Sunflower seed is planted in rows 30″ apart using a tractor-mounted corn planter and cultivated several times with mid-mounted sweeps. These plants were growing at UMaine’s Rogers Farm. Rick Kersbergen photo. by Polly Shyka If the pinecone is Maine’s state flower, then the sunflower, a native, useful, generous and beautiful plant, should be the national
Organic for Kids – Seven Tips for Buying Organic Foods 1. When starting out, focus on organic alternatives to the foods your family eats most. 2. Try to add one new organic item to your cart each week. 3. Learn to read the USDA organic labels: 100% organic – may carry the USDA Organic seal
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. The causes of some garden tragedies are obvious, while other causes are mysterious. When Colorado potato beetles eat every leaf and your potatoes never get larger than golf balls, there really is no puzzle to solve. But sometimes gardeners don’t know what went wrong, and they chalk some problems up to
By Jean English Fatty acids are straight chains of carbon (C) atoms that have hydrogen (H) atoms attched. The beginning of the fatty acid is a methyl (CH3) group, and the end is a carboxyl (COOH) group. The carbon atoms are numbered from 1, at the beginning, to n, at the end. Omega-3 fatty acids
Drawing by Toki Oshima By Diane Schivera Editor’s note: Our understanding of the benefits of raising animals on pasture continues to accumulate, so Diane Schivera has updated this article that she originally wrote for the Dec. 2001-Feb. 2002 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. Grass feeding benefits the health of the grazing animals;
Black cohosh leaves and flowers. English photos. In the early ’80s, while studying the native medicinal plants of North Carolina, I first met black cohosh. I found it growing wild in the Appalachian Mountains. Its 4- to 5-foot-tall, white flowering spires (racemes) were stunning to come upon in the grand forests. I immediately took a
Sweet potatoes are propagated by suspending a tuber in a glass of water or burying one part-way in sand or other porous media; letting shoots grow from the tuber; then rooting the shoots. Illustration from Sweetpotato Culture and Diseases, Agriculture Handbook No. 388, USDA Agricultural Research Service, 1971. By Roberta Bailey Sweet potatoes can be
Tomatillos are prized for their sharp, clean taste and, once cooked, for their thick sauciness. They are used in salads, desserts, soups, sauces, and stews. Illustration from The Principles of Vegetable Gardening, by L.H. Bailey, MacMillan, London, 1901. By Roberta Bailey Each year I seem to get excited about a different fruit or vegetable. Last
Sorrel can grow large and ragged over the summer, and goes to seed. Cut it back in August to produce succulent, young growth again the fall. Protect the plants with a cold frame or other cover and you’ll be able to harvest these tangy leaves well into the fall. English photo. By Jean Ann
Sharon Tisher of MOFGA’s board of directors and Russ Libby, MOFGA’s executive director, tasted apple samples that John Bunker provided at a MOFGA retreat last fall. Their ratings were combined with those of others to help Bunker identify some of the tastiest apples that grow in Maine. English photos. By John Bunker As coordinator of
