By Caleb Goossen, MOFGA’s Crop Specialist One of the events that I look forward to at the Common Ground Country Fair every year is the “Answers to Your Organic Vegetable Questions” session that I put on each morning in the MOFGA Tent with Eric Sideman, MOFGA’s crop specialist emeritus, and Mark Hutton, University of Maine
By Jack Kertesz Farm and Garden Tool Hacks As MOFGA’s landscape coordinator I am frequently out in the sun on the fairgrounds. Ok, I do wear a hat, but as revealed in this article, it has an effect on my brain. I don’t enjoy repetitive, tedious work, but for some reason, weeding in full sun
Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) has the unfortunate reputation of “invasive species” which means that there has been a concerted effort to eliminate it. In the process, we may be losing a valuable source of medicine. Not only that but Japanese knotweed has been a food source for both human and animal foragers alike, and its
Solarization with clear plastic and tarping with black plastic help with weed management in high-value horticultural crops that otherwise need extensive hand weeding. Solarization tends to be more effective under suitably warm and sunny conditions, although tarping may be more suitable for some applications. With either practice, the plastic may be removed before planting, allowing
by Eric Sideman, PhDMOFGA’s Organic Crop Specialist Emeritus Garden weeds are simply plants that are growing where you do not want them. Any plant species may be a weed, but in gardens in New England, there are some species that are very common. And, in some gardens, very common is an understatement. Why do some
Anne and Eric Nordell have perfected a system of cover cropping and crop rotations that virtually eliminates weeds. In addition to the video and collection of articles noted at the end of this article, the Nordells are putting together a manual that goes into more detail on the rotational principles and practices of their weed
By Sue Smith-Heavenrich Certain plants, when grown in combination, enhance each other’s growth, repel insects, and increase fruit production. Called “companion planting,” the idea has always intrigued me. So every spring I carefully map out a garden plan complete with successive plantings and companion plants neatly pencilled in. Along with my usual beans and greens,
Eric Gallandt, associate professor of weed ecology and management at the University of Maine, has had Maine farmers comparing the “Weed Master,” a glorified wheel hoe from Finland, with other methods of mechanical weed control. Here, Gallandt stands in a field of onions at Peacemeal Farm in Dixmont during one of MOFGA’s Farm Training Project
Spring Growth Conference 2009 Ellen Mallory of the University of Maine reported on weed control tactics in organic cereals for graduate student Lauren Kolb, research associate Tom Molloy and associate professor Eric Gallandt. Mallory said that the primary strategy for weed control in organic cereals now is tine harrowing when weeds are in the white
Don’t become lax in the fall and let summer annual weeds, such as pigweed (left) and lambsquarters go to seed. Learn about the life cycles of different weeds so that you know when and how to control them. English photo. by Eric Sideman, Ph.D. The most important distinction between organic and conventional growing is that
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