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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July 2022
Fellow gardeners of Central Maine,
Yours,
Donna, Kate, and Laurie
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By Abigail Griffith, Community Education Assistant; David Handley, Small Fruit Specialist, and Kate Garland, Horticulture Professional
Reviewed by: Naomi Jacobs, Master Gardener Volunteer
Harvesting produce at its peak is the best way to achieve optimal flavor, shelf life, and overall quality. Additionally, many crops have improved yields if harvested in a timely manner. Determining the best time to harvest is not always intuitive, but can be simple with a little guidance. This season, we’re offering practical crop-specific harvest tips for the home gardener each month. Additional growing information can be found in the resources linked after certain crops.
Beans
Snap Beans: Harvest snap beans when the pods are still young and tender, but full and firm, about 3 to 4 inches long, or just before the beans begin to bulge and look overly plump. Bulging pods are past their peak and can be fibrous. Ideally, pick about twice a week to ensure a continuous harvest. Avoid handling or harvesting in wet conditions, as this can encourage disease spread. Bush beans will produce most of their crop over a few weeks, while pole beans can keep producing until frost if regularly picked.
Lima beans: Harvest fresh lima beans for shelling when the pod is bright green and firm.
Dry beans: Harvest dry beans when the pods are dry and the beans inside rattle. If cold or rain comes before the beans are fully mature, cut or pull the plants and hang them upside down indoors to dry. Shell the dry beans and store them in a cool, dry place.
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Let's Preserve Snap Beans |
Freezing, canning and pickling are three ways to preserve those delicious green beans you have either grown yourself or gotten from your local farmer.
If you prefer fresh green beans, UMaine Cooperative Extension has some delicious recipes to try for fresh eating.
When freezing, it is necessary to blanch before freezing in order to slow the enzyme action that can cause texture changes, color changes and also cause a change in flavor. Under blanching stimulates the enzyme and is actually worse than not blanching at all.
For canning green beans also called snap beans, a pressure canner must be used to reach the necessary temperature. There is no safe option for processing snap beans in a boiling water canner.
Last but not least is one of my favorites, the "dilly bean" or the "pickled dill bean." The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a tested recipe for preparing them.
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Hornworms
Hornworms are the caterpillars of a family of moths called sphinx moths or hawk moths (Sphingidae). The caterpillars are so-named for the prominent horny spike that protrudes up from the end of the abdomen, and the hornworm caterpillar most likely to be seen in the home garden in Maine is the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. It feeds on the leaves and stems of primarily tomato in our part of the country but there are additional plants from the Solanaceae family that it will eat as well, such as eggplant, pepper, potato, and, of course, in the southern US, tobacco, for which it is named and for which it is very economically significant. It is pale green in color (sometimes brown), and is a master of camouflage, allowing it to go largely unnoticed by human eyes until it is full size or close to full size (roughly three to four inches long).
Another hornworm that is similar enough to the tobacco hornworm to cause a lot of people to confuse the two–and which shares many of the same host plants–is the tomato hornworm, Manduca quinquemaculata (pictured above beside a tobacco hornworm). However, though both species feed frequently on tomato, the tomato hornworm is encountered by Maine homeowners far less often than is the tobacco hornworm, which can be readily identified by seven straight, white lines on its body and a red horn compared to “V“-shaped white markings and a black horn found on the tomato hornworm.
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How often should I water my vegetable garden?
Question:
We live in South Portland and there is a drought at the moment. How often should we water our vegetable garden?
Answer:
Ideally, 1.25 to 1.5 inches of rain per week is enough for most gardens. A rain gauge can help you decide when to water.
It’s good to get water down to 5-6 inches of soil depth, but there are a lot of factors at play: your soil type (sand or clay), how much organic matter your soil has in it, what growth stage your plants are in, whether you have raised beds, whether your garden is mulched, how much sun and wind there is, etc.
When watering, it’s better to water deeply but less often; this encourages plant roots to move further down into the soil. Since roots need oxygen, never keep your soil saturated.
Another important tip is to water at the base of the plant (rather than on the leaves) to prevent disease. This is especially important for tomatoes.
How to Water your Garden is a new video we’ve just produced that will give you more info and strategies for dealing with this drought.
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By JESSICA DAMIANO Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Many people try to save water just to do the right thing (and save money too). But when serious drought hits, and state and local governments enforce restrictions, water conservation becomes non-negotiable.
So far this summer, nearly 65% of the United States and Puerto Rico is experiencing “abnormally dry” weather, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Almost 43% of those locations are contending with “moderate” drought, and nearly 47% with “severe,” “extreme” or “exceptional” drought. That means more than 109 million people are living under drought conditions.
And a lot of them have plants or yards to worry about.
Unfortunately, it’s a little late in the season to begin trying two of the best ways to conserve water in the garden. First, rain barrels and other rain harvesting methods are of little use when there’s no rain to fill them. Second, xeriscaping, the practice of planting drought-tolerant plants, many of them native to a region, works only if those plants are already in place. Consider both for next year.
Native plants are well-adapted to their climate and more tolerant of adverse conditions like drought. In California, for instance, where roughly 98% of the state is experiencing drought, plants like California poppy, California fuchsia, California lilac and manzanita are among the best native xeriscape plants to use.
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Blooming Now In the Woodlands |
Fireweed
Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose Family)
Genus: Epilobium | Species: angustifolium
Description: This 2 to 6-ft. tall plant has a showy flower that is often the subject of many of Maine’s postcards and calendar photos. It has a terminal, spike-like cluster of deep pink/light purple flowers and narrow willow-like leaves on a tall stem. The flowers–very popular with bumblebees, hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths–are about an inch wide and have four spreading petals. There are eight stamens and a four-parted stigma at the tip of the style. The leaves are up to eight inches long, lanceolate to linear. [hardy perennial]
Habitat: Roadsides, recently cleared woodlands (especially burned-over areas, which is how it got its name);
In Bloom: July – August
Photo: A hummingbird moth drinking nectar from a fireweed flower (the moths resemble small hummingbirds) (also called sphinx moths)
Photos by C. Armstrong
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When is Hardneck Garlic Ready to Harvest?
By David Fuller, Extension Professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Knowing when to harvest hardneck garlic can be a bit tricky since the bulb is below ground. Garlic harvested too soon will not be full size and will not store well. On the other hand, the outer protective wrappers on over mature garlic break down, leaving exposed cloves that are unattractive and may negatively impact storage.
Physical clues the garlic plant shows helps to determine when harvest time is just right. One indicator is the browning of the three lowermost leaves on the garlic plant. These leaves should be entirely brown. The leaves above will still be in various stages of green. Another plant sign is the flower stalk, or scape. The scape will have undergone all of its coiling and uncoiling and will just be standing straight up when the garlic is ready to harvest. Although leaving garlic scapes on your plants will reduce the size of your harvested bulbs, it is a good idea to leave a few as a harvest indicator. It’s also fun to watch the development of the umbel, which bears bulbils and often flower parts.
The harvest window for garlic is relatively short. Using the two indicators above will leave you with about 10-12 days to harvest your garlic at its best.
Remember to quickly dry your garlic crop so that it will be less prone to fungal disease and will store better as a result.
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New Garden Resources to Meet New Needs
Timely UMaine Extension Publications
- 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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