Maine Master Gardener News
May 2007
Notes from a Hazel Trial
Article Submitted by
David Fuller
Agriculture & Natural Resources Professional
In 2000, I decided to plant some hybrid hazel seedlings in my yard. The purpose of the planting was to increase plant diversity, reduce the size of the lawn, provide habitat for birds, produce hazelnuts and to act as a privacy screen between my house and a neighbor.
The plants arrived as 6 inch tall seedlings and were, as the literature stated, slow to get established. The plants grew a considerable root system and then in year three really put on top growth, adding about 2 feet per year. In year 7 the plants are now multi-branched shrubs, ranging from 6 to 9 feet in height with a 5 foot spread and will top out at about 10-12 feet. As of April 20th this year, the earlier strains were blooming, with the inconspicuous maroon female flower parts just emerging from the bud and the male catkins shedding pollen. The plants started to bear nuts (also known as filberts) in clusters of 2 to 6 in year 4 and ranged in size from slightly larger than our native beaked hazel to approaching commercial size. My 10 plants quadrupled their meager harvest of 140 nuts from year 5 to year 6, amounting to about 1 bushel in their bulky husks. The plants I bought were crosses between American hazel (Corylus Americana), Beaked hazel (C. cornuta) and European hazel (C. avellana) and came from Badgersett Research Farm in Minnesota (endorsement not implied nor is discrimination intended by no mention of other sources of plant material).
The object of the breeder’s crosses was to produce a hardy plant (zone 4) that produced a good-sized nut that was resistant to Eastern filbert blight.
After 6 years, I have seen no evidence of cold damage, Eastern filbert blight or nut weevils, although it is probably a matter of time before the weevils find the bushes. Hazelnuts are a prime source of food for all forms of wildlife from turkeys and blue jays to assorted rodents, but by harvesting the nuts just as they mature, I have suffered no losses yet. Planting the hazels near the woods will guarantee predation by the critters, though and may be a good idea if you want to provide wildlife food. Japanese beetles do spend a lot of time on the hazel leaves, but concentrate their feeding on the older leaves, so by the season’s end, the plants don’t look too bad and the foliage is a nice yellow color, lending some interest to the landscape. The bare gray branches in the winter, with catkins, also look attractive.
Suggested planting distances are 3 feet apart for a screen and 6 feet apart in rows 10 feet apart for good nut production. I learned after two years that hazels need well-drained soil and will not suffer wet feet gladly. Weeds need to be suppressed for the first three years to get the plants established. Their dense foliage will suppress weed growth in subsequent years.
All in all, I would declare my trial a success and I am considering planting more hazels. I look forward to having enough of a crop to make hazelnut butter next year!
Master Gardeners on
The Farm
Submitted by
Pat Aho, Knox-Lincoln Master Gardener ‘98
In 1998, Andrea Smith approached our Master Gardener class and invited volunteers to come and start a trial garden at Brae Maple Farm in Union. Andrea and her husband Al are the owners of this diverse organic farm, members of MOFGA, CSA producers and market farmers. Several people from the class signed up for the project as I looked on with envy, since my conscience led me to take part in a project closer to home. That project wasn’t a good fit for me, so my classmate Pat Gibbons urged me to join them. The next week, I drove to The Farm and never looked back. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Once the original group of volunteers completed the required forty hours, most of them retired, leaving Pat and me to wrap up the season. We did it and have been patting each other on the back ever since.
From that first small demonstration garden, The Farm as it is fondly referred to, has grown to include many more volunteers and demonstration gardens - tomatoes, peppers, and beans, a lasagna garden, and a tea garden. As the gardens have grown over the years, thousands of pounds of produce have been contributed to area soup kitchens and food banks
In 2002, an itinerant cobblers dwelling became the focal point for a period garden. The volunteers (over 12 strong by then, thanks to Pat’s leadership), replaced windows, patched and painted this charming addition to The Farm. A colonial kitchen garden was designed and planted and within a few weeks looked as though it had been there since the nineteenth century. Sam Harris (‘97) taught us how to make twig fences and trellises, which became the finishing touch to the inviting vignette.
A Medicine Wheel garden, its traditional quadrants representing the four Cardinal
directions and their associated colors has also been created recently. The wheel features native herbs and flowers with medicinal properties and visual appeal as it’s viewed on a slightly inclined lawn. Andrea’s interest in herbs and Al’s enthusiasm for food has always been an added bonus as they work hand in hand with volunteers each week. They both ended up taking the Master Gardener training, and continue to support the project by way of their very existence.
And speaking of food, let's not forget the start the year planning breakfasts, pot-luck picnics, pie socials, tomato tasting events, end of the year wrap up breakfasts, and then the elegant annual Christmas get-together dinners at the home of Dean Slye (00).
As we are about to begin our tenth year at The Farm, I am reminded that, over and above the planting, weeding, and learning, are the underlying reasons so many of us return to Brae Maple Farm each year. There’s that incredible view encompassing fields and the lake; there are the animals that greet you; there is the feeling of tranquility, and the revitalizing camaraderie we all need in our lives. And then, there are the lasting friendships we've made as we donate a few hours from our busy lives each week.
If you’d like to visit Brae Maple Farm and see what Master Gardeners are doing, visit them on Open Farm Day, July 22nd!
Another Bright Idea ........
Tip to control
“Damping Off”
I always have this problem and tried this chamomile treatment and not a sign of damping off this spring!
Steep one teaspoon (or one tea bag) chamomile flowers in one cup hot water for at least 10 minutes. Strain and cool.
After sowing seeds on surface of soil but BEFORE covering them, mist with tea.
Dilute 10:1 with water and also use to water new seedlings.
Robyn Holman
Master Gardener Volunteer
UMCE Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties
We Need You!
We are gearing up for the 2007 Statewide Master Gardener Conference to be held October 20th in Orono. If you would like to serve on the planning committee or participate in another way, please contact Amy Witt at the Cumberland County Extension Office by calling 1-800-287-1471
or e-mail awitt@umext.maine.edu
You’re Invited to Attend…
Raised Bed Gardens
a way to reduce weeds
in the garden
On Wednesday, June 6th
6:30—8:30 PM
Piscataquis County Extension Office,
165 East Main Street, Dover-Foxcroft
Home Gardeners are invited to a free program on small scale gardens.
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator and Paul Matulis, Master Gardener, will discuss raised bed gardening and methods to reduce weeds in the garden.
This free program will help gardeners with smaller areas enjoy vegetable or flower gardening with less effort. They will discuss techniques described in
“Square Foot Gardening” and
“Weedless Gardening” books.
Please call to let us know you are coming or for more information call 564-3301 or
in Maine 1-800-287-1491
or e-mail: dcoffin@umext.maine.edu
Upcoming Events
Spring of 2007
Advanced
Master Gardener Training
Rain Garden design and installation
(rain gardens prevent runoff by providing a place for improved infiltration of storm water)
Laura Wilson, UMCE Water Quality Scientist and Gleason Gray, Extension Educator will be teaching this course. This two-day intensive workshop on rain garden design and installation will be held at the Newburgh Elementary School on Rt. 9 in Newburgh
June 21st and 28th
9 am—3 pm.
Day one will be “Class room” type training with the design completed for three gardens at the school by the end of the day.
Day two will be the actual installation of three rain gardens at the school.
Hold June 29th as a rain date for the installation. The gardens to be installed will provide infiltration areas for the roof drainage from the school.
Fee for both days $50.00
(Includes handouts, workshop materials, and lunch for both days.)
Registration will be limited to
25 Master Gardeners.
For registration information, please contact Gleason Gray at the Penobscot County Extension Office 1-800-287-1485 or e-mail: ggray@umext.maine.edu
Field Day at Highmoor Farm
Saturday, September 15th
9:30—2:00 PM
Come join us for a day that mixes learning with fun! Meet Master Gardeners from across the state while learning about the research at Highmoor Farm and more.
Workshop topics to include:
· Tour and discussion of the vegetable and small fruit variety trials (there might even be some raspberries to sample)
· Learn about what crops are being grown in the high tunnels
· See where the compost school happens and learn about composting methods that can deal with entire cows!
· Take a walk through some of the orchards and taste some apples you may not be familiar with.
· Can you identify some common and not-so-common weeds? Try taking the weed identification quiz
Enjoy the beautiful ornamental gardens and learn about the work and design that went into building them.
Free
Please bring a bag lunch. Coffee and tea and a small morning snack will be provided.
More information will be in next Newsletter
Advanced
Master Gardener Training
Ecological Landscaping Course
Marjorie Peronto, Extension Educator at
Hancock County will be offering a 7-part training to be held at the Hancock County Extension office.
Fridays 9-2 PM
June 22, 29, July 13, 20, 27
August 17 & 24
Fee: $80.00
Hancock County Extension Office
1-800-287-1479
HANCOCK COUNTY MASTER GARDENER
PLANT SALE
Master Gardener Volunteers did a wonderful job planning and orchestrating our most successful plant sale ever at the Extension Office on Saturday May 12th!
We had a nice variety of perennial plants along with some annuals and even some houseplants for sale this year. As a result of your hard work and generosity, we were able to earn over $1,700 which will be used to put in an irrigation system for our hoop house and raised vegetable beds at the Extension Office.
Thank you everyone who donated plants or labor for the sale.
A special thanks goes to Elisabeth Curran, Tamara Bannerman, and Lael Stegall for coordinating the event. Well done!
Here are a few photos of the event!
Mail those
re-enrollment forms today!
re-enrollment forms are required to be sent into the Extension Office if you wish to remain on the mailing list. The deadline was May 7th.
If you haven’t sent in your form, it’s not too late to get it in.
This will be the last MG News for those who did not renew.
Visit the Hancock County MG website
http://www.umaine.edu/umext/hancock/MasterGardener/mg.htm
We have enclosed a
MG Volunteer reporting form for January—May 2007,
but if you prefer, you can go on to the website and report
electronically. Thank you to those that have already reported!
Newsletter created by:
Hancock County Cooperative Extension
63 Boggy Brook Road, Ellsworth, ME 04605
1-800-287-1479 or 667-8212 Fax: 667-2003
Editors:
Marjorie Peronto, Extension Educator
Sue Baez, Administrative Assistant II