“Home & Garden Calendar - Chattanooga Times Free Press” plus 4 more |
- Home & Garden Calendar - Chattanooga Times Free Press
- Physician's renovated home and garden in Ligonier rediscovers its ... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- A return to the small urban farm - Inside Bay Area
- Business Briefs - Lompoc Record
- Fine living: Produce, people bloom when given the chance - Marin Independent Journal
| Home & Garden Calendar - Chattanooga Times Free Press Posted: 28 Aug 2009 08:51 PM PDT [fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] * Tuesdays-Saturdays: Pick your own tomatoes at Crabtree Farms, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Call ahead for harvest availability, 493-9155, ext.14. * Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through August: Canoe the Chattahoochie River with naturalists from the ... This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Physician's renovated home and garden in Ligonier rediscovers its ... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Posted: 28 Aug 2009 09:13 PM PDT When the morning fog lifts in the Ligonier Valley, Dr. Theresa Nimick-Whiteside relishes a view of the Allegheny Mountains from the gently sloping front lawn of her country home. Dr. Nimick-Whiteside, a physician who specializes in tumor immunology, works at Hillman Cancer Center and lives in Squirrel Hill. On weekends, this stone cottage built in the 1930s offers the tonics of nature, a welcome boost to anyone's immune system. Houses set on hills often trumpet their grandeur with large porticoes, massive columns and wrought-iron fences. This home is a jewel that sparkles because of the natural purity of its setting and its uncluttered landscape. Tall maples shade the long driveway of a property long known as Mill House. "I wanted to keep it cottagy. There was a mill somewhere," the doctor said, adding that grindstones unearthed during a recent renovation were incorporated into a stone walkway outside the entrance. Dr. Nimick-Whiteside bought the property in the early 1980s and began a major renovation in 2005 to add air conditioning, install modern appliances and preserve the home's woodwork. Lacy green boxwoods form an elegant border around the front and side of the property, which stretches more than four acres. Flanking the front entrance are two very large blue vases filled with the same boxwood. George Griffith, a horticulturist, florist and landscape designer, found the 'Winter Gem' boxwood at a California nursery. "That's been 40 years ago. We propagated them. There's never any burn on them," said Mr. Griffith, who co-owns The Flower Barn in Johnstown. 'Winter Gem,' which is now available at local nurseries, has dense branches and small round leaves and is especially hardy. "The color all year long is so good. They seem to be so free of any spider mites. I'm looking at the two original ones now. They are 4- or 5-foot square and about the same height," Mr. Griffith said. During the renovation, one of the best discoveries was uncovered on the front lawn. After wildflowers and overgrowth were cut away and a fence removed, workers found a large stone patio and five old rhododendrons. For the first time this year, the shrubs bloomed beautifully with white flowers. "They were so, so neglected for years. You wouldn't believe the difference between then and now," Mr. Griffith said. About a dozen conical giant arborvitae have been planted along the driveway. Mr. Griffith said the 'Spring Grove' cultivar is hardy, fast-growing, not eaten by deer and holds its pyramidal form without pruning. The interior of the house also is special. Inside the entryway is a large cozy living room with knotty pine floors and a red brick fireplace. Especially fine oil portraits of the doctor and Dr. Nimick-Whiteside's late husband, Thomas Howe Nimick, hang on opposite walls. Both were painted by the late Minette Bickel, a local artist. During the renovation, which included construction of an addition, an enclosed porch just off the living room was insulated and a large picture window installed. Now it's the morning room where the doctor sips coffee and watches the wildlife on the back lawn, where she often sees deer and once spotted a black bear. "I want to keep it as a lawn because deer come and eat everything," she said. To the left of the morning room is a long dining room that was a screened porch; insulation and thermal windows were installed so it could be used year-round. A floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace at one end is the focal point while an artfully arranged collection of polished brass candlesticks and antique copper warms the space. From a varnished cathedral ceiling, a 50-pound cast-iron chandelier hangs over a long mahogany library table that seats 10 people. An English shooting party would love feasting here in front of the fire. The physician likes the old stainless-steel counters in her kitchen, which has ruffled white curtains, a backsplash with patterned flowers and a narrow butler's pantry with two cabinets that hold dishes and glasses. Around the corner is a nautical-themed powder room that features a clipper ship model recessed into the wall behind glass. A brass ship's clock hangs on the wall. Off the kitchen is a hallway where the substantive, harmonious addition begins. The first room to the left is a study with shelves for family photos, books and Dr. Nimick-Whiteside's collection of old green and turquoise glass, "which I am cuckoo about," she said. Off the study is a stone terrace that runs the length of the house and overlooks a vast back lawn filled with mature trees and white wrought-iron furniture. The prettiest flowers in this landscape are near the terrace; pink Knockout roses and an array of white, blue and pink hydrangeas are the stars here. Also on the back lawn, there's an 18th-century bronze crucifix framed by a wooden capella. In 1982, "We were married in front of that crucifix," Dr. Nimick-Whiteside said. She spotted the crucifix on the floor of an antique shop in Munich. Later, she moved it to this site and had a wooden shrine built over it. Beyond the study is a large master bath, a well-designed closet across the hall and a laundry room. At the end of the hall is a spacious master bathroom that overlooks the back lawn plus a sitting room painted in a warm yellow with a subtle glow. Above the bed is a hand-painted Venetian headboard. One of the doctor's favorite finds in this first-floor master bedroom is a whimsical antique brass light fixture in the shape of white lilies that she bought at Mark Evers Antiques in Oakland. This combination of bedroom and sitting room is her favorite space. Sliding glass doors lead to the back terrace and the sitting room affords a view of mountains in the distance. The sitting room features a formal green silk sofa, comfortable yellow chairs and a gas fireplace. Over the fireplace hangs a landscape by Albert F. King that shows trees along Loyalhanna Creek. A hallway leads from the sitting room to a wooden staircase upstairs, where there are three spacious bedrooms with dormer windows. The home's original master bedroom is a guest room with slanted ceilings and a private bath. There's also a large white bathroom with red towels and an old-fashioned bathtub. A third bedroom, which has hardwood floors and Indian rugs, holds two bookcases that display her collection of pottery from Switzerland and Poland.
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| A return to the small urban farm - Inside Bay Area Posted: 28 Aug 2009 03:58 PM PDT Back in late June, Home & Garden writer Holly Hayes — that would be my spouse — wrote about our little experiment in urban farming with a series of raised beds that emphasize vertical gardening. We built them over an unused driveway space that is the sunniest spot in our backyard. The experiment has been, on the whole, quite the success. We have a flood of exotic squash, colorful peppers, four varieties of beans and a rainbow of chard. Oh, yeah, and Ambrosia melons that are to die for. As has been the case in many backyard farms this summer, our tomato crop has been lagging, thanks to the cooler than normal weather, but the towering plants are now starting to pump out fruit. In the wake of Holly's story, she received many e-mails about our readers' own very clever ways to make the best use of small garden spaces. Here are some of the best: Feeding at the trough We installed a very efficient garden last year, and everybody has said they haven't seen anything quite like it. We simply took livestock watering troughs and use them for planters. They are extremely easy to install. I have five tanks: one 5-foot round, one 3-foot round and three 2 feet by 8 feet. I placed them on a gravel bed and punched about 20 holes in the bottom for drainage. I then put about a foot of 2- to 3-inch river rocks; another four or five inches of gravel, filling the rest with a combination of native soil and planter mix. (This settles rather quickly, so I had to add another six to 12 inches after a few months.)This year, we have eight varieties of tomatoes, five of peppers/chiles, okra, basil, two varieties of strawberries, squash (vines hang down over the edge of the bins to the ground), sugar peas and carrots. One of the bins was dedicated to blackberries to contain the new shoots, but I have since moved them to another contained area. (I harvested enough blackberries to last all year.) In the winter, I will have broccoli, various lettuces, sugar peas, carrots and winter squash. I got the bins at Sam's Downtown Feed & Pet Supply Feed (759 W. San Carlos St., San Jose), and they cost $150 to $175 each. I initially put in this system because of a bad back problem, since it allows me to garden without leaning over. Also, there have been no snails, slugs or bug problems. I never knew gardening could be so easy. I guess the produce I have (or will have) harvested this first year will just about pay for the initial investment. — G. Craige Edgerton San Jose Using rock collection My husband and I downsized a few years ago. No more watering my huge garden by hand, just a little garden in the sunny backyard. But the gophers! No garden. After a time, spurred on by the nationwide gardening bug, I wanted another garden. The requirements: 1) get rid of the gophers; 2) raised bed; and 3) use all those gorgeous rocks inherited from my husband's rockhound grandmother, gathering dust at the side of the house. I had always wanted a rock wall, but the answer came when a new Arts and Crafts house with a rock foundation was completed across the street. I asked the newly out-of-work artist builder to make me a rock-faced garden area lined with hardware cloth featuring all the rocks that we had collected through the years: fossils from childhood, weathered stones from England, river rocks and petrified wood from Oregon, geodes and obsidian from Nevada. It's gorgeous, and the back faces an alley so that I've shared the beauty of it with the neighbors. — Stella Sexmith Santa Cruz Front-yard gardening My wife and I decided last year to start growing some herbs and vegetables. To my neighbor's surprise, we pulled out all the shrubs in a section of our front yard between the driveway and the entry way. It's an odd shape: roughly 30 feet long, 1 foot wide at the curb and 6 feet wide near the house. Initially, my kids and I turned up all the soil with a shovel, and planted some perennial flowers in the winter. Come spring, we filled it out with vegetables and other color. It is now a flourishing garden to the delight of folks that drive by. Plus, we have an array of herbs (sage, oregano, thyme, basil and cilantro) and vegetables, including tomatoes, hot peppers, blueberries, squash and eggplant. I am soooo NOT a green thumb. I just took a crack at it, and it has mostly been a success. — Bruce Hartman San Jose Small space challenge My garden is in a very small space: 2 feet wide by 12 feet long in three raised boxes, with an additional box across from it that is 12 feet long, 2 feet wide and 2 feet tall for my fruit trees. I have my tomatoes in pots on my front porch, where they can get the most sun. Vertical gardening is definitely the way to go in such a small space. I created mine based on instructions in the book "All New Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew, which also includes a recipe for making your own potting mix that has worked really well. My kids and I did the same thing at their school, building six 3-foot-by-3-foot boxes and making the potting mix together a couple of summers ago. (I was six months pregnant at the time with my third child, so it was quite the sight!) I plant the boxes with the kindergarten classes so they can see how plants grow and learn how to maintain a garden (it's unfortunately not as big a part of the curriculum as I'd hoped, but I keep trying). — Missy St. Pierre-Sands Santa Clara Rethinking the driveway Just read your article today and had to smile. We did (almost) the exact same thing this winter, turning the driveway (the only sunny spot in the yard) into a vegetable garden. Actually we tore up all of our cement, and didn't put in as many garden boxes as you did (but there's room for more!). I currently have five kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of peppers, summer squash, mint and basil. We have harvested the red chard (it was burned in that May heat wave but came back) and put in strawberries. The tomatoes are going strong. Yum! This is the first year I've put in a veggie garden. We never had enough sun and finally figured out that the useless driveway space was perfect. — Lisa Hettler-Smith San Jose Making it work for kids I enjoyed your article about adding raised beds to a paved area. I'm a middle school science teacher in Livermore, and always add a garden to each school I've worked at. I was really surprised this year about how much my students enjoyed eating the snow peas that they grew. I thought that, by seventh grade, they would be too "old" to show this enthusiasm. That's the beauty of gardens; they always add magic. What resonated from your article was the point about raised beds being wheelchair-friendly. We have many special-needs kids at our school, and I am now determined to make a garden that they can participate in, starting with the planning. If nothing else, I'll bring the Earth Boxes I currently use to a higher level. Thanks for the inspiration! — Regina Brinker Livermore A return to gardening I don't usually write to the newspaper, but your article struck a wonderful chord with me. Having had back surgery this spring, I knew I needed to stay close to home this summer as I recuperated. So a dear friend helped me build a raised garden — raised to my elbows, actually (I'm 6'1") — in a delightfully sunny spot behind my prefab home. I got so excited to start a garden after 25 years of not having one, that I planted corn, tomatoes, cilantro, carrots, pumpkin, cucumbers, zucchini and spinach. I even wheeled in a little red wagon in which I planted strawberries. It turns out that the snails can't climb the wheels of the wagon. — Janet Hascall Sunnyvale A truly small garden When it comes to small-space gardens, I think our dealership (John P. Carlsen Volvo in Palo Alto) has everybody beat. Our "garden" is only a half-inch wide. The table just inside the door is where we eat lunch. Apparently some tomato squeezed out of somebody's sandwich and a seed got lodged in the gap between the asphalt and the wall and sprouted. We have problems with Ailanthus sprouting out of the same crack. I was about to yank the plant out when I noticed that it had yellow flowers on it. Closer inspection revealed that it had already set four tomatoes that were about the size of peas. We installed a drip irrigation system (a gallon jug with a pinhole in bottom, fill it with water and it drips), and it started growing better. Don't know what variety it is, or how they taste. We have a couple that are almost ready to try. — John Pelmulder Palo Alto  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Business Briefs - Lompoc Record Posted: 28 Aug 2009 09:41 PM PDT Cal Poly considers business degrees in Santa Barbara Cal Poly's Orfalea College of Business is studying the feasibility of offering graduate business degree programs in Santa Barbara beginning in fall 2010. Orfalea College Dean Dave Christy said there has been a steady rhythm of inquiries about the availability of Cal Poly's programs by individuals who live or work in Santa Barbara, so the time is right to consider the idea. CoastHills foundation donates to cancer center CoastHills Community Foundation recently donated $1,000 to the Mission Hope Cancer Center in memory of CoastHills' business member P.D. Patel. The new comprehensive cancer center is targeted to open next summer in Santa Maria. When completed, the all-in-one cancer care center will serve all patients' oncology needs under one roof. The center is the dream of cancer survivor Atul Patel and his late father, P.D. Patel, who lost his battle with cancer in July 2009. The new center will be a UCLA network practice and will include three full-time UCLA nurses on staff. Services will include doctor visits with medical and radiation oncology, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, plus comprehensive lab capabilities and procedures. Money donated by the CoastHills Community Foundation will be earmarked for patients who otherwise would not be able to afford to stay overnight, if needed, at the center. The CoastHills Community Foundation, established in 2005, has a mission to serve the underserved. It is funded by staff, member and community donations. Home show to feature green products Hundreds of sustainable home and garden products and services will be displayed under one roof Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and 6, at the Santa Maria Fairpark at Stowell Road and Thornburg Street. Hours for the Central Coast Home & Garden Expo will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The first Green Car Show, to be held only on Saturday during the event, will showcase the latest technologies in hybrid, clean diesel and fuel-efficient vehicles. Admission is $6 per person, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity ReStore that recycles good used and new building materials and fixtures. Reusable eco-friendly tote bags will be given free to each person who attends the show, and parking also will be free. Attendees can learn more about local recycling programs, alternative energy sources and a variety of sustainable and green living options, said Margo Browning of Char-Go home show productions, which is presenting the show. For more information, call Browning at 682-8404 or visit www.chargo productions.com. —From staff reports August 25, 2009  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fine living: Produce, people bloom when given the chance - Marin Independent Journal Posted: 28 Aug 2009 07:54 PM PDT When Liz Daniels gets up every day at 6 a.m., she pours herself a cup of coffee, looks out the window to check the weather, checks her calendar to see if any visitors are expected in at her farmhouse bed-and-breakfast, and then heads to her garden where she's surrounded by plump vegetables, bold flowers and serene cows resting in their nearby pasture. Daniels' four raised beds are laid out, as she likes to say, "in or around the buildings," of Cow Track Ranch, tucked away in a hidden valley in Nicasio. Two of the beds are near a long, narrow 1,000-square-foot greenhouse where she sows the seeds and carefully tends the young starts that she'll transplant outdoors. There are neat rows of deep red merlot lettuces, glossy green patty pan squashes and matte pale green Armenian cucumbers. "Now, it's the big harvest and everything is ready but I continually plant year-round," she says. They're all organically grown and destined for chefs, caterers and local venues. In West Marin, Cafe Reyes will get lettuces; Cowgirl Creamery will get parsley and lettuces; Stellina Osteria the kale, Nantes carrots, red merlot lettuce and heirloom squash; and Perry's Deli the squashes, lettuces and cut flowers. Toby's Feed Barn sells Cow Track Ranch vegetables and vegetable seedlings and Daniels' Cow Track Creations, a children's clothing line she designs. Her ranch's carrots, pears and rosemary will find their way into the pretty, organic products of Moon Essence Soaps in Petaluma. Sunflowers, zinnias and roses will be sold at Local Flora in San Anselmo and vegetables and greens and a field of garlic will be stocked at Good Earth Natural Foods in Fairfax.Simple overhead sprinklers on tripods, bought online from a local gardener and fed by natural springs, water the produce for about 30 minutes daily and, she insists, give her the leg up on pest management. Each year, the beds are dressed with a thick layer of rich, aged horse manure from a local stable. That's it. That, and weeding. She weeds a lot. Daniels does everything herself, from planning and cultivating the crops to marketing them to preparing them for market. Occasionally, she has interns, students who want to try out the farming career, but "they all say 'You're working way too hard for the money,'" she grins. "But, I have a huge passion for it. Maybe it's my Irish background, but I love seeing my food go to hundreds of people each week. It's growing in the garden in the morning and it's on the table that night." This summer, she had help from Pacific Diversified Services (www.pdsmarin.org), a nonprofit group that integrates developmentally disabled adults into jobs and the community. They sowed seeds of beans, tomatoes, lettuce and squash into flats lined up in the greenhouse and watched - and watered - as the sprouts emerged. They also painted their own birdhouses to take home. It was the first time that PDS clients volunteered at a farm. More often they work at paid part-time positions in central Marin. It was the kind of summer experience, however, that executive director Lisa Giraldi believes is a good opportunity. "We made sure they knew it was a volunteer job and that it was their choice," she says. "They enjoyed it and I know at least two people started growing flowers and vegetables at their own apartment." Now, PDS is looking for nearby community gardens where other PDS clients can help out. "It's so more enriching for my clients to experience nature than just going to the bank, the mall, the movies," she says. And PDS is also looking for employment opportunities for small jobs that pay minimum wage for two to 12 hours a week. PDS workers are covered by workers comp, and, if an employer hires two clients, an on-site job coach who supervises each shift is provided free. It's a win-win for everybody, she says. "The employer gets extremely motivated, loyal and conscientious workers and community goodwill; co-workers enjoy the diversity and the levity our clients, who are unique, outgoing and fun, bring to the job." And, her clients get paid work experience. "They get super-excited when they get their paycheck," she laughs. "They were the best," Daniels agrees. "It just makes you feel really good to work with them. They are loving, intelligent people who just have to feel comfortable to really bloom." PJ Bremier writes on home, garden, design and entertaining topics every Saturday. She may be contacted at P.O. Box 412, Kentfield 94914 or pj@mindspring.com.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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