Home Horticulture Program Leadership Team

From Extension Collaborative Wiki

Home Gardener Web Page (DRAFT)

University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Drafted by Extension Educator, Richard Brzozowski for review by the Home Horticulture Program Leadership Team, April 2007

Purposes of the Home Horticulture Web Page

1. to provide practical garden-related information to Maine residents (adult and youth) so they can make sound decisions on garden topics such as but not limited to: plant selection, soil improvement and fertility, natural resource conservation, food safety, food security, native plants, pest management, horticulture as therapy and volunteerism.
2. to connect/direct Maine home gardeners to other agencies and organizations which promote sound gardening practices or other helps

Welcome Message

Welcome to the Homepage for Home Gardeners in Maine. This page is meant to provide information to home gardeners at all experience levels. We would appreciate your feedback on the page and * the information it provides so as to continually improve out outreach to people like you.

Feedback Button Link

this button would allow gardeners to submit comments, questions and ideas for the designers, facilitators of page. These submissions would be routed to a person who would then reroute submissions to the appropriate person (educator, specialist, professional or aide).

Topics/Issues with links to fact sheets, articles, charts and other helps -- (listed in alphabetical order)

• Berries and Small Fruit (list of nurseries) media: SmallFruitNurseries1006.pdf

• • Selecting small fruit for Maine
    • Blueberries (highbush, lowbush)
    • Raspberries and Blackberries
    • Strawberries
    • Gooseberries and Currents
    • Grapes
    • Hardy Kiwi
    • Other exotic small fruits

• Community Gardens

• Finding a Community Garden

• Starting a Community Garden

• Composting
  • Essential of composting
  • Benefits of composting
  • Link to “Composting to Reduce the Waste Stream”

• NRAES
  • Link to UMCE fact sheet “Compost Happens”
  • Link to UMCE fact sheet “Home Composting”
  • Composting with worms (vermiculture)
  • Sources of compost materials and finished compost

• Designing Your Garden
  • Designing a vegetable garden
    • Vegetable families
    • Garden rotation
  • Designing your fruit planting
    • Tree Fruit considerations
    • Small Fruit (berry) considerations
  • Designing a flower garden
    • Borders
    • Cutting garden

• Extending the Gardening Season
  • Soil temperatures and seed germination (chart)
  • Using a cold frame to extend the garden season
    • How to Build a Cold Frame
  • Using a “Hoop House” in home gardening
    • How to build a hoop house
  • Using a hobby greenhouse
    • Buy or build a hobby greenhouse?
    • Link to order publication on home greenhouses

(NRAES)

• • Using mulches to extend the season
  • Using windbreaks in gardening
  • Frost protection for plants

• Environmentally Friendly Gardening Tips (link to fact sheet)

• Extension Personnel who work in home horticulture programming
  • Contact list

• Fertilizers
  • Elements essential for plant growth

• Fertilizer definitions
  • Pros and Cons of Synthetic Fertilizers
  • Pro and Cons of Organic Fertilizers
  • How to select a fertilizer for your garden (reading the fertilizer bag/container)
  • What is Lime and How to Use it?
  • Calibrating a fertilizer/lime spreader
  • Calculating fertilizer amounts and rates
  • List of natural nutrient sources
  • Water quality and fertilizer use

• Flower Shows
  • Link to Portland Flower Show
  • Link to Bangor Flower Show

• Flowers for Maine

• Definitions

• Annuals list

• Perennials list

• Cut Flowers

• Houseplant Care

• Food Safety (Handling and Consuming Produce from Your Garden)
  • Links to food preservation fact sheets (Let’s Preserve)
  • Link to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) fact sheets
  • Storing vegetables (types, temperatures, humidity, ventilation, pests)
  • Building a root cellar

• Garden Planting Schedule for Maine (vegetables)
  • Plant Hardiness Zone map (description and link)

• Garden Club
  • Finding a garden club near you
  • Starting a local garden club
  • Link to Maine Garden Club Federation

• Garden Design
  • Principles

• Home Orchard (fruit trees for Maine)
  • Growing Tree Fruit in Maine link to publication
  • Pruning Fruit Trees link to publication

• Horticulture as a Business
  • How to start a horticulture-based business?
  • Link to Home Based Business site (UMCE)

• Horticulture as Therapy
  • Horticulture Therapy defined
    • Outreach to physically disabled gardeners
    • Outreach to emotional disturbed audiences
      • Garden Angel Program (Maine)
    • Working with the incarcerated
      • State prison outreach
        • Warren
        • Windham

• Link to American Horticulture Therapy Association

• Invasive Plant Species in Maine (link)

• Irrigating Your Garden
  • Low tech techniques for irrigating

• Lawn Care
  • Establishing a new lawn
  • Maintaining a healthy lawn
  • Selecting a lawn care service
  • Natural lawn care
  • Link to “Yardscaping” Program
  • Lawn mower safety

• Maine Garden Day (link)

• Master Gardener Program
  • Find the Program in Your County
  • Applying to be a Master Gardener Volunteer
  • Basic Training Described
  • Impacts of the Maine Master Gardener Program
  • Master Gardener Community Projects (list)
  • International Master Gardener Association (link)

• Manure use in/on the garden
  • Tips
  • Link to UMCE fact sheet “Manures on Vegetables”
  • Possible sources for farm animal manure

• Mulches and their uses
  • The purposes of mulch

• Mulch list (materials)

• Native Plant List for Maine
  • Source list (link)

• Organic Gardening
  • Principles of Organic Gardening
  • Link to MOFGA

• Pest Management
  • What is a Garden Pest?
    • Disease

• Insects
  • Common Garden Pests Chart

• Stinging insects
  • Swarm Collectors in Maine

• Weeds
  • • Wildlife
  • Maine state list of pests on the “most unwanted” list

• Techniques to manage pests of the garden
  • Calibrating a pesticide sprayer for the home gardener
  • Link to Pest Management Office
    • Fact sheets (insects and plant diseases)
    • Submitting a specimen for diagnosis
    • New England web page

• Pesticide Selection and Use
  • Reading the label before purchase
  • Understanding the pesticide label
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the Home Gardener
  • Proper pesticide storage for home gardeners
  • Link to Board of Pesticides Control (Maine Department of Agriculture)

• Pollination and Honeybees
  • How flowers are pollinated

• Honeybees

• Wild bees

• Africanized bees FAQ
  • Link to Maine state apiarist

• Plant-A-Row for the Hungry (PAR)

• • Counties with PAR Programs
  • Growing food for donation independently
  • Food Security
    • Link to USDA food security site
  • Gleaning defined
  • Link to Maine food distribution sites
    • Tips to finding sites that accept food donations
    • Tips for donating produce from your garden
    • Link to Good Shepherd Food Bank

• Pruning Trees and Shrubs
  • Reasons for pruning

• How to prune?
  • When to prune?
  • What to prune?
  • Link to UMCE publication “Pruning Ornamental Plants”
  • Link to Maine Forest Service
  • Link to Pine Tree State Arboretum
  • Pruning tool list (suggestions for home gardeners)

• Raised Bed Gardening
  • Pros and cons of gardening with raised beds
  • How to build a raised bed

• Saving Seed
  • Definitions (hybrid, heritage, true)

• Seed Saving techniques

• Storing seed

• Testing seed for germination

• Seed laws

• Link to seed saving sites

• Link to Maine based seed companies?

• Soil Improvement
  • Knowing the soil in your area

• Link to Natural Resource Conservation Service (Maine offices)

• Obtaining a soil survey (soil classifications for your county)
  • Web link to USDA soil survey

• Amending the soil

• Importance of organic matter in the soil

• Sources of organic matter for the soil

• Tips for preventing soil erosion

• Soil Testing
  • How to have your soil tested
  • Link to Maine Soil Testing Service
  • Interpreting your soil test results

• Tree Planting and Care
  • Selecting trees for your yard
  • Planting trees
  • Care of trees
  • Identifying trees

• Link to Maine Tree Club

• Youth Gardening
  • 4-H Garden Project
  • Link to Maine state 4-H page
  • Gardening with Kids

• Vegetables for Maine
  • Link to vegetable variety recommendation fact sheet

• Weather data
  • First and last frost dates for regions of Maine
  • Link to National Weather Service (Maine)

• Wildlife
  • Attracting wildlife to your yard
  • Link to Habitat Stewards program

Other helpful links

• Board of Pesticides Control (BPC)
• Garden Club Federation of Maine
• Maine Agriculture Experiment Stations
• Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources (MDAFRR)
• Maine Forest Service (MFS)
• Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MIF&W)
• Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA)
• Maine Landscape and Nursery Association (MeLNA)
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Service Centers in Maine
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension (UMCE)