In this episode of Victory Garden for ME, learn about how to build and manage a compost pile, sheet mulching techniques to establish new garden beds, planting a fall cover crop or mulching your garden to prevent soil erosion, reconditioning your garden tools at the end of the season, and more! Helpful Tips and Resources: […]
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Question: My tomato plants all got early blight. Wondering if my soil will be safe to use again next spring? Answer: It’s a very common disease of tomatoes in Maine. Here’s an excerpt from our Early Blight of Tomato fact sheet that offers some next steps: Survival and Dispersal The fungus spends the winter in […]
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Question: We just bought a place in Sweden, Maine, zone 5a, with Adams type soil/outwash sand and I’m looking to plant a few apple trees. What varieties of apple would you recommend? It’s not an exposed site; fairly sheltered from wind. We will be clearing an area for the trees. Answer: We have a lot […]
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In this episode of Victory Garden for ME, learn about how to plan your day in the garden, proper stretching and lifting techniques, selecting ergonomic tools, adapting existing tools to improve their ergonomics, designing your garden to match your abilities, and much more! Helpful Tips and Resources: The Maine AgrAbility Project pages and The Maine […]
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Question: I have read that beneficial nematodes may be helpful in controlling a Japanese beetle infestation that is attacking my vegetables, flowers, and shrubs. If so, what kind should I be looking for? Where can I get them? How are they applied? Answer: Here’s information from Maine’s YardScaping Program, including links to a nematode fact […]
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In This Issue: August Is the Month to . . . Gardener Profile: Carol and Vinal Smith Lead in Maine’s Soil Sphex pensylvanicus: The Great Black Wasp The Buzz of Bees Covid-19 Information for Farmers’ Market Shoppers Bees of Maine: Family Colletidae A Review of The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (2016) Gardener […]
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In this edition of Victory Garden for ME, learn about best practices for preserving your fresh produce, how to process high and low-acid foods, simple and low-tech preservation techniques, root cellaring, putting your gardens to bed in the fall, and much more! Helpful Tips and Resources: Throughout the season keep these Five Steps to Food […]
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Question: I live on the east end of Portland and I know I have lead in my soil. I have apple, peach trees, and grapes. I was wondering if the fruit would contain the lead as well? If yes, is there a safe amount that we can eat? Answer: Generally, plants do not absorb lead […]
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Question: We live in South Portland and there is a drought at the moment. How often should we water our vegetable garden? Answer: Ideally, 1.25 to 1.5 inches of rain per week is enough for most gardens. A rain gauge can help you decide when to water. It’s good to get water down to 5-6 […]
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In this edition of Victory Garden for ME, learn about cultural practices to prevent diseases in your garden, how to diagnose a disease problem, common vegetable diseases, how and when to submit sample to our Plant Diagnostic Lab, and much more! Helpful Tips and Resources: The first, best, place to get answers to your gardening […]
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