By Stowell Watters Do yourself a small disservice sometime and type the words “permaculture definition” into an Internet search for a refreshing check-in with your college brain. Can you still absorb painful block-text paragraphs and talking-head quotes ranging from the vapidly vague to the searingly specific? Can you mentally digest a hurricane of exposition and
By C.J. Walke Reactive Remedies My favorite role in my work with MOFGA is helping growers and gardeners troubleshoot insect pest and disease issues in their fruit trees while developing strategies to keep those pests in check to allow fruit to reach harvest. Most often I am approached or contacted once a pest population has
Aronia melanocarpa ‘Viking.’ English photo. By Roberta Bailey New England is rich in plant medicine, and learning that our medicine cabinet just expanded is exciting. Have you heard about the new super fruit? It appears to be better than all the others that have been touted in the last decade. And the best part is
The reproductive conidia of Venturia inaequalis erupting through the cuticle of a crabapple leaf. From the Wikipedia article “Apple Scab,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_scab. By C. J. Walke As organic farmers and gardeners, we understand the importance of a biologically active soil, where beneficial microbes thrive in the rich organic matter and humus layer, converting mineral nutrients into
By C. J. Walke This past winter was one of the coldest and longest winters we’ve experienced in Maine in recent years, and that brought up questions about the cold hardiness of our fruit trees and the potential for winter injury to them. Trees can be damaged by prolonged exposure to extreme cold, as well
Medlars. Photos by Will Bonsall. By Will Bonsall When I speak of medlars, people are apt to assume that I’m referring to folks who stick their noses into other folks’ business, but in this case I’m talking about a little-known and less-grown fruit. Despite its botanical name, Mespilus germanica, and its long cultivation in northern
Toki Oshima illustration. By C. J. Walke The 2012 orchard season ran the spectrum of crop yields across the state, with some orchards experiencing total crop loss due to freezing temperatures at the end of April, while others had a typical year. In the MOFGA orchards, three consecutive nights between 26 and 29 F during
Cranberries – not quite ripe – growing in a pot in September. English photo. By Roberta Bailey The first time I saw cranberries growing in the wild was on a canoe trip in springtime. A few friends and I were paddling along a meandering stretch of a small river in Aroostook County. The waters were exceptionally high
By Roberta Bailey The hardy kiwi, Actinidia arguta, is a part of Maine’s heritage. Tucked away on coastal estates, climbing on the walls of College of the Atlantic, and entangling trees in Acadia National Park, these highly ornamental, rugged vines are reminders of bygone days when ship traders brought unusual plants from Asia back to
One symptom of brown rot is an oozing canker, as shown on this ‘La Crescent’ plum tree. Photo by C.J. Walke. By C.J. Walke Over the past few years, interest in cultivating organic tree fruit has steadily increased, as has the general desire to integrate these perennial crops into backyard garden and farm ecosystems. This
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