When I was growing up in New York City, we would often see apologetic signs in the middle of the street that read “Dig we must for a better New York.” Everyone knew that beneath the traffic lay an intricate network of phone lines, gas lines, water lines, electric lines and the great tubes of …
The slug, in theory, is a friend. It belongs to a class of animals, called detritovores, that feed on the detritus of the living world so that it does not pile up endlessly around us. Vegetation that is decaying, or has at least begun its downward descent from the prime of life is a slug’s …
ELLSWORTH — The Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District has announced the return of the spring plant sale with 18 specially selected species. Discount pricing is being offered on pre-orders before March 17. After March 17, customers may still order at regular price while supplies last. Pick-up for all orders is Saturday, May 18, …
It’s been 180 years since Thomas Jefferson’s American consul in Florence, Italy, Thomas Appleton by name, sent him some fennel to plant at Monticello. Jefferson did, and the crop has thrived over here in peaceful obscurity ever since. In California, where the climate is something like the plant’s native Mediterranean region, it has naturalized and …
There is nothing subtle about a sunflower. Poke a seed into the ground and a thick stalk will zoom up, with broad leaves at the sides and a huge flower on top, a gentle giant wearing a sporty grin and sending a message of affable openness. All pollinators welcome. All birds invited to supper. Sunflowers …
In my neighborhood, the first asparagus in spring are cheered just as much as the first snowdrops, but very quietly. When our own have started to poke up their miraculous spears, we know the same thing is happening in other yards, most notably the ones where the owners are out of town. When these absentee …
It’s dark in our root cellar in wintertime. Ideally, it’s a bit clammy down there too, as the temperature hovers around 33 degrees with a humidity of 90 percent. It smells earthy and maybe a little cabbagey — not a fun place to hang out. But grab a bucket and something from every bin, bring …
Gardeners sound like warriors when they talk about their weeds. After all, a grower’s reputation rests on having an adversary of stature, a foe worthy of one’s determination and skill. Don’t tell a Californian you envy her climate. Listen to her epic tale about battling wood sorrel. The green-thumbed Vermonter might acknowledge the leg-up he …
The holidays, fun as they are, can be guilt-producing. Too much rich food, too much champagne, too many family expectations to be met. And then there are the gift plants. Your boss gives you a poinsettia, your neighbor gives you flowering bulbs, your mother gives you an azalea, covered with festive red blooms. Only a …
ELLSWORTH — The Hancock County Office of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension is now taking applications for its 2019 Master Gardener Volunteer training. The training will run on Friday mornings from Jan. 25-May 17, as well as two Tuesday evening classes. The purpose of the Master Gardener program is to prepare you to do …
ELLSWORTH — The Hancock County office of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension is now taking applications for its 2019 Master Gardener Volunteer training. The training will run on Friday mornings from Jan. 25-May 17, as well as two Tuesday evening classes. The purpose of the Master Gardener program is to prepare participants to do …
It’s a cook’s nightmare. The table is set, hungry diners hover, and the beans still aren’t done. They’ve been cooking for six hours, but still haven’t softened and never will. For those of us who have foresworn canned beans in favor of the real thing, the unpredictability of dried beans’ cooking time can turn a …
