Hello friends- We are getting into the slack time for gardening, and the statewide newsletter, Maine Home Garden News, is taking its annual winter hiatus. The articles in this newsletter will be gleaned from fact sheets and archived materials, although I will continue to update Events of Interest and "...is the month to..." features. Thanks for reading! -Trisha Smith Home Horticulture Community Education Assistant, Piscataquis County
November is the month to...
By Trisha Smith, Community Education Assistant (Home Horticulture), Piscataquis County
Count your blessings and look for ways to help those who are struggling in our communities. Winter is a tough time for many of us. Check in with each other!
Sow native wildflower seeds. Fall and winter are great times to plant seeds for plants to support native pollinators and other parts of the local food web. Planting Native Seeds in 6 Steps.
Collect soil samples before it freezes. Soil should be tested about every three years in order to properly monitor, improve, and maintain fertility. Bookmark Bulletin #2286 Testing Your Soil for easy reference.
Mark your lawn and other snow plow hazards before soil freezes. Height, visibility, durability and uniformity are the main considerations when selecting marker stakes.
Keep adding to your compost pile. All those potato peels and pumpkin guts will make great soil eventually. Refer to Home Composting for more direction.
Shop at farmers' markets! You can still find lots of Maine-grown and -produced food through the winter. Check out Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets' list of produce available each month: What's in Season?
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. Check UMaine Extension's calendar for educational opportunities all over the state
November 7-Piscataquis County Extension Association annual meeting and program: "What's Killing my Plants?" with Dr. Allicyn Smart, UMaine Cooperative Extension Plant Pathologist. Buffet features local pork and vegetables; $20 per plate. Please pre-register/pay.
November 15-Taking the First Steps: Building a Plan for the Future of Your Land
November 15-December 31-Gardens Aglow, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay.
November 17-18-Gather Maine products for your Thanksgiving feast at the Maine Harvest Festival, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor. 10-4 each day. $8/under 12 free
November 24-Deck the Halls, Town wide, Greenville. 9am-8pm
Avoid Ticks While Enjoying Your Garden [even this late in the year!]
By Griffin Dill, Integrated Pest Management, UMaine Cooperative Extension
Deer Tick, adult female. Photo by Griffin Dill.
While fall is an excellent time to work in the garden, many gardeners may not realize that ticks can still pose a serious threat during these cooler months. Adult deer ticks (
Ixodes scapularis) in particular are especially active during
October, November, and even well into December depending on the temperature. Cases of tick-borne illness are increasing in Maine and ticks are being found in more locations, making it important to take precautions to minimize exposure. The deer tick is known to transmit a number of pathogens in Maine, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and a strain of Powassan virus known as deer tick virus.
Many New Englanders tend to think of the end of the vegetable-growing season and the first frosts as a terminus in the garden. "Putting the garden to bed" is an oft-heard phrase reflecting the perception that plants are "done" for the year until seed packets re-appear in garden shops and hardware stores the following spring. The mantra is perennially intoned, though not quite as arbitrarily as it once was.
It is true that annuals, including much of what we grow in vegetable gardens, do conclude abruptly with the first sustained lower temperatures, shortened days, and weakened sunlight. In the case of some vegetables and flowers, we have spent the summer thwarting their unequivocal mission to produce seed and expire: the lettuces that bolt in July's heat; or the cosmos and bachelor's buttons that lose vigor if not remorselessly picked and deadheaded. The tomatoes we harvest at summer's end represent the plant's reproductive determinism since they contain seeds of another generation (some viable, some not).
But nature, in Maine, doesn't bundle itself away as neatly as rolled up pea fences, stacked clay pots, or nested tomato frames. The garden is never "over". There are always stirrings and evidence of a steady, if subdued pulse, even in deepest winter.
Contact your County Extension office to ask how you can help.
Volunteers are essential to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension achieving its mission to bring University research to people in our communities. Master Gardener Volunteers, 4-H Leaders and advisors, and County Extension Associations are some ways to get involved. Orientation and required trainings are available online. Explore the Cooperative Extension Volunteers page and/or contact your County office to indicate your interest.
Penobscot County 307 Maine Avenue Bangor, ME 04401-4331 Phone: 207.942.7396 or 800.287.1485 (in Maine) Piscataquis County 165 East Main Street Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 Phone: 207.564.3301 or 800.287.1491 (in Maine) Somerset County 7 County Drive Skowhegan, ME 04976-4209 Phone: 207.474.9622 or 800.287.1495 (in Maine)
Master Gardener Volunteers: Please remember to report your volunteer hours and produce donations! It's important that our county, state, and federal funders know about your efforts and impact in our communities. Choose the link to the online form for the county where you were trained (unless you have made other arrangements):
Master Gardener Volunteer training will take place in 2019 in Penobscot County (Bangor and Orono) with a satellite location in Piscataquis County (Dover-Foxcroft). Kate Garland, UMaine Extension Horticulturist, leads the classes based in Bangor and coordinates other University professionals for sessions in special topics on campus in Orono. Classes held at the Penobscot office will be offered in real time at the Piscataquis office via interactive technology. Trisha Smith, Community Educational Assistant (Home Horticulture) in Piscataquis County, will lead hands-on portions of the curriculum at the satellite location in Dover-Foxcroft. The course
fee is $220, and some financial assistance is available.
Becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer requires over 40 hours of interactive study of volunteerism as well as horticulture. Kate's Tuesday evening (5-8:30pm) program begins in late February and continues weekly until late May (the last class before break is on campus). After a summer break, training concludes with 3 classes on UMaine's Orono campus. The final exam and celebration meal will be held in Bangor for new Penobscot MGVs, and in Dover-Foxcroft for Piscataquis MGVs at the end of September.
The most important part of being a Master Gardener Volunteer is the volunteer aspect. UMaine Cooperative Extension relies on the good work of volunteers to expand research-based knowledge in our communities. MGVs are expected to volunteer 40 hours their first year, and 20 hours each succeeding year, to maintain their credentials. Everything from working in community gardens, gleaning at farms and farmers' markets, growing food for those in need, and beautifying neighborhoods to writing articles and staffing tables at events is reportable as volunteer time. Having a break in studies allows plenty of time for prospective MGVs to get their first year's volunteer obligation out of the way.
If you are interested in participating in Piscataquis County's satellite Master Gardener Volunteer training, please email trisha.smith1@maine.edu
. Schedule details and application information will be forwarded to you as soon as it is available.
Revised and updated by Associate Extension Professor Kathleen A. Savoie, MS, RD, Associate Extension Professor, UMaine Cooperative Extension Cumberland County
Winter squash will keep for several months after harvesting. Winter squash is always eaten cooked. Most varieties have orange flesh that is slightly sweet with a nutty flavor. Maine-grown winter squash is available September through February. The following are all varieties of winter squash: acorn, butternut, buttercup, hubbard, and spaghetti.
A type of winter squash, pumpkins come in many sizes, from miniature varieties of one pound or less, to giant, prize-winning varieties of 300 to 400 pounds! The traditional round, deep-orange pumpkins used for carving jack-o'-lanterns on Halloween are not the best kind to use for cooking because they tend to be stringy and too moist. The small, dull orange, skinny variety called the sugar pumpkin has more pulp and is better to use for cooking. Maine-grown pumpkins are available in[to November].
There is always a need for quality activities for kids. 4-H is a great way to share your interests and skills with the younger generation. If you're interested in working with youth, consider becoming a 4-H volunteer leader. Learn more about 4-H here, and find out what it takes to be a volunteer.
County Extension Association Executive Committees are crucial to the success of Extension in our communities. In partnership with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension staff, the Executive Committee of each County Extension Association assists with providing input on local educational programming needs, helps hire staff, and oversees the county budget appropriations that support educational Extension programs for county residents.
Read more here, and contact
your county's UMaine Cooperative Extension office.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension has employment opportunities across the state. Find the list
here.
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.
Graphic by Michael Mendoza
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 Atlasis 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.
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.
Good Shepherd Food Bank In addition to distributing food to Mainers in need, the Food Bank is leading a statewide effort to combat the root causes of hunger by engaging in advocacy, nutrition education, and strategic partnerships. Good Shepherd welcomes you to join in this effort.
Hirundo Wildlife Refuge is a 2,400 acre nature preserve spanning Pushaw and Dead Streams, Lac d'Or, vast wetlands (including a gently raised bog),
Silver Maple Floodplain Forest, mixed hardwood and evergreen forests. Accessible by canoe and trails.
Maine Audubon is a member-based organization that engages people in conservation, education and advocacy to advance wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation in Maine.
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 Gleaning Network A collaborative farm surplus rescue effort gathering crops from Maine's fields and engaging communities in resourceful and equitable food system activities.
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.
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 TownsThe 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. Check out their
Native Plant Blog.
Maine Agriculture in the Classroompromotes 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.
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.
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.
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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