Simple strategies for extending your growing season by Lisa Wolff It’s a Saturday afternoon in July and Eliot Coleman is sitting atop his picnic table under a grape arbor on the terrace of his Harborside, Maine farm. He is sipping port wine, wearing felted slipper boots adorned with bright orange carrots, made for him by his neighbor. The…
By Marie Gardner Have you ever wondered how to instill in your children a curiosity and passion for healthy, nourishing, and sustainable food in a society that makes just the opposite all too accessible? We may live in a nation where the most commonly eaten vegetable is a fried potato, but research shows that kids…
Small Scale Homesteading Tastes Just Right By Anna Hewitt Homesteading has historically been considered an act of self reliance typical of rural areas with abundant land, but small scale homesteaders in Maine and across the country are finding that they can grow, raise, and produce food wherever they live. Spurred by a desire to be…
The key to a lush, green lawn is healthy soil. And Yardscaping, a program of the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District, seeks to help Mainers improve soil health, reduce the use of lawn care products, and grow a beautiful lawn with little or no additives. Using fertilizers and weed and bug killers unnecessarily can be unsafe for…
By Heather Foran Perhaps you’re a green-thumbed veteran looking to expand productivity, creativity, and diversity. Maybe you’ve had a difficult time keeping a cactus plant alive, but have a yearning to try for vegetables. Or maybe you’re an urban dweller using window boxes and 5 gallon buckets. Regardless, there are resources throughout Maine to support…
1. PICK A SPOT You want your garden to get lots of sun (6 hours is ideal) in an area that drains well (doesn’t hold water in a puddle after the rain). 2. PREPARE THE GARDEN SITE There are a few different techniques you can choose from to prep your site. Sheet mulched beds (sometimes…
Go beyond apples and pears in the fruited landscape By Lynn Ascrizzi People go to great lengths to beautify the landscape around their homes. But why not introduce plants that look beautiful and provide healthy, nutritious food? This is the credo of Tom Vigue of Kiwi Hill Farm in Sidney, Maine, an edible landscaper who…
Composting is a natural process that transforms discarded kitchen and yard waste into a nutrient rich soil additive for your garden. It’s easy to get started and you’ll be amazed at how much less waste you produce when you compost your kitchen and yard waste. What’s needed for a healthy compost pile? A healthy compost…