Join Johnny's Over the 2013 Common Ground Fair Weekend

Join us at our booth at the MOFGA Fairgrounds,
or at our Retail Store in Winslow

Learn more about the Common Ground Country Fair at the MOFGA website >>>

Combating Spotted Wing Drosophila and Late Blight

In recent weeks, Spotted Wing Drosophila and Late Blight have been popping up on growing operations throughout the Northeast. Below are some tips for preventing these issues from becoming a serious problem this year.

Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) occurs each year in many areas of the United States and the world. There are steps that you can take in order to reduce late blight recurrence this growing season.

• Pull up and throw away or burn any volunteer potato plants — these sprout from tubers that may have gone unseen in the soil last fall during clean up and/or in the compost pile.
• Plant certified disease-free potato seed pieces — do not use seed pieces saved from last season.
• Follow recommended crop spacing and soil fertility, maximize greenhouse and hoophouse air circulation, reduce insect pressures.
• Cull any and all tomato or potato plants if they display late blight symptoms by throwing away or burning plant debris.
• Treat plants with a preventative copper spray. We recommend item #9778, Champ® WG Copper Fungicide (OG)
• Treat plants with hydrogen dioxide for prevention and treatment of late blight infections. We recommend item #9719, Oxidate® (OG).

According to the Vermont Veg & Berry Newsletter, late blight has been confirmed in Franklin County, MA on tomato plants on July 11th, and in Erie County, NY on tomato plants July 10th, and on potato plants July 9th. Previous reports in FL, WV, LA, TN, MD, KY, VA, NC, and WI have been confirmed as P. infestans strains US-23 and US-7. You can track disease progress at USA BLIGHT.

View our informative videos on Identifying Late Blight and Controlling Late Blight at Johnnyseeds.com.

Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii). According to MOFGA’s Pest Report of July 11, 2013, compiled by Eric Sideman, PhD, MOFGA’s Organic Crop Specialist, “The spotted wing drosophila (SWD) has been found in Maine this week, and was found in southern New England a week or two ago.” Here are some need-to-know facts about SWD, per MOFGA’s Pest Report:

• This fruit fly is a new pest in our region; it is a common pest in parts of Asia.
• The tiny fly looks like a typical fruit fly, but the males have a spot on each wing that you can barely see with the naked eye.
• Common fruit flies that we see here only go after overripe and rotting fruit. The SWD is a much greater problem because it can attack sound fruit and has been very damaging to raspberries, blueberries, and other late summer soft fruit.
• Two years ago was the first year in which it was seen in large numbers in Northern New England.
• In as few as 8 days it goes from eggs to new adults laying more eggs, so populations can explode quickly.

If you’re battling Spotted Wing Drosophila, you may want to explore our effective Organic Controls for combating this issue. Specifically, Entrust® SC (OG) is extremely effective against Spotted Wing Drosophila. You can learn more about Entrust® SC (OG) on Johnnyseeds.com here »

Johnny's Attends Tradeshows in New Hampshire & Maine

Johnny's Maine-based Territory Sales Rep, Chris Hillier, recently attended UNH's North Country Fruit & Vegetable Seminar & Trade Show, held in Whitefield, New Hampshire, on October 30th, and MOFGA's Farmer-to-Farmer Conference in Northport, Maine, from November 9th to 11th.

The North Country Fruit & Vegetable Seminar was held at the Mountain View Grand on the day Hurricane Sandy began to roll into New England. Due to the storm, unfortunately, some of the promotional materials we'd sent via UPS to the conference never made it there! Nevertheless, Chris Hillier was able to set up Johnny's booth with a selection of crops on display, as well as various useful informational handouts. Below are photos of our booth and some other shots from Chris of the conference.

A look at our booth – set up and ready to go!

Our pumpkins labeled and on display

Another look at our specialty pumpkins

Katsko Zintchenko, a home gardener from NH, won Johnny's door prize!

A view of the conference room, where the workshops took place

Workshops at the conference covered such topics as using cover crops to manage weeds, how to distinguish beneficial from harmful insects on your crops, and a discussion on growing crops in high tunnels. 

The following week, Chris headed to MOFGA's Farmer-to-Farmer Conference in Northport, Maine, November 9th-11th. Along with Chris, a member of our Contact Center, Dave, a Canadian Sales Team member, Randy, and Steve and Kelly from the Johnny's Research Farm also attended the conference from Johnny's.

Our-Farmer-to-Farmer booth, all set up

Chris was able to bring a preview of Johnny's 2013 catalog to this event, which allowed customers at the show to see what we would be offering as of November 15th. Attendees also got to check out the brand new product images that were displayed on the backdrop of her tradeshow booth, and grab handouts on new items, as well as new growing tips and charts that will be debuting in the new catalog and at JohnnySeeds.com on November 15th.
 

Learn more about MOFGA's Farmer-to-Farmer Conference at MOFGA.org >>

Johnny's Is Sponsoring & Attending MOFGA's 2012 Farmer-to-Farmer Conference

Hope to See You There!

This Friday, November 9th, 2012, Johnny's Maine-based Territory Sales Rep, Chris Hillier, will be attending MOFGA's annual Farmer-to-Farmer Conference. This year's conference — which Johnny's is sponsoring as well — is being held at beautiful Point Lookout in Northport, Maine from Friday through Sunday.

According to MOFGA, the Farmer-to-Farmer Conference...

• Is based on the idea that farmers learn best from their peers and other practitioners.

• Features prominent and accessible university faculty, extension educators, and other agricultural professionals.
  

• Features a unique 3-hour workshop session format, in which one half is dedicated to talks by both agricultural service professionals and farmers, and the other to a round table discussion intended to solicit and capitalize on the accumulated knowledge of all the farmers in attendance.

Chris, a regular at the conference for several years, is looking forward to its open format to connect with Maine growers, hear how their growing season went, and learn what they will need for a successful 2013 season.

This year, Johnny's will be raffling off a $100 Gift Certificate at our booth, providing a preview of our 2013 Catalog, and answering your growing questions. Be sure to look for us there, and stop by to say hello!

Get all the Conference Details today.

A look at the venue – Point Lookout in Northport, ME

Find out more at http://www.visitpointlookout.com/

Johnny's 2012 Common Ground Fair Raffle Winners Announced

2012 Common Ground Country Fair — Raffle Winners

Johnny's Selected Seeds is pleased to announce the following raffle ticket winners from the 2012 Common Ground Fair:

• Janis Albright of South Portland, Maine won a $100 Gift Certificate
• Karelyn Closson of Portland, Maine won a $100 Gift Certificate
• Alan Schultz of Worthington, Massachusetts won a $100 Gift Certificate

• Johanna Davis and Adam Nordell of Songbird Farm won the High Tunnel raffle. Songbird Farm is a certified organic vegetable and grain farm situated on six acres of fertile bottomland along the Sandy River in Starks, Maine. 

Johanna Davis and Adam Nordell of Songbird Farm

Photos: Common Ground Country Fair

Here are a few photos from last weekend's Common Ground Country Fair.



This year's fair, the 35th edition, attracted 59,000 people over three days. Johnny's, as usual, had a strong presence. We were one of 600 Maine businesses or farms to participate in the fair. Our display area included a tent for customers to enter contests and chat with Johnny's employees and gardening experts; a tool demonstration area; several garden plots; 2 caterpillar tunnels; and a harvest display of many of our pumpkins, gourds and winter squash.

Read article about the Fair in the Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine). The fair is held annually at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association's fairgrounds in Unity, Maine.

Farm Profile: Green Spark Farm

Green Spark Farm, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine -- Mary Ellen and Austin Chadd credit their professors and mentors in helping them to form a holistic approach to farming. They view their farm as a human-manipulated ecosystem and they passionately caretake the health of its ecology while growing their MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) certified organic produce.

Mary Ellen became a Master Composter while studying at the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in upstate New York. She continued her studies in Ecological Agriculture at the Evergreen State College in Washington, where she met Austin. Austin was in the same course of study and was working as the farm assistant at Evergreen’s Student Farm. He grew up farming on his father’s farm in the foothills of Mount Rainier. After college, and before moving back to Portland, the two worked together at an organic market farm, giving them experience they find invaluable to their current lives growing and marketing produce from their own farm. They completed the Journeyperson Program of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and, with the help of that program and extensive local networking, grew from farming out of an apartment to leasing 13 acres in Cape Elizabeth and farming full time.

Cape Elizabeth farmer friends provided both equipment and wisdom for their process of turning sod ground that had been fallow for 25 years into bountiful vegetable production. The Chadds extend their growing season by using low tunnels and floating row covers. They have just finished a small high tunnel and have received an NRCS High Tunnel grant which will allow them to put up a larger hoophouse this year. Although most of inland Maine is in plant hardiness zones 3-4, Mary Ellen says, “We are lucky to farm in ‘the tropics of Maine’ with a coastal temperature Zone 5+ climate.”

Mary Ellen and Austin pay strong attention to the soil microbial community and plant nutrient-uptake to help make their wide selection of vegetables healthy and nutritious. They choose to cultivate biodiversity on their farm by growing rare and heirloom vegetables, enchanted by their histories and stories. The beautiful and sometimes strange vegetables add rich variety to their market offerings. They sell at two farmer's markets, a farm stand, and to several restaurants. They also offer CSA shares that are redeemable at the farm stand or farmers markets.

As young farmers, they are grateful to the mentors who have helped them hone their skills, many of whom have also become good friends. “They taught us that sustainable agriculture is as much about community building and ecological responsibility as it is about economic sustainability,” Mary Ellen said.

Photo Slideshow

For more information, visit greensparkfarm.com.

Maine Community Supported Agriculture Fair slated for February 28

Get your share of the Maine harvest at a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and Fisheries (CSF) Fair in your community on Sunday, February 28th.

With CSA's and CSF's you commit to purchasing a share of the coming harvest before the season begins. The benefit? You get to support local farms and fishermen while getting your locally grown and harvested food direct from the producer at a fair price.

Come to one of the twelve fair locations statewide to: learn about buying a share; become acquainted with local seasonal foods; meet your local farmers and fishermen; and discover how you can grow a relationship with them. Community Supported Fisheries may not be represented in all locations.

The event will take place on Sunday, February 28, from 1 - 4 p.m. at the following locations:

• Auburn, First Universalist Church, 169 Pleasant St.
• Bangor, Beth El Synagogue, 183 French St.
• Belfast, Unitarian Universalist Church of Belfast, 37 Miller S.
• Brunswick, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 27 Pleasant S.
• Damariscotta, Great Salt Bay School, 559 Main S.
• Farmington, Fairbanks School Meeting House, 508 Fairbanks R.
• Hallowell, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 18 Union St.
• Norway, Christ Episcopal Church, 35 Paris St.
• Portland, Woodfords Church, 202 Woodford St.
• Rockland, First Universalist Church, 345 Broadway.
• Sanford, Location TBD
• Waterville, Barrels Community Market, 74 Main St.

This event is co-sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA), the Maine Council of Churches, and local organizations at each site.

Admission is free. Each location will have it's own local "flavor". Additional highlights of the event to look forward to include: local produce and other products from the farm available for sale, light refreshments featuring local seasonal foods, a Seafood Throwdown cooking competition with local chefs, and more!

For more information, contact MOFGA's Organic Marketing Coordinator Melissa White Pillsbury, 207-568-4142, melissa@mofga.org