New  Piscataquis / Somerset Home Horticulture Coordinator

We are happy to introduce Tom Goodspeed, thomas.goodspeed@maine.edu as our new Home Horticulture Program Coordinator for Piscataquis and Somerset Counties.  He will be coordinating the Master Gardener Program and answering horticultural questions in Somerset and Piscataquis Counties working under Donna Coffinand Kathy Hopkins, Extension Educators in these counties. Tom comes with a wealth of experience having been the nursery manager at the Winslow Agway for the last ten years.  He also was trained as a Master Gardener in 2001.  He is excited to provide education and to continue learning with our communities so if you have any gardening questions please call the Piscataquis County Extension Office at 564-3301 or 1-800-287-1491 or the Somerset County Extension Office at 474-9622 or 1-800-287-1495.

Unusually Cold Weather?

January 2011 saw some very cold weather compared to the last year.  I measured -28.8 degrees Fahrenheit (F) at my house in Dover-Foxcroft.  But is this cold snap unusually cold for our area?  A look at this plant hardiness zone map for Maine shows that most of Piscataquis county is Zone 4 and Penobscot county has a section of Zone 5.  Here are the expected average low temperature for any given year.

* Zone 4a -25 to -30 degrees F

* Zone 4b -20 to -25 degrees F

*Zone 5 a -15 to -20 degrees F

Historic official lowest temperature recorded in Barnard was -34 degrees F on January 20, 1994. Weather.gov There were reports of temperatures as low as -55 degrees F near Sebec River in the 1980's.  In 2009 our lowest temperature was -23 degrees F. So the recent fridgid weather is not that unusual for our area.

But what does it mean to our gardens? Will our trees and shrubs survive? Is there anything that can be done to lessen the injury, besides moving south?

We will no doubt see some winter injury on less hardy trees and shrubs.  Of particular concern are peach, sweet cherries, rhododdendron, roses, grapes, forsythis and sour cherries to name a few.  Also some apple and raspberry varieties may show winter injury.

How much damage occurs relates to your microclimate at your garden site.  It could actually be a plant hardiness zone higher or lower than the rest of the gardens in your town.  Any plant part below the snow line should make it through the winter relatively unscathed.  So there is a positive aspect for all the recent snow we have received.

What can you do now?  Not much, but to prepare for next winter, if the low temperature is a concern, try to plant very hardy plants (zone 3.) You can also try covering shrubs to help them through the winter or bend the plant down to the ground and cover with soil in the fall.  As a last resort you could dig up your shrubs in the fall and overwinter them in a dirt floored unheated basement of your house.  

Items of Interest

• To save money consider joining with your friends and neigbors to order new seeds or share left over seeds from last year.  Most seed packets come with more than enough seeds for a small garden. 
• Inventory the seeds that you kept from last year.  Check the dates.  If you have older seed you should consider doing a germination test to see if they are still viable. 
• Check houseplants for insect pests and diseases.  The increased light levels will be encouraging new growth that can be suseptable to pests.
• Plan ahead for pest control.  Visit our recently updated Pest Management website to find fact sheets or view photo galleries on an enormous array of garden pests and pathogens.  If you have had problems with a pest or pathogen in the past, determine when to look for and treat the problem; marking your garden calendar as a reminder.

Upcoming Events   

SURFACE MAIL RECIPIENTS CAN CONTACT THEIR COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION WHEN WEB LINKS ARE INCLUDED IN AN ARTICLE.

Piscataquis County Office 207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491

165 East Main Street Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426