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1) JULY IS THE MONTH TO....
- Savor strawberry season! UMaine Extension has resources on freezing, making jam, how to grow strawberries, handling & storage, and delicious, healthy recipes.
- Replant! Check the number of days to harvest on seed packets and compare this number with the last freeze/frost date for your area to get a sense for whether it's reasonable to replant crops. In many cases, you can still get away with planting beans, beets, carrots, leafy greens, and peas. While you're at it, consider using season extension strategies this fall.
- Be mindful of ticks. Learn about how to submit a tick for ID, tick species of Maine, tick biology, tick removal, tick management, tick-borne diseases, and see photos of ticks.
- Add a rain gauge to your garden. Water needs within the landscape often vary, but most newly planted edible and ornamental crops need 1" of water a week.
- Mow lawns at the highest setting and leave clippings where they fall. Follow the guidelines in our lawn bulletins and videos for beautiful and low maintenance green spaces.
- Harvest slugs. You know it's been a damp growing season when we suggest harvesting slugs in July. One of the many tricks listed in our UMaine Extension Slug bulletin is to leave a wide board or some other slug-friendly habitat in the garden overnight. The next sunny morning, lift the board and simply remove all of the unwanted critters at once. A few repeated "harvests" should make a difference in the population and you can keep the beer for yourself.
- Visit a public garden. Here is a partial listing of some well-known public gardens in Maine.
- Wear sunscreen and reduce sun exposure. Apply sunscreen products first if also using insect repellent.
- Create a garden memory with a child. Many gardeners get their start because of a caring adult who shared just a little bit of their time and a bite of their harvest. Bring a young neighbor, friend, or family member into your garden to plant that second crop of beans, cut a few colorful flowers, or save some of your pea harvest for a pair of little helper hands.
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 Photo by University of Maine |  Photo by Jonathan Foster
|  Photo by UMaine Cooperative Extension |
2) Summer Watering
By Jonathan Foster, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Penobscot County
Water is essential to life, as we all know, but particularly so to plants because of the vast amounts of it that they use. Plants use water to expand cells in growth, to create internal turgor pressure in lieu of having sturdy bone skeletons, to transport nutrients and waste products, and in countless metabolic processes, the all-important machine of photosynthesis chief among them. Unfortunately, climate change and population demands are diminishing easy and ample access to water in many regions of the United States, making conservation and intelligent water usage increasingly vital concerns.
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3) Garden Snapshots
Photos by Jonathan Foster
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4) Spinach Pie (Crustless)
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 cups low-fat cheese, shredded
4 cups chopped, fresh spinach (or other greens, such as bok choy, kale, or Swiss chard)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Melt butter or margarine in 9"x13" pan, and spread on bottom and sides of pan.
- Beat eggs well, add flour, milk, garlic powder and baking powder. Add to the 9"x13" pan. Stir in cheese and spinach.
See full recipe and nutritional information here.
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5) Featured Plant: Bishop's Weed, Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria)
Developed by Steve Garske, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (Odanah, WI) and David Schimpf, Department of Biology, University of Minnesota - Duluth (Duluth, MN ).
Goutweed, also known as bishop's-weed and snow-on-the-mountain, is an herbaceous perennial plant. It is one of several species of Aegopodium, native to Europe and Asia. Most leaves are basal, with the leafstalk attached to an underground stem, or rhizome. The leaves are divided into three groups of three leaflets, making it "triternate." The leaflets are toothed and sometimes irregularly lobed. Foliage of the "wild" type is medium green in color; a commonly planted variegated form has bluish-green leaves with creamy white edges. Sometimes reversion back to solid green or a mixture of solid green and the lighter variegated pattern occurs within a patch.
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UMAINE EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
University of Maine Cooperative Extension welcomes Trisha Smith and Jonathan Foster as new Home Horticulture Aides.
Trisha will be serving Piscataquis County gardeners out of the Dover-Foxcroft office. She worked for Riverside Florists in Dover-Foxcroft for 16 years, is a Maine Master Floral Designer, has a BUS from UMaine and has taken over 30 hours of Landscape Horticulture and Plant Science classes. She has worked for local farmers, volunteered at the Dover Cove Farmers' Market and also is on the Board of Directors at the Center Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Jonathan will be based in Bangor at the Penobscot County office. He has a MS in Horticulture and MA in English Literature with extensive experience in teaching and researching plant propagation. He has written several articles for the Central Maine Garden Newsletter and is an excellent public speaker. Foster looks forward to supporting home gardeners and the great service being done by Master Gardener Volunteers in our region.
4H Position Open
Part-time, soft-money, grant-funded position, 28 hours per week (June 15-August 31) and transitioning to 32 hours per week starting September 1, 2015. Work schedule to be determined in consultation with supervisor. Some evening and weekend work required. Reappointment contingent upon funding and successful job performance. The person in this position supports 4-H activities through the Communities Central grant project. This position is based in Bangor, Maine. This position pays $13.41/hour. The University of Maine is an EEO/AA Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. For more information and to apply:
https://umaine.hiretouch.com/job-details?jobID=26746&job=community-education-assistant-cl2-penobscot-county
University of Maine Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at Rogers Farm is looking gorgeous! Bring gardening questions, admire a huge variety of vegetable and ornamental plantings, or just stroll and visit with other gardeners from 5:30-6:30pm every Tuesday night. The garden is located at 914 Bennoch Road in Old Town, and is open to the public during daylight hours. Contact Jonathan Foster at james.j.foster@maine.edu or 942-7396 for more information, or to inquire about volunteering in the garden.
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OTHER LOCAL EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Knox Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District programs: - Fern Walk July 9th
- Pond Construction and Maintenance July 16th
- Invasive Plant Management July 20th
- Eco Explorer Summer Camp (ages 7-9) July 20-24
- Farms Food and Fun tour August 8th
- More info on all programs
Event Calendars
farmers' markets, CSAs, and other sources of locally produced food.
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CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Maine Herb Society Monthly meetings in Bangor through most of the year. Visit their website or call Theresa for more information 942-7396.
Penobscot Beekeepers Association Monthly meetings through most of the year. Visit their Facebook page or contact Peter Cowin petercowin@tds.net for more details.
Maine Organic Famers and Gardeners Association Penobscot Chapter Potluck meetings the last Sunday of every month. Contact Galen Young of Argyle Acres, 745-4797 or galen.the.beekeeper@gmail.com.
Brewer Garden & Bird Club
Monthly meetings Feb.-Nov., the third Wednesday from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. at the Thompson Free Library, 186 E Main St, Dover-Foxcroft. For more information call: Dotty Hadler at (207) 564-7256
Orrington Garden Club
10am, 1st Wed. of the month Sept-June. Meetings are held at member homes. Contact Barbara 989-3746 or barenaj@gmail.com.
Hampden Garden Club
Monthly meetings Feb.-Dec., fourth Tuesday. Call Pat 862-3909 or Ellen 234-2945 for more information.
Veazie Garden Club
Meetings second Tues. Sept-June, 7pm Veazie Grade School. Call 866-4564.
Penquis Beekeepers
Meetings 7pm on second Tues. of the month at the Dexter VFW.
Sebasticook Garden Club meets at
1:30 on the 4th Thursday in March-October, the 2nd Thursday in November and the 2nd Friday in December. Most meetings are held at the Newport Cultural Center located at 154 Main Street in Newport. For information call Ann at 416-4807
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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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Contributors
Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Aide
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
Kate Garland, Horticulturist
Theresa Tilton, Administrative Support Supervisor
Erin Thomas, Master Gardener Volunteer |
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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Surface mail recipients can contact their county Extension office for further information when web links are included in an article.
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