August 2010 Piscataquis & Penobscot Gardening News

In an effort to continue to provide access to this gardening newsletter and cutting mailing costs for Piscataquis County, we have joined with Penobscot County to offer this newsletter to both Piscataquis and Penobscot County folks. While anyone with email is able to subscribe to this newsletter we need to limit mailed copies to only Piscataquis and Penobscot County addresses. Unfortunately, this will be the last newsletter for those of you receiving this newsletter that is addressed out of these two counties.

Alternative Fruit Demonstration

Somerset County Extension Office is very excited to "unveil" a new alternative fruit log. The log will record our findings from a test project to assess alternative fruit crops for central Maine gardeners. The Cooperative Extension has noted that many Maine gardeners have experienced difficulty growing apples because of space or pest issues. This project will measure traits of 5 alternative fruit species suitable for backyard gardens.

Trees/shrubs were all planted on June 16th by Mel and Kathy Croft, Sarah LeBlanc, and Sheryl Ruman. Additional topsoil dug from the back woods at the extension office was added to each location, as well as some compost from the extension office compost pile. Two yards of mulch were purchased from Agway. All trees were mulched and staked.

The plants they are trying include: Native Plum, Elderberry (Nova), Elderberry (York), Paw Paw, Gogi Berry, Nanking Cherry. Most plants are healthy although there are a couple that might not make it to fall. You can follow the progress of this planting at their web log or blog at

Somerset Fruit Log

4-H Loses an Outstanding 4-H Aide and Volunteer

Linda Whitten, 4-H Aide for sixteen years and 4-H volunteer for over 25 years lost her battle with cancer. She was the one who helped the 4-H youth and volunteers in Piscataquis County with their project work. She assisted a number of youth to apply for and receive out-of-state trips and scholarships to college and post secondary schools.

Linda organized the Piscataquis Valley Fair 4-H Project judging, fall fest and many 4-H leaders meetings. Her dedication to 4-H, youth and volunteers will be missed.

We can celebrate Linda's life by assuring that youth in Piscataquis County have an opportunity to participate in the 4-H programs both at the state and county level. Her family has asked in lieu of flowers that contributions be sent to the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation, University of Maine, 5741 Libby Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5741, Phone: (207) 581-3739, Toll-free in Maine 1-800-287-0274 http://extension.umaine.edu/4hfoundation.

Soil Test Kits, soil test kits, get your soil test kit at UMaine Cooperative Extension
by Hannah Todd, Piscataquis & Somerset
            Yum, yum, how good do fresh tomatoes taste? What a difference a year can make. Last year's rains turned into this year's sunlight. Oh, the challenges of gardening; isn't that part of the fun though, you never know what the season will bring.
            There are a few ways to ensure a more successful gardening season. One of the best ways is to get your soil tested. A soil test kit is available at the UMaine Cooperative Extension Office, and now is the time to get a soil test for next year's garden success.
            Why soil test? Well, for one, it can save money. Amending soils with the wrong materials can cause poor plant health and pollution. Nutrient run-off leads to contaminated bodies of water, and almost everyone in Maine lives by some water source.
            When the soil test results come in, you will receive a one page document. There will be a bar graph that shows the pH, the amount of organic matter, and the level of some key nutrients. Under the bar graph will be a few paragraphs on how to start to correct the above levels.
            Soil pH is the measure of hydroxide ions in the soil. The pH scale ranges from1 to 14, with 7 being neutral, less than 7 being acidic (a.k.a sour) and more than 7 being alkaline (a.k.a sweet, or basic). So why is this important when growing plants? Most vegetable crops "favor" a slightly acidic soil, when the soil is acidic it has a negative charge which allows for the positively charged nutrients "favored" by plants to hold onto the soil particles (remember chemistry, like charges repel and opposites charges attract). Then when roots find their way through the soil, the nutrients are "sitting there waiting". So long story, short: pH has a large part in determining whether nutrients are available or not for the plant.
            If manure or lime is recommended, fall is the best time to apply these materials. Typically, Maine has acidic soils, due to the conifers and acid rain from the Midwest factories. Adding lime will "sweeten" the soil, adding sulfur will acidify the soil. Lime takes three years to become available to plants. You can speed the process up by buying finer particles of lime and by tilling it into the garden.   But, the sooner you add lime the better.
            The same goes for manure, not so much for availability but for safety precautions. Manure can carry E. coli 0157:H7, a dangerous bacterium. Research has shown that 120 days are required before it is safe to harvest certain crops from fields/gardens where fresh manure has been applied. Considering the 120 day safety precaution, in Maine, it would require applying the manure in the fall (before the ground is frozen). Please see our "Guidelines for Using Manure on Vegetable Gardens" publication at: http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2510e/ or stop by the office to pick up a copy.
            To ensure that the freshly applied manure and lime additions do not leach away with winter winds and precipitation, cover cropping is a great garden practice. Even if the soil test does not require manure or lime amendments, there are always good reasons for planting cover crops.
            Some cover crops are used to add nitrogen to the soil and these are called legumes. They have special nodules on their roots that allow them to convert nitrogen to an available form that plants can use. So if you were planning ahead to grow corn, tomatoes or pumpkins, or some other heavy nitrogen feeder, like a wise gardener always does, you may want to consider using a legume cover crop.
            Cover crops are used to suppress weeds. If you had trouble with weeds a good cover crop rotation can be very beneficial. Other reasons for using cover crops include adding organic matter to the soil and protecting the soil from erosion.
            Soil testing is also important because when you call UMaine Cooperative Extension with a plant problem one of the first questions you'll be asked is, "have you had your soil tested?" Information about the soil can be very informative when diagnosing plant problems and more and more research has shown the correlation between soil health and plant health.
            Are you convinced to come to the UMaine Cooperative Extension office and get a soil test kit? They are the secret to great gardens. But I've taken enough of your time; I know there is plenty of watering to be done and fresh tomatoes to eat!

"Pests in the Garden"
By Hannah Todd, Horticulture Aide for Piscataquis and Somerset Counties

On a recent walk through the garden as I scouted for insect and disease problems, I found several usual suspects. Let's review a few that could also show up in your garden:
Striped Cucumber Beetle (Acalymma vittatum): small yellow beetle with black stripes running vertically, which is found on cucurbits. Keeping your plants covered with row cloth can help the plants grow large enough to withstand some pressure from these pests. Remember row cloths must be removed for pollination. Hand-picking can help if you keep after them twice a day. Some research at the University of Massachusetts has shown that Blue Hubbard squash works as a trap crop.
Squash Bugs (Anasa tristis): a grayish-brown "bug," this pest is a true bug, as opposed to a beetle, etc. Again keeping plants covered helps reduce the number of these insects. Looking under the leaves for the tiny red eggs is a good practice to follow. Killing a cluster of eggs is much easier then hand-picking adults one by one!
Cut Worms (many different species): a small brownish larvae (worm). The adult stage of this insect is a moth. On my walk in the garden I found a potato that was lying on the ground, like it had just tipped over or been "cut" off. This was the clue that the culprit was a cutworm. Cutworms feed at night, so to determine if this is your pest go into the garden after dark with a flashlight and you will see them on your plants. Typically cutworms are found on tomatoes, beans, peppers, etc., but they don't seem to be too picky. Cultural control includes placing collars on the plants stem (at least an inch below ground), not planting a garden in a spot that was grass the previous two years, and making sure to keep weeds to a minimum (moths lay eggs on weed leaves).
Early Blight (Alternaria solani): Yellow circular spots with a dark center; usually start out on lower leaves. In my garden I found this disease on the potatoes, but it can also affect tomatoes. Prevention is the best cure; use USDA certified potato seed, plant resistant or tolerant varieties, remove diseased plant material from the garden at the end of the season (burn, bag, or bury), rotate crops, pull pioneer plants each year, use proper plant spacing to promote air circulation, water in the morning with the intent to keep foliage dry, and plant in the direction of prevailing winds. Once a plant has the disease; control insect feeding (insects can spread diseases), hand-pick diseased leaves by placing a bag over the infected leaf, do not work in the garden when leaves are wet, there are synthetic and organic fungicides available for controlling this fungus.

These are just a few that are present in mid summer. If you have an insect or disease that you would like identified, please bring it to the Piscataquis Cooperative Extension office in Dover-Foxcroft or call Hannah Todd at 564-3301, toll free in Maine 1800-287-1491 or e-mail: hannah.todd@maine.edu. Penobscot County gardeners can take their samples to the Penoscot County Extension Office at 307 Maine Ave. in Bangor or call Kate Garland at 942-7396, toll free in Maine 1-800-287-1485 or e-mail: katherine.garland@maine.edu.

HEARTH* VISTA Corner

by Judy Morrison, HEARTH VISTA for UMaine Extension Piscataquis County

Time flies when you are having fun. It is hard for me to think that August 23rd will be my last day at the Piscataquis Cooperative Extension as a HEARTH VISTA. I will then return to my home of record in Milo.
It has been my pleasure and privilege to have shared part of my journey with the staff here.
I have learned----
Though I may not have embraced the technology that is so much a part of our world today, I have certainly hugged it. Thanks to Donna and Amamda for their unending patience on that score.
I have been honored to meet and greet some of Piscataqis County's finest neighbors. They have welcomed me into their homes, schools, churches, meeting places and offices. They have shared their ideas and resources.
I have seen successes, the highlight being the opening of the first ever warming center in Piscataquis County. This effort was led by a small group at the Milo Methodist Church. The center was well received by many in the community. I predict it will expand next winter and will bring more people. Warming Centers were also in Dover-Foxcroft Methodist Church as well as in Sebec. Hopefully others will spring up around the County. The need is great.
The overall success of this HEARTH VISTA project has been the amazing amount of input from volunteers. One such is Pat Engstrom who has knit/crocheted twenty warm and colorful afghans, lap robes, hats and scarves using her own materials. She has donated these to be given to police departments Woman Care, blankets drives, churches,and needful individuals throughout the County. In addition, Pat has knit over fifty cotton dish cloths which have been sold to raise money so that other volunteers can take part in the project. Your supply the talent, Pat will give you the yarn.
Help her keep the project going.
Everyday I am asked what I plan to do after I retire (again). As all of you know, there is never a shortage or things to do. I plan to spend a couple of weeks (in my dreams) on the beach in Maui. I plan to spend some time in the dessert sitting on a rock waiting to see where I am called next. Then-I am going to wash my kitchen floor.
Peace be to all of you.
Get to know your Extension better. You will be rewarded for it.
*Home Energy Aid & Response Team Help

Items of interest

Healthy Pepper Plants Not Producing Peppers

The temperature range for fruits to set is limited like tomatoes but even more so. When nighttime temperatures fall below 60 degrees or above 75 degrees, flowers are likely to drop off because fruits have not set. So, this could have happened when we had those nasty hot nights. Daytime temperatures above 90 degrees F. will also prohibit fruit set, but fruits will begin to form again when cooler daytime temperatures stabilize. This will be more of a problem with the bell types than hot peppers. Ace or New Ace are cultivars which will reliably produce good yields under our conditions.

Also, too much nitrogen before fruit set will cause all foliage and no peppers.

From Lauren St. Germain and Mark Hutton, Extension Staff

Blossum End Rot

We have had a number of calls about tomatoes that are ripening prematurely and there is a sunken, black area on the fruit. The black area is usually on the blossum end of either green or ripe tomatoes and is caused by a physiological situation related to water and calcium absorption. Hot summer days that can cause the plant to start to wilt can result in blossum end rot for fruit at a certain stage of development. Fruit developing earlier or later usually are not affected. Be patient, try to water throroughly and you should be rewarded with delicious tomatoes.

Out-of-State Firewood Banned

A reminder of when you have friends or family members coming from outside of Maine to enjoy our vacationland tell them to leave their firewood home and pick up wood that they might need from our local vendors. For more information contact the Maine Forest Service

at 287-3147.

Monthly Garden Activities & Tips

Harvesting and preserving are in full swing. Be sure to use recommended canning and freezing techniques to protect your family from food borne diseases. Check out our publications on preserving the harvest.
Planting of lettuce, radish, spinach, and peas for fall harvest.
Harvesting of sweet corn is underway. If you plan to use the stalks for your compost pile be sure to chop them up so they will break down quicker. You may want to save some for fall decorations.
Lawn will start to green up with the cooler summer teperatures.
Annual flowers should receive regular fertilizer during the summer to maintain growth as well as at least an inch of water (rain or irrigation) each week. Dead head flowers to maintain flowering habit during the summer.
Check your vegetable and flower gardens for insect or disease pests at least once a week. Don't know what is causing damage? Bring a sample into the Extension Office or send us a digital picture of the problem.
Keep weeds under control with tillage, hand picking, and mulching.
Keep track of what vegetables, fruits and flowers did well for you this year and are worth trying again next year.
Great time to do a soil sample to get results back by fall so you can amend the garden with needed nutrients.
Fall will be the best time to apply manure to your garden, try to line up a source now.

Featured Extension Publications

The following agriculture related Extension publications are available or can be ordered at the Extension Office nearest you. You will notice that some publications are free and some have a cost recovery charge. Many other publications are available for free online or may be purchased at our secure publications web site .

USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
Item #4030 Publisher: Purdue University
This book is great for people who are canning for the first time, although experienced canners will also find new and useful information. Discusses canning equipment, ingredients and procedures to achieve safe high-quality canned products. Includes hundreds of canning recipes. 191 pages, 2009. $18.00

So Easy to Preserve
Item #4022, Publisher: UGA Cooperative Extension
The 5th edition of this popular book from University of Georgia Cooperative Extension contains the latest USDA recommendations for the three primary methods of preserving food: canning, freezing, and drying. Includes charts on food pH values; temperatures for food preservation; yields for canned, frozen, and dried foods; weights and measures for fresh produce; and common measurement equivalents. Features more than 185 tested recipes. The step by step instructions and in-depth information are appropriate for both new and experienced food preservers. 376 pages, 2006. $18.00

Let's Preserve-Entire Series
Item #4260, From UMaine Extension
Series of 13 fact sheets (2 to 6 pages each) on canning and freezing fruits and vegetables, with recipes. Topics include: Apples, Berries, Fruit Pie Fillings; Jellies, Jams, Spreads; Leafy Greens; Peppers; Pickles; Snap Beans; Strawberries; Sweet Corn; Food Canning Basics; Steps to Success in Home Canning; Tomatoes. 2000. Download for free or $7.50 for the whole series

Upcoming Events

Work Day at Milo 4-H Community Garden (next to the Milo Family Practice) on Rt. 16. Every Wednesday from 3-5 pm.

Maine Fairs for dates and contact information for Maine Agricultural Fairs you can go to http://bit.ly/mainefairs

**** NEW Farmers Markets ****

Wednesdays: 2 pm to 6 pm & Saturdays (TBD) Hearts of Hope Market, Main St. (Rt. 15), East Corinth. Contact Linda Clewley for more information maple_shade@myfairpoint.net 924-5506.

Thursdays: 2 pm to 6 pm Ohio Farmers' Market, sponsored by the Bangor Grange at 1192 Ohio Street in Bangor, near Fenson Road. FMI contact Rolf at 973-3976 or swederolf@aol.com

August 26th to 29th, 2010 Piscataquis Valley Fair, Dover-Foxcroft.

August 31st, 2010 (Tuesday) 6pm - Harvesting & Food Safety, Dr. David Handley, UMCE Vegetable and Small Fruit Specialist - Rogers Farm. For more information contact the Penobscot County Cooperative Extension Office 942-7396 or 1-800-287-1485 (within Maine)

September 16th, 23rd, and 30th, 2010 (Thursdays) 6 pm to 7:30 pm Heating and Electricity Use, In My Home, on the Cheap. These three sessions will walk you through understanding where you are using heat and electricity, compare different fuel sources to heat your home, learn low cost & no cost energy conservation techniques and compare different alternative home heating and power sources. Federal and state energy conservation and alternatives incentives will also be discussed. Each session participants will make and take home an item that will help them cut their heat or energy use. Cost to attend this series is $5 with scholarships available. Sponsored by UMaine Extension, Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative, American REcovery and Reinvestment Act and Efficiency Maine. To sign up for the session contact PVAEC at 564-6525 or http://tinyurl.com/homeenergyclass or UMaine Extension at 564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491.

Contact Info
Donna R. Coffin, Extension Educator

207-564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491

Donna.Coffin@Maine.edu

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