Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm
Soil-first farming, building health from the ground up!
Ladybugs are often touted as a safe solution to aphid problems in the garden because their use doesn’t involve harmful pesticides. The little spotted beetles are popular all over the world, and in ancient times they were thought to be indicators of good fortune and a bountiful harvest. However commercially available ladybugs are not native…
Swarming is a natural tendency for bees in the spring and early summer, and making splits and nucs is just another part of good management of your hives. Whether you want to grow your apiary, or just insure against winter hive losses, making your own splits and nucs is an ideal way to grow or…
Bumblebees are the gentle giants of the pollinator world, so big and fuzzy and mellow that you just want to pick one up and give it a big hug! Like other pollinators, bumble bees are in trouble. According to recent surveys, populations of bumbles have sharply declined since 1997, and none are so rare as…
We received the “Wings of Life” documentary on Saturday, I ordered it from Amazon and had it shipped here by mail, but I couldn’t even begin to think about writing a review of the film until just the other day–so mesmerized by the vivid depiction of the one thing that I prize above all others…
Many American gardeners cling fast to the idea that the growing season doesn’t begin until Memorial Day weekend. Yet in Europe gardeners use a variety of methods to extend their season and increase their garden’s harvest. Thanks to Elliot Coleman’s book Four Season Harvest, more and more Americans are discovering the possibilities. Even in Maine…
At Runamuk Earth Day is a big event. Any significant event celebrating nature is a big event here because we make it so, the Winter Solstice, Mid-Summer’s Eve, the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes, Arbor Day, Pollinator Week, Compost Awareness Week, just to name a few. Keith and I are both nature lovers, passionate about embracing…
I’m a big fan of season extenders like cold-frames and mini hoop-houses for the family garden. Last year I managed to erect a mini greenhouse of sorts, using PVC and plastic, and with that I hardened off my seedlings in anticipation of the growing season. This year I not only want to use that method…
Every year many of the locals from this area venture out to Pease Hill here in Anson to visit Luce’s Saphouse. This year, the 30th annual Maine Maple Sunday was no different.
As president of the Somerset Beekeepers, people often ask me if it is only the honeybees who are in trouble, or is it all bees? Not only is it all bees–it’s all of our pollinators, too! Everything from bees to beetles and butterflies, even flies–are all at risk. And a new study that was recently…
If you’ve never made your own laundry soap you don’t know what you’re missing. The laundry soaps that are available commercially are expensive, and filled with ingredients that I’m not even going to attempt to pronounce. This laundry soap is very economical and simple to make. It works just as well as anything you’ll buy…