Question: My raised bed vegetable gardens were infested with grubs last summer and most of my crops failed because of the roots being chewed up by grubs. I applied milky spore last fall but my soil is still infested with grubs. Can I use beneficial nematodes this spring to knock back the grubs before I […]
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Question: I live in coastal Lubec and have zero soil around my house, as the builder infilled with pure gravel (good for drainage, if nothing else, right?!). I plan to trench the gravel to develop soil beds for native plantings, and need guidance for what to use / how to mix the right soils. I […]
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Question: Our garden is on a south-facing hill and we get a fair amount of wind. While the soil has tested as good+, it is light and dries out quickly. We’re adding compost but wonder if there is something else that would add heft? Answer: David Fuller, Agriculture and Non-Timber Forest Products Professional IV You […]
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Question: I have a raised garden bed that I have used for two years so far. I was wondering what I should do to prepare it for this year’s planting? Do I need to change the soil or fortify it? Answer: Pamela Hargest, Horticulture Professional I encourage you to submit a sample to our lab […]
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Question: Thank you for helping me identify two invasives last year: goutweed, and quackgrass. I used buckwheat to smother a patch of quackgrass (yes, it seems to working!) and have tried blackout and pulling for two other areas where goutweed has heavily taken over, including infiltrating established daylilies and lilies of the valley, many of […]
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Question: Where can I get my soil tested? I live in Camden Me. Answer: Marjorie Peronto, Extension Educator If you’d like the Maine Soil Testing Service to analyze your soil, please go to the following website to request that a soil test box and form be sent to you, Analytical Lab and Maine Soil Testing […]
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Question: Last year I grew husk cherries in 10″ diameter x 10″ high containers on a table topped with hardware cloth in my garden to make harvesting easier. I used a Fox Farm potting medium in the pots. For the first couple of month, the plants grew terrifically and the fruits were much larger than […]
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Question: I left the leaves and remains of plants last fall to help overwinter the pollinators. I’m wondering when is the right time to remove them now? Answer: Marjorie Peronto, Extension Educator Great question. I am making the same decision in my own gardens! The longer you can leave the plant materials in place, the […]
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Question: I have raised beds. What is the best green manure to put on the soil for the spring and then the fall? Clover? Rye? Answer: Tori Lee Jackson, Extension Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources The cover crops and green manures you choose to improve your raised bed garden soil (and potentially break some […]
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Question: I live in South Portland. Every summer for about 10 years I’ve had a vegetable garden on the same 50 x 25 ft plot. This year I won’t have time for a garden. What should I do this spring, summer and fall to improve the soil for next summer? Answer: Tori Lee Jackson, Extension […]
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