Somerset County Master Gardener News, July 2011

Wow! It’s July already and hopefully everyone has their gardens in. Now all we have to do is look out for those things that want to harvest it before we get the chance and of course, keep ahead of the weeds! The 4^th of July celebrations are over and I hope everyone had a great weekend! Hopefully you got to do some of your favorite things over the holiday weekend.

Items of local interest

Here at the Extension Office in Somerset County the Norridgewock Having Fun 4H clubs raised bed gardens are looking great!

All the careful ground work done back in May has really paid off in June. The 4-H kids are really doing a great job! If you look closely at the picture below on the left you can see the first zucchini blossoms coming and the fruit is right behind it. They also have planted tomatoes, peppers, kale, peas, and lettuce, along with much, more.

Master Gardener Volunteer Opportunities

• Pittsfield Egg Festival

The Pittsfield Egg Festival would like to have a display/informal presentation in the Exhibit Tent at the Egg Festival this year on Saturday, July 23, 2011. The display would need to be set up with staff/volunteers on the Saturday of the Egg Festival (07/23/2011) from about 10:30/11:00 am. As the parade goes by, people go to the Festival Grounds until 6:00 pm. This project could be split up among a group of people so that everyone could get a chance to enjoy the festival and pick up some volunteer hours. The display board is being updated and readied for the event. Please contact the UMaine Extension Somerset County office at 207-474-9622 or 1-800-287-1495 (in Maine)  for more information.

• Office Garden Project List

Here at the UMaine Extension Somerset County office there are still plenty of projects on the list of things to be done. If you need something to work on, the project list, along with a great map of the area (supplied by Sheryl Ruman), are being kept at the counter in the office for those wanting to work on a project.

• Gardens, gardeners, and volunteers wanted!

The Somerset County Master Gardeners are planning a 2012 garden tour to raise funds for the master garden program and we need your help. If you have or know of a garden that you think should be considered for the tour, we need to hear from you. If you are interested in visiting gardens and being on the selection committee, we need to hear from you! If you have any suggestions about the garden tour, we would love to hear from you. This is a fun way to earn your volunteer hours and help a program that has been meaningful to you. For more information or to volunteer, contact Joann Matuzas at 207-238-9336 or the UMaine Extension office here in Somerset County at 207-474-9622 or 1-800-287-3495 (in Maine).

Upcoming events

• July 17^th Somerset County Bee Keepers

Will host a talk by Frank Drummond at the UMaine Extension Somerset County Office at 7 County Drive in Skowhegan at 5:00 p.m. All are welcome!

• July 19^th Central Maine Egg Festival

The dates of the 2011 Egg Festival are Tuesday, July 19th – Saturday, July 23^rd. The Theme for 2011 is Home Town Heroes.

Garden things to do & look for in July!

• Pull weeds before they set seeds and then add mulch over the soil to reduce future weed growth and to reduce fungal disease spores from splashing onto plant foliage. The mulch will also preserve soil moisture. The earlier you can reduce the weed population the better.

• July can be a dry month, so be prepared to water. The garden needs an inch to an inch and a half of water a week. For homeowners with gutters on your roof, consider installing a rain barrel beneath your down spout to collect the water coming off the roof. This is a great way to supplement your water supply to use in the garden. To save your back from lugging all that water, see our publication on trickle irrigation, Bulletin #2160, Trickle Irrigation: Using and Conserving Water in the Home Garden.

• Check your vegetable and flower gardens for insect or disease pests. At least once a weekly, on a dry day go into the garden to search for possible problems. Remember that early detection is the key to solving may garden problems. Don’t know what is causing damage? Bring a sample into your local University of Maine Cooperative Extension county office or send us a digital picture of the problem. Also check out UMaine Extension’s Pest Management for Homeowners website.

• Time to plant a fall vegetable crop? If you find yourself with space in your garden now, you still have time to plant for a fall crop and keep those areas productive. Beans, radishes, beets, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, and kale are a few of the plants that you can try for fall. If you’re worried about an early frost, check out Bulletin #2761, Gardening in Small Spaces for information on extending the gardening season.

July Pest & Disease Alert!

• Wild Turkey Survey

Wild turkey populations are expanding in Maine and there have been concerns from farmers about wild turkeys on their fields. Researchers at the University of Maine at Augusta are investigating the effects of wild turkeys on various agricultural landscapes in Maine. All farmers and gardeners in Maine are invited to participate in this research by completing a brief online survey.

The objective of this survey is to understand the attitudes and concerns of Maine farmers and gardeners regarding wild turkeys. This voluntary survey should take only 5 minutes and participants may skip any question they do not wish to answer. Previous studies have found surveys of agricultural producers to be very beneficial in identifying the issues and guiding research and management decisions regarding wildlife. We believe this project will produce valuable and practical information for the agricultural community in our state. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Christopher Lage, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
University of Maine at Augusta
clage@maine.edu

• LATE BLIGHT CONFIRMED IN NEW YORK, DELAWARE AND VIRGINIA!

This announcement is also posted with color pictures at the University of Maine Highmoor Farm website. Late blight has recently been reported in tomato and potato plantings in Long Island, New York, and fields in Delaware and Virginia. Conditions for the development of late blight have been very good in Maine and growers should be on the alert to catch any early symptoms on their plants and be ready to apply appropriate control measures. Typical symptoms will be water-soaked lesions on the leaves with fine, white cottony mycelium on the undersides. Infections on the stems appear as dark, almost black lesions. Late blight spores can travel over 40 miles under the right conditions (wet and warm) and the spread can be very fast. We are encouraging all growers to carefully and regularly inspect their plants for this disease. Please report any suspicious symptoms to the UMaine Extension Pest Management Office 581-3883 or 1-800-287-0279 (in Maine), or e-mail PMO@umext.maine.edu. Samples can be sent to:

Pest Management Office
491 College Avenue
Orono, ME 04473-0279

• Out-of State firewood Banned

ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE FOUND IN OHIO: Asian long horned beetle has been detected in nearly 100 maple trees in a vineyard about 30 miles south of Cincinnati, OH. See Ohio Department of Agriculture for more information.

Because of the threat of this insect being brought into Maine, the Maine State Forest Service has issued a ban on all firewood coming into the state

• Emerald ash borer

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage, but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, usually leading to the death of the tree. EAB is not present in Maine yet, though early detection is important in controlling its spread. Go to the following website for more information on this insect and others.

• Forest & Shade Tree Insect & Disease Conditions for Maine — provides timely information about insects and diseases affecting Maine’s forest and shade trees (Maine Forest Service).
  

• Eastern White Pine Suffering Needle Loss, Weakening Trees Statewide

Most of us have noticed a browning or yellowing of the white pines in our journeys around the state. The Maine Forest Service has put out information on the problem caused specifically by three fungi. More information, see Maine Forest Service: Eastern White Pine Suffering Needle Loss, Weakening Trees Statewide.

Thank you!

To all the 2011 Master Gardeners that reported their volunteer hours up to June 15. Please don’t forget that it is okay to send them in as you do your projects.

Thank you to Mel Kroft for his work on planting the raised beds behind the office and for inventorying and photographing the trees in the fruit tree trial program we have going on at the office. I will be using the pictures and information Mel provided in an upcoming newsletter.

Thank you to James Bannen for the time he spent doing work at the UMaine Extension Somerset County office. It was very much needed.