r e g i o n a l n e w s
NCPR News Staff: Martha Foley
News and Public Affairs Director
Martha Foley joined the staff of WSLU as morning host in 1981, after a stint at The St. Lawrence Plaindealer. She helped found the news department in 1982, and has seen it grow, and shrink, and grow again. "I especially liked the 'grow again' part," she says, "it means working with really talented reporters, telling more and more stories from around the North Country."
Martha has won state and national awards for her reporting and editing. She has encouraged local news at public radio stations across the country as a member and director of Public Radio News Directors, Inc., an organization of over 100 local newsrooms. As a director of PRNDI for six years, she was responsible for The PRNDI Project, an annual training program for young reporters, and NewsWorks, training for station news departments.
Martha grew up on an Adirondack foothill in northeastern Saratoga County. She lives just south of Canton with her husband, boatbuilder Everett Smith, and her teenaged son, Emmett. Favorite pastimes: sitting, looking, and listening. E-mailStories filed by Martha Foley
Transplanting a heritage raspberry. Photo: Susy Morris, Creative Commons, some rights reserved
Wetter, warmer weather perfect for most transplants
May 20, 2013 — It's been hot, or cold, and mostly dry and windy for most of this spring. None of those conditions is ideal for transplanting vegetables or flowers. But this week's weather looks more hospitable for tender transplants. In their weekly conversation, Martha Foley and Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy review what to look for when you shop for transplants, and what to do when planting. Go to full article
Eager gardeners sorting through the possibilities. Photo: Lucy Martin
Lots about seeds
May 13, 2013 — Corn, cucumbers, parsley and parsnips...it all starts with seeds. But not all seeds are easy to nurse through the germination stage. In their weekly gardening conversation, Cornell Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy talks with Martha Foley about some of the challenges that stall or prevent germination, and ways to give seeds the conditions they need to sprout. Go to full article
Lilies divided to make a fence border at the back of a perennial bed. Photo: kidmissile, Creative Commons, some rights reserved
Shaping up perennials in the spring garden
May 06, 2013 — Perennial beds need some attention in the spring. Dividing tubers can give them a renewed lease on life. And with a dry spring, a little irrigation might be in order. Martha Foley talks with Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy. Go to full article
Early asparagus is the thickest. Stop picking if it's thinner than a pencil. Archive Photo of the Day: Steve and Vici Diehl, Antwerp NY.
Keeping up with asparagus
Apr 29, 2013 — It won't be long before the lucky people with an asparagus patch will be eating one of the first edibles offered by the new season.
Whether you're trying to keep an old patch productive, or have established your own asparagus bed, Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy has good advice.
Planting a new bed has traditionally required digging a big trench, but Amy has good news there: eight inches is plenty deep, and now's the time. Go to full article
Whether you're trying to keep an old patch productive, or have established your own asparagus bed, Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy has good advice.
Planting a new bed has traditionally required digging a big trench, but Amy has good news there: eight inches is plenty deep, and now's the time. Go to full article
Gardening for the planet. Photo: Alby Headrick, CC some rights reserved
Bringing Earth Day back home
Apr 22, 2013 — It's the 43rd Earth Day. The idea of a day to stop and think about and celebrate the Earth came from U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin after he toured the devastation of a massive oil spill off California.
Earth Day 1970 achieved broad political support: Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban and rural, business and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Earth Day is BIG. But awareness of the individual's role in environmental health has evolved in those 43 years, too. Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy shares a list of five action points for home gardeners. Go to full article
Earth Day 1970 achieved broad political support: Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban and rural, business and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Earth Day is BIG. But awareness of the individual's role in environmental health has evolved in those 43 years, too. Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy shares a list of five action points for home gardeners. Go to full article
Snowy daffodils. Photo: Stephen Cannon CC some rights reserved
Chill winds, be gone! It's time for a little gardening
Apr 15, 2013 — Spring has been a little frosty this year, so far, anyway. Cold wind and rain, even snow, along with frosty mornings might conspire to keep less-hardy gardeners (like Martha Foley) indoors.
But outside, green shoots are coming up. Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy, tells Martha it's past time to uncover the garlic and the daffodils. And it's OK to try a few early rows of onions and spinach. Go to full article
But outside, green shoots are coming up. Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy, tells Martha it's past time to uncover the garlic and the daffodils. And it's OK to try a few early rows of onions and spinach. Go to full article
Jupiter near the crescent moon last April. Photo: H. Raab, CC some rights reserved
Tracking the planets this spring
Apr 09, 2013 — We're gaining about three minutes of daylight every day now, and the winter constellations such as Orion are starting to slip below the horizon. Jupiter will be the brightest object in the sky other than the moon. Look in the southwest sky in the early evening near the Pleiades. This weekend, the crescent moon will be paired up with Jupiter in the early evening.
Look for Saturn in the morning sky in the southwest. In May we will start to see Venus in the western sky close to Jupiter. Martha Foley talks with St. Lawrence University astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue. Go to full article
Look for Saturn in the morning sky in the southwest. In May we will start to see Venus in the western sky close to Jupiter. Martha Foley talks with St. Lawrence University astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue. Go to full article
Manure pile. Photo: Knitting Iris, CC some rights reserved
Manure in the garden
Apr 08, 2013 — Best practices in gardening can change over the years. Martha Foley and cooperative extension horticulturist Amy Ivy talk about new wisdom on the best ways to use manure in the early spring garden. Go to full article
Bob Andrews feeds the heifers in his barn in Fowler. Photo by David Sommerstein.
Gillibrand pushes ways to preserve small dairy farms
Apr 03, 2013 — The US Senate is preparing to take up the federal Farm Bill again in the coming weeks.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants it to include a plan to protect and encourage New York's dairy farms, especially smaller farms. Go to full article
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants it to include a plan to protect and encourage New York's dairy farms, especially smaller farms. Go to full article
Pruning a blueberry bush. Image: University of Missouri Extension
Another antidote for cabin fever?
Mar 25, 2013 — The not-quite-warm-enough weather in late March and early April can be a challenge for the staunchest fans of North Country living. It's cabin fever time. Cornell Cooperative Extension's Amy Ivy offers an answer that doesn't require a ticket to Myrtle Beach or Miami. She tells Martha Foley it's just perfect weather to get blueberry and raspberry bushes ready for the summer season. Go to full article
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2013 North Country Public Radio, 
St. Lawrence University, Canton,
New York 13617 • phone: 1-877-388-6277 • email
radio@ncpr.org
NCPR is a proud affiliate of:
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St. Lawrence University, Canton,
New York 13617 • phone: 1-877-388-6277 • email
radio@ncpr.orgNCPR is a proud affiliate of:
NPR • American Public Media • Public Radio International
