Penobscot County Office, and

Gardening and Horticulture Website

• Shade and Fruit Tree Pruning
• Organic Soil Ammendments
• Growing and Using Herbs for Cooking and Crafting
• Infrastructure for Livestock
• Is a Root Cellar for Me?
• Chainsaw Safety and Basic Operation
• Edible Perennial Polycultures:  Food for Today, Food for the Future
• and many more!

Preserve your garden's fresh vegetables for the winter without canning or freezing!  At this hands-on workshop you'll learn the fun and easy technique of lacto-fermination to keep vegetables in their raw state for months of delicious eating.  Mary Margaret Ripley has made over 25 diverse kinds of fermented vegetables at Ripley Organic Farm in Dover-Foxcroft. This program is part of the new YOU CAN... series sponsored by the Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative and UMaine Extension. For more information on all classes offered and to sign up for this session go to YOU CAN information

Friday, February 10, noon-1pm- Making Sense of Seed Catalogs, Page Farm and Home Museum, UMaine, Orono 

We all get inundated with catalogues this time of year and of course, want to order vast quantities of everything.  Bring in your favorite catalogues and roll up your sleeves with Master Gardener and garden writer, Lisa Colburn to learn how to navigate the features of the various catalogues; how to weigh the relative merits of local vs distant, large vs small nurseries; how to match descriptions of seed/plant requirements with growing conditions in our gardens, etc. etc.  Visitors to campus should stop in at the museum's front desk to pick up a free parking permit.  Directions to the Page Museum. 

Friday, February 17 - Best Greenhouse Practices: Effective Biocontrols & Reducing Your Heating Costs, Cozy Acres Greenhouses, N.Yarmouth, ME  

Cozy Acres owner Jeff Marstaller will give a tour, highlighting his geothermal heat system and other energy-saving installations.  BioBest's Ron Valentin will provide an expert introduction to greenhouse biocontrols (1 pesticide recertification credit).  You'll have an hour to ask questions about biocontrols (1 pesticide recertification credit).  We'll share energy-saving ideas ... not just geothermal, but ideas everyone can apply, too.  Together, we'll develop a list of everyone's favorite sources for containers, media, plants, etc, etc.  And, over lunch, you'll have a chance to catch up with friends.  Registration: SPACE IS LIMITED. Preregistration is required, online (credit card) or by mail (check).

Best Greenhouse Practices Workshop Brochure    

Saturday February 18th at 1pm, 1st Annual Tanglewood 5k Snowshoe Race

Join us for this fun event at Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center off Ducktrap Road in Lincolnville. The event is a fundraiser for needed repairs to the historic stone fireplace and chimney in our dining hall.  

The race trail includes woodsy, hilly terrain and views of the Ducktrap River. Register in advance on-line or on race day. Registration is open to anyone 13 years old and older. The fee of $25.00 includes hot soup, cookies, hot chocolate and coffee. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers.

For children twelve and under we are offering the opportunity to participate in a fun 500- yard snowshoe dash. Children's snowshoes will be available for the dash on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Questions may be emailed to: jpincince@myfairpoint.net.    

February Vacation Camp 

Journey through the snowy forest to Big Pine Lodge at Tanglewood in Lincolnville, from where you will embark on adventures to find out where animals hide in winter and how they survive! Enjoy sledding, art and the warmth of hot chocolate and a cozy wood-heated cabin!

• February 21 & 22 for ages 6-8
• February 23 & 24 for ages 9-13
• Programs take place from 9:00AM -2:00PM each day; after care is available from 2-4:00PM.
• Cost: $65/child for the 2-day program; aftercare fee is $15
• Space is limited, register online or call Patti at 207-789-5868   

Tanglewood's trails are open to the public for hiking, skiing and snowshoeing!  

Friday, February 25th, 2-5pm - Meet Your Farmers and Fishermen at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 120 Park St., Bangor

Come to: learn about buying a share; become acquainted with local seasonal foods; meet your local farmers and fishermen; and discover how you can grow a relationship with them.  In the "community supported" model of local foods purchasing, a customer commits to buying a share of the coming harvest before the season begins. The benefit? You provide operating support to local farms and fishermen while getting your locally grown and harvested food direct from the producer at a fair price.

The event is co-sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and local organizations at each site.  Admission is free.  Additional highlights include: local produce & other products from the farm available for sale, light refreshments featuring local seasonal foods, live entertainment and more!  For more information, contact MOFGA's Organic Marketing Coordinator Melissa White Pillsbury, 207-568-4142, melissa@mofga.org or visit the MOFGA website   

2012 Maine Vegetable & Fruit School, March 8 at Seasons Conference Center in Portland and March 9 at the Bangor Motor Inn.  Topics include: 

• Legislative Update: Pesticide Application, Notification and More...
• Caterpillar Tunnel and Degradable Mulch Trials
• Making Irrigation Work at Laughing Stock Farm
• Soil Health Management for the Long Term
• Herbicide Update for Vegetables
• Crop Insurance Update
• High Tunnels: State of The Art
• A Virtual Visit to Pleasant Valley Gardens
• Soil Testing: New Techniques, New Options to Better Know Your Soils
• Spotted Wing Drosophila and Brown Marmorated Stink Bug: New Pests, Big Problems
• High Tunnel Survey Project: What are We Growing and How?

A brochure with a registration form is attached and more information is posted on our website.  Please register by February 22, 2012.  The cost is $35.00 and includes lunch.  Participants may receive 2 Pesticide Applicator recertification credits, and Certified Crop Advisors may earn 5 recertification credits.  We hope to see you there!  

Thursday, March 15th 9:30-1:30pm, Kids Can Grow Train-the-Trainer Workshop  

Volunteers and youth service agency staff are invited to a training on the Kids Can Grow experiential youth gardening program model. The training is intended to give you the training and associated documents to help you start a new pilot program in your area. The program works best when staff and volunteers can work together as a team to assure a low teacher/student ratio. Agencies and volunteers are encouraged to attend as a small team to assist in planning a program for this season. The training is free but pre-registration is required by March 12.

Through Kids Can Grow, youth grow their own vegetables, flower and herbs in small 3-foot by 5-foot raised bed gardens using square foot gardening methods as a garden planning tool. 

Kids Can Grow Training Brochure  

Friday, March 16th, Boston Flower Show Bus Trip

The Bangor Garden Club is sponsoring its "Day Trip to the Boston Flower and Garden Show". Join us for an inspirational day for "FIRST IMPRESSIONS" among beautiful flowers and plants. An added bonus for us this day is John Gidding, Host of HGTV's Curb appeal: The Block. He will be presenting two lectures, 11:30 am and 2:30 pm.

Bangor Garden Club is a social, working and educational group of folks who suggest that you make your ticket reservations at your earliest convenience. Cyr Bus seats fill quickly.

Boston Flower Show Bus Trip Brochure 

Saturday, April 28th, Maine School Garden Day 2012, Buckfield Jr./Sr. HS 

Teachers and educators from schools across the state will be participating in this event promoting school gardens. In 2011, over 100 educators attended this event in Waldoboro.   

Classes will focus on topics such as How to start a School Garden, How to grow crops in Maine year-round, What crops to grow, and How much to plant.  Through a partnership with Oxford County Cooperative Extension and the Maine School Garden Network, Maine Ag in the Classroom is pleased to offer this timely program for educators that are interested in starting or growing a garden program.  Find more information on our website.

Saturday, May 5, 10am-noon - Apple Tree Pruning Demonstration at Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Old Town

We will demonstrate the renovation of old apple trees to improve their appearance and ability to bear fruit. Apple trees that have not been pruned in the recent past generally have a crowded canopy of branches that bear fruit sparsely. As part of this class, we will demonstrate the type of pruning that promotes a flowering and fruiting habit and the steps involved in beginning the renovation process. The class will be led by Renae Moran, University of Maine Tree Fruit Specialist. Glen Koehler of the UMaine Extension Pest Management Office will also be on board to discuss preventing pest damage to apple trees and fruit.

Free.  No registration required.  Directions to Hirundo Wildlife Refuge.