By Will Rowlands NOV-DEC 2018 – Todd Harrington is the owner and driving force behind Harrington’s Organic Land Care in Bloomfield. Todd grew up in Canton and worked for his father’s commercial landscape company after school and on weekends. He studied mechanical engineering at UConn for two years and then took a few years off to work for tree care companies. After resuming his studies at UMass, he received a degree in arboriculture and forestry. He started a tree care division for his father’s business in 1987. Three years later he started his own business, Organicare. In 1997, he changed the name to Harrington’s Organicare and then again to Harrington’s…

SEPT-OCT 2017 – Prior to prohibition, common hops, Humulus lupulus, were grown in Connecticut by folks brewing their own beer. Some of these may have survived in the wild, but may be confused with the invasive Japanese hop, Humulus japonicus. If common hops were found growing locally, they could possibly be more resistant to diseases (e.g., downy mildew) than cultivated varieties. Target breeding this disease resistance into a domesticated variety could reduce pesticide use for locally grown hops. The species are easy to distinguish as common hop leaves are three-lobed or non-lobed while Japanese hops have 5-7 (sometimes 9) lobes. If you find any common hops, please provide Dr. Jim…