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Horticulture - 2013 Master Gardener Course Assignments

WEEK  13

The session on May 10th will focus on lawns (with Frank Wertheim, UMaine Extension in York County) and your project presentations.

To prepare for the session:
Read:

I appreciate the misunderstanding I have had with Nature over my perennial border.  I think it is a flower garden; she thinks it is a meadow lacking grass, and tries to correct the error.  ~Sara Stein, My Weeds, 1988

 

WEEK  11

Next week we will focus on trees (identification, planting and care).  Be prepared to be outside.

To prepare for the session:
Read:

  • Debunking Old Gardening Myths: Caring for the Woody Plants in Your Maine Landscape,  and Selecting, Planting, and Caring for Trees and Shrubs in the Maine Landscape (Design & Maintenance chapter http://umaine.edu/gardening/master-gardeners/manual/design-maintenance/)
  • Chapter 16 Woody Plants from the University of Maryland MG Manual (attached to the email).

 

“Weather means more when you have a garden.  There’s nothing like listening to a shower and thinking how it is soaking in around your green beans.”  ~ Marcelene Cox

 

WEEK  9

This week we will be learning about the principles of landscape design.

To prepare for the session:
Read:

Review:

  •  Common Problems in Container Gardens and  Gardening in Small Spaces (both in the Design & Maintenance Chapter of the MG Manual)

“Like it or not, insects are part of where we come from, what we are now, and what we will be.  It seems to me that’s a pretty good reason for getting better aquainted with them.”  ~ May Berenbaum

 

WEEK  8

Next week we will be learning all about disease and insect pests. Our guest presenters are Bruce Watt, Plant Pathologist, and Clay Kirby, Entomologist, both with UMaine Extension.

To prepare for the session, read the following selections found in the Pest Management Chapter of the Master Gardener Manual at http://umaine.edu/gardening/master-gardeners/manual/pest-control/:

  • Disease Cycles
  • Entomology
  • Plant Pathology

Become familiar with the following websites:

Below are the links to the slides Rebecca presented in the Rain Gardens & Buffer class:

Beef Up Your Buffer March 2013 (PDF)
Rain Gardens March 2013 (PDF)

“Despite the gardener’s best intentions, Nature will improvise.”  ~ Michael P. Garafalo

WEEK  7

Next week we will be learning about Rain Gardens and Buffers. Our guest presenter will be Rebecca Jacobs, Education/Outreach Coordinator, Knox/Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District. 

To prepare for the session, read the two articles I handed out in class (Lakes Like Less Lawn and Vegetated Phosphorus Buffer Strips). Please also read the UMaine Extension’s Bulletin #2702, Landscapes for Maine: Adding a Rain Garden to Your Landscape (PDF)

Here is the link to the slides I presented in the Climate Change class: plants and climate change (PowerPoint)

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.” ~ Doug Larson

WEEK  6

Next week we will be learning about climate change and ecology. Our guest presenter will be Esperanza Stancioff, Extesnion Educator in the UMaine Extension Knox/Lincoln County office.

To prepare for the session, complete the items listed in the e-mail you received on March 15 and:

View the Signs of the Seasons website.

Read:

In the pruning class, Dick mentioned the Extension publication Guidelines for Using Fresh Manure on Vegetable Gardens. Here is the link for that publication: http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2510e/

Gary Fish mentioned nematodes and other biological controls. Green Methods — Biological Pest Control and Integrated Pest Management is a great source for a variety of biological controls. Their website is at http://greenmethods.com/site/

“My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view.”  ~ H. Fred Dale

WEEK  5

Next week we will have Gary Fish, from the Maine Board of Pesticides Control, presenting on the YardScaping program (http://www.yardscaping.org/) and Pesticide Safety.

To prepare for this session:

  • Read: From the Pesticides Safety Chapter at http://umaine.edu/gardening/master-gardeners/manual/pesticide-safety/, under Master Gardener Educational Materials
    - Obsolete Pesticide Disposal
    - Organic Doesn’t Always Mean Safe
    - Toxicity of Organic Pesticides on Pollinators
    - Understanding Pesticide Label Signal Words
    - Spreader & Sprayer Calibration for Homeowners
    - Think First- Spray Last

“Gardening is not a rational act”. ~ Margaret Atwood 

WEEK  4

The class on March 4th will focus on pruning. Please plan to be outside (make sure you have appropriate footwear and clothing). To prepare for class please:

Read:

“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them”.  ~A.A. Milne

WEEK  3

The class on March 1st will focus on composting and weeds. To prepare for class please:

Read:

Review:

  • From the Compost Chapter:
    • Invertebrates of the Compost Pile
    • Compost Chemistry
    • Composting to Reduce the Wastestream

“The trouble with gardening is that it does not remain an avocation. It becomes an obsession.” ~ Phyllis McGinley

WEEKS 1 & 2

What a great first class session — we are in for an exciting journey together.

Your assignment due February 22 is:

  • Set-up your germination chamber; observe and record what is happening with the seeds on a daily basis. Any surprises?
  • Review: Applying Fertilizers to Your Home Gardens, Lead in Soil, MOFGA sheets Natural Sources of Plant Nutrients, An Organic Farmer’s Guide to the Interpretation of a Standard Soil Test from the University of Maine, pH Preference Chart – again, all found in the Soil Chapter of the Master Gardener Manual at http://umaine.edu/gardening/master-gardeners/manual/soils/.

Other links:

“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.”   ~ Janet Kilburn Phillips

Amy


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