Lawn chemicals a growing concern in state
Kennebec Journal - 5/10/2010.By Mechele Cooper – Augusta: A group of Maine "yard-scapers" are trying to convince people they don't need to put so much fertilizer and pesticide on their lawns. Gary Fish, manager of pesticide programs for the Maine Board of Pesticides Control, said more than 6.2 million pounds of yard-care pesticides were brought into Maine in 2007. This number has increased sevenfold since 1995 and coincides with an explosion in the number of of yard-care companies in the state. |
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Extension branches out for gardeners digging online
Maine Sunday Telegram - 5/9/2010.By Tom Atwell – The Cooperative Extension wants to reach out to gardeners who are just beginning to grow vegetables who would go online for information. "We are looking to help people, probably nontraditional extension clients," said Barbara Murphy, an extension educator who works out of the South Paris office. |
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$eed money
Maine Sunday Telegram - 5/9/2010. By Ray Routhier – To Jane Wellehan, having a plant sale as a fundraiser for a public school is a no-brainer. "A lot of the school budgets have been cut hard, and it's hard to keep asking parents for money for field trips and other activities," said Wellehan. "But a plant sale is money for free. People have to give of their time, but if you're a gardener, you always have something extra, you're always dividing things up." |
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Specter of global catastrophe clouds joy at early Maine spring
Kennebec Journal - 5/8/2010.Op-ed by Liz Soares – A couple of weeks ago, I noticed some feathery plants in one of my garden beds. A dim bell rang in the recesses of my mind. I’d planted carrots there in the fall, along with some lettuce and radishes. Why not, I thought at the time. It was worth a try. |
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