November 2022

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 on the first of every month!

Yours,

Donna, Kate, and Laurie

Wesley Hutchins: Studying and advocating for migrating monarchs

Wesley Hutchins knows how to handle butterflies. The third-year University of Maine undergraduate studying wildlife ecology has spent the past two summers carefully gluing radio transmitters the size of a grain of rice to the abdomen of monarch butterflies, where it won’t get in the way of its wings or legs.

“It is very delicate,” Hutchins says. “I take a very, very small amount of super glue that you dip the tag in. I pinch the monarch in my fingers belly up, and I hold the tag there for about 30 seconds to be sure it’s attached. Sometimes the butterfly is really wiggly and you have to set it aside and do it in a few minutes. If the butterfly isn’t having it, it can’t be done.”

Read more...

Western Conifer Seed Bug

The Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) is often mistaken by people for either the Asian Longhorned Beetle, or for an Assassin Bug. It is a type of leaf-footed bug that feeds on the sap of trees in the Pinaceae family such as pines, hemlocks, spruces, and Douglas-firs. It uses its straw-like mouthpart/beak to suck the sap from the green cones, twigs, seed pulp, and/or needles of its host trees. It does not harm the wood of a home, but is by and large merely a nuisance. One possible exception to this is the occasional reported damage to PEX pipes used in plumbing and radiant heating systems in some homes (follow the link to the Cornell study below for additional information on this interesting discovery).

Western conifer seed bugs find their way into homes during the end of summer and early fall looking for a warm and protected place to spend the winter. They emit a foul-smelling odor when disturbed, handled, pressed or crushed. Also, the sound of their wings while in flight resembles the buzzing sound of a wasp or hornet, which can be unnerving and startling when one flies past your ear or lands on you.

• Western Conifer Seed Bug (Penn State)
• Western Conifer Seed Bug (BugGuide.net)

Plant Garlic in the Fall for Summer Harvest

Article by Dawn Pettinelli

With this fall’s warmer than normal

temperatures, a late garlic planting is better. If

planted too early, the cloves will start sending up

green shoots instead of putting efforts into root

growth. This may result in smaller bulbs. At least 2

months of temperatures 40 F or below are

needed to induce good bulb formation.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is not a difficult crop to

grow. It does not have many pest problems and is

tolerant of a range of soil types and soil pH levels.

Do select a site in full sun and with a well-drained

soil. The soil should be moderately fertile and it is

important to keep the planting beds weed-free,

as garlic does not compete well with more

vigorous plants.

Read more...

Share Shed Season Comes to a Close

By Laurie Bowen

As winter approaches it is time to put the Share Shed away after another busy season. I want to thank you all for your contributions in 2022. Seeds and 254 Seedlings were

donated, along with 112 pounds of produce and 113 pounds of shelf stable foods.

For those interested in continuing food donations, The Dover Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard and PRFC accept donations of produce, and shelf-stable items throughout the year. Donations may be dropped off MWF 9am-3pm or you can call them at 207-802-8230 to make drop-off arrangements. They also have a free-to-download booklet for anyone thinking of holding a food drive: https://www.prfoodcenter.org/fooddrive.

The Share Shed will be back in the spring of 2023. Donations of seeds and seedlings for your fellow gardeners will be gladly accepted and appreciated. If you have any questions regarding the Share Shed, please contact laurie.bowen@maine.edu or at 207.564.3301 or feel free to stop by the office at 165 E. Main St. in Dover-Foxcroft. The office is open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 8 to 4:30 and Wednesday from 10-2.

New Garden Resources to Meet New Needs

Timely UMaine Extension Publications

#4213  Helpful Hints for Handling Turkeys for Thanksgiving

#4107  Basics for Handling Food Safely 

#4214  General Food Safety Tips for Preparing Food

#4274 Food for Holiday Giving: Safety Comes First!

#7011  Balsam Fir Tip Gathering

#4308  Cranberries

#4045  Let's Preserve: Cranberries

Maine Home Energy Bulletins

• 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
• 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: 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: 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.