Question: I am unsure if I have a disease problem, an appropriate care problem, a pruning issue, or some other issue. Obviously the two vines are dormant now, but I would appreciate some preseason advice. Answer: Lynne M. Holland, Horticulture and Social Media Professional It is really difficult to diagnose that there is a problem […]
Read more
Question: I am doing some seed starting indoors with some seed starting mix, a heat mat, and a humidity dome. If a seed has started germination by breaking out of the seed with its root but hasn’t sprouted up out of the soil, is it ok to remove the bottom heat or will this hinder […]
Read more
Question: When is the best time to plant a cherry tree? Can a single tree be planted or does there need to be two trees planted relatively close to one another? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Community Education Assistant Early spring is the time to plant cherry trees, once the ground is thawed but after the highest […]
Read more
In This Issue: March Is the Month to . . . Food for thought: How a Thomaston teacher and a Master Gardener Volunteer created a community garden for 8th graders Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer by Novella Carpenter (2009 pp. 269) Taming the Seed Madness Backyard Bird of the Month: Carolina Wren […]
Read more
Question: A pot of tulip bulbs kept in a dark cold cellar are sprouting. Should I bring it into the light and at what temperature? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Community Education Assistant Prematurely sprouting tulips is not an unheard of problem for gardeners overwintering bulbs, despite our best efforts at keeping things cold and dark You’re […]
Read more
Question: Can I I buy cattail seed from somewhere in Maine? I have a low boggy yard edge where it would be perfect. Answer: Jonathan Foster, Community Education Assistant I’m sorry to say I am not aware of any local Maine resellers who carry cattail seed. There are several online sources from big box stores, […]
Read more
Question: Two questions: 1. We are going to make raised-bed gardens this spring. What bulletins/publications do you have to help us? 2. We are going to plant a hedgerow. We have woods on our land, we hope to transplant the “nursery stock” from our forest to hedgerow. We have identified a lot of young what […]
Read more
Question: I have a small greenhouse and had spider mites on my tomatoes and peppers last year, both in individual pots and in the permanent bed. Should I empty the soil from the pots and bed, assuring that there will be no spider mites this year or will they not winter over? Answer: Jonathan Foster, […]
Read more
Question: Please confirm or update what I have heard about white clover: It is more drought tolerant than regular lawns (fescue mix for example)? Do bees like it? Will dog urine not kill white clover unlike a regular lawn that leaves dead patches? How tall does it grow? How frequent do you have to mow? […]
Read more
Question: Last year many of our pear trees (we have about 10 varieties) had fruits with pits or knots in them making lots of the fruits nearly inedible. What causes this, and is there anything I can do to correct it? I always prune my trees in the same way, and also thin the fruitlets […]
Read more