Falmouth, Maine — The 21st annual University of Maine Cooperative Extension Cumberland County Master Gardener Volunteer plant sale will be held rain or shine Saturday, May 17, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the Barron Center, 1145 Brighton Ave., Portland. UMaine Extension Master Gardeners Volunteers will answer questions and
Blog
Spring is HERE!
Robert and Yota are back!
Yes!!! We started cleaning up the garden and gearing up for the season. Big THANK YOU to volunteers Robert DuBois and Sue Ham who started the spring clean-up and gathering materials. This year we hope to
- put in at least 2 if not 3 raised beds, all of them slightly unconventional– hugelkultur, spiral, tray height;
- have a monthly volunteer gardener activity;
- get more folks out enjoying the gardens;
- put in universally accessible pathways.
Now for more pictures:
Sue cleaning up.
Robert hauling wood for hugelkultur bed
Sue cutting back.
Compost pile and staging area
Signs of Spring
ARE WE THERE YET?
Who ate all the seeds?
Ok, ok. It’s been a long winter. As we approach March-end with temperatures still averaging in the mid thirties, the snow is melting. We promise!
We may not force the snow to disappear any faster, but the Garden Committee is dedicated to making this the best launch ever of the gardening season! While we wait for buds to appear, we are busily planning family-friendly programs and events to roll out this year. Please stay tuned for ways you and your family can get involved!
In the meantime, explore the garden. There are many signs of spring, and we’d love to hear about your experiences. Capture bird sightings, tree and flower buds glimpses, and describe the sounds and smells of spring. Instagramers, please use #TPLgardens when capturing images. We’d love to see what you discover. Facebook users, please share your images with us via https://www.facebook.com/pages/Topsham-Public-Library.
Bird feeder Activity
WINTER IN THE GARDEN
Bird Feeder Activity Day February 15, 2014
 |
|||
| DIY bird feeder made out of toilet paper rolls and garden twine | . |
 |
| Hanging edible bird feeders. Each was made with a birdseed/flour mixture and left to harden. |
 |
| Volunteers making popcorn garland to hang in the trees and bushes. |
 |
| Volunteer rolling the toilet paper roll in birdseed after covering with shortening. |
 |
| Bernardo hanging an abstract bird feeder. |
 |
| Bird feeders in the bushes. |
 |
| Garden teepee covered with bird feeders. |
 |
| Orange peel bird feeder. |
New additions to the JIC collection!
Are you looking for a job, interested in changing careers or thinking about college? Check out our Job Information Center (JIC) down by the periodicals for information on colleges, study guides, resume building and more! Check out our pinterest board for new additions to the collection:
http://www.pinterest.com/topshampl/jic-collection/
Don’t forget we are featuring a job class in March–sign up now at the library!
Celebrate the Great Maine Outdoor weekend with us!
Bring your family to enjoy the outdoors and connect with nature this winter right here at the Topsham Public Library…
Saturday, February 14th-16th is the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend and we are hosting two events on Saturday the 15th:
- From 9:15 on will be a hands-on exploration and identification of the trees along the library’s paths using a camera and the Trees of Maine guide.
- Starting at 10:00am will be a DIY bird feeder activity, perfect to honor National Bird Feeding month. Choose from several feeder options. When you are through, head outside to hang them up throughout the library’s gardens and paths and have fun exploring.
We look forward to seeing you then!
National Seed Swap Day
Did you know that there is a National Seed Swap day? There is! It’s the last Saturday of January every year. Check out this link to learn more:
National Seed Swap Day
Although the date has come and gone, it’s never too late to do a little seed swapping. If you’re ready for some spring-time fun and would like to organize your own seed swapping party, you might like to check out this book:
Seedswap: The Gardener’s Guide to Saving and Swapping Seeds by Josie Jeffery
There are also some PDFs from the book that you can download:
Seed Saving Techniques & Creating a Seed Bank
If you do host a seed swapping party, we’d love to hear about it!
Mariah’s Top 6 of 2013
Adult fiction: Tenth of December by George Saunders Amazing. I could try to write a review but it wouldn’t do this book justice! Read it!
Juvenile fiction: The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo When a magician accidentally conjures an elephant out of thin air, it sets off a chain of events that will change the lives of everyone. This book is technically written for kids, but I would recommend it to every adult – it is absolutely beautiful!
Picture book: Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin, Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri “Poor Raccoon. All he wants in life is some pizza.” The creators of “Dragons Love Tacos” (one of my top five of last year!) have returned with (is this even possible?) a funnier, sillier, amazing-er book! My favorite quote of the year is from this book (“pizza smell gives me the happy screams”), and the whole thing was so funny I laughed all the way through. Then I read it again, and again laughed all the way through. Then I cornered as many coworkers as possible, and watched them read it/read it over their shoulder, laughing all the way through.
Adult Nonfiction: Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer I found out this morning that Lehrer apparently fabricated parts of this book (most notably, certain quotes by Bob Dylan) which has led to its removal from stores and being recalled by the publisher. I am hugely disappointed, because this was one of my favorite nonfiction reads ever! Even knowing that some of this book is inaccurate, it was still fascinating, and it raised some very important questions on our assumptions about creativity. Perhaps an opinion piece on creativity is in order….
Young Adult: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor This book completely swept me away – I basically went without sleep until I finished it, sped through the second book, and what?! The third and final book isn’t even WRITTEN yet?! I highly recommend this book, but you may want to wait until the trilogy is completed….
Movie: I Am If you ever feel discouraged about humans, watch this movie! Definitely the most “feel good” movie I have ever seen!
Bernardo’s Top 5 of 2013
The Legend of Korra by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino (TV Series)
Seth’s Blog by Seth Godin (Blog)
The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi (Book)
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard (Graphic Novel)
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow (Book)
Cyndi’s Top 5 of 2013!
1. The Good Nurse: A True Story Of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber
2. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
3. Burning Blue by Paul Griffin
4. Magic Rises by Ilona Daniels
5. Shades of Earth: An Across the Universe Novel by Beth Revis