MDI and Franklin here.

I have petunias just coming up under lights, and my begonia tubers are starting to poke out shoots after being potted up about a month ago. I've got pansies planted, but I THINK it's the petunias that are making their first appearance. My blasted cat pulled the labels out of the flats. :-)

Best,

Nina in Sidney

Be safe all!
Sky

Lisa (Bass Harbor)

Megan

After coming back hereand seeing all this snow the only cheerful thing I can do is start sowing seeds and pray that my garlic beds dont rot this spring from too much moisture in the ground.

I bought a case of wine form a winery in Arizona,if it keeps snowing there may not be any left for this Summer to enjoy! My favorite is this one called Desert Dust.

Anyway welcome all, hopefully we can have a Maine Meeting somewhere this Summer, a trade or swap would be great.
Regardless, it is great to have a connection to other gardeners in the state of Maine who enjoy discussing garden related topics.

Cheers all...I think its time to hit the dust now. :)

( trying to entertain myself and make the best of all this snow...cant start sowing until I get back from a road trip that should last till the end of the month...

...what about my corn, tomatoes, eggplant, sniff sniff...sniff and my snaps????oh dear....

Our yard is littered with the many sticks/toys our young dog collects... it would be suicide to try to push a mower right now, even if it WAS reasonable... :) .

I'm freaked out by the scope of the clean up, but the sight of croci and Aconitum up nearly 2" bolsters my confidence and fuels my zeal. I'm SO over winter.

There are also ways to better change typography and use graphics which may be a blinker or such. That is when a drawings or cartoon may be flashing in the post...I cant figure that one out but pagancat would be the person to ask about that...but there are others out there that always surprise me with their computer techo and seems to bring more character.

I am searching for what equpment to do short animations with or 30 sec clips would be great. Ideal would be 1.5 minutes and have easy access to each frame for my cartoon editing to do in something similar to Photoshop. I would also like to be able to insert slides. It seems the people I ask about this would not be experienced enough in that specific of a request as one who has actual gone through the process. I want to make a childrens film interactive homeschooling tool that basicly would explain to a curious mind with no experience in composting and growing for a family for 1 years worth of garden food. a how to do organic gardening. I am hoping that it makes me rich and well known. If it fails then I feel my purpose must change too, and if I cant get organic to be known as the most wholesome then I'll write a book on what scraps I can find and make it work for myself.

I would also be interested if a round robin which compost was traded with in a certain area...nearby townships?! Say, I trade one yard by getting 12 yards all at once. But each month I would have to transport to that persons home 1 yeard of organic compost for 12 months until each of the 12 contributing members recieved their 12 yards of compost.

Say only 4 people signed up.
Then the round robin would begin with hopes to bring a closure with in a specific agreed amount of time.

Compost could be complete but any form of compost otherwise would be by agreement from the reciever only.

If you could not fillfill the agreement each month, then group should agree to have one day where truck loads are mixed and redistributed. Eavery one shares all costs of mixing. Location would change each month to where the mixer would be.

Thre is to be no profit and no businesses can be mentioned or any other propaganda sponserships.

Annp could be our compost inspector and perhaps some brave could invite her as a royal honoree to attend our mixes . It should also be agreed that all those in the mixer would agree that the soils which they were going to mix with would be in the favor of what they would like to be.

Perhaps payment of compost would be to pay everything with compost, so bring a little extra for payment, you should be able to take back the same amount, less fees for contra dance and fee to gather and share. AND most importantly contributions of the group are exclusive of the 12 traders, and once the trading begins then the mixer can not change- traded but never changed. Each trader has the right not to participate any any time and to rejoin at any time during the 12 month commitment. Ideally each person involved would get compost from all over but would still be of ones indigenous area. I think it will be great for getting plants proper information from what ones area has responded to be more hardy in.

Also if this doesnt work because what ever then maybe I should bother my local weeekly newspaper in the classified section and see what kind of response I would get.

So this type of compost sharing for organic and immediate usage in gardens would be called a "garden compost mixer"
Maximum 12 minimum of 1.

I can provide a space for a mixer and donate all of my compost to the Southwest Library. If There is enough compost I can put in a veggie bed in the backyard or walking courtyard. THis is a donated project which I was asked to do for this year after foolishly suggesting how nice it would look...ok so the first mixer...

I will get back with a date but it should be during the month of June and the earlier the better. First Saturday in June perhaps? I'll wait to hear if anyone would like to have it on a different date.

SO the soil is to be mixed at the storage yard of AC Parsons. AC Parsons will agree to usage of space (unless the library will agree to holding the mixer in the proposed court yard). So place of Mixer will be with in Southwest Harbor Maine or West Tremont Maine.

You bring 2 yards of compost take back with you 1 yard as part of the investment of the traders.

The traders would each month meet and exchange compost. this should be actually done during the growing season and off season, time.

If only 2 want to do this then each would take turns bringing 1 yard of compost minimum and maximum to the others place with in the same area.

So my invite is for all those living within Mount Desert Island to have a compost mixer the first Saturday in June.

All compost trade for this project will be donated to the SOuthwest Public Library in Southwest Harbor Maine. This will be limited to the first 12 qualified by annp if she is so willing to judge the ocmpost and the trade will be simply agreeing to mix your compost will all present and then take back with you what you brought. Compost must be approved by all traders in the mix at the time before the mix begins. Hand shoveling only on tarps to mix. Bring your own containers to take home in.

I guess I need to renew my garden club dues so I can hit them on this with a clean conscience!

Cheers- Sue

Deb

Hope everyone has a great Spring, it came early this yer it seems?!

Happy Gardening All!

neesie: I'm in southern ME also. I'm not going to have much time this year, but a get together would be a lot of fun. One of my favorite nurseries isn't far from you. O'Donnel's is in Westbrook ( I think... it's on Rt 114 where Westbrook, Scarborough and Gorham meet, so not sure which town they're actually in!). Broadway Gardens in South Portland is also very good, but a bit more of a hike for you. If you're at the Maine Mall, though, it's not far from there.

Kat

I am surprised to see much activity on the forums being that the snow is finally gone and the season has begun!
Thanks all for being here for all of us to share with.

We had a grand winter traveling from Feb 1 until May in a camper van, what a trip. 15,000 miles checking out the south US. I took TONS of wild flower pix out west, hope to get them posted on a website soon.

My kids/family keep me too busy to plan any more than what I have, but I would love to attend one if someone else held a gardenweb get together or plant swap.

This year my tomatoes are still quite small and no blooms yet, hope everyone else is having better sucess.

I would love to see pictures of your garden maureen. Its always fun to see what others have created.

Not sure what you mean kennebunker about adding gardens to where you have the doll houses? Sorry, I didnt quite get that. How large are the doll houses? What type of gardens are you planning for?

Just had probably the best weather of the year this past weekend. Sunny 80 degrees no humidity. Garden looks great.
All is well.....

MY pumkins and squash are just starting to take off, still nothing looks ready to harvest for a long while to come.
(whats your secret MaineDad?)

We went to Baxter to spend this morning with the moose.

http://www.thymeforewe.com/baxter_state_park1.html

http://www.thymeforewe.com/baxter_state_park2.html

It's worth the replanting I had to do to see them crawling up the mailbox post and around the deck rails now, though. I went nuts and planted every variety (except the dwarf ones) I could get my hands on locally. So more colors will be coming along soon.

Why, yes, someone did say morning glories!! I absolutly love them and plant them every year. We have them from the ground, to the porch railing, on their way to the roof of the house. Two more flowers today!!

Sorry to respond so late - Been hanging out in the tractor forum...

My secret to our pumpkin success is doing self pollenation. My son and I tie up the female flowers at night. The next morning we take a male flower off the vine and open up the females and rub the pollen from the male into the female. We then tie up the females again and wait for the magic to happen.

We obviously till in a lot of manure in the fall and spring and keep the soil watered well. The pumpkin patch gets larger each year as my son gets older!

MaineDad

Indicanoe, trncclure,joyce and roserock
welcome welcome...do tell us how you got your name?! :)

MaineDad, thank you for the secret...errr how do you tell a male from a female as I thought pumpkins all were both.
I understand that tying up pumpkins is best at night so as not to disturb or find any bees to confront with. ouch that would not be good. Sounds like a wonderful childrens picture story. How old is your son now? Perhaps your son should write the book and illustrate it, get rich and keep his dad and mom home to garden with full time. :)

Nina in Sidney

I am from MDI and understand the seaweed collecting and the snow problem...good for you anyways that you are able to get your gardens done up with seaweed. My father-in-law calls it rock weed.

I still have much to collect myself....Its that hill from the rocky beach that is the most work for me.lol

Rock weed is the common name for a species of seaweed. Most of what I collect is rock weed. Every now and then I'll get a little kelp or some other specie.

Doesn't MDI have any beaches where you can drive right up to it? It was more work in the rain yesterday because the sand wasn't frozen. When I was there last week it was great. I brought the garden cart and could get it from anywhere I wanted, and it's more or less a level path to the truck. Last week I chose to take it from a spot where the waves had heaped it up some, but also washed all the sand down so I got more green matter for my effort. When it's frozen, seaweed isn't so slimy either. Also, when I get the load home I jack the trailer tongue off the truck (2wd Tacoma), pick it up with the small tractor, and haul it off to the garden where I spread by hand. Then I bring the trailer back, fork the load from the truck into the trailer, and go spread that. So it's easier to get around in the garden when the ground is frozen too.

I'd like to get more crab shell too, but I've mostly cleaned out my source, at least so there isn't enough to make a truck and trailer load in one shot possible. I started looking for more sources. At the first place I stopped, the guy looked at me and said, "Do you know a guy named Colman? He stops and picks up all our shells every day."

Dan

The beach where I collect seaweed is across the street from my and on my inlaws private beach...I can drive up to the beach but the beach itself is very rocky and steep. SOmetimes I bring a large garden cart and haul my small treasures home up the big hill. I think of it as a good workout. :) However, nearing 50 I think I'll check out some other sites, thanks for the encouragment.

As crabshells go....I know one source where you can get them if you are interested. I was getting them from him but (sniff sniff) due to complaints from family and neighbors I could no longer have it delivered 3 times a week to my house. :(

Dont know if the drive to MDI for crab shells would be worth it to you and it does makes me sad (jonesing) to think they would be slipping through my hands, but he just hauls them to the dump. We bartered ( I supplied him with flowers for his wife) so it worked out well.
email me if you are interested in the crab shells and I'll try to hook you up.

I keep posting this picture, but I haven't done so on this thread yet. This is how my truck and trailer look with a load of seaweed. Crab is denser, so it doesn't get piled as high. But it gives some idea of what I mean by a big load.

The parties aren't regular or part of a formal organization. This was just a holiday party at which many were farmers. If you want info on how to crash them then I'm not sure what to say, except maybe I should throw one in late winter and see who shows up. I'm in the phone book if you want more info.

Dan

I will be gone for the winter, so I may need to check back in the Spring, except that I will probably be too busy with the gardens and other chores to attend any parties, thank you though.

I was more interested in a formal farmer get together type thing, but nothing so formal as like a master gardeners program thing. Just some local farmers doing the self sustaining organic methods, or csa types.

cheers

Dan