By Jacob Mentlik There is a lot more than just apples growing at the Maine Heritage Orchard. While most commercial orchards lean toward monoculture, featuring long even rows of one particular species of fruit tree, the goal at MHO is to create a polyculture orchard, with many species growing together in harmony, mimicking the diversity
by Brie Weisman, Maine AgrAbility Aches and pains seem just as much a part of farming as seeds and soil, whether we work with hand tools, or spend long hours sitting on a tractor. Farming can be demanding work, with tasks and hours that simply do not respect the traditional 9-to-5 work model. Many farmers
By Roberta Bailey I remember a Christmas dinner where the relative who kept all her food from touching any other food on her plate sat next to one of my nieces, who proceeded to stir all her food together in a gravied whirlpool of mashed potatoes, peas, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and yams. The isolationist
By Will Bonsall While cabbage may lack the glamour of its chic relatives — broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts — it is an old ally which has nourished the people of northern Europe through good times and bad. It stores well to feed hungry bellies. I’m talking about true cabbage, not Chinese cabbage, which is
By Holli Cederholm In the past several years, farmers in Maine have struggled to cope with drought, severe precipitation events, excessive wind, temperature extremes and hail storms. Across the world, farmers are on the frontlines of volatile weather caused by climate change. From vegetable and small fruit producers to dairy farmers and forest managers, climate
By Heather McCargo A hedgerow planted with native species of trees, shrubs and groundcovers enhances a farm with year-round habitat for pollinating insects, birds and the many other creatures and processes critical for our regional ecosystems to function. Our agricultural landscapes once had many hedgerows and edges where native species persisted — all the places
by Sue Smith-Heavenrich For the past 12 years I’ve kept track of the pollinators visiting my rural garden, counting the number of bees, wasps, flies and others that visit flowers. Each spring, things are quiet and I worry the bees won’t show up. But by July I see the glint of metallic sweat bees and
By Lauren Cormier Even with the best intentions of buying local and avoiding produce from many miles away, it can be difficult to resist the temptation of apricots when they’re sitting on the grocery store shelf. It might be our only chance to eat them! Apricots are a stone fruit along with peaches, plums, cherries,
By Mitch Lansky To meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, countries that are major carbon dioxide sources will have to greatly reduce the majority of their fossil-fuel carbon emissions in just a few decades. Many scientists have concluded, however, that emission reductions are not enough. Carbon dioxide can
While it takes a few years before you can harvest apples after planting your very own orchard, with time and patience, you’ll be able to revel in the fruits of your hard labor. Here’s a breakdown of how to grow apple trees. Types of apple trees There are an endless amount of apple trees you
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