Maine

[JDisme]

Anybody want a free Pure Silver Ameraucana Rooster? I hatched him in the fall last year and now have better stock. He isn't up to standard. Hes on the right

 

[TheGreenManFarm]

Howdy folks, I was kindly directed to this thread by another local. I'm solo farming for the first time after almost 4 years of experience on various organic farms and apiaries back home in the Northwest (Pacific, not Rumford haha). That means having bought an old farmhouse near Norridgewock & Skowhegan this upcoming season I'll be learning all about the flora & fauna upper New England offers with which I've no field experience, starting my first solo (small) chicken flock, my first solo (small) duck flock, restoring an heirloom orchard, and putting about 1.5 acres under cultivation. The madness!!!! But I'm super laid back, pretty funny about most things, and always down for making new friends (especially locals who can drop some regional knowledge on me!). Cheers!

 

[LadyCluck77]

Howdy folks, I was kindly directed to this thread by another local. I'm solo farming for the first time after almost 4 years of experience on various organic farms and apiaries back home in the Northwest (Pacific, not Rumford haha). That means having bought an old farmhouse near Norridgewock & Skowhegan this upcoming season I'll be learning all about the flora & fauna upper New England offers with which I've no field experience, starting my first solo (small) chicken flock, my first solo (small) duck flock, restoring an heirloom orchard, and putting about 1.5 acres under cultivation. The madness!!!! But I'm super laid back, pretty funny about most things, and always down for making new friends (especially locals who can drop some regional knowledge on me!). Cheers!

Welcome!

So nice to have new folks in the flock. Skowhegan is a neat town, we always head over there to buy our shoes. I think it will be a nice place to start a farm.
What breeds of chickens are you planning on?

 

[TheGreenManFarm]

Welcome!

So nice to have new folks in the flock. Skowhegan is a neat town, we always head over there to buy our shoes. I think it will be a nice place to start a farm.
What breeds of chickens are you planning on?

Thanks LadyCluck77! It's nice to start getting to know folks in my region. Wish I'd found this site earlier this Winter haha. At the moment I'm looking at Golden Reds & White Leghorns; they lay brown & white respectively, and both lay an average of 3 eggs every 4 days, so I feel like that's a solid easily edible and marketable brown/white tag team. But for fun & flavor I'd like to add a few colored layers like Easter Eggers, or Araucanas. They just seem so child friendly for market! What about you?

 

[HoopyFrood]

Howdy folks, I was kindly directed to this thread by another local. I'm solo farming for the first time after almost 4 years of experience on various organic farms and apiaries back home in the Northwest (Pacific, not Rumford haha). That means having bought an old farmhouse near Norridgewock & Skowhegan this upcoming season I'll be learning all about the flora & fauna upper New England offers with which I've no field experience, starting my first solo (small) chicken flock, my first solo (small) duck flock, restoring an heirloom orchard, and putting about 1.5 acres under cultivation. The madness!!!! But I'm super laid back, pretty funny about most things, and always down for making new friends (especially locals who can drop some regional knowledge on me!). Cheers!

Welcome, GMF!! Both to BYC and Maine!

What a project - I'm super excited for you! My wife and I are from the NW, too, only been in Maine not quite two years and homesteading only for about 1 and 1/2 years. I'm actually hoping to start a mini-orchard myself this spring (trying to get cutting to root as we speak). We tried to set up a homestead in OR closer to the coast but couldn't afford anything - so we wound up in Maine Probably about 30-40 minutes E of you in the Unity area (ish).

If you like beer, check out the folks at Oak Pond Brewing out towards Canaan; super nice folks and very respectable beer (one thing that's a fair bit harder to find in Maine than the PNW).

I'm pretty inexperienced, but I'll be happy to share anything I can of local flora and fauna - pretty different, huh?

For now I'll just say: black flies. Do you have an apocalyptic amount of bug spray on hand? You have 2-4 weeks yet I have never experienced anything like them in the west (from CA to MT). Initially they seem innocuous. That's just them trying to lull you into a false sense of security. Then they... attack!! Once they are backed by mosquitos, deer flies, and moose flies. They will definitely keep you on your toes; especially when you're working with dangerous power tools...

Random observation, all: I just saw (and killed) my first mosquito of the season by Unity Pond yesterday. Near a 5 foot tall snow bank. Sheesh.

Best of luck in your 2018 season!

 

[TheGreenManFarm]

Welcome, GMF!! Both to BYC and Maine!

What a project - I'm super excited for you! My wife and I are from the NW, too, only been in Maine not quite two years and homesteading only for about 1 and 1/2 years. I'm actually hoping to start a mini-orchard myself this spring (trying to get cutting to root as we speak). We tried to set up a homestead in OR closer to the coast but couldn't afford anything - so we wound up in Maine Probably about 30-40 minutes E of you in the Unity area (ish).

If you like beer, check out the folks at Oak Pond Brewing out towards Canaan; super nice folks and very respectable beer (one thing that's a fair bit harder to find in Maine than the PNW).

I'm pretty inexperienced, but I'll be happy to share anything I can of local flora and fauna - pretty different, huh?

For now I'll just say: black flies. Do you have an apocalyptic amount of bug spray on hand? You have 2-4 weeks yet I have never experienced anything like them in the west (from CA to MT). Initially they seem innocuous. That's just them trying to lull you into a false sense of security. Then they... attack!! Once they are backed by mosquitos, deer flies, and moose flies. They will definitely keep you on your toes; especially when you're working with dangerous power tools...

Random observation, all: I just saw (and killed) my first mosquito of the season by Unity Pond yesterday. Near a 5 foot tall snow bank. Sheesh.

Best of luck in your 2018 season!

Hahaha what a small world! I finished an urban farming program with OSU last year, and also could not afford to get the house & land in Oregon that I wanted. Granted, in retrospect looking at the slim pickings in Clackamas & Multnomah counties was... financially traumatizing haha... but I imagine it's not much different along the coast. So I bought this place from aging relatives eager to move south before the Winter. It's a good challenge to restore, and great experience, and eventually I can flip it.

But I actually arrived in time for the last day of the Common Ground Fair and did sign up for MOFGA, so I am not unfamiliar with the Unity area. It's lovely! And most of the locals are really friendly. Did you and your wife pick that area intentionally or did you luck out with a homestead undertaking in a very granola friendly corner of Maine? I hope it's been a psychedelic experience of laughter and fun! What all are you growing/raising?

Good beer. Just. Dude, you're rad! And you hit the nail on the head, between coffee and beer I've been in painful withdrawal all Winter. I'll check out that place near Canaan this coming week, cheers!

The black flies I've been warned about, so I'm definitely cautious. And the skeeters. So I completely believe you haha. It's the terrain, I think; so much of Maine is so flat or gentle, small hills that you have have far more standing water in which they can breed, unlike at home where the mountains cause most water to be fast moving and the elevation varies so dramatically that bugs can't breed and cluster like here. So I'll be hosing down all day long with herbal repellants when they come haha.

Thank you for getting the different plants thing!! The friends I've made here don't get it haha, but the deciduous trees, the slender white pines, all the dense underbrush... very different! Beautiful in October, gotta give it to them there. Just beautiful!

Random offer- if you're patient and ok with unique, local heirloom apples, you're welcome to cuttings from my orchard in May. It's still glacial now, but I'm going to be doing a LOT of cutting, trimming, and clearing this Spring. Including taking cuttings to plant and expand, and to attempt a few grafts on 3 trees too tall, too old, and too mismanaged to trim. They're a solid 30' tall, maybe a bit taller, and the last time someone trimmed and managed them they cut off all the branches below 10' so there's really no option for shaping them. I'm just going to cut them at about 4' up the trunk and then try a series of graftings into the trunks using cuttings in the orchard. So I'd be more than happy to set you up!

Ditto black locust trees... apparently Maine has labelled them an invasive species so I can't sell them or their seeds, but it's not illegal to give a bag of seeds or a few root shoots to someone who wants them. They're giant legumes so they fix an enormous amount of nitrogen into the surrounding soil, they're fast growing & beautifully shaped in season, and they produce the most exquisite clusters of white flowers in May-June which are unbelievably fragrant and so nectar rich they exceed every other honeybee feeder in this climate.

Also, I grew up in MT and settled in Portland & the Willamette after the Army sent me to Iraq. We probably know plenty of the same beers and stomping grounds at home!

 

[HoopyFrood]

...
Also, I grew up in MT and settled in Portland & the Willamette after the Army sent me to Iraq. We probably know plenty of the same beers and stomping grounds at home!

My wife and I have taken to calling that "The Other Portland." Indeed we do! My cousin still lives there and is absolutely nuts about wine, so she frequents many places around the Willamette valley. Gorgeous place!

I'll send you more details via PM. And thank you on the offer for apple cuttings! I'm trying to root 15 cuttings from an unknown tree; it won't survive another winter, but makes the most delicious apples! Long story as to why I'm trying to root them and not grafting... Save that for another time. But if only a few cuttings take, I'll be looking for some more! Again welcome!!

 

[lazy gardener]

Interested in the idea of taking apple cuttings to root. Please keep me updated on how that works out. I've got 3 new cultivars of June berry scheduled to arrive this spring. My single one from 3 years ago is growing very slowly. I think I'll handle the new ones in a different manner: plant them in the garden until they get some good size on them, then put them in their "forever" spot. Eventually, I'd like to multiply them through rooted cuttings. Need to do the same with my 2 Elderberry cultivars. Perhaps in an other year or so, we could schedule a cutting or "start" exchange of fruiting trees/vines. I may have some purple raspberry canes to share this season if any one wants to travel to me. Any one have grape vines that do well in this area?

 

[HoopyFrood]

@lazy gardener If the rooting works I will certainly let you know!

I'm also very interested in a future cutting exchange! However I think it might be a year or two before I'm really in a position to fully participate.

I will keep those purple raspberry canes in mind, too! I was wanting to pick up some of those comfrey divisions from you anyway. But I think we're getting 10 raspberry plants from the Fedco tree sale, then I'm going to transplant some feral raspberries and blackberries around my upcoming garden fence posts as well. Never having done this before I don't want to over commit myself

 

[lazy gardener]

If you get the plants from the Fedco Tree sale, you might not want to plant the feral raspberries and blackberries. (if they are wild, I wouldn't, but if they are a cultivated berry that has just gone rogue, then they might be worth saving.) I believe the purples I got from Fedco are Royal purple.