This year the Master Gardeners will celebrate 30 years in Maine. UMaine Extension Master Gardener Volunteers have assisted in dozens of community gardens across the state, including the Maine Harvest for Hunger program and other community-based volunteer efforts. Money raised will assist in many of those projects, including scholarships to help those attend that cannot afford the Master Gardener Volunteers course fee.

Members of the public can support the project by ordering a high-bush blueberry plant pack, consisting of three young plants, two varieties per pack, for $35.95. Packs will be available for pickup at specific University of Maine Cooperative Extension county offices May 19, 2012. These locations include: Hancock County located in Ellsworth; Penobscot County located in Bangor; York County located in Springvale; Knox-Lincoln Counties located in Waldoboro; and Highmoor Farm located in Monmouth. Cumberland County pre-orders only should be picked up at the Cumberland County Master Gardener Plant Sale to held at the Barron Center on Brighton Avenue in Portland on May 19, not at the Extension Office in Falmouth. Those interested in purchasing a high-bush blueberry pack can get additional information at http://umaine.edu/gardening/go-blueberry/.

Purchasers will receive expert advice on growing blueberries at every stage — planting, pruning and harvesting — and a take-home package of instructions from UMaine Extension staff and Master Gardener Volunteers.Purchasers will also receive a discount of $5 off the cost of one soil test for their blueberry planting site at the UMaine Soil Testing Lab. Soil tests can help gardeners get the most out of their soils and garden sites. When purchasers place orders, they’ll receive instructions on how to select the right site and how to take the soil sample. Soil samples can be taken early in the spring.

To request special accommodations or for more information contact Richard Brzozowski, 207.781.6099, toll-free in Maine, 800-287-1471 or email: richard.brzozowski@maine.edu; or Marjorie Peronto,(207) 667-8212, or toll-free in Maine (800) 287-1479 or email: marjorie.peronto@maine.edu.

UMaine Extension programs are open and accessible to all in accordance with program goals. To provide adequate time to respond to requests, inquiries are welcome with as much advance notice as possible.

UMaine Extension educator Tori Jackson will collaborate with experts from around the state to present sustainable vegetable and fruit gardening and volunteer training. Some open seats remain in the class and the deadline for completed applications has been extended to Friday, Feb. 3.

Sessions will be held beginning March 20, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons 12:30-4 p.m. at the UMaine Extension Androscoggin-Sagadahoc Counties office at 24 Main St. in Lisbon Falls. The course fee is on a sliding scale from $110-$330 and a limited number of scholarships are available. Enrollment will be capped at 20.

For more information, or to request an application, contact Dana Rickman at (207) 353-5550, 1-800-287-1458 (toll free in Maine) or email dana.rickman@maine.edu. UMaine Extension programs are open and accessible to all in accordance with program goals.

Maine residents aged 6–18 are invited to participate in this contest. Three prizes ($50, $30 and $20) will be awarded in each of the three age categories (6–9, 10–13 and 14–18). Essays will be judged on criteria such as creativity, focus, and passion for the topic. The winning essays will be announced at the show’s opening night preview on Wednesday, March 7, and selected essays will be posted for public viewing for the duration of the show. The Portland Flower Show runs from March 8 to 11, 2012 at the Portland Company Complex, 58 Fore Street, Portland.

Maine Tree Club participants getting a lesson on native trees and shrubs

The Maine Tree Club is inviting citizens and visitors interested in learning more about one of the state’s greatest resources to join the club, an educational project designed for people of all ages to learn about trees, offered by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Forest Service.

The Maine Tree Club is planning at least three outings around the state in 2012 to get people into the woods for hands-on learning and enjoyment. These outings, guided by experts, are planned for the mountains and coastal regions, as well as other parts of Maine.

Through the outings and twice-monthly fact sheets featuring different Maine tree species, club members will learn to recognize 50 different types of trees over a period of two years and gain skills that can be applied in their own yards and communities. Participants receive additional materials including a 10-power hand lens for close-up viewing of tree parts, an attractive notebook for the tree species fact sheets, a pocket guide to Maine trees, and several practical guides related to tree growth and care.

Maine’s trees attract tourists by the thousands, support the state economy, and deliver constant inspiration to area artists, poets and naturalists. They are at the root of Maine’s identity. As one Maine Tree Club member put it, “the Maine Tree Club has been a great way to reacquaint myself with the trees I grew up with and for so many years was distant from.”

The annual registration fee for the Maine Tree Club is $20 per person, $30 per couple, $35 per family, and $65 per group of up to 15. A limited number of Maine Tree Club scholarships are available for those in need. There is no deadline for registration. Request a free informational brochure by calling University of Maine Cooperative Extension at 207-781-6099 or 1- 800-287-1471 (in Maine), or e-mailing extension.cumberland@maine.edu.

Master Gardener Volunteers are required to give back 40 hours of volunteer time providing outreach education in gardening and community service through ongoing outreach projects such as demonstration gardens, the Maine Harvest for Hunger, “Kids Can Grow” programs, and the Garden Angel program. If you are interested in participating in the 2012 training, call UMaine Extension in York County at 1-800-287-1535 (toll free in Maine) or 324-2814 for an information packet and an application form. The deadline for applying is January 4th. You may also apply online via extension.umaine.edu/york/programs/master-gardener-volunteer-program.

“Thanks to everyone’s effort, we have exceeded our goal of 250,000 pounds,” says Extension educator Barbara Murphy in the South Paris Oxford County office. “I am speechless. My heartfelt thanks for all of the terrific work.”

Murphy, who coordinates the program, had announced her gratitude several weeks ago that preliminary results indicated 90 tons — 180,000 pounds — of fresh fruits and vegetables were donated this year. The final figure is now 140 tons, or 280,076 pounds.

Nearly 500 volunteer gardeners in about a dozen counties this year donated produce to 114 food pantries, shelters or charitable organizations around the state. Murphy also revised upwards the value of the produce to $473,328, from $303,713 earlier.

The number of participants more than doubled from 200 in 2010 and the number of organizations benefiting from the gardeners’ generosity more than tripled, from 45 last year.

Contact: Barbara Murphy, 743-6329, 1-800-287-1482 (toll-free in Maine)