by Jude Hsiang It’s a jungle down there! The top two or three inches the soil are full of creatures living complex lives. Compared to what’s going on below our feet, films of the Africa’s Serengeti seem lonely and quiet. There are herds of plant eaters and voracious predators. Among the billions upon billions of […]
by Jude Hsiang Soil scientists tell us that the soils are probably the most biodiversity ecosystems on the planet, even though only about only 1% of the living things estimated to live the soil have been identified. Organic matter—living and dead—makes up about 5% of typical soils. Are the living things tiny? So tiny that […]
by Jude Hsiang As we gardeners think about getting our hands in the dirt I’m reminded of the words of my friend, a soil science instructor: “Dirt is what you might track into the house after working in your garden’s soil.” Let’s give our soil a little more respect. The soil is primarily made up […]
by Jude Hsiang As we look forward to planting time, we’re seeing the soil in between the continuing snowfalls. As the ground thaws a soil sample can be collected and sent to the University of Maine Soil Testing Service. Yes, there is a cost for this, but the information from a soil test will help […]
by Jude Hsiang According to our calendars, spring will begin on Friday, March 20, 2026, 10:46, Eastern Daylight Saving Time here in Central Maine. This is determined by the moment when the sun appears to rise precisely in the East and set in the west if you are standing on the Equator. It will then […]
by Jude Hsiang We are now about a week away from the Spring Equinox, halfway between the shortest and longest days of the year. And that means it’s time to plan for Maine Maple Syrup Sunday on the weekend of March 21 and 22. This annual event is organized by the Maine Maple Syrup Producers […]
by Jude Hsiang Most people who garden in North America are familiar with the map known formally as the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Central Maine folks are generally living in Zone 5, except for a thin strip along the coast designated as Zone 6. The zones […]
by Jude Hsiang Maine is truly “The Pine Tree State,” famous for its white pine and its relatives, the red, jack and pitch pine. Botanists recognize that the pine (Pinus) family includes members from around the world including firs and spruces. Two more Maine species belong to the family: hemlocks and tamaracks. Eastern hemlocks are […]
by Jude Hsiang The pine family has over 100 species worldwide, including a number of conifers now known as firs and spruces. The scientific family name comes to us from pinus, the Latin word for resin, one of the characteristics of the group. Maine’s balsam fir is our most abundant species of trees, found all […]
by Jude Hsiang Of the many species of pines found around the world, most of them in the Northern Hemisphere, the four that are native to Maine are also found across wider areas of the U.S. and Canada. The last two columns covered the white, red, jack, and pitch pines we find all over the […]