University of Maine Cooperative Extension
fruits and veggies

Piscataquis & Penobscot

Gardening Newsletter

Volume 10 Issue 3                                         March 2012
In This Issue
March is the Month to...
Starting Seeds
Organic Farming Workshop
You Can!
Maine Garden Day
Bangor Community Garden
Pollinator Workshop
Featured Bulletins
Featured Videos
Events
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.
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Goal
 The goal of the Piscataquis & Penobscot Gardening Newsletter is to provide timely information on practical, sustainable, research-based horticultural practices, tools and techniques which will improve home gardening success in our two counties.  Upcoming events and programs of interest will also be included.
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March is the Month to...  

  • Tap maple trees. The exact best time to start depends on the weather. Watch for when temperatures are freezing at night and 40-45◦ during the day.  
  • Get to know the new All America Selections (AAS) winners.  AAS is an independent, n
    Watermelon 'Faerie' F1 
    Watermelon 'Faerie' F1
    on-profit organization that tests new varieties then introduces only the best garden performers as AAS winners.See the list of current and past winners here.
  • Start certain seeds indoors.  Early March - celery, celeriac, onions and leeks.  Late March - peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and eggplant.
  • Prune fruit trees, ornamental woody plants, and highbush blueberries while they are still dormant.
  • Connect with your local food pantry to find out what vegetables their clients might like to receive next season and sign up to participate in Maine Harvest for Hunger in 2012.
  • Keep composting! You may not see a lot of activity in your pile right now, but keep contributing those kitchen scraps. You'll be amazed at how fast the pile shrinks when the outdoor temperature begin to rise.  
  • Plan your next botanical adventure. Warm thoughts of gorgeous gardens are fun to entertain this time of year. We're lucky to have some great gardening playgrounds nearby such as Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay and  Rogers Farm Demonstration Garden in Old Town. If you're willing to travel, there are many to choose from. Looking for travel suggestions? Consider visiting the botanical gardens in Montreal, Quebec or  St. Louis, Missouri.
Starting Seeds... Is it Time Yet? March came in like a lion and many of us got enough snow that we had to get the plow or snow blower out. The recent warm weather has melted a lot of that snow and now many gardeners are anxious to start their seeds. Be cautious since we have 10 to 12 weeks before we can set cold-sensitive plants out in the garden. Some of our crops should only be grown 4 weeks before we set them out, be sure to check transplanting information.   
Remember to use good quality seeds, soil-less media, supplemental light and start them in a warm area.  See our "Seed Starting at Home" publication for more details.
Here are a few vegetables you can consider starting in late March to April.  
  • Broccoli     
  • Cabbage     
  • Cauliflower
  • Pepper      
  • Tomato     
  • Eggplant
  • Head lettuce     

And here are a few flowers that you can consider starting in late March to April. 

  • Ageratum (Ageratum)      
  • Scabiosa (Scabiosa)  
  • Snapdragon (Antirrhinum)      
  • Verbena (Verbena)  
  • Periwinkle (Vinca)          
  • Dianthus (Dianthus)  
  • Scarlet sage (Salvia)      
  • Statice (Limonium)  
  • Painted tongue  (Salpiglossis)  

Source: Coffin, D., K. Hopkins, F. Wertheim, C. Bowie, Starting Seedlings in Maine, 2008.  

Peronto, M., Guethler,T.,Starting Seeds at Home. http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2751e/  

Organic Farming: Principles and Practices.
MOFGA is offering this course twice: on March 20 & 21 at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Penobscot Office in Bangor; and on April 18 & 25 at Royal River Natural Foods in Freeport. 
This course, sponsored by MOFGA, is geared for those who are considering converting to 
organic production or are interested in starting an organic farm. The course will cover the following topics: 

    * soil science 

    * meeting crop nutrition needs with organic materials 

    * on-farm compost production 

    * the use of cover crops 

    * organic methods of weed, pest and disease control 

    * organic certification 

The course will feature experienced growers in addition to members of MOFGA's Agricultural Services Staff. Registration fees include handouts and lunch both days. To register please visit www.mofga.org or call 568-4142.

canning jar with money You Can ...

 

Even though times are tough, You Can sustain your family. The Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension have put together a series of workshops that will give you the skills to get started in self-sufficiency.

To register for a You Can program contact PVAEC, 48 Morton Ave., Suite M, Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 or call 564-6525 or register online at http://bit.ly/pyoucan. Sessions are held throughout Piscataquis County and nearby towns. Costs range from $5 to $10 with partial scholarships available. Go online to find the times and places for the following sessions.  

March 14 - Simplify Your Life - Getting Back to the Good Ole' Days

March 20 - Spring Cleaning  

March 28 - Can It, Freeze It or Dry It 

March 29 - Starting Your Own Seeds - Guilford 

April 6 - Small Scale Livestock Care   

April 12 - Starting Your Own Seeds - Milo 

April 21 - Firewood Processing

April 26 - Starting Your Own Seeds - Dover-Foxcroft  

19th Annual Maine Garden Day - registration now open
Workshops, Educational Displays and Trade Show

Saturday, April 14th, 2012 -  Lewiston High School

Over 30 workshops to choose from.  Including:
  • 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!
Advance registration only.  Seating limited.  First come, first served.  For more information, visit

Bangor Community Garden Accepting Applications   

BCG Banner Top

The garden had a tremendously successful first season in 2011.  We're pleased to announce that the Bangor Community Garden on Essex Street will be expanding the number of plots available for 2012.  If you, or anyone you know, is interested in leasing a plot in 2012, please contact Dan Muth (385-2525 or [email protected]) or Kate Garland (942-7396 or [email protected]) to request an application.  Don't wait!  First-come, first-served.  Annual plot fees are $25 for each 4'x8' raised bed.   

Landscapes for Pollinators and People Workshops 

Learn how to have beautiful gardens that are safe and productive for you and nature.  We'll cover the following questions through discussions and hands-on activities:

  • What is a pollinator and why are they so important?
  • How can I safeguard pollinator habitat?
  • What native plants would attract pollinators?
  • How can I identify wild plants?
  • What are best practices to use in a pollinator-friendly garden?
  • What are realistic expectations for my landscape?

This day-long workshop will be offered on the following dates at these UMaine Extension sites:

  • Somerset County - April 12th, 2012
    7 County Drive  Skowhegan, ME  04976 
    1-800-287-1495 (in Maine) or 207-474-9622 
  • Piscataquis County - April 13th, 2012
    165 East Main Street  Dover-Foxcroft, ME  04426 
    1-800-287-1491 (in Maine) or 207-564-3301 
  • Penobscot County - April 24th, 2012
    307 Maine Ave.  Bangor, ME  04401 
    1-800-287-1485 (in Maine) or 207-942-7396 
  • Hancock County - April 25th, 2012
    63 Boggy Brook Road  Ellsworth, ME  04605 
    1-800-287-1479 (in Maine) or 207-667-8212 
     

Registration fee:  $10*
* Half price scholarships are available.  Please contact your local site for more information. 

Register online, or call/e-mail your local site to register.

Featured Bulletins: 

The following horticulture related Extension publications are available online or can be ordered at the Extension office nearest you. Many other publications are available for free online or may be purchased at our secure publications web site. 

  

How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup

Item #7036, Publisher:  UMaine Extension

Includes information yield, tree physiology, step by step instruction, where to go for help, additional reading, references, and three YouTube video clips.  Download for free or purchase at your local Extension office. 

   

Starting Seeds at Home
Item #2751, Publisher: UMaine Extension
Succinct, straightforward instructions to successful preseason seed starting. Covers supplies needed, planting dates, germination time and optimum temperatures for common vegetable seeds, watering, and transplanting. Includes a diagram of a homemade PVC grow-light frame. Includes instructional video (for online viewing). 3 pages, 2008. Download it for free, or purchase at your local Extension office for $0.50.      

        

Extending the Gardening Season

Item #2752, Publisher: UMaine Extension
Provides an overview of various types of plastic mulches and their uses, as well as row covers, cold frames, hoop houses, hot caps, and insulating water tubes. Includes instructional videos for online viewing 5 pages, 2008. Download it for free, or purchase at your local Extension office for $0.75.


Non-Timber Forest Products: Goods from the Maine Woods, Item #2540
Publisher: UMaine Extension
Fiddleheads from ostrich ferns are an iconic spring edible in Maine. Fiddleheads are important to Maine's economy, with pickers, retailers, and woodland owners earning extra income from them each spring. Includes information on biology, identification and the when to pick. 4 pages. 2012. Download it for free, or purchase at your local Extension office for $1.00.

Featured Videos:  

How to Prune Apple Trees
How to Prune Blueberry Bushes 
Extending the gardening season using raised beds 
Events

 

Environmental Horticulture Student Lecture Series - Page Farm and Home Museum, Orono

  • 3/20 - Medicinal Plants for the Home Garden; Five Ways to Make Your Home Garden More Sustainable; Creating Pervious Surfaces in the Landscape; Organic Milk:  Is it worth the price?
  • 3/22 - Cut Flowers; Pathogen Biology and Mitigation in Small-Scale Plant Production; Multipurpose Trees for Arid Lands 
  • 3/27 - Grafting Tomatoes; Edible Wild Plants in Maine; Interiorscapes 
  • 3/29 - Native Plants in Maine; Forest Gardening; Pros and Cons of Synthetic, Organic, and Natural Lawn Care Techniques
  • 4/3 - Small-scale Mushroom Production; Sustainable Viticulture in Cold Climates; Plant Propagation by Stem Cuttings:  Instructions for the Home Gardener; Root Cellaring:  Enjoying the Fruits of Summer in Winter
  • 4/5 - Green Roofs; Xeriscaping; Bio-controls for the Home Garden

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 

 

Tuesday, March 20th, 7-8:30PM - Equinox Owl Walk - Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Old Town  

Local birder Paul Markson guides you through the field and forest, listening and looking for Barred, Saw-whet and Great Horned Owls. Grab your flashlight, dress warm, bring a snack and enjoy this evening out. Depending on weather conditions bring snowshoes or reserve a pair with us, when making your reservation.  Directions to Hirundo Wildlife Refuge.

     

Thursday, March 22nd, 9-10am - Comparing Human, Animal and Diesel Power for Vegetable Production:  Land - Labor - Energy; Kenneth Mulder - UMaine Memorial Union Bumps Room

For more information, contact Eric Gallandt, [email protected], or Constanza Ocampo-Raeder, [email protected]    

 

Thursday, March 29th, 3-4:30pm - The Taste of Place:  How Terrior is Being Scrambled by Climate Change; Gary Nabhan - UMaine Minsky Recital Hall    For more information, contact Eric Gallandt, [email protected], or Constanza Ocampo-Raeder, [email protected]  

  

Saturday, March 31st, Rural Living Day - Mt.View School Thorndike, ME

Choose three workshops from a wide array of offerings including "Raising Ducks and Geese for Meat Production" to "Mulching with Organic Materials".  Register here by March 26th  

 

Wednesday, April 11th, The Food System of the Northeast:  Current Capacity and Future Potential; Tim Griffin - UMaine Memorial Union Bangor Room 

For more information, contact Eric Gallandt, [email protected], or Constanza Ocampo-Raeder, [email protected]

  

Saturday, April 14th, High Tunnel Workshop, Thompson Free Library Dover-Foxcroft, ME:  Jerry Doxtader, a Dexter farmer who uses organic practices, to present a workshop about high tunnels (hoop houses) and row covers to extend the growing season and to help control garden pests. 10am until noon. Jerry will be setting up a small high tunnel on the library lawn for a demonstration piece. Sponsored by the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District. FMI contact Lynn Lubas, 564-2321 Ext. 3 or [email protected]

   

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, April 29, 1-2:30pm - Invasive Plants and Native Lookalikes, Part 1 - Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Old Town  

Learn to recognize the most common invasive shrubs & trees and how to distinguish them from the native lookalikes. Dr. Berg Stack's program includes invasive plant management strategies for homeowners, and suggestions on alternative plants for landscaping and wildlife benefit. Bring a hand lens or magnifying glass & tree/shrub identification book if you have them.  Part II will take place on June 3, 1:00 - 2:30PM and focus on herbaceous invasive plants, reproduction and seed dispersal.  Event is free and open to all ages. Suggested donation $4 dollars for adults, school-aged children are free. Reservations and cancellations requested, call 207-944-9259 or 207-827-2230.  Directions to Hirundo Wildlife Refuge.   

 

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.   

  

Thursday, May 10th, 3pm (rain date:  Friday, May 11th, 3pm) - Building a Raised  Bed, Part 1 of Gardening with Raised Bed Series 

UMaine Extension Piscataquis County Office, Court House Complex, 165 East Main Street, Dover-Foxcroft.  The garden is to the left of the building.  To register for sessions, please call the office at (207) 564-3301 or email [email protected] with your name, address, and phone number.   

 

Thursday, June 7th, 3pm (rain date:  Friday, June 8th, 3pm) - Starting your Garden, Part 2 of Gardening with Raised Bed Series (see May 10th program listing for details) 

 

Thursday, July 12th, 3pm (rain date:  Friday, July 13th, 3pm) - Caring for your Garden, Part 3 of Gardening with Raised Bed Series (see May 10th program listing for details)  

 

July 16-28, 2012 - Permaculture Design Course offered by ESTIA; The International EcoPeace Community, Bucksport, Maine

A Permaculture Design Course (PDC) offers an in depth study of the theory of permaculture as a design sytstem for sustainable agriculture and ecological human settlement.  Participants of the course will then implement their knowledge at the Estia Epicenter permaculture site in Bucksport, Maine.  Charles & Julia Yelton are students of the co-founder of Permaculture, Bill Mollison.  Meals, facilities, and tent sites will be provided.  The course fee is $1,200 with a $400 deposit due by March 15th and the remainder due May 1st.  Click here for a more detailed description of the course or contact [email protected]

 

Thursday, August 9th, 3pm (rain date:  Friday, August 10th, 3pm) - Using Your Harvest with special guest Felicia Dumont, Part 4 of Gardening with Raised Bed Series (see May 10th program listing for details)

 

Thursday, September 13th, 3pm (rain date:  Friday, September 14th, 3pm) - Preserving your Harvest with special guest Jane Conroy, Extension Educator; Part 3 of Gardening with Raised Bed Series (see May 10th program listing for details)     

Edited by:

Theresa Tilton, Administrative Assistant 

 

Contact Info
Donna R. Coffin, Extension Educator

207-564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491
and
Katherine Garland, Horticulturist
207-942-7396 or in Maine 1-800- 287-1485


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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

 

 

 

Penobscot County Office 207-942-7396 or 800-287-1485

 

307 Maine Avenue Bangor, ME 04401