After the devastation of last year’s seedling fiasco (read about that here), I was more than a little anxious about hardening off my seedlings this year. My mini hoop-houses (more about that here) have been working so well this spring that I decided to construct something similar to protect my tender tomato and pepper seedlings during their hardening off period. … Read more »
The early spring season is a very difficult time for bees and beekeepers. When the temperatures start warming the bees begin increasing activity, rearing brood, and flying on warm sunny days. This is a tricky time for bees because there is not much available to feed the growing population. Many beekeepers feed sugar-syrup or candy, to supplement the bees’ food… Read more »
The sky is clear, and brilliantly blue the day after a big Nor’easter. Here in central Maine, where the Runamuk Acres Farm and Apiary is located, the roads are still covered with packed snow, and road crews work to clean them up after the snowstorm. But I make my rounds to our 2 out-lying apiaries, to check on the hives,… Read more »
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 you can get a jump… Read more »
As spring progresses, things are moving right along here at Runamuk. It is something of a relief to finally be putting to work all of the plans I’d laid over the course of the winter. And, of course, spring draws out the urge to be productive, to plant and grow and nourish, and those urges have filled me up to… Read more »