By C.J. Walke This spring marks 12 years since the first 101 apple trees were planted in the Maine Heritage Orchard (MHO) on a glorious April day with the help of dozens of dedicated volunteers. We’ve accomplished a great deal since that first planting day and continue our mission of preserving and educating about historic
By Lauren Cormier In early March 2025 Bowdoinham-based horticulturalist Blaine Fortin passed away, leaving behind a 30-year pear-breeding legacy in need of preservation for the future. MOFGA’s Maine Heritage Orchard, a 10-acre preservation orchard in Unity, Maine, is already home to 30 pears and now another pear preservation project is underway. Those involved with the
By C.J. Walke, Orchard Program Manager Harvest season in the Maine Heritage Orchard (MHO) is an exceptionally busy time of year, considering the vast diversity of apple and pear varieties that we grow, our modest orchard staff, and that preparations for the Common Ground Country Fair are ramping up just as we get into picking
By C.J. Walke, Orchard Program Manager Sometimes I feel like a broken record, skipping back to the same themes and concepts, but always out of concern for organic growers and backyard orchardists who are just as susceptible, if not more so, to the common challenges of growing organic tree fruit in the Northeast as we
By C.J. Walke, MOFGA’s Orchard Program Manager As we move into 2025, the Maine Heritage Orchard, MOFGA’s 10-acre preservation and educational orchard, is well rooted in the reclaimed soils of a former gravel pit. Terraces constructed to hold back steep eroding slopes have stabilized and are home to nearly half the orchard’s apple trees, with
By Lauren Cormier, MOFGA Orchard Assistant While the past season was a bit of an off-year for fruit production at the Maine Heritage Orchard, the orchard’s five bearing European pear trees, each planted in the spring of 2015, had a dozen or so fruit. These oldest pears are Buffum, Doyenne Boussock, Louise Bonne d’Avranches, Beurre
By C.J. Walke, Orchard Program Manager Plum curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar) is considered one of the most destructive insect pests in apple and plum orchards and has been referred to as the “Achilles’ heel” of organic orcharding because of the difficulty controlling this pest with cultural methods and materials approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute
By C.J. Walke, Orchard Program Manager As we approach the end of winter and the beginning of spring, one of our favorite and best-attended orchard events is the Seed Swap & Scion Exchange held near the end of March each year. This year, the event is on March 24, from noon to 4 p.m., at
By C.J. Walke, MOFGA’s Orchard Program Manager At this year’s Common Ground Country Fair, the Hayloft Tent was packed with educational talks, abuzz with fruit enthusiasts hovering over our heritage fruit displays, and brimming with curious fairgoers looking to learn about topics such as beekeeping, beneficial plant propagation and permaculture, among many other things. However,
By C.J. Walke, MOFGA’s Orchard Program Manager For decades, fruit enthusiasts, explorers and experts have worked tirelessly to determine the identity of varieties found in abandoned orchards and on random roadside trees, and even the relatively younger tree that lost its nursery tag along the way. A lot of this detective work revolves around the
Landsmith Farm in Waldoboro, Maine, organically grows a wide variety of high-quality, tasty vegetables, herbs, willow, and cut flowers using practices that prioritize the health of the land and its stewards. Their products are sold wholesale and direct-to-consumer through a variety of channels, including a farm stand, pick-your-own garden, and a future CSA (community supported agriculture) program. Landsmith Farm is owned and operated by Erin Espinosa, whose identities as a queer latina woman farmer ground the farm in values of reciprocity, community, and perseverance.
Visit Ladsmith Farm on Instagram @landsmithfarm and on their Website.
