I managed to set up 2 mini hoop-houses and planted a number of lettuce seedlings, yet April was a cold and windy start to the gardening season that left me longing for more. So far May has made up for it in spades! I’ve been out in the garden practically every day for the last…
Category: Gardening
23 early spring vegetable crops
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…
How to build a mini hoop-house
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…
Maintaining your garden tools
It’s this time of year, when we’re thinking about gardening but it’s still too early to get down and dirty, that I take the time to perform some TLC on my garden tools. I know of many gardeners who never even think about it, but it really is another crucial part of your annual preparations….
Planting garlic
I’m planting garlic today! I’ve never done this before, so I can’t offer any advice from personal experience. However I did my homework as I prepared to plant the bulbs and here are the resources that I found.
Managing beetles in the organic garden
If you miss the chance to take preventative action, such as in applying neem oil to the leaves and stems of your tomato plants–all in not lost. In the organic garden, keeping up with the pests who would make a meal of your crops is a never-ending chore. I go to great lengths to avoid…
The beetles are coming! the beetles are coming!
Now that the bulk of the spring planting is behind us, I’ve turned my eye to the up-keep of the gardens. That includes all of the weeding that comes with gardening, as well as combating the insects that would make a meal of my tender seedlings and vegetables. With the arrival of the summertime heat…
Pollinator Conservation at MOFGA
Keith said I had a glazed look in my eyes as we sat in the conference room at the MOFGA educational facility in Unity yesterday. I was high on the excitement and pure joy of participating in the Pollinator Conservation Planning Short-Course offered by the Xerces Society. I first learned about the course last year…
Growin’ Good
Things are growing good here at the Runamuk micro-farm and the spring garden is well on it’s way. Our first delivery of “super-loam” from Lynch Landscaping in Skowhegan, Maine arrived Monday evening and I was so happy I could have rolled around in that beautiful stuff! And wouldn’t you know it–the man who delivered the…
When disaster strikes
Disaster struck Runamuk yesterday. There had been a hard frost Saturday night. When I went out Sunday morning to check on my tomato and pepper seedlings in the second grow house, every muscle in my body turned to jell-o, and I began to tingle all over. All of those precious seedlings were damaged by the…