The Dirt on Potting Soil by Craig Idlebrook Copyright 2006 Last year, I tried container gardening after grabbing the first bags of potting soil I found at the local big box store. If the bags had been any more generic looking, they would have said “ACME.” The packaging had almost no information about the content
By Jean English Copyright 2008 Looking for free “fertilizer” for your lawn or garden? Look to leaves! Leaves that drop in the fall can supply all the nutrients needed in a vegetable garden. They’ll even supply a wider range of essential nutrients than a bag of 10-10-10 synthetic fertilizer, because tree roots draw over a
Steve Gilman was a featured speaker at the Farmer to Farmer Conference last November. English photo. The basis for terms such as “whole farm systems” and “holistic management” is the simple ecological concept that everything is connected with everything else, says organic grower Steve Gilman. “We live with this [concept] everyday. We know what it
Lush, productive farms that harbor abundant life above and below ground for as much of the year as possible are important in countering global warming. By Rhonda Houston Snow banks reemerged in Maine this winter. Pulling into oncoming traffic became enough of an adrenaline rush for any extreme sport enthusiast, and as I write this
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. MOFGA’s Director of Technical Services Very little about farming is natural. In fact, farming is one of the early steps humans took in their drive to conquer nature. Hunting and gathering are the more natural methods that animals employ to procure food for their survival, while farming is a means of
Toki Oshima drawings After several months of investigation and discussion at the request of many members, MOFGA’s Public Policy Committee has developed a revised policy on sludge, which was approved by the Board of Directors on October 19, 2003. MOFGA’s previous policy, incorporated in its certification standards, banned the use of sludge on certified crop
By Sue Smith-Heavenrich For those of us who would compost everything but the kitchen sink, the idea of returning the nutrients from human waste back to the soil is appealing. Indeed, for many hundreds of years farmers have done just that, recycling “night soil” back to the earth. Now the EPA and producers of sewage
Trees need at least 20 percent of their total height to have living foliage to thrive and grow well. English photo Maine district forester Morten Moesswilde discussed different uses for a forest, depending in part on soil characteristics and existing species. English photo. By Katy Green and Jean English Maine’s woodlots can provide income, materials
Toki Oshima drawing By Teresa L. Johnson Just like those creepy talking trees in “The Wizard of Oz,” the plants in your garden are talking to each other. Scientists have now identified ways that plants communicate with each other and with other species. “Plants have sensory systems. They perceive a lot of things, they process
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