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VOLUME 34, NUMBER 44 APRIL 1, 2010 FREE THE WEEKLY NEWS & LIFESTYLE JOURNAL OF MT. WASHINGTON VALLEY Six Weeks In Haiti: Rowan Lewis, Recording Maple Sunday: Let Them Tell You A Story: a director for Conway-based SOLO, Last weekend, March 27 & 28, was Two extraordinary storytellers, recently returned to the Valley after Maple Weekend in both New Hampshire Rona Leventhal from Ashfield, spending six weeks in earthquake- and Maine and the Ear Mass., and popular White ravaged Haiti, where he A 6 had photographers Mountain storyteller Andy put both his ample on hand at events in A18 Davis from Albany, will com- medical skills and both Tamworth and bine their talents at the his learned sense Fryeburg, Maine, Corner House Inn’s of resourcefulness to record the Storytelling Dinner to work … festivities ... program on Thursday, April 8 ... A20 A SALMON PRESS PUBLICATION • (603) 447-6336 • PUBLISHED IN CONWAY, NH All Things Growing It’s all about the soil When it comes to gardening success, remember: humus is king By David Neufeld Contributing Writer ow is the time for all good gardeners to come to their place in the country. Yes, I stole that one. But gardening has a long tradition of Nmethod-theft and it makes all the sense in the world to steal all the good ideas that can be found. In the course of the next two months those of us who contemplate, anticipate, and salivate over the possibilities of this year’s garden season will be collecting our strength, resources, and optimism for whatever the growing season throws at us. A series of articles, beginning with this one, will hopefully illuminate for you cor- ners of the garden world otherwise obscured, or at least you’ll remember the most important steps to a successful garden. Every year, I tell myself the same thing: “It’s the soil, stupid.” Vegetables and many perennials will not thrive unless certain soil conditions Sowing seeds in a furrow made with a presser. (David Neufeld Photo) are met. Because the garden is a human- enhanced environment, it is up to us to downs in moisture content. Humus is got- England. Soil that is too acid inhibits or clay or silt next, and the humus on top. create the perfect growing medium. And ten from decomposed plant matter. You prevents seeds from germinating and pre- Now you can see the quantities of all three it’s relatively easy. can add this all at once before the season vents plants from taking up nutrients. components. Here are three things to keep in mind: starts in the form of compost, or a little at Lime brings the pH up or neutralizes the If the process of building your soil • Humus is king. When you have a time by mulching throughout the sea- soil. pH is measured in numbers from 0- seems tedious and dirty to you, get some high humus content in your soil you son. 14. Zero is an acid that will kill aliens, 14 help — either therapy or a young back retain the nutrients, supply trace minerals • pH is a measure of acidity or alka- is a base that will also kill aliens, unless that can haul, shovel and till. If you to your plants, and lessen the ups and linity. Soil tends to be acidic in New they are from a very strange planet sys- already find joy in turning plain lifeless tem. A pH of 7 is very friendly to earth- ground into the perfect paradise for plants lings and vegetables. A simple stick-in- then you have entered the garden world the-soil tester can be purchased to test on the first floor. ▲ Steal this garden your soil. • Water is a miracle substance and a David Neufeld is a gardener of 50 years expe- ardening has a long tradition of habit of multiplying. Any gardener of needed one in gardens. However, too rience, a landscape designer and stonework- theft. The Victorians were noto- five years or more will have surplus much will rot your plants and too little er, and a brick oven builder. You may hear Grious plant robbers, sailing the plants (unless they become obsessed with will allow them to dry up. So, it is impor- him speak and see his stonework and brick high seas and abducting plants from all Estate Syndrome, that devastating con- tant that your garden spot be well drained oven at the Northern New England Home, over the world (young ones at that). It dition in which we imagine that our yard yet have access to water. If your soil is a Flower, and Garden Show at the Fryeburg has been noted that even today on a can become Kew Gardens). balance of humus, sand, and clay (or fine Fairgrounds on May 15 and 16. For more info windless morning at Kew Gardens in Few people realize that many of the silt), it will drain well but hold water gen- visit the show’s website: HomeGardenFl- England, one can hear the snip-snipping most common plants (perennials, shrubs tly. You can test this by taking a sample of owerShow.com. You may visit David’s web- of garden ladies taking illegal cuttings. and trees) found in the English landscape your soil and putting it in a jar with water. site to find an archive of 12 years of garden However, there is a guilt-free, risk- originated in America and were shipped Shake the jar and let the particles settle. columns from numerous publications: free, and PC approach to increasing your to England in the 18th century (New The sand should be on the bottom, the www.NorthStarStoneworks.com. horticultural inventory: Join a garden England’s Balsam Fir was the rave). The club. original garden club consisted of English At a recent speaking engagement, I gentry exchanging new plant varieties. noticed that younger members had infil- They were rabid about it. trated the sacred territory of elderly Today, your neighbor will gladly part ladies. There were even some men in with a chunk of a perennial. Within two attendance! years you will have a patch and shortly This infusion of young blood not only thereafter, you will be sharing with oth- indicates that interest is higher than ever, ers. That’s economy. but it adds a potential, shall we say, leftist Sixty percent of the plants you find at influence to the garden movement. nurseries can be gotten free from avid What previously was termed a plant gardeners. Another 10 percent can be swap may morph into socialized garden- propagated by seed or cutting, costing ing. Universal garden care might follow the donor nothing but emotional gen- (people gardening with other people) erosity. and with time a mind altering shift in the Ultimately, the club, its members and way we see garden clubs. the many gardens created become a But that is getting off the subject, huge, if checkered, estate, each member namely, the Economy. When you join a caring for their personal corner and each community of gardeners, you gain access opening their gates for annual tours, still to a wealth of information and plants. at no cost to the members. Sow your parsnips, lettuce and peas early in the season during cool weather. ▲ Perennials especially have the endearing Scary stuff! (David Neufeld Photo) On the Cover Inside Index Arts & Entertainment....Pages A20-21 & 28 Fryeburg Academy honors Über Blast is just that Fryeburg Academy musicians continued their winning North Conway’s newest amusement center in town, Business News.........................Pages A12-13 ways at the Maine State Instrumental Jazz Festival held at Über Blast, is over the top. Literally speaking, that’s Calendar ..................................Pages A26-27 South Portland High School on March 26 and 27. FA’s exactly what the name means. Page A13. Birth of the Cool Combo band captured the Division II Money Matters...............................Page A11 state title for the fifth year in a row, then the Academy’s Photo exhibit at MWVAA North Country Notebook .............Page A22 Big Band, pictured on the cover, once again took home The “Through the Lens” exhibit, featuring the work of On the Rockpile.............................Page A16 the state championship for its musicianship. See story on six Mt. Washington Valley Arts Association juried mem- Page A10. (Photo Courtesy Fryeburg Academy) ber photographers, will open with a reception on Friday, Real Estate .......................Pages A7 & 12-13 April 2. Page A20. Sports......................................Pages A24-25 Page A2 - The Mountain Ear, Thursday, April 1, 2010 Ear Marks Green Mountain Conservation Group puts out a call Volunteer water stewards needed for Water Quality Monitoring program EFFINGHAM — On Saturday, April 10, Green Mountain Conservation Group (GMCG) will host the ninth annual Water Steward training program at Huntress House in Effingham from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to participate in this hands-on community service program that trains individuals to moni- tor the water quality of local rivers and streams. GMCG began the Water Quality Monitoring program in the Ossipee Watershed in 2002 in order to collect baseline data and better understand the quality of the region’s rivers and streams. The program has expanded over the years to include lake monitoring, year-round sampling, ground- water sampling and macroinvertebrate sampling with local schools, summer camps, and partner organizations like the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Volunteers are the eyes, ears, and voice for the Watershed, contributing thousands of hours to the program each year and helping to collect data for 45 different testing sites.

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