By Diane Schivera, Assistant Director of Technical Services for MOFGA The new National Organic Standards have some management practices that differ from the practices that MOFGA has allowed in the past. Farmers will have to become familiar with these new requirements and begin putting them into practice before the Rule goes into effect on October
Toki Oshima drawing By Roberta Bailey The first year that I lived in Maine, I gardened on a neighboring farm. Along with plowing up the plot, the farmers showed me how to turn the heel of a knitted sock and how to make pickles. We picked an impressively large patch of cucumbers, washed them and
Smooth Northern Shadbush. Amelanchier laevis. While traveling through Ontario last summer, my partner and I stopped at Niagara Falls and then the Whirlpool Rapids. Neither of us is fond of crowds or tourist traps, but the energy of all that water inspired an awe that made our tourist status worthwhile. Seeking a quieter picnic spot,
Toki Oshima drawings By Sue Smith-Heavenrich Regular yard work can help prevent osteoporosis, says Dr. Lori Turner from the University of Arkansas. She and her team of researchers have found that women aged 50 and older who garden at least once a week have stronger bones than their peers. Digging holes, pulling weeds, pushing a
Cumberland County Extension Educator Dick Brzozowski provided these plans for a portable chicken coop, or “chicken tractor,” at MOFGA’s Small Farm Field Day last August. By Richard J. Brzozowski Raising broiler chicks on pasture can be profitable, and can require few inputs. The system involves purchasing day-old broiler chicks (meat type birds) in late May
Bob Hawes demonstrates how to tell whether a hen is laying by its pigmentation. MOFGA volunteer Fran Curtis helps. English photo. Bob Hawes, retired University of Maine professor of animal science, talked about laying hens at MOFGA’s Small Farm Field Day last August. He said that three groups of hens are available for egg production.
When York County Extension Educator Frank Wertheim was in Namibia on sabbatical, he learned about a “bucket irrigation kit” from Chapin Watermatics that worked well in that dry environment and should be useful for Maine gardeners as well. In the photo above right, Wertheim and community members lay drip lines in the garden beds. Left:
Saving Water in the Home Saving Water in the Garden and Landscape Saving Water in the Home Most people use 50 to 70 gallons of water indoors each day, 75% of it in the bathroom, according to Michigan State University. Compare this with the 5 gallons per person per day used in Pennsylvania at the
Part II: Harvesting and Propagating Wheat Toki Oshima drawing [Part I of this article, covering types of wheat, weed control and planting, appeared in the March-May 2010 MOF&G] By Will Bonsall The last time I wrote about home-scale wheat growing, I referred in passing to other crops occupying the same ground at the same time.
‘Shuyo Long’ cucumbers growing in a hoophouse. English photo. By Roberta Bailey Cucumbers are back in style. They are all the rage! Haven’t you noticed? Hmm … maybe it’s just in my backyard or in my mind. Or maybe the buzz just hasn’t reached your town yet. But more likely, I am just catching up
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