Common Ground Radio

Host: Holli Cederholm

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This month:
On this episode of Common Ground Radio, we’re celebrating Black History Month and revisiting a conversation from 2023 discussing “Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists,” a book of essays and interviews by Leah Penniman that explores Black people’s spiritual and scientific connection to the land, waters, and climate.

Guest/s:
– Leah Penniman, farmer and author of Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists and Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land.
– Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro and author of Nature Swagger: Stories and Visions of Black Joy in the Outdoors.

FMI-
• “Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists” by Leah Penniman — blackearthwisdom.org
• “Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land” by Leah Penniman — www.farmingwhileblack.org
• “Nature Swagger: Stories and Visions of Black Joy in the Outdoors” by Rue Mapp — www.chroniclebooks.com/products/nature-swagger
• Outdoor Afro — outdoorafro.org
• Soul Fire Farm — www.soulfirefarm.org

About the hosts:
Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a lo0ng-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

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Host: Holli Cederholm

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This month:
This episode of Common Ground Radio goes behind the scenes of Gardener to Gardener, a new conference for gardeners to learn from one another. Hosted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, the inaugural event will take place on February 8 in Portland, Maine. It is an exciting opportunity for gardeners of all experience levels to connect with other growers, as well as university faculty, agricultural scientists, and service providers around a range of gardening topics. We also dive a bit deeper into two topics that will be covered at the conference, Planning & Mapping Your Garden, and Soil Health 101.

List of subjects:
– MOFGA’s Gardener to Gardener Conference
– Gardening
– Resources for organic gardening
– Planning and mapping your garden
– Soil health 101

Guest/s:
Madi Whaley, MOFGA’s educational programs coordinator.
Rebecca Long, coordinator of Horticulture Training Programs for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Ivonne Vazquez, the owner/grower at Bas Rouge Farm & Forge, a native plant nursery.

FMI-
– Gardener to Gardener — mofga.org/event-calendar/gardener-to-gardener-2026
– Climate Change & the Garden: Resources — mofga.org/trainings/gardening/climate-change-gardening-resources
– Beginning Gardener Resources — mofga.org/trainings/gardening/beginning-gardener-resources
– Bas Rouge Farm & Forge Gardening Classes — basrougefarm.com/gardening-classes
– Understanding Astronomy — physics.weber.edu/schroeder/ua/sunandseasons.html
– Maine Home Garden News — extension.umaine.edu/gardening/maine-home-garden-news
– Cooperative Extension Garden & Yard — extension.umaine.edu/gardening

About the hosts:
Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a lo0ng-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This month:
This episode of Common Ground Radio is all about garlic! Garlic grows from cloves, which are planted in the fall. Mature heads of garlic are then harvested the following summer. From seed selection to fertility to mulching practices, Brittany Hopkins of Wise Acres Farm shares how she cultivates a healthy, certified organic garlic crop in Kenduskeag, Maine.

List of subjects:
– Gardening
– Growing garlic
– When to plant garlic
– Mulching
– Garlic disease
– Garlic harvest and curing

Guest/s:
Brittany Hopkins of Wise Acres Farm.

FMI-

– Garlic disease — mofga.org/resources/garlic/garlic
– Garlic disease — fedcoseeds.com/resources/pests-and-diseases/nematodes-and-white-rot
– When to plant garlic in Maine — mofga.org/resources/garlic/when-to-plant-garlic
– Growing garlic in Maine — extension.umaine.edu/publications/2063e
– Maine Seed Garlic Directory — extension.umaine.edu/agriculture/garlic/maine-seed-garlic-directory
– UMaine Garlic bulletins — extension.umaine.edu/agriculture/garlic
– Plant disease diagnostic testing — extension.umaine.edu/ipm/plant-disease/plant-disease-diagnostic-testing

About the hosts:
Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a lo0ng-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This month:
On this episode of Common Ground Radio, we’re talking about the EarthLoom. Originated by weaver Susan Barrett Merrill, the EarthLoom is a way for many hands to weave together to build community. One EarthLoom is located in Unity, Maine, at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, which is the home of the annual Common Ground Country Fair. Here a large granite loom is sited in a garden of dye plants used for naturally coloring fiber. Thanks to Susan’s efforts, EarthLooms can be found elsewhere around the world. We talk about the inspiration for the project, and how others can get involved in weaving community.

List of subjects:
– Weaving
– EarthLoom
– Spinning
– Fiber Arts
– Wednesday Spinners
– Common Ground Country Fair

Guest/s:
Susan Barrett Merrill, originator of the EarthLoom

FMI-

– Weaving a Life — weavingalife.com/weaving-a-life
– EarthLoom — weavingalife.com/earthloom
– EarthLoom Class — weavingalife.com/earthloom-class
– Book: “The Art of Weaving a Life” — weavingalife.com/product-pages/book
– Common Ground Country Fair — mofga.org/the-fair

About the hosts:
Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a lo0ng-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host: Timothy Boston
Editor: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This month:
According to lifelong gardener Barbara Damrosch, growing food is an undeniably radical act. In her latest book, “A Life in the Garden: Tales and Tips for Growing Food in Every Season,” Damrosch, now in her 80s, invites others to join her in tending the earth and celebrating the harvest — and she shares practical and personal advice for novice and experienced gardeners alike. This month’s episode of Common Ground Radio is a special conversation with Damrosch about her new book and her life in the garden. We talked in her Brooksville, Maine, home, which she shares with Eliot Coleman. After they married in 1991, the two began collaborating in the field, as Four Season Farm, as well as on the page — similar to another iconic gardener-author duo, Helen and Scott Nearing of “Living the Good Life” fame. Damrosch counts the Nearings as a major influence on her relationship to the land, and Four Season Farm is sited on acreage previously owned by the Nearings, purchased by Coleman in 1968.

List of subjects:
– Homesteading
– Gardening
– Self-Sufficiency
– History of Maine
– Back to the Land Movement

Guest/s:
Barbara Damrosch, author of “A Life in the Garden: Tales and Tips for Growing Food in Every Season.”

FMI-

“A Life in the Garden: Tales and Tips for Growing Food in Every Season” by Barbara Damrosch — eliotbarbara.com/read-our-books/a-life-in-the-garden
“Barbara Damrosch’s Life in the Garden” — barnraisingmedia.com/barbara-damrosch-a-life-in-the-garden

About the hosts:
Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a lo0ng-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host: Timothy Boston
Editor: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This month:
In this episode of Common Ground Radio, host Timothy Boston explores the enduring and evolving practice of homesteading in Maine — a lifestyle grounded in self-reliance, land stewardship, and intentional living. Joining the conversation are Kourtney Collum and Davis Taylor, faculty at the College of the Atlantic, who have co-taught a course on homesteading and share insights from their research and visits to local homesteads.

List of subjects:
– Homesteading
– Gardening
– Self-Sufficiency
– History of Maine
– Back to the Land Movement

Guest/s:
Kourtney Collum, professor at the College of the Atlantic
Davis Taylor, professor at the College of the Atlantic

FMI-

MOFGA Farm & Homestead Day — www.mofga.org/trainings/annual-events/farmandhomesteadday/

About the hosts:
Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a lo0ng-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This month:
Maine has been experiencing a shift in the growing season, including a trend towards a longer season. Variability in weather — from unpredictable precipitation to an uptick in extreme weather events — makes it hard for gardeners to know what to plan for. On the April episode of Common Ground Radio, we discuss cultivating resilience in the face of increased weather variability with Rebecca Long, the coordinator of Horticulture Training Programs for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

List of subjects:
– Gardening
– Soil organic matter
– Irrigation
– Variety selection
– Succession planting
– Hedgerows
– Shade cloth
– Floating row cover
– Garden pests and disease

Guest/s:
Rebecca Long, coordinator of Horticulture Training Programs for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension

FMI-

What’s happening with Maine’s weather:
– Maine Climate Office — mco.umaine.edu/climate/me_monthly
– Maine Climate and Ag Network — umaine.edu/climate-ag

Gardening resources from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension:
– UMaine Cooperative Extension pollinator-friendly gardening — extension.umaine.edu/gardening/pollinator-garden-certification
– In-depth training programs: Master Gardener Volunteer, Maine Horticulture Apprentice, and Maine Gardener Trainings — extension.umaine.edu/gardening/learn
– Webinars On Demand — extension.umaine.edu/gardening/learn/on-demand-webinars
– Maine Home Garden News newsletter — extension.umaine.edu/gardening/maine-home-garden-news
– Reach out to your local extension office with questions — extension.umaine.edu/county-offices

Gardening resources from MOFGA:
– Organic gardening resources — mofga.org/trainings/gardening
– Organic gardening workshops — mofga.org/trainings/event-calendar
– Gardener Newsletter — mofga.org/newletter-sign-up-gardener
– Pest Report Newsletter — mofga.org/newletter-sign-up-pest-report
– “Succession Planting for Continued Yields and Season Extension” by Will Bonsall — mofga.org/resources/gardening/succession-planting-for-continued-yields-and-season-extension
– “Making Your Garden Less Hospitable to Disease” by Caleb Goossen, Ph.D. — mofga.org/resources/gardening/making-your-garden-less-hospitable-to-disease
– “Drip, Drip, Drip” by Eric Sideman, Ph.D. — mofga.org/resources/water-management/drip-drip-drip
– “Garden Tip: Watering During Drought” — mofga.org/resources/gardening/garden-tip-watering-during-drought
– “Water in the Garden: Too Much or Too Little” by Will Bonsall — mofga.org/resources/water-management/water-in-the-garden

About the hosts:
Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a lo0ng-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This month:
Apples are a common feature in Maine’s landscape: from lone trees growing on field edges to cultivated orchards. The fruit was introduced to the region in the late 16th century and became a major part of Maine’s farm economy by the early 20th century. Over time, these early apple varieties — each with their own unique culinary use and flavor profile — have been largely replaced by a handful of commercial varieties bred for packability and shipping across the globe. As a result, Maine’s heritage apples were largely relegated to obscurity — with many facing extinction. In this month’s episode of Common Ground Radio, we talk with historian and fruit explorer Todd Little-Siebold about the Maine Heritage Orchard’s efforts to preserve rare apples for future generations. The Maine Heritage Orchard is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025.

List of subjects:
– Apple history
– Rare apples
– Apple exploration
– Apple DNA and ancestry
– Maine Heritage Orchard

Guest/s:
Todd Little-Siebold, professor of history at the College of the Atlantic

FMI:
– Maine Heritage Orchard — mofga.org/our-community/the-maine-heritage-orchard
– Seed Swap & Scion Exchange — mofga.org/trainings/annual-events/seed-swap-and-scion-exchange
– “Forgotten Fruit, forgotten farmers: North America’s earliest apple history” presented by Todd Little-Siebold at the Heritage Orchard Conference — uidaho.edu/cals/sandpoint-organic-agriculture-center/conference
– Great Maine Apple Day — mofga.org/trainings/annual-events/great-maine-apple-day
– Organic orcharding — mofga.org/trainings/orcharding

About the hosts:
Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a lo0ng-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download