by Diane Schivera, M.A.T. The 2008 Farmer-to-Farmer Conference, sponsored by MOFGA and Maine Cooperative Extension, had lots to offer livestock farmers. The livestock sessions were some of the best attended, and enthusiasm for livestock is high. Here are some highlights from those sessions. Integrating Livestock Into Vegetable Operations University of Maine Extension Educator Rick Kersbergen
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Does summertime bode many afternoon hours in the hammock thinking about what’s good in the garden to go with that hamburger hot off the grill – or hours of worrying what could go wrong in that garden, which looks so good this early in the season? Balancing fun with fret is
When Becky Grube grew a crop of sweet potatoes under black Biotelo mulch (not yet approved for use on organic farms) and intercropped with mowed ryegrass and white clover, the intercrops interfered with sweet potato growth. Becky Grube photo. Sweet potatoes grown without a living mulch. Becky Grube photo. Kept moist and at 75 to
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
Rutabagas (right) have a denser, mostly yellow-fleshed, rounder root than turnips. The leaves of rutabagas have a blue tint and are not hairy, as are those of turnips, and the roots of rutabagas arise from the underside of the tuber as well as from the taproot. Rutabagas take longer to grow but have a richer
Tim and Jan King. Photo from wholefarmcoop.com by Kristen Corselius, used with permission. By Tim King Since 1986, our farm has used a system of raised beds, drip irrigation, plastic mulch and fabric row cover tunnels. We’ve used this system or parts of this system for frost protection, weed control, irrigation, microclimate enhancement, moisture retention
by Jean Ann Pollard Marian Morash, in The Victory Garden Cookbook (Knopf, 1982), gives a perfect (and poetic) description of Brussels sprouts. The tiny “cabbages,” she says, “develop along a thick 20- to 22-inch-high stalk that grows straight up from the ground. The sprouts start at the bottom and circle around the stalk, interrupted occasionally
‘Graffiti’ (top left), ‘Amazing’ (right) and ‘Cheddar’ cauliflower. Hutton says that ‘Cheddar’ is by far the favorite with the crew at Monmouth. Photo courtesy of Mark Hutton. The Maine climate is great for producing brassicas. At the 2007 Farmer-to-Farmer Conference, Mark Hutton of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Highmoor Farm in Monmouth and Jason
Jim Cook started Crown O’Maine Organic Cooperative to distribute local and organic produce from Maine farms to natural food stores, restaurants, buying clubs and institutional kitchens. Making it Happen in Maine: Crown O’Maine Takes Distribution to New Levels by Marada Cook Author’s note: While objectivity and honesty are traditionally the foremost goals of journalists, The
Frank Morton enjoys a conversation with Farmer to Farmer participants. English photo. Frank Morton has been breeding and experimenting with vegetables for some 25 years. Varieties that grow well under organic cultivation on both coasts are offered in quantities of ½ ounce or more in his Wild Garden Seed catalog from Gathering Together Farm, PO
Media Inquiries:
Contact Jennifer Wilhelm [email protected]
