Press Herald cites UMaine Extension experts in article on sustainable spring cleaning
Advice from University of Maine Cooperative Extension experts John Jemison, Amy Witt and Marjorie Peronto was included in the Portland Press Herald article, “Here are 10 tips to help you with spring cleaning, done sustainably.” Jemison, a soil and water quality specialist, reminded readers to fix leaky hoses to avoid wasting water. “If you are leaking greatly, it is going to make a big difference,” he said. Horticulturist Witt recommended gardeners avoid buying vegetable seedlings and flowers at local supermarkets and big box stores. “You don’t know what they’ve been treated with or where they are coming from,” she said. “Are they coming from the South? Are they cold hardy for our climate?” Instead, Witt suggests checking out local plant sales, farmers markets and nurseries for Maine-grown garden plants. Peronto, an educator based in Hancock County, was cited in relation to the advice to avoid purchasing invasive plants. “Acadia National Park has 205 non-native plant species that make up 26 percent of the park’s flora,” according to Peronto, who gave a recent talk in Falmouth, where she passed out bookmarks that list mostly native plants to use in place of four especially destructive invasives, the article states.