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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September 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
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Facts about Leaf Color in Maine
Originally adapted from Why Leaves Change Color, USDA Forest Service FS 12, February 1967. Revised by James Philp, Extension forestry specialist – wood products, July 2001.Revised by Kathryn Hopkins, Extension Professor, August 2014.Reviewed by Dr. Abby van den Berg, Research Assistant Professor in Plant Biology, University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center, August 2014.
It doesn’t take much imagination to picture Nature going about on autumn days and painting the leaves of trees and other plants red, purple, orange, and yellow. Every fall, we delight in the beauty of the trees and shrubs, knowing that it is only a passing pleasure. Before long, the leaves will fall from the trees and become part of the rich carpet that covers the forest floor, providing nutrition for new forest growth. Many people suppose that frost causes the color change, but it does not. Some of the leaves begin to change color before we have had any frost.
Read more...
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Cranberry Facts and History | |
The Cranberry (genus Vaccinium) is native to the swamps and bogs of northeastern North America. It belongs to the Heath, or Heather family (Ericaceae), which is a very widespread family of about 125 genera and about 3500 species! Members of the family occur from polar regions to the tropics in both hemispheres. The cranberry plant is described as a low-growing, woody perennial with small, oval leaves borne on fine, vine-like shoots. Horizontal stems, or runners, grow along the soil surface, rooting at intervals to form a dense mat. Its flower buds, formed on short, upright shoots, open from May or June, with the berries ripening by late September or early October. In Maine, the cranberry flowers are in bloom from late June to mid-July. It is important to have warm, sunny weather during the bloom period, as that is the best formula for maximizing pollination by the cranberry’s two biggest pollinators: bumble bees and honeybees (cranberries rely on insect pollination because the pollen grains are too heavy to be carried around much at all by the wind).
Read more:
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Lets Preserve Apples
Bulletin # 4035
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Apples are in season and if you are looking for inspiration on all the wonderful ways to preserve your apples read Bulletin# 4035 Let's Preserve: Apples. This bulletin has recipes for apple butter, apple juice, apple butter, applesauce as we as others. It also provides current recommendations on how to safely preserve your harvest for longterm storage.
Read more...
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Celebrate the Autumn Equinox with Fall Foliage Art
with the Maine Depart of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry
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Autumn is a glorious time of year to view the fall foliage. In Maine we watch the colors change from roughly September 15 through October. When the leaves fall there is still fun to be had! Take a break from raking to make an artistic leaf animal or a leaf rubbing.
Leaf Animals—in the photo above is an owl, a turtle, and a mouse. Use your imagination to create as many animals of Maine that you can. Supplies: Assortment of leaves, scissors, paper or cardboard to layout the leaves, and a glue stick. Procedure: If you prefer to make temporary designs, make your leaf animal without glue, photograph it, then let the leaf animal scatter in the wind. If you want to keep it, glue it to itself or to a sheet of paper, or use self-sticking laminate or clear contact paper to hold and seal your design.
Read more...
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Native Trees and Shrubs for Maine Landscapes: Common Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) | |
Bulletin #2570
In Maine, common witch hazel is often found growing beneath the shade of beech and birch trees, keeping company with beaked filbert (Corylus cornuta) and occasional native honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis), and surrounded by colonies of maple-leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium). It frequents the drier sites, being intolerant of flooding.
Use it along the edge of the dry woods or at the back of the garden border, placed where the October flowers, yellow with long, spidery petals, will invite you to linger in the garden at a time of year when few other flowers beckon. Or plant a colony of witch hazel in the open woodland, where its golden autumn leaves blend with the similarly colored leaves of the filbert, all catching and holding the morning light.
Read more...
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Photo by Reeser C. Manley | |
Bulletin#4045, Let's Preserve: Cranberries
Adapted by Extension Associate Professor Kathleen Savoie, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
With Fall comes the arrival of local cranberries! As cranberries become available, it’s a good idea to buy extra cranberries and freeze them. Fresh cranberries are available from October through December/early January, usually in 12-ounce bags (equivalent to 3 cups of whole berries).
Read more...
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Photo by Doug Hitchcox. American Goldfinch (adult male) | |
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Putting the Garden to Bed
Tips for the Home Gardener
University of New Hampshire
October is often the month that we say goodbye to the garden and “put it to bed.” Many gardeners like to perform a garden clean-up at the end of the season before the onset of winter. Usually this means cutting back perennials, pulling up spent vegetables and annuals, and raking up leaves as they drop from the trees and shrubs. In addition, some annuals and tender bulbs can be dug up and brought indoors to use again next season, and marginally hardy perennials and evergreen shrubs can be protected to help them come through the winter without too much damage.
When you go to put your own garden to bed this fall, keep in mind the following tips.
Read more...
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Boxelder Bugs
Jeffrey Hahn, Associate Professor
Mark Ascerno, Department Head
Department of Entomology University of Minnesota Extension
Boxelder bugs, Boisea trivittatus, are familiar insects to most people. They are generally not noticed during summer, but often can become an issue when they try to move into homes during fall as they search for overwintering sites
Read more...
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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/.
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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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