PARIS – The public will have a chance to view the Oxford County Cooperative Extension’s new greenhouse at an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Barbara Murphy, extension educator of horticulture and agriculture, said that the hoop-style greenhouse is being used to compare the benefits of growing in a greenhouse versus an open garden. All summer, Murphy and a group of volunteers have been growing, measuring and comparing flowers in the greenhouse and outside of it.
The greenhouse was purchased this year with about $3,500 of grant money from the Maine Agricultural Center and the University of Maine. Murphy said cut flowers have the highest profit per square foot for small growers. Her test gardens will help to determine whether a greenhouse is a good investment for gardeners wishing to add to their income.
At Thursday’s open house, the public will also have a chance to learn about the extension service’s 4-H, youth development, and family living programs. Among the programs is the Senior Companion program, which provides a stipend to income-eligible seniors in exchange for visiting housebound seniors. Another program, Plant a Row for the Hungry, encourages gardeners to donate produce from one row of their gardens to the needy. Last year, 10,000 pounds of produce were donated in Oxford County alone.
An Eat Well cooking demonstration at 5 p.m. will use fresh produce from the office’s vegetable gardens. Eat Well provides nutritional information to families eligible for food stamps. At 6 p.m., Murphy will discuss growing flowers in a hoop greenhouse. The office’s gardens, including the new pollinator garden, will be open for self-guided tours throughout the open house.
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