UMaine Extension Piscataquis County offers free tomato plants in June

To encourage more people to grow their own vegetables, University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Piscataquis County Extension Executive Committee adopted the One Tomato project in 2014. So far, over 2,670 cherry tomato seedlings have been distributed to local gardeners producing a yield of tomatoes valued at $8.38 per plant, according to Donna Coffin, UMaine Extension professor and project coordinator in Piscataquis County.

UMaine Extension is again offering free tomato seedlings, first come, first served, throughout the month of June. The first distribution sites will be held from 8:30–11:30 a.m. June 3 at the Dover-Foxcroft Area Food Cupboard, 76 North Street in Dover-Foxcroft, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 3 at KC’s Country Store, ME-150 in Parkman.

Additional sites include:

10 a.m. to 2 p.m June 4 at Indian Hill Trading Post, 148 Moosehead Lake Road in Greenville;

10 a.m. to 2 p.m June 4 at Robinson’s Fuel Mart and Country Cafe, 231 Main Road in Brownville;

10 a.m. to 2 p.m June 5 at Whitney’s Market, 54 Water Street in Guilford;

10 a.m. to 2 p.m June 5 at Tradewinds Market, 55 Park St. #2 in Milo; and

9 a.m. to 1 p.m June 12 at Dover Cove Farmers Market, 1049 West Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft.

Seedlings will also be available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Extension Piscataquis County office, 165 East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft, while supplies last.

More information, including location updates and a program survey, is on the Piscataquis County One Tomato Program webpage at https://extension.umaine.edu/piscataquis/one-tomato-2/. For further details or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact 207-564-3301 or donna.coffin@maine.edu.