Who’ll grow the food of tomorrow?

The kids, who else, not us old folks and perhaps with that in the mind the Master Gardeners of Cape Cod proudly co-hosted an open house at the Brewster Children’s Garden Tuesday with the young gardeners themselves.

Al Saperstein is currently in charge of the potato patch but he founded the children’s plot on Lower Road at the Brewster Community Garden six years ago.

“It’s for children to learn how to grow fresh vegetables,” he explained. “They learn organic gardening and how to plant seeds and little plants.

“Every year it’s a little better,” said Connie Ganss, current chairman of the garden. “There are 13 kids and we meet every Tuesday from 3:30 to 5. We have a little lesson to begin and each child has his own garden mentor. So there are different plots with different children’s names.”

In addition to plant lore the youngsters learn about birds, bees, worms, composting, mulching and such.

Russ Norton from Barnstable County Cooperative Extension is sometimes on hand to answer questions and hand out gardening tips on pest management and horticultural advice. The master gardeners commit to every Tuesday between May and September.

“They’re doing a great job this year,” he declared.

Plants are started at Checkerberry Farm in Orleans and then taken home or to the garden.

The open house welcomed parents, friends, grandparents, neighbors and other master gardeners who wanted to bask in the bounty.

“This is so the children can show what they’ve been doing,” Ganss said.

The master gardeners love working with the gardeners of tomorrow.

“They’re great. They’re precious,” observed Virginia Marhevka. “They start out saying ‘I don’t like vegetables’ and by the end of the summer they’re munching on beans and lettuce and discovering they’re not only fun to grow but great to eat as well.”

“I just like seeing the joy the children have when they grow what they’ve planted,” said fellow master gardener Trudy Steel. “They have to learn how deep the plant the seeds and hill them up a little bit. The garden is beautiful this year. We had wonderful leaf-mulch given to us that made everything grow and the children love picking produce. The girl I’m mentoring has a green thumb, she’s 9 years old and whatever she plants grows.”

They had a plethora of veggies. Sophie Christopher plucked Yukon Gold potatoes from the earth with Saperstein’s helpful pitchfork, Shea MacDonald carted a handful of tomatoes around and showed off a brilliant yellow patty pan squash while Leanne Kender hefted a grand green zucchini, Brielle Whalen boasted of her radiant radishes, Breana Kender could barely hold all her lettuce.

“I like the fun of harvesting and eating the food,” Breana said.

“It’s really fun and you get to watch it grow,” agreed young Jessica Williams who said radishes were her top crop. “There were so many of them and they were really good. And there were a lot of beans. I have a garden at home this year and I’m making a little teepee with beans – and I have a flower cutting garden.”

Giant sunflowers loomed over the garden’s corners while zinnias brightened the paths. Fat peppers sat on the plants and multi-colored carrots were wrestled from the ground. Some one found a snail in the lettuce.

“That’s a slug with a house,” Saperstein said. “I would say we’re very, very successful. They’re all great kids. When we started we had to go recruit the, we ended up with eight kids. Now we produce for the food pantries (Lower Cape Outreach in Orleans).”

“I love the opportunity to be one on one,” said master gardener Anne Stewart. “This is my third year and I’ve really loved all the kids. There is a lot of pleasure even though it’s hard work.”

The program is so popular the gardeners limit everyone to just one year of participation. But many siblings have joined up and so the alumni get to return.

‘Many of them have taken up gardening with their families,” Saperstein said. “They’ve gone to community garden plots and the kids teach their parents because they learn so much.”

How she saved big bucks!

We’re huge fans of TLC’s show Four Weddings. Lucky for us, actual brides who have taken part in the show are sharing their stories with us in this new series, including tips on where to skimp and where to save.

Up today? Kim Balance who didn’t want to overthink the theme of her wedding. Instead she wanted the scenery and the simplicity to do the talking!

I really wanted something modern, simple, yet sophisticated, like me. I was referred to the Bahia Mar Hilton hotel in Ft. Lauderdale and it was perfect! The venue sits on the Intracoastal Waterway across from the beach. We decided on a garden wedding, a waterfront cocktail hour on the Intracoastal Waterway and an indoor reception where you could view the ocean.

Once I found the venue, I started looking at invitations. I just couldn’t pay what I was quoted ($12 per invitation!). I needed bilingual Spanish-English invitations and the cost would have been over $800. That’s when I decided to make my own. I found Cards Pockets online was a great store for my stationery needs. I was able to order all my stationery for $125.

I also didn’t mind having fake flower bouquets, so I made my own arrangements. I ordered the flowers from Afloral.com. For $140, I made six bouquets, two corsages and eight boutonnières. My inspiration came from looking at arrangements on Etsy. It’s a great thing that I’m crafty because it saved me at least $2000.

I chose to go with five different black styles to complement my bridesmaids’ personalities. (Thus keeping with the modern theme.) The men all wore black Converse sneakers since my groom was a casual guy. He loves his Chuck Taylors!

When guests arrived, they were whisked away on a trolley to the botanical garden area. I didn’t want any decorations because the area was gorgeous and this helped cut costs. I walked down the aisle to Jason Mraz, Bruno Mars and Foo Fighters all in a string quartet version, again keeping the wedding more modern.

I had tables along the pier with hors d’oeuvres. The trolley took everyone back to the hotel and we moved inside for a formal dinner and reception. I’m not a traditional girl, so I opted to not have a seating chart. I know that this is unheard of at a formal dinner, but I really wanted everyone to mingle on their own.

I had a photo booth for three hours at the reception. I also placed cameras on each table so I could have candids of my guests. I ordered a Domino shaped groom’s cake for my Cuban groom. It had two frosted Cuban cigars on it and it was filled with Guava and cheese, a staple in Cuban culture (I had to insert a little tradition!).

The DJ was definitely money well spent! We had a Top 40 and Spanish blend of music to keep all the guests up on the dance floor! I decided 10 minutes before the end of the reception that we must keep dancing. I paid the DJ for an extra hour to keep the party going!

I loved how my wedding turned out. Getting married on a low budget is hard but doable. I was lucky to find my dress for $350 at David’s Bridal. I had my wedding on a Friday, which saved me 10 percent on the reception cost. If you’re creative, then doing as much as you can on your own can save you thousands! I planned a great modern wedding for under $10,000 and it was the best night of my life!

Photos courtesy of TLC and Discovery Media

Watch more on Kim’s episode of Four Weddings:

More stories from real brides

My under the stars wedding
My big, fabulous Greek wedding
How I found the dress of my dreams

“To enjoy butterflies in your garden or yard, you just have to put in the right plants,” Kathy Coward of Just for the Birds said. “You need plants for the caterpillars and the butterflies.”

Female butterflies lay their eggs on plants that the caterpillars–once they come out–can use for food. These host plants provide the sustenance for the caterpillars and should be placed somewhere in the garden that the homeowner does not mind seeing plants without leaves, as the caterpillars eat the leaves and strip the plants bare.

“Nectar plants should be planted close by so that you can see the adult butterflies sipping the nectar,” Coward said. “Butterflies like sunny locations where there is little wind. They also like to sunbathe, so having a bowl of moist sand with rocks around it will help them out and give you a good view.”

To add to knowledge to butterfly watching, Just for the Birds offers a great selection of books that identify the different species of butterflies that thrive in the Houston area and in the rest of the country. The store also has reference guides that show host plants and the caterpillars that feed on them. Moreover, butterfly houses, feeders and gift items with butterfly motifs are available at the shop.

“Enjoy the warm days by appreciating one of nature’s great gifts: the butterfly,” Coward said.

For more information, contact Just For The Birds at 281-288-9019, visit 209 Main St. in Old Town Spring or view the shop on the Web at http://www.justforthebirds.com.

 

About Just For The Birds

Just For The Birds is a small, independently owned shop located in the restored, turn-of-the-19th-century railroad town of Old Town Spring. Kathy Coward is the owner. She began the business in 1994 out of a “labor of love.” She is very knowledgeable with birds and birding and was the president of the oldest and most respected Piney Woods Wildlife Society from 2001 to 2005. Just For The Birds offers a collection of gifts for bird lovers of all ages, along with products for wild birds, squirrels, butterflies and bats.

Tips to help you in the garden and around the house during the late summer days:

— If your tomato blossoms drop but no fruit forms, temperatures are likely too warm. Try a “heat set” tomato for next year’s crop. If you see dark spots and brown scars developing, make sure you’re watering regularly and consistently.

— If your flowers are looking uninspired by now, try adding one of our six favorite plants — from purple Alternanthera to red and green Coleus — for late-summer color.

— Grass is a natural air conditioner in summer months, at 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, even when sidewalks and streets are as hot as 100 degrees. It’s a good idea to let your grass go dormant during dry summer periods instead of watering regularly. Your yard will green up again in the fall; for now, use water resources for new plantings, old trees and vegetable gardens or for newly divided perennials.

— If you have heavy pots or planters on a wooden deck, slip decorative “feet” underneath to keep them off the wood. This way, excess water will dry off instead of seeping in and rotting the wood.

— Every few months, walk along your fence and shake it for signs of instability. Repair, reinforce or replace damaged portions. Check the finish or if unpainted, clean with a wood soap product. Remove any plants creeping up the wood so they don’t pull fence posts apart over time.

— Check your home for gaps and cracks where cool air can escape, such as attic doors, baseboards and old weather stripping. Fill, repair and replace as needed and save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling bills.

— If you have a wood-burning stove it’s not too early to order wood now. The extra time will make your wood perfectly seasoned for the cold months ahead. Just be sure to keep it somewhere dry with plenty of ventilation.

(For thousands of other ideas visit www.hgtv.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)

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In this article, Rockingham Castle’s head gardener, Richard Stribley, offers his 10 top tips to care for roses.

1) Spend time researching the right roses for your garden. It can be down to personal choice but, for example, there are some climbing roses which grow to 30ft and others eight foot. If you have a small wall, you want something to fit that. Research the varieties and types of roses you want for the area you have.

2) Make your selection of roses based on your garden’s design, space and colour scheme.

If you have a red colour scheme don’t put in colours that will clash with it. Pick your colours according to what you have in that area. You can get soft pink or very hard pink roses, for example.

3) Water your roses adequately. Roses love water in the summer when they are growing.

4) Make sure you feed your roses at regular intervals. You generally feed after pruning in March time and every month from then: March, April, May and June. You don’t generally feed after June as you can encourage too much soft growth in the winter months.

5) Put down a good mulch around the plants. We like to use a spent mushroom compost, horse manure and good garden compost. That helps keep the moisture in and around the plants. If you can get hold of it, use spent mushroom compost. We put on a four inch layer as it is totally ‘sterile’, there is no weed seed in it. Put that down and you won’t get any weeds in your rose beds.

6) Throughout the rose- flowering season, make sure you deadhead regularly. That actually stops the rose from producing seed. Instead of producing the seed it will produce more flower and more growth. Do this unless you are trying to cross-pollinate varieties of roses.

7) Remember to pick up fallen petals and leaves from the ground. Keep the ground clear of petals and it helps guard against black spot and fungal marks.

8) Keep a good spray routine up every 10-14 days from the beginning of May through to September. This is to guard against black spot and aphids. Some people say the amateur product (bought from garden centres) doesn’t work, but we have done trials at Rockingham. As long as you follow the instructions, they work perfectly well. We say add in a bit of washing up liquid and that actually breaks down the gloss on the leaf of the rose and helps chemicals absorb better.

9) Prune your plants in the autumn by taking off the top third and then again in March when you would prune to three-five buds, outward facing. Taking the top third off reduces the height of the plant, so it doesn’t get blown around in the wind.

10) Remember prevention is better than treatment where pests are concerned. Think about the varieties of roses you choose. There are roses which are totally disease resistent. Some people go to a garden centre and think ‘that rose has a lovely smell’ and, before they know it, by July or August, the leaves have dropped off and it has black spot, while the roses in their neighbours’ garden have remained pretty.

Tips to help you in the garden and around the house during the late summer days:

— If your tomato blossoms drop but no fruit forms, temperatures are likely too warm. Try a “heat set” tomato for next year’s crop. If you see dark spots and brown scars developing, make sure you’re watering regularly and consistently.

— If your flowers are looking uninspired by now, try adding one of our six favorite plants — from purple Alternanthera to red and green Coleus — for late-summer color.

— Grass is a natural air conditioner in summer months, at 50 to 75 degrees, even when sidewalks and streets are as hot as 100 degrees. It’s a good idea to let your grass go dormant during dry summer periods instead of watering regularly. Your yard will green up again in the fall; for now, use water resources for new plantings, old trees and vegetable gardens or for newly divided perennials.

— If you have heavy pots or planters on a wooden deck, slip decorative “feet” underneath to keep them off the wood. This way, excess water will dry off instead of seeping in and rotting the wood.

— Every few months, walk along your fence and shake it for signs of instability. Repair, reinforce or replace damaged portions. Check the finish or if unpainted, clean with a wood soap product. Remove any plants creeping up the wood so they don’t pull fence posts apart over time.

— Check your home for gaps and cracks where cool air can escape, such as attic doors, baseboards and old weather stripping. Fill, repair and replace as needed and save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling bills.

— If you have a wood-burning stove it’s not too early to order wood now. The extra time will make your wood perfectly seasoned for the cold months ahead. Just be sure to keep it somewhere dry with plenty of ventilation.
 

An expert will offer elderly remodeling and lifestyle tips during the 10th annual Fall Home and Garden Show.

Brandon Lynch, Keechi Creek Builders founder and aging-in-place specialist, will share tips for older homeowners working to keep their living spaces comfortable and safe.

“Anyone 50 and older should start doing simple things now that will help them live more comfortably later,” Lynch said in a press release. “We all need a detailed plan for our home. Unexpected events can keep us from living independently, so it’s best to think ahead.”

Lynch will discuss multiple options for easier living, such as changing flooring materials, making homes more wheelchair accessible and altering doorknobs for those dealing with arthritis.

Home and Garden Show organizers say more than 200 home improvement experts will be available for project advice.

The 10th annual Fall Home and Garden Show at The Woodlands will take place from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel Convention Center, 1601 Lake Robbins Drive.

Tickets are $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and free for children younger than 12.

For more information and discount offers on the show, visit WoodlandsShows.com.
 

Get Daily discounts and offers on sporting events, plays, concerts, museums and other events around town

* If possible, allow six weeks for packing up the average household.

* Get all your supplies together. You’ll need sturdy boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, a good tape gun, labels, markers and a notebook. You’ll also need some basic tools for taking items apart and a tape measure for planning furniture placement in your new place. javascript:void(0);

* Enlist some help. This makes packing go faster and can even become a pleasurable activity as you chat about the items you’re packing and talk about your plans.

* Label each box and give it a number, as you pack. In your notebook, by the number, list what’s in the box. On the label, say which room it’s going to at the other end. This takes seconds per box but can save hours and headaches at the other end

* When packing the contents of a storage cabinet that you’ll be moving, create a diagram of the cabinet and give each drawer and cubby a letter. As you pack each space, put that letter on the box containing the contents. Tape the diagram inside the cabinet so it’s handy when you unpack.

* Use clothing, towels, pillows and blankets to cushion extra fragile items.

* Pad each box of breakables with 2” of padding material on all six sides. Pack items snugly, so that after you’ve sealed the box, you can press your hand against any side, and it will “push back.” You should be able to gently shake the box and not hear
anything moving. If packed well, a box of fragile items could be dropped from 4 or 5 feet without breakage.

* Contrary to popular belief, plates, mirrors, picture frames and other flat breakables are safest when packed on their edges – not flat in a box. They can absorb any impact much more safely this way, reducing chances of breakage.

* To prevent injury when lifting, don’t make boxes too heavy. Maximum weight should be 50 lbs., with 40 lbs. or less being ideal. Clearly mark any extra heavy boxes to warn movers and to make sure those aren’t stacked on top of lighter boxes.

Before you know it, you will be in your new home surrounded by all the boxes you just packed. The good news? Unpacking goes much faster than packing! Good luck in your new home!

Judy DiForte is marketing manager and professional organizer for The Betty Brigade, an Ann Arbor-based moving coordination and organizing company. Leave a comment here, or email her at