Maine Home Garden News – November
In This Issue:
- November Is the Month to . . .
- Sowing Native Seeds in Containers
- Greening Your Houseplant Thumb
- Backyard Bird of the Month: Barred Owls
- Q&A Sleepy Bees
- Maine Weather and Climate Overview
November Is the Month to . . .
By Kate Garland, Horticulture Professional
Feel free to leave carrots, beets, and other cold-tolerant crops in the garden a little longer. Whether you’re short on storage space or trying to keep produce as fresh as possible, the key to success is to monitor nighttime temperatures and know each crop’s tolerance for cold. This resource outlines cold hardiness for a variety of fall crops. Some, like Brussels sprouts, can withstand temperatures down into the low 20s. Carrots can be harvested as needed throughout fall, but as the soil freezes and snow flies, access may become difficult and roots more prone to breakage.
Drain and coil hoses. My gardening friends know I have a quirky obsession with neatly coiling hoses at the end of the season; probably because it’s a ritual that signals the transition to a slower time of year. I take advantage of the few warm, sunny days left to lay the hose on a slope to drain completely before coiling and coupling it for storage. A bit of duct tape or a zip tie keeps the coil tidy. A drained hose is much lighter and far less likely to suffer freeze damage.
“Heel in” those potted perennials. You’re not alone if you’ve collected a few too many potted perennials with the best of intentions. If you haven’t found permanent spots for them yet, protect the roots from damaging freeze/thaw cycles by removing the plants from their pots and temporarily planting them (heeling in) in the ground. Choose a safe, out-of-the-way spot where they’ll be protected from foot traffic and snow loads.
Pay attention to the temperature and humidity where you store produce. If you’ve recently moved or are new to storing crops, it can take time to find the best microclimates for produce storage in your home. Refer to our Storage Conditions: Fruits and Vegetables bulletin and consider picking up a few inexpensive digital temperature and humidity sensors. Don’t be afraid to get creative; under the guest bed might be the perfect spot for your winter squash stash!
Mark key landscape features. While the ground is still workable, use stakes to mark garden beds, shrubs, and other important landscape features that could be damaged during snow removal. This simple step can save you a lot of heartache and cleanup next spring.
Stock up and savor seasonal produce. Now’s the time to visit your local farmers market and fill your pantry. Brassicas, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale, are at their peak and it’s a great opportunity to experiment with new varieties of winter squash or potatoes. Find your next favorite go-to recipe for these items on our website. Some farmers may even offer bulk or discounted pricing on storage crops and “seconds.” Just ask!
Do a tick check. Ticks remain active well into the fall, so continue checking yourself and your pets regularly. Familiarize yourself with the UMaine Tick Lab’s resources and services so you’re prepared if you or a friend have an encounter.
Collect seeds from your favorite annual flowers such as calendula, cosmos, nasturtium, and sunflowers to sow again next season or gift to your gardening friends. They may not develop into plants with the same exact traits as the parent plant if they’re collected from hybrid varieties, but they’ll still be a fun free resource to pop into spaces throughout the landscape next season.
Wait to gather evergreen boughs for decorations until after at least three consecutive nights of 20°F or colder. The cold helps the needles “set,” keeping them firmly attached and fresh for longer. Cutting too early can result in a wreath or centerpiece that sheds quickly.
Sowing Native Seeds in Containers
Article and photos by Allan Amioka, York County Master Gardener Volunteer
Sowing native seeds may seem straightforward, but there are several points to keep in mind if your comparison baseline is mostly commercial annuals and vegetables. These last two groups have been developed to deliver predictable germination results under controlled conditions. Native wildflower seeds, on the other hand, produce unique variations and develop in their own timeframes. This is one of the many delights of growing native plants from seed. Each is special and that variability contributes to a biodiverse array of plants.
Sowing native seeds starts with taking a page out of nature’s playbook. Wild (flower) seeds have been getting started for eons without our help, though for better or worse, we’ve certainly had our influences along the way. Native seeds have numerous and varied ways to disperse and to ensure that some germinate and become the next generation of their species. However, the survival rate in the wild is estimated to be as low as 1 in 100, because so many seeds are eaten before germinating. Also, some seeds wind up in inhospitable locations, so it’s a good thing that wildflowers produce huge amounts of seed.
For example:
Bottom: Vernonia noveboracensis (New York ironweed) — one seed head produces about 30 slightly larger seeds.
Many people sow native seeds by simply collecting them and sprinkling them in a new location, whether in early winter or in spring. However, there is a way to give the seeds a leg up, boosting the germination rates as well as helping the seedlings to be more robust: winter seeding in containers.
Containers
Any container will work as long as it has drain holes, can be left outside over the winter, and can hold 3” – 4” of growing medium. A standard plant pot in the 4”-5” range is fine. If you have a lot of seeds, are ambitious, and want to plant a lot, use a larger pot! When going this route it’s wise to screen the pot with hardware cloth of the 1/4” to 1/2” size to keep hungry critters from feasting. You can create a protective cage around your pots using bricks, concrete blocks, or wood for a frame, with the screen on top held in place with a brick or two. If you also place the screen under the pots, this will keep determined rodents from getting in from the bottom.
A popular alternative is to reuse a pair of plastic salad clamshells with drilled, punched or melted holes in the bottom for drainage and ventilation. One holds the growing medium and the second is inverted and duct-taped on top as a growing dome. This top should also have holes to admit moisture and vent excess heat. As with any reused containers, make sure they’re washed and clean.
Another option is to reuse gallon or half-gallon milk jugs or two-liter pop bottles. Use a utility knife or scissors to make a horizontal cut around three sides of the jug, leaving the fourth side to act as a hinge. Make the cut just below the handle, leaving room for 3”—4” of growing medium. In the case of the pop bottle, cut horizontally around and leave an inch or so as the hinge. Duct tape can be used to keep the lid closed. Remove the cap for ventilation and to let in precipitation over the winter. Later, that opening can also be used to peer in on your burgeoning plants to see if they need more water or better ventilation to prevent excess heat.
Jugs and bottles act as mini cold frames. By gathering and retaining heat earlier in the spring, they encourage germination and boost the seedlings’ development. The ability to close them also eliminates the need to put a screen over the containers. Just be mindful of excessive heat or loss of moisture and adjust as needed. When using just a single pot or jug, anchor or protect it in some way so it won’t be knocked over by wind.
Growing Medium
Native plant seeds in the wild encounter a smorgasbord of soil types and certainly don’t start in pots (well, some find their way into open pots). So you could sow your seeds into almost any soil and wind up with some seedlings. But a better growing medium will provide better results. A clean, compost based potting mix with good drainage is ideal. Moisten this medium and load it into your pots, tamping the pot on a table or the bottom of your potting/mixing tray so it’s well settled.
The typical recommendation is to sow native seeds densely or 1/8”—1/4” apart. Seed packets typically contain anywhere from 20 larger seeds to 50 to 100 smaller ones.
Native seeds are fine growing in such a cozy arrangement. And as you can see, many more will fit in even a small pot. Keep in mind that you’ll likely have a pretty high germination rate, which means a lot of plants to plant, transplant, or give away.
Planting Depth
The general rule of thumb is to plant a native seed no deeper than its thickness, which is pretty shallow for most seeds. A simple method is to surface sow and then sprinkle on a fine layer of growing medium. Seeds that require light to germinate are simply laid on the surface and pressed down to ensure soil-to-seed contact. Top these off with a very light sprinkling of general purpose sand.
Label!
Label! Label! Your pots will be outside for months during the winter, through spring and perhaps even into summer. It’s all too easy for labels to get moved; that can happen to seeds as well. To minimize the spring “What plant is that” merry-go-round be sure to indicate plant name and sowing date on your label. A pencil, weather-resistant marker, or grease pencil works best for labeling, since even “permanent” markers can fade. It’s a good idea to check labels now and then and replace any that have worn off.
When to Sow
Native plant seeds become ripe (dry enough and ready for the next stage) at different times. In the wild, seeds will hang out, get eaten, float away, fall to the ground and so on. Many need a cold stratification period lasting from 30 to 60 days. The ensuing warm period signals to the seed that it’s time to germinate. Sometimes this happens in conjunction with increasing amounts of light. All that said, seeds are usually sown in late fall/early winter — December, January, February. Some can even be sown later. This information is usually supplied with purchased seed.
Next
Once sown, the containers can be left outside. Put them in a protected area out of direct sun and high winds. They’ll encounter rain, snow, sleet and all manner of weather, just as self-sown native seeds do, and will germinate when it’s their time. Snow around northern New England can linger, but they’ll be fine. You might see the cutest little hint of green early in April.
Next, next
By May, June and sometimes later your pots will very likely be filling up with small seedlings. At this point, the seedlings can be teased apart into small bunches of 3-4 and planted into their own pots. This will give their roots room to grow into a size that can be transplanted in the fall or left to grow even further to be planted later.
Some initial suggestions on what to sow
With 1500 or so native species, Maine offers a bountiful array of choices to sow for your garden or landscape. Granted, not all are garden candidates, but many are very suitable, including some that are considered “great for novices (easy to grow)”. And they’re great, beautiful, useful plants.
Here are a few to consider:
- Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine) is terrific on so many levels! It offers early season blooms and thrives in dry to average moisture.
- Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) is another bee magnet, blooms mid season, and prefers average moisture.
- Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower) is a hummingbird magnet, thrives in sun or part sun sites, and prefers moist/wet conditions.
- Verbena hastata (blue vervain) has lovely blue flowers adored by bees & butterflies. It grows best in a sunny site with average to slightly wet soil moisture.
Most importantly, look for species appropriate to where they’ll be living and aim to offer a range of bloom times from early spring to late fall.
Starting seeds in containers is a fun and rewarding way to grow native plants whether for your own garden, your community, local sales, or as wonderful gifts that will help pollinators and add beauty and diversity to the local landscape.
For more information:
wildseedproject.net
prairiemoon.com
Greening Your Houseplant Thumb
By Jennifer Cappello-Ruggiero, Horticulture Professional
People often correlate my garden success with “anything green success,” including houseplants, but no! I do fine in the great outdoors but am still a novice indoors. Family members who have sought assistance can attest to that. I have killed many plants despite all efforts to do my best. With this in mind, I thought it was high time to up my game and decided to apply my landscape rules to my houseplants.
When discussing plant choices for the outdoors, I always stress the importance of “right plant, right place.” Yet I am not sure I always observe this principle when choosing houseplants. “Looks good, doesn’t need full sun, come on home with me,” has been my mantra. I somehow believed there was more wiggle room when it came to houseplants. This thinking created an environment of “survival of the fittest” in which some made it, some did not. Going forward, I intend to choose my houseplants with greater purpose and to apply the same rules of care to them as to my landscape plants.
Here are some considerations when making the choice of who is coming home with you.
Start with a Healthy Plant
Starting off with a healthy plant will give cushion for possible setbacks as your plant acclimates to its new space. Before taking a plant to the cash register, check for obvious discoloration or leaf spotting and look under the leaves and on the top of the soil for evidence of pests or disease. If such problems are present, you are more likely to be disappointed in the plant’s performance. Also, you do not want to bring pest or disease issues to your current plants, so keep new plants separate until you have taken time to observe them and make sure they are okay.
Some people are plant rescuers who enjoy the challenge of nursing a bedraggled plant back to health. But just like high-maintenance plants in your landscape, rescue plants demand extra time. If you are taking on a plant with “potential”, make sure you are able to give it plenty of attention and make peace with the possibility of loss.
Light
Check the plant’s tag for light requirements and then think about whether you have the available window space to give them what they need. As a general rule, sunlight is most abundant in a south-facing window. A plant close to a south window will receive direct sunlight, while one further away from the same window will receive bright indirect light. Morning sun is available in the east and afternoon sun in the west. Semi-shade conditions would be provided in north-facing windows. For any location, the level of light changes depending on the distance from the plant to the window.
Furthermore, the angle and intensity of light changes through the seasons, so you may need to shuffle the plants around to keep light exposure consistent. No judgment implied, but optimum light is available on windows that are clean both inside and outside. Also keep in mind that outdoor structures and vegetation may block window light, though again, a south window shaded by a deciduous tree in summer might receive bright light in winter.
Remember to rotate your plants a quarter of a turn every couple of weeks to provide even exposure and growth, as their disposition is to grow toward the light.
Artificial lights can supplement lack of natural light. Do some research to determine the best intensity and spectrum of light for your particular plant.
Climate
Humidity is also a requirement for many houseplants. Most are from tropical locations and would have humid conditions in their native settings. In winter when air is dry, consider misting such plants to provide the humidity they relish.
Ideal temperatures for many plants are 65 to 75 degrees during the day and 55 to 65 degrees at night. They do not appreciate placement in drafty windows or near an exterior door that is constantly opening and closing. Direct chilly air is not conducive to a healthy houseplant, but high or direct heat is just as bad. Never place your plant directly over a heating vent or next to a radiator.
If you have room in your garden to move your houseplants outdoors in warm weather, this will more than likely provide them with the light levels, temperatures and humidity they like best. I believe that spending summer outdoors gives my houseplants a boost and helps to prolong their lives, especially if they are being irrigated with pure rain water.
Watering
Like outdoor plants, houseplants vary greatly in their moisture preferences. Too much or too little water can be lethal. Generally plants require more water when actively growing or flowering than when dormant. Their needs also vary based on room temperature or season. Some houseplants prefer to remain moist, while others need the soil to dry out between watering. Being aware of such variations is especially important if you are going to be away from your houseplants for any extended period. Plants that do best with watering from the bottom may lend themselves to an easier watering system that facilitates “away” time. Cacti may also fit the bill if you have a tendency to forget to water. A moisture meter is always helpful in determining when to water.
You can irrigate by using a watering can, placing plants in the shower or sink, sitting them in a tray with gravel and allowing them to wick up the water as needed, or bringing them outside during the warmer seasons.
Containers
Houseplants brought home from the nursery, particularly later in the marketing season, may need to be repotted. Gently lift the plant from the pot to see if roots have filled the space. If the roots are actually circling around, they should be “teased out” or scored with a knife to encourage new growth outward. Choose a new pot just slightly larger than the original and be sure it has drainage holes to avoid root rot. But do keep in mind that some plants, like geraniums and holiday cactus, will flower best when somewhat pot-bound.
The type of pot will affect water retention. Porous materials such as terra cotta dry out faster than plastic or glazed pots, so are often best for plants that prefer sharp drainage, such as succulents, cacti, and herbs. On the other hand, the heavy weight of large clay pots can be a problem, especially if you want to move them around. An alternative is to use a plastic pot with a light potting mix, such as one formulated for orchids.
Soil
As with landscape plants, the proper match of plant and soil is a crucial factor in success. Good drainage and aeration allows nutrients and water to move through the soil. This is why garden soil is not used in pots; it is too dense to provide good circulation and drainage.
Soil goes hand in hand with watering, because the soil determines how quickly water drains. Know how moist or dry a plant wants to be and the recommended soil composition for your houseplant – it is not one size fits all! The soil used to pot up the plant for sale may not be optimum for best long-term performance. After the plant has acclimated to its new home, make sure the pot size and soil type are best for future health. For best results and to avoid spreading disease, use fresh, sterile potting soil. Used soil can be added to your garden beds or your compost pile.
Fertilizer
Many premixed soil options come with fertilizer which will last a few months. Plants require nitrogen for foliage growth, phosphorus for flowering and root health, and potassium as a general keeper of good plant health. These are considered the macronutrients. Plants also require iron, manganese and other micronutrients that can be added through plant food.
Fertilizer comes in liquid and solid forms. Liquids make nutrients more readily available to plants, but also dissipate from the soil more quickly. For long term care and lower maintenance, granular or solid options are a great choice.
Keep an Eye Out
No different than scouting issues in the landscape, houseplants need to be monitored. Any change over time should be noted. Change in the number or size of blooms, discoloration of leaves, wilting, leaves drying out, or any decline in plant health is an indication that something is not right. The cause could be the wrong soil composition, over/under watering, too little/too much fertilizer, improper light exposure and more. You will need to become a bit of a detective to isolate the cause and determine the contributing factors. Do not change too much too quickly when seeking remedies.
To best know your plants and the cultural requirements for their success, keep the tags or record the names of each plant you adopt. This way you can look up cultural requirements and more easily troubleshoot problems that may arise.
Remember, it is important to be the best plant parent you can be. With proper care, and maybe a few kind words, your plants will reciprocate by cleaning the air, brightening a room, reducing your stress levels and boosting your mood.
Backyard Bird of the Month: Barred Owls
By Maine Audubon Field Naturalist Stacia Brezinski
Barred Owls maintain year-round territories in Maine, but the loss of deciduous foliage in the fall makes it just a little bit easier to see these inconspicuous birds in the winter. Folks with Barred Owl neighbors know that individuals tend to be faithful to their favorite hunting and roosting perches, which are often close to the trunks of dense evergreens. When our eyes fail, our hearing can detect their location. Barred Owls call at night, during dawn and dusk, but also sometimes during the day. They’re known for their two-phrase hoot, often phoneticized as “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” Twelve other calls have been identified by researchers, and many more have been reported anecdotally. They’re known for being one of the most vocal owls in North America. Nesting pairs can be especially chatty with each other.
Barred Owls are named for the horizontal light and dark bars on their back, wings, and tail. The pattern’s primary function is thought to be camouflage, but as with many plumage patterns, studies have suggested that it can also communicate the fitness of individual birds. Our human senses again fall short when looking for these subtle differences. Owls, however, have something that we lack: the ability to detect UV light. Many owls, birds in the family Strigiformes, also have feather pigments that reflect colors on the UV end of the electromagnetic spectrum, which are shorter than those in the visible light spectrum (visible to humans, that is). These pigments, called porphyrins, may help individuals recognize each other and make subtle plumage variations more pronounced. Although we can’t see them with our naked eye, porphyrins are visible as a fluorescent pink glow under a UV lamp. Newly-grown feathers glow the brightest, and researchers can use patterns in this glow to see a bird’s molt pattern, which can often reveal its approximate age. Look (and listen) for Barred Owls all year in just about any forested area.
Q&A Sleepy Bees
Question, photo and video by Victoria Munsey of Bowdoin
Answered by Dr. Jenna Walters, post-doctoral researcher at UMaine
Q: I was out watering my plants around 6:30 AM and I came across a large group of bumblebees clustered on two plants, a goldenrod and a blanket flower. I’m attaching a video of the goldenrod and a photo from the blanket flower. I am curious about this behavior. I’ve seen one or two hanging out like that in the past but never anything like this. They weren’t moving. For lack of a better term it was like they were napping.
A: In the late summer and early fall, you can expect to see more bumble bees sleeping and resting on flowers, especially goldenrod flowers! Bumble bees are considered semi-social organisms, because they go through periods of social and solitary behaviors.
In the fall, newly developed bumble bee queens will leave their natal nest to find a mate. After mating, that queen will feed on as much pollen and nectar as she can before finding a place to overwinter. In this time period, she is solitary (meaning, there is no division of labor among daughter or sister workers- she’s on her own!).
Goldenrods and Asters are some of the most important floral resources for late season bees, since these flowers may offer their last meal before a long winter’s nap. However, the natal nest (the one that the new queen left behind) still has the old queen, her remaining daughter workers, and male bees. The old queen will eventually stop producing eggs, leaving her daughter workers without a job with no new brood to tend to. Males also leave the nest at this time in search of a queen to mate with. Without a hive that needs tending (or worker bees to provide dinner– looking at you, male bees!), workers, males, and queens will often sleep on flowers this time of year. As temperatures drop later into the fall, last year’s queen, daughter workers, and males will die while the future bumble bee populations lie in wait within those new hibernating queens. To help provide a good supper to soon-to-be(e) hibernating queens, and a nice final supper to last year’s colony, be sure to plant native wildflowers that bloom into the fall!
Maine Weather and Climate Overview
By Sean Birkel, Assistant Extension Professor, Maine State Climatologist, Climate Change Institute, Cooperative Extension University of Maine
October saw the continuation of drought that has steadily worsened across the state since mid to late summer. The month began with a heat wave that peaked on the 6th with high temperatures in the mid 80s °F. This unseasonable warmth was followed by more moderate temperatures and beneficial rainfall on the 8th, and again between the 20th and 22nd. The much-needed precipitation improved soil moisture but maintained status quo for groundwater. As of October 28, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows all of Maine in drought, where 10% of the state registers D1 (moderate), 47% D2 (severe), and 43% D3 (extreme). Briefings from the National Weather Service note that 6–10 inches or more liquid precipitation (125–175% normal) is needed between now and when the ground freezes in order to replenish groundwater and avoid a drought signal carrying over through winter.
The latest 6–10 and 8–14 day outlooks from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center show below normal to near normal temperature and above normal precipitation for the first half of November. Likewise, the latest U.S. and European global forecast model runs show an active weather pattern these next two weeks, suggesting opportunity for incremental drought relief. As always, your local forecast can be found at weather.gov.
Additional Resources
UMaine Extension – Navigating Drought
Maine Forest Service Wildfire Danger Report
Maine DACF Farmers Drought Relief Fund
Maine DACF Irrigation Guide 2024 (PDF)
USDA Service Centers
Northeast Drought Early Warning System Dashboard
Weekly Drought Update – Maine Climate Office
Maine Dry Well Survey – Maine Drought Task Force
Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) – Drought-related conditions and impacts can be reported to this service provided by the National Drought Mitigation Center
Recent Maine Statewide 2025 Temperature & Precipitation Rankings
- October: Statewide summaries are not yet available due to the federal shutdown, but station data from Bangor, Caribou, and Portland for the period October 1–28 show top 1/3 warmest and bottom 1/3 driest. The precipitation rankings may change with rainfall forecasted statewide October 30–31.
- September: Statewide summaries are not yet available from due to the federal shutdown, but station data from Bangor, Caribou, and Portland show top 1/3 warmest and bottom 1/3 driest (Portland, Caribou) and near long-term average (Bangor).
- Jun–Jul–Aug: 16th warmest (top 1/3), 6th driest (bottom 1/10)
Additional climate and weather data and information is available on the Maine Climate Office website.
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Maine Home Garden News was created in response to a continued increase in requests for information on gardening and includes timely and seasonal tips, as well as research-based articles on all aspects of gardening. Articles are written by UMaine Extension specialists, educators, and horticulture professionals, as well as Master Gardener Volunteers from around Maine. The following staff and volunteer team take great care editing content, designing the web and email platforms, maintaining email lists, and getting hard copies mailed to those who don’t have access to the internet: Abby Zelz*, Annika Schmidt*, Barbara Harrity*, Kate Garland, Mary Michaud, Michelle Snowden, Naomi Jacobs*, Phoebe Call*, and Wendy Robertson.
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