). Now there are more pairs, and nests have been established. We’re thankful for our partners at Maine Audubon, who, through an agreement with IF&W, are monitoring these beaches along with more than 20 others across the coastline. You can do your part by staying off the dunes, away from birds foraging on and near the beach, and minding all signs and fencing.
Vernal pools came alive throughout the state in late April and early May, stimulated by the relatively warm rainy nights, which trigger amphibians to wake from their winter slumber under the leaf litter and other rotting material on the forest floor and head to their breeding grounds. For wood frogs, spotted salamanders, and blue-spotted salamanders, this means heading for a vernal pool to find others and reproduce. In southern Maine, this has been happening since early April. For our friends in northern Maine, this ramped up in May. If you’re interested in learning more about vernal pools and their inhabitants, check out Of Pools and People Vernal Pools.
The broad-winged hawks have once again taken up residence in my backyard, plucking twigs and bark from nearby trees to build their nest in the red maple they’ve chosen this year. Peregrine falcons have started nesting at several State Park and Public Land locations across the state. By now, most waterfowl have laid eggs and are in a three-week plus incubation period before the hatchlings will appear in late May or early June. Some species, like wood duck, common goldeneye, and hooded merganser, nest in tree cavities or artificial boxes. Other species, like mallards, black ducks, and ring-necked ducks, will nest on the ground.
In June and July, I’ll take to the water as the sun is rising to count waterfowl and their offspring at several indicator sites throughout the state. Look for my update in August.
~ Sarah Spencer, Wildlife Biologist, Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
| |
The Seed — What a Remarkable Package!
By Richard J. Brzozowski, Retired Extension Educator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Cumberland County
Nearly everyone is familiar with the story of John Chapman or “Johnny Appleseed,” born in 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts, and how he took seeds from a cider press in Pennsylvania, washed them of the pomace, and transported them by canoe to later sow in the wilderness across the country. There are numerous stories and accounts of people in history who brought, spread, and used seeds to the benefit of others. Seeds have played an important role in human history.
Have you ever stopped to wonder how these tiny packages of energy do their thing? Within a seed is an embryonic plant, the beginning of a new generation.
Seeds are borne from two distinct plant classes: Gymnosperms (meaning naked seeds) and Angiosperms (vessels for seeds). Conifers or cone-bearing plants such as pine and hemlock are Gymnosperms as are cycads or palm-like plants. The seeds from Angiosperms are most common to home gardeners because that is typically what we buy, handle, and sow in our gardens to produce flowers, vegetables or herbs. They are flowering plants.
Seeds come in all shapes and sizes depending on the species. Some seeds stay viable for a mere few hours (such as the willow) while others may remain viable for up to 300 years (Oriental Lotus). What a remarkable package!
What triggers a seed to germinate? Adequate moisture, oxygen, and a suitable temperature must exist for germination. Some seeds require light in addition to these conditions to germinate. The process starts by water moving through the seed coat or coats into the embryo. The moisture causes swelling of the seed. The seed coat ruptures and growth begins.
Where does the seed get its energy for growth? Foodstuffs stored in the endosperm or in the cotyledon (first leaves) provide the energy for the first growth before sunlight and photosynthesis takes over.
When you start your seeds this spring or sow seeds in your gardens make the connection to the people and plants that came before us. By gardening, you are playing a part in the continuance of life. Wow! Have you ever reflected on that before?
To learn more about seeds, saving seeds, and sowing seeds, inquire at your local library or perform an Internet search. An interesting reference on seeds, including a variety of articles, is Seeds: The Yearbook of Agriculture (PDF) from USDA.
| |
Firewood - Buy It Where You Burn It! - to Protect Maine's Forests
Please do not give insects a lift - do not move firewood into or within Maine. Buy local and buy it where you burn it.
| |
Maine Residents' Day is June 18
All Maine residents receive free day-use admission to Maine State Parks and Historic Sites* from 9:00 a.m. to closing on Maine Residents' Day, June 18, 2023.
*Please Note:
- No rain date available; day-use only.
- Free admission does not apply to: Acadia National Park, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Baxter State Park, Peacock Beach, the Maine Wildlife Park, Scarborough Beach State Park, Swan Island, the Penobscot River Corridor, or the Penobscot Narrows Observatory in Prospect, though admission to Fort Knox Historic Site will be free that day.
Where will you venture out?
| |
Bulletin #2071, Growing Asparagus in Maine
Developed by Assistant Professor Mark Hutton and Extension Educator Tori Jackson, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu.
Find more of our publications and books at extension.umaine.edu/publications/.
Table of Contents:
History and Uses
Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a perennial crop that originated in Asia Minor but is now grown throughout the world. It has been cultivated for more than 2000 years for culinary and medicinal uses. Wholesome and nutritious, asparagus can be eaten raw or cooked, and is used fresh, frozen, or canned. In Maine, asparagus is one of the most popular early spring vegetables. Harvest in central Maine typically begins in early May.
Botany
The asparagus plant is composed of stems, called ferns, as well as a fleshy crown and an extensive root system. The spear— the portion of the plant that is harvested — is an immature fern. The ferns are the photosynthetically active portion of the plant, which collects light and produces energy. The ferns are not true leaves, but rather modified stems. The crown is a swollen underground stem or rhizome with two types of roots, which are continually replaced: fleshy and fibrous. The fleshy roots act as underground storage organs and survive for two to four years. The fibrous roots absorb water and nutrients and are short-lived.
Read more...
| |
|
Garden & Home Resources
Timely UMaine Extension Publications
#4278 Barbecue and Tailgating Food Safety
#4279 Food Safety for Camping and Hiking
#5047 Ticks
#5108 Insect Repellents
#5110 Mosquito Management
#2188, Pest Management for the Home Vegetable Garden in Maine
#2422, Growing Fruit Trees in Maine, 2nd Edition
#1159 How Compost Happens
#2286 Testing Your Soil
#2367 Establishing a Home Lawn in Maine
#2243 Maintaining a Home Lawn in Maine
#2166 Steps to a Low-Input, Healthy Lawn
#4266 Vegetables and Fruits for Health: Rhubarb
#2514 Growing Rhubarb in Maine
#2068 Growing Peaches in Maine
#4033 Refrigerator Spring Pickles
Request a Soil Testing Kit
- Webinars & Videos
-
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
-
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.
-
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
-
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: 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.
Traditional Services Being Offered in New Ways
-
Identifying insect pests: Charley Armstrong, 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.
| |
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
| |
Garden Organizations and Allies
Click the links to learn more, find a chapter near you, and get involved.
| |
|
Master Gardener Volunteers
Reminder for MGV
to report their time and activities in the on the Master Gardener Volunteer Reporting Volunteer Hours website.
Did you forget the password? Contact laurie.bowen@maine.edu
| |
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.
| |
The goal of the Central Maine Gardening Newsletter is to connect gardeners with resources and events that encourage and inform.
Quick Links
| |
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.
| |  |
|
Contributors
Kate Garland, Extension Horticulturist
katherine.garland@maine.edu
Laurie Bowen, Food Systems Program Assistant
laurie.bowen@maine.edu
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.
| | | |
|
Piscataquis County Office | |
|
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)
| | | | |
