Growing Points
Jean English lives in Lincolnville.
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New book of herbal remedy recipes
By Jean English - Feb 08Stephanie Tourles of Orland is a prolific writer and engaging presenter about healthful foods and herbs. Her most recent work, "Hands-On Healing ...
A new year, a new commitment to local and organic
By Jean English - Jan 04The last time I heard Russell Libby speak — at the Farmer to Farmer Conference in Northport, put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners ...
The A and P of favorite herbs
By Jean English - Nov 23So many herbs can be used medicinally that it can be difficult to narrow down the choices. Here are ten that I find especially useful. Some, such ...
Growing Points
Bringing in, covering up the crops
By Jean English - Oct 26The frost has zapped the tomatoes but the cool season crops are still going — as are a few pepper plants that I dug, potted and brought indoors to ...
Calorie gardening
By Jean English - Sep 13Discussions about whether we can feed the burgeoning population expected in 2050 or 2100 usually use average crop yields per acre in their ...
Tomato tips
By Jean English - Aug 16A day-long workshop on tomatoes at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association last spring brought up some tips that should help plantings ...
Garden giant mushrooms
By Jean English - Jul 19The wet spring was tough on vine crops but good for at least one crop: mushrooms. Not that I am an expert à la Greg Marley or David Spahr, Mainers ...
Beneficial insects in the garden
Jun 21Ladybugs like a lot of real estate, say researchers at Michigan State University. Megan Woltz, a Ph.D. student there, found that planting strips ...
Goldenseal: A valuable herb worth cultivating
By Jean English - May 24Seeing goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) in flower was a highlight of an April 30 trip to Avena Botanicals Biodynamic Gardens in Rockport. This ...
Grow a garden of storage crops
By Jean English - Apr 28The average U.S. person consumes 420 pounds of vegetables per year, according to USDA figures. Almost 40 percent of those — about 164 pounds — are ...
Apples for the home garden
By Jean English - Jan 25Growing apples in the home landscape can satisfy many desires: culinary, aesthetic, historic preservation (of heirloom varieties), the satisfaction...
Last-minute gifts for gardeners
Dec 20Local is always a great way to shop, and with one weekend to go before Christmas, local is also convenient for last-minute gifts. Avena Botanicals ...
Witch hazel for landscape and health
By Jean English - Nov 09What a treat to encounter fragrant witch hazel flowers in the autumn woods. The narrow yellow flower petals, miniature streamers, warm the ...
Planning the edible landscape for high yield
By Jean English - Oct 12Nursery catalogs for the 2013 planting season are coming out now, so this is a good time to plan and order. If you’re thinking of increasing the ...
Gather ye organic matter while ye may
By Jean English - Aug 30The tomato, bean, zucchini, blueberry, etc. harvest is in full swing now — and so is the organic matter harvest. If you want to depend as little ...
Avena Botanicals’ tranquil and productive gardens thrive
By Jean English - Aug 02Avena Botanicals on Mill Street in West Rockport has been a favorite site for gardeners and herbal enthusiasts to visit for decades. Now in its ...
An abundance of chard — and some recipes
By Jean English - Jul 05Swiss chard is a workhorse in the garden. Easy to grow and prolific, it thrives almost regardless of conditions — even in the downpours we’ve had ...
Yellow flag: lovely but dangerous
By Jean English - Jun 07The pretty, yellow-flowered Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag or European yellow iris) is spreading in a damp area of our field. That’s not good. This ...
The mystery and misery of the missing peas
By Jean English - May 11A gardener tells me he planted peas and not one sprouted. Where did his peas go? They could have gone to the birds, maggots, fungi, wireworms, ...
New book encourages fruit growing
By Jean English - Apr 13Lee Reich is one of my favorite garden writers. He has a way of explaining cultural techniques clearly and simply — and with enough information to ...
