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First accessible garden open in South Yarmouth

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 Yarmouth has its first wheelchair accessible community garden and outdoor recreation space for people with disabilities. It also is the first such place on Cape Cod for people that Community Connections serves.

Three entities came together to make the garden possible, Christen Gray, Community Connections’ fundraising manager, said on a visit to the site. First, Yarmouth’s Community Preservation Committee released $16,200 in August for the garden at the Community Connections Center at 127 White’s Path in South Yarmouth. National Grid then provided the space on its property where Community Connections has its offices.

The third entity, Starboard Side Landscaping of Dennis, removed brush and leveled the ground, laid the brick walkways and built the three raised beds in a few days, Gray said. The beds are surrounded and accessible for wheelchairs.  

When the gardens are planted in the spring, Gray said they will provide both socialization skills, therapeutic benefits and a sense of accomplishment for the agency’s 50 consumers in the Day Habilitation program. They also will supplement the present garden club and cooking class in the Life Skills program. In addition, the garden will provide a place for the programs’ consumers to get outside for fresh aid, Gray said.

“The agency as a whole is really excited about it,” she said. “It will be a place for everyone to come together.” The community garden also will be available to all town residents. An official dedication will take place in the spring.

Community Connections President and CEO Donna Sabecky said in a press release, “The simple act of gardening – planting seeds and watching them mature, picking and eating fresh vegetables or getting one’s hands dirty with fresh soil – not only brings joy to our hearts, it also helps with reduction in stress and improves health. We often forget that those with limited mobility, either using a wheelchair or a walker or experiencing arthritis, miss out on such experiences.”

 Community Connections’ clients have participated in other community gardening plots, but it’s proved a challenge for those in wheelchairs or those with medical needs. Arranging special transportation and the inability for wheelchairs to maneuver once at the site laid the roots to establish an accessible garden at the White’s Path location that Community Connections leases from National Grid.

 “Donating land from our Yarmouth facility for this project is a great fit for us,” Marcy Reed, president of National Grid, Massachusetts, said. “This space is not just about growing vegetables next spring; it’s about building a beautiful and sustainable garden that will not only inspire people with disabilities, but provide them with a place to work together, meet new people and develop an appreciation for horticulture and the environment.”

 Some important features of any accessible garden include raised beds that allow individuals with physical limitations to garden from a seated position and wide, smooth walkways that allow for wheelchairs to back up and turn around. In spring the raised beds will be planted with vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

The garden also has traditional beds that will be planted with flowers, shrubs and grasses and a bench. Gray said she will continue raising funds to get a picnic table and memorial bricks for the garden area.   

 Jeff Eldredge of Starboard Side Landscaping has helped to shape the garden since he was brought on board over a year ago.

“Our crew removed undergrowth but was able to create the space without removing any large trees,” Eldredge said. “We were also able to tap into existing water lines for full irrigation even in the raised beds, making maintenance down the line extremely manageable. Empowering people with the ability to make something grow gives a real sense of achievement. Not only do the plants grow, but the individual does as well.”   

Christine Boggs, Community Connections Yarmouth Day Center and Life Skills manager, said the agency has begun reaching out to local garden centers for spring plantings and to horticultural clubs for tutelage and advice “in turning our black thumbs green.”

The Community Preservation Act funds were initially approved in April 2011. CPA grants are awarded to community projects, which among other things, meet the requirements for the acquisition, creation and preservation of land for recreational use.

About Community Connections

Community Connections serves more than 675 people in 62 cities and towns throughout southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod.

To learn more about Community Connections programs and services, call 508-744-1103 or visit CommunitiyConectionsInc.org.

Susan Vaughn can be reached at svaughn@wickedlocal.com

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping

Paint your garden this summer

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Try sun-loving purple and white petunias.

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Cape Town – Would you like a garden filled with pretty pastels, bold colour combinations or flamboyant purples this summer?

The warmer weather of spring has arrived, and now is the time to plant up a garden filled with annuals.

Landscaping with annuals is like painting with colour. There are so many different coloured annuals. If used boldly and creatively, you can make your garden look bigger or smaller. You can also develop a glorious backdrop to a children’s party or family festive-season gathering.

If planted now, annuals will be a riot of colour by November. If fed and watered throughout the summer, they will last until March. Annuals will help fill spaces in a new garden and gaps in the border, and brighten entrances, patios, pots and hanging baskets.

There are two ways to plant annuals:

* Sow seed or plant established seedlings now as bedding plants. If you are looking for seedlings, try aster, bedding begonia, bedding dahlia, browallia, celosia, cleome, cosmos, impatiens, lavatera, lobelia, marigold, nierembergia, torenia, verbena, vinca and zinnia.

* Sowing seed is the ultimate in gardening on a shoestring budget. Consider sowing alyssum, Californian poppy, cosmos, gaillardia, mignonette, marigold, nasturtium, Virginian stock or zinnia this weekend, directly into the beds where they are to flower.

Sowing seed is not difficult, but there are a few tips for success:

* Start by digging over the soil until it is crumbly and without any lumps.

* Add compost and a general fertiliser and rake before sowing.

* Water the soil well the day before planting.

Remember to sow seed in geometric rows, or scatter it for an informal, natural appearance. The soil will need to be kept moist until germination occurs, and the plants watered in dry weather.

For hot spots:

The low, spreading growth habit of sun-loving alyssum, mauve nierembergia, yellow and orange nasturtiums, and brightly coloured verbena and portulaca are ideal as edgings, in pots, on banks and between paving.

Zinnias are a popular choice for the summer garden because of their ability to withstand heat. They range in height from tall cactus-flowered varieties to dwarf Thumbelinas, in colours of pink, yellow, orange, red and purple.

Celosias (cockscomb) offer a contrast in flower shape and texture to zinnias, with silky plumes of pink, gold, orange and red.

Waterwise vinca hybrids (Catharanthus roseus) have a branching growth habit and round-petalled flowers in white, pink, apricot, lilac and grape, often with contrasting centres. They blend well with taller-growing white, pink, green, red and purple funnel-shaped flowers of nicotiana.

If you want a splash of red, you can’t beat Salvia splendens, but if this is too bright, these annual salvias also come in cream, pink, salmon and burgundy. Use them massed, as accent plants, and in containers. The annual clary sage (Salvia viridis) has upright spikes of white, pink or purple bracts.

Need height?

Plant a quick-growing annual climber on fences and over arches. Cathedral bells (Cobaea scandens) is a vigorous climber and needs space to show off its unusual flowers.

The bell-shaped blooms that give the climber its common name open apple-green, then change to mauve and finally purple.

Tall sunflowers are useful quick-growing temporary screens, and add height in a border. These are easy-to-grow annuals, given well-drained soil and sunshine.

Cosmos can be used as temporary screens and as “see-through” plants in a border, their silky white and pink petals held above lacy foliage. Baby’s breath (gypsophila) with dainty white flowers on wiry stems, and white lace flower are two more “see-through” annuals.

An elegant choice for the back of the border is cleome, known as the spider plant because of the shape of its narrow white and pink petals, and long seedpods.

The cup-shaped pink and white flowers of lavatera contrast well with the flowers of cleome. Attractive Salpiglossis sinuata grows 60cm tall with trumpet-shaped flowers of red, pink, purple and yellow, and prominent veining on the petals.

Colourful containers:

A variety of annuals in single or mixed colours can be planted in pots.

Grow ageratum, bedding dahlias, salvias, zinnias, marigolds and bush nasturtiums in the sun, and bedding begonia, impatiens, mimulus and torenia in light shade. Alyssum, lobelia and verbena are useful for spilling over and softening pots’ edges.

Annuals are also ideal as pot “fillers”, but for this to work, all plants need similar conditions of sun, soil and water. Lime-green coleus with blue torenia work well in light shade, as do ferns with white impatiens.

Try sun-loving combinations of ornamental grasses and gazanias, Carex “Frosty Curls” with dwarf orange marigolds, mauve angelonia with purple and white petunias, and purple lobelia, Browallia “Jingle Bells” and ageratum with neon-pink vinca, bright-pink petunias and red-purple verbena with silver-grey santolina, and lime-green nicotiana with pink mini petunias and nutmeg pelargoniums.

Indigenous annuals:

Many of the plants we grow in our gardens can trace their origins to wild flowers of the veld. Diascias, nemesias and lobelias are three well-known indigenous annuals, all with dainty flowers for edging paths, for mass planting and for pots.

Arctotis venusta is a reliable summer flowerer, with rounded bushes covered in large white flowers with mauve centres.

Gazanias, with their free-flowering habit and daisy-like flowers of yellow, orange, bronze and pink, are excellent as groundcovers for sunny banks, rockeries and pots.

It’s well worth a visit to a botanical garden or indigenous nursery for seeds or plants of the wild foxglove (Ceratotheca triloba), an annual that grows 2m in height with foxglove-like flowers of white and pink with lavender markings.

Flowering from November to March, this would make a delightful addition to a meadow-style garden, as would mauve-pink wild cineraria (Senecio elegans) and the straw flower (Helichrysum bracteatum). – Weekend Argus

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Slideshow: UF edible landscaping builds vegetable beds on campus

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Slideshow: UF edible landscaping builds vegetable beds on campus

Most people know about the campus bat houses, where about 300,000 bats live, emerging at dusk as a crowd of waiting people watch. Less well-known are the Student Agricultural Gardens, 77 plots of land next to the bat houses that students, faculty and members of the community can rent for $10 or $20 per semester.


Sara Drumm/WUFT News permalink

On Sept. 30, UF’s new Eternally Edible Landscaping Club broke ground in the gardens and built a raised vegetable bed. The club will build a second raised bed at 4 p.m. Saturday, and interested students are invited to join in.

Sara Drumm/WUFT News permalink

Kelly Korman, left, and Rodrigo Castillo loosen the earth to prepare a six-inch deep foundation for the raised vegetable bed on Sept. 30. Korman, who is working toward her master’s degree in women’s studies, is the club’s president; Castillo, who is working toward his doctorate in building construction, is the treasurer.

Sara Drumm/WUFT News permalink

Korman rented a plot in the gardens last year. She said she enjoyed it but felt discouraged by the lack of interaction among gardeners. She began to think of ways to build a stronger community in the gardens, and that grew into the concept for this club. The concept became a reality when Korman received a grant to start the club through the UF Office of Sustainability’s Prairie Project for Graduate Fellows. “I think it’ll be really fantastic if we generate support for this,” Korman said. “It would be nice to regenerate the space. It’s being used, but it’s almost like it’s dead out there.”

Sara Drumm/WUFT News permalink

“I felt the plots were every man for himself,” Korman said. The club will work to build interactivity and raise awareness of organic gardening.

Sara Drumm/WUFT News / WUFT News permalink

Castillo takes a quick break while sawing planks of wood, which came from trees around campus, for the club’s first raised vegetable bed. Castillo said he grew herbs and vegetables at home in Venezuela, but he has never “seriously” gardened before. Korman, who is writing her master’s thesis on school gardens that she built in Alachua County, has more experience, but still hopes that people with specialized knowledge — such as how to combat pests organically — will take an interest in the club.

Sara Drumm/WUFT News permalink

Korman, Castillo and Mark Clark, left to right, an associate professor for UF’s Soil and Water Science Department, level out the foundation for the first raised vegetable bed. Clark is a faculty adviser for the Agronomy-Soils Club, which managed the Student Agricultural Gardens until recently. Now, the Office of Sustainability has appointed a garden intern, whom Clark oversees, to help manage the gardens. The Eternally Edible Landscaping Club will also help by posting useful information on a kiosk, hosting seminars and providing a contact list for those who use the gardens. Korman said she hopes her efforts will encourage people to work together and share ideas.

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Descanso Gardens to plant new native oak woodland

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LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE – Descanso Gardens plans to create a native oak woodland on four acres of land long closed to the public.

The site is now being fully cleared of non-native eucalyptus trees.

“It was planted back in the 1980s, I don’t know what the thinking was,” said Brian Sullivan, Descanso’s director of horticulture and garden operations.

“They probably thought eucalyptus were appropriate trees for Southern California, with low water needs. And they grow pretty quickly,” said Sullivan, who is spearheading the project at the 160-acre county-owned garden.

The gradual clearance started about five years ago, prompted by the Los Angeles Fire Department’s concerns about the highly combustible trees, Sullivan said.

“They’re not all gone yet, we’re still clearing and there’s work to do – a lot of roots and stumps are still there,” he said.

But just starting to clear the eucalyptus has had an effect, he said.

“There were some naturally occurring coast live oaks, Quercus agrifolia, in addition to the eucalyptus,” he said. “What happened was these other trees started to generate on their own, from acorns. Once the eucalyptus was removed and the sunlight really came in there was some regeneration of the oak woodland.”

The new woodland will be planted with nine different native oak species plus native shrubs, perennials and grasses to recreate a natural landscape. It’s part of the new “vision” for Descanso

developed in the last couple of years, Sullivan said. “We’re interested in reclaiming a more natural feeling … It’s important to note this area is adjacent to the natural areas, the chaparral hillside surrounding the gardens, and we wanted to be true to that authentic nature on the hillside.”

Work is expected to start in about a year, he said, after public input and decisions on a final design, which will include paths and benches.

“This area is adjacent to the lake, it’s pretty prime real estate,” Sullivan said. “One of the goals is we want to reconnect a walkway where you can actually go around the lake, and reconnect two sides of the garden.”

The cost will depend on the design, Sullivan said, but the project will be funded with a combination of private contributions and money from the Los Angeles County Oak Mitigation Fund. The fund was set up to replace oaks lost in county projects, such as the hundreds of old-growth oaks and sycamores bulldozed for a Los Angeles County Public Works Department flood-control project in Arcadia in 2011. The land was cleared to spread sediment dredged from Santa Anita Dam and other debris basins.

The Descanso project will also include “caring for the watershed,” Sullivan said.

“And we’re hoping to create a habitat for birds and small mammals and insects, looking at it from a whole-system point of view,” Sullivan said. “We’re planing pretty small plants, one- or five-gallon, so people will be walking through a very young garden.”

It will take up to 30 years for the woodland to grow, he said, but it will look as if nature had no helping hand.

“A lot of oak woods are not in a natural state, the plants with them are not native,” he said. “Although it feels very natural, it’s not.”

A public meeting on the planned oak woodland is planned from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16 in Van de Kamp Hall at Descanso, and the gardens will also offer a walk through the site at 1 p.m. on Oct. 13, free with admission.

For more information, visit descansogardens.org, or call 818-949-4200.

janette.williams@sgvn.com

626-578-6300, ext. 4482

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Gardens of the Week: non-residential and business choices

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Cities which are fun to visit usually make an all out effort to welcome and enchant visitors and residents with lots of flowers and neat landscaping during the warmer seasons. Many of our downtown businesses have not made floral displays a priority and we hope that this might become more the norm as the city of Dunkirk turns to tourism and waterfront entertainment for more of its revenues. We do highlight businesses and non-residential properties once a year, so here are the choices for 2012.

Monnies Club on Lake Shore Drive East is selected for Ward One. Sculpted beds of shrubs and flowers welcome guests to the Club. Neatness abounds with nicely mulched beds. Our second selection is the Clarion Hotel , Lake Shore Drive East, with new flower beds in front providing showy color. Beds of wigelia are blooming once again this year. The pond and waterfalls under the canopy are a sight to see with a large number of koi.

Second Ward recipients are two social service agencies which have created beauty for their clients and the community. Absolut Care at 447 Lake Shore Drive West has developed gardens around a nautical theme, reflecting their location close to Lake Erie. Custodian Cain has developed these gardens over many years, including bird sculptures and driftwood, and large dock-sized pilings supporting the Absolut Care sign and repeated throughout the grounds. There is a wooden pier with a small boy fishing, all surrounded by wave shaped flower beds filled with tall grasses, phlox, starburst, roses, sedum, black eyed Susans, daisies, lilies and geraniums. A large assortment of ornamental trees also adorn the property.

Also on Lake Shore Drive West is The Resource Center, a large, handsome facility surrounded by multicolored shrubbery. Close to the entrance is a circular garden at the base of the flag pole brimming with bright and fragrant annuals and a small plaque dedicating the garden to deceased friends at the center. Behind the building is a new greenhouse promising future projects and there one can find “the sensory garden”. This grant-funded project as explained by staff member Jackie Simpson was started in 2010. Four raised wooden beds give easy access to those individuals in wheelchairs or with other disabilities. Other in-ground gardens feature plants with different textures and smells to stimulate the senses of the blind and delight others with various disabilities. Clients have helped plan, water and care for the gardens. Some of the vegetables were started with grow lights indoors , then moved to the new greenhouse, and have been used for cooking and baking projects at DayHab. Over the course of the summer, the gardens provide a nice area for participants to enjoy picnics and outdoor activates.

Third Ward business garden of the week goes to McGraw-Kowal Funeral Home at 736 Central Ave. An expansive front lawn is neatly manicured and kept a verdant green. A flower border in front of the brick home is bursting with red geraniums, silver artemisia and white alyssum giving a very attractive and well cared for entry. Holy Trinity Church also on Central Ave. is recognized for a thoughtfully placed bench facing a three-part trellis surrounded by pink and red roses and a white statue of St. Teresa of Little Flower. A border of impatiens in shades of pink and ornamental grasses are planted at the front entry.

The Fourth Ward has chosen the Kosciuszko Polish Home Association building surrounded by many small shrubs, neatly trimmed with an American flag at each shrub.The landscaping is well done and highlights bright geraniums at the base of the flagpole with a handsome stone edging.

Also selected is the Blessed Mary Angela church (St. Hedwig’s) showcasing many shrubs and perennials, white and yellow daisies, in the landscape around the church. Roses are in abundance around the Rectory in many colors. Special care has been given to selecting a variety of lovely trees on the property, with a crimson red maple as a prime example.

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Repelling insects with plants

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Companion planting helps repel unwanted insects and pests.
Companion planting helps repel unwanted insects and pests.

I WROTE about how good bugs can help in your garden last week and some of the plants that can attract them.

This week, we’re looking at the flip side – how you use plants to repel insects.

Pest repellent plants work in a few different ways.

Masking plants – including sage, sweet marjoram, thyme, lavender, and scented geraniums – produce strong, volatile oils and scents that actually mask the fragrance of the plants the insects might be looking for.

So you can plant these herbs, as well as members of the garlic family, such as chives, near roses and citrus to help repel aphids. They’ll also help to keep whitefly away.

There are also repellent plants such as cotton lavender or santolina, tansy and wormwood.

These plants produce a scent or taste that is so bitter or putrid it drives insects away.

Marigolds help to repel nematodes, which is why they are such a good companion for tomatoes.

Oregano will help repel cabbage moth from cabbages, broccoli and kale.

Catnip is said to be good planted with eggplant to repel the metallic flea beetles that chew holes in the leaves.

This herb from the mint family is also a good deterrent for ants, aphids, cockroaches, and weevils. It’s also known to repel mice.

Tansy and basil will both repel ants, flies, and mosquitoes, so you might want to plant them near doors, windows and outdoor entertainment areas.

Tansy, lavender, catnip, pennyroyal and mint also repel fleas, so you can plant these near your pet’s resting places.

Wormwood is good for repelling cats, and sprinkling the leaves around young seedlings can help to keep snails away.

The scent and flavour of tarragon is disliked by many pests, making tarragon a great herb for intercropping to protect its garden mates. Nearly all vegetables grow well with tarragon.

Bay leaves will help to keep weevils out of containers of dried goods such as flour and rice. You can also place the leaves inside books to deter silverfish.

Place sachets of lavender in the linen closet to help keep moths and silverfish away.

Many Australian native trees contain oils that are effective insect repellents. Eucalyptus and tea tree are among the most powerful.

One of the foremost authorities on this topic is Penny Woodward.

You can order her book, ‘Pest Repellent Plants’ on her website, pennywoodward.com.au.

The revised and expanded second edition, documents more than 60 pest repellent plants, and has tips on their cultivation and usage.

There is absolutely no doubt you can limit the need for pesticides by including in your garden plants that will attract beneficial insects.

You can also plant to repel some of the pesty ones. It’s a fascinating area of study, and there is a wealth of information available.

And it’s delightfully easy to make some small changes in your garden that will yield big results.

 

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Gardeners awake from hibernation

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Local gardening and landscaping stores are benefiting from the arrival of spring in Rotorua, as keen gardeners return to their sanctuaries.

Palmers Gardenworld Rotorua owner Darryl Pierce said their carpark had been full as people looked to plant or prepare their gardens before Labour weekend.

“People do hibernate in the winter. So this is the time of year when people get back into their garden,” he said.

He said they were selling a lot of vegetable and flower seeds, compost and garden mix and fruit trees.

“You name it and you can grow it here [in Rotorua].”

Mr Pierce said most people, if they had not already started planting, were building up their gardens or getting rid of moss and weeds.

“Labour weekend is the traditional time for people to start growing veges in their garden but I like to get a bit of a head start with my tomatoes.”

Gardeners Landscape Supplies owner Peter Bentley said they were selling about 40cu m of weed-free gardening mix and 20cu m of weed-free compost each week.

“People generally just stay out of the garden during the winter so now is the time for doing up their gardens,” he said.

Bunnings Warehouse power gardening salesperson Michelle Smith said they had been selling lawnmowers and lawn trimmers during spring.

“I think it is the time of year when people pull out their old lawnmowers and they blow up or they need to upgrade because they have a bigger place.”

Bunnings complex manager Alan Bunce said popular flowers were marigolds, petunias and lavender.

SPRING GARDENING TIPS:

  • Now is the time to fertilise the garden in preparation for summer growth
  • Prepare tomatoes, capsicums and cucumbers for planting at Labour weekend
  • Grow seedlings in pots on the deck to protect from frost or cover until ready to plant
  • Mulch citrus trees for rich coloured fruit
  • Plant summer flowers like Yates Fusion seeds which will cover the garden in colour
  • Plant fruit trees like plums, apples, nectarines and peaches
  • Plant summer annuals like marigolds
  • Lay slug bait after planting
  • Don’t allow grass to grow under citrus trees – too much moisture isn’t good for the trees

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Feeling fruity? Branch out a bit

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FRUIT Trees. Some weeks it feels like that's the only thing people want to know about. What can I grow, and how do I grow it?

Now is a good time of year to consider planting a fruit tree.

FRUIT Trees. Some weeks it feels like that’s the only thing people want to know about. What can I grow, and how do I grow it?

Ipswich in general has a strange climate – in some areas they get continuous black frosts, other areas nothing.

Some areas get rain others don’t. Humidity? What humidity?

With such fluctuations in climatic conditions it’s hard sometimes to say what will and won’t grow in your backyard. All we can do is go with the law of averages.

In theory if you want to grow peaches, nectarines, pears or apples you will need to grow the tropical variety.

Cherries do not generally fruit well here, nor do plums.

Most if not all varieties of citrus grow like weeds.

Most of the berries and grapes will also grow well.

Mangos and avocados do ridiculously well here too.

I bet you’re thinking “yeah but I have all of those. I want something different”.

What about growing your own coffee plant or tea plant? A dwarf persimmon or custard apple sounds nice.

Macadamias and pecans can be grown too if you are a little nutty.

Olives and figs to go with your evening wine? Chilli and gingers are sure to spice up your life.

Many fruit tree varieties are now available in dwarf form so they can be grown in pots or small yards – no excuses.

As for care and attention I’m sure we all have some stand-by methods or tricks passed down from your grandfather’s father for growing fruit trees.

You know me though – I like the simple things in life. Just remember, fruit trees are heavy feeders so they do need a bit more care and attention compared to the rest of your garden.

I fertilise my fruit trees with Organic Link, a complete slow release, organic granular fertiliser, every two months.

When they start to fruit I try to use Triple Boost, a complete organic liquid fertiliser, every fortnight.

After fruiting I will sometimes also give them a feed with Bio Trace, a complete organic liquid trace element mix.

When insects attack it can sometimes be a sign of an unhealthy tree. The same goes for humans; we are all likely to get sick when we are run down.

I usually find a good trim and a hefty dose of Organic Link fertiliser does the trick.

I use a fruit fly trap and eco-naturalure to help combat fruit flies and a pyrethrum based spray to get rid of caterpillars, grasshoppers etc.

Some other nasty insects do attack fruit trees and they will need specific treatment. So always ask for advice from one of the Trevallan girls.

Poor fruit, fruit drop or no fruit on a healthy tree is usually a sign that your soil needs some sulphate of potash. Sulphate of potash can be used in liquid or granular form.

Liquid is fast acting but needs to be done regularly. Granular is slow acting but will last longer in the soil. Which one to use depends on the situation.

This weekend plant yourself an orchard that you can harvest all year long.

 

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Massi’s Garden’s & Landscaping, Inc. to host a Fall Family Festival Oct. 13

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Massi’s Garden’s Landscaping, Inc. will be hosting a Fall Family Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 13 at Massi’s, 246 Victory Highway, Painted Post.

The fall festival will include a pumpkin hunt and painting, inflatables, games, animals, pony rides, food, scenic hayrides and much more. The event will take place regardless of weather. For more information, call 607-962-3489 or visit www.massisny.com.

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Msheireb project to set up organic gardens

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“A salient feature of landscaping in MDD is the use of native desert plants for greening urban areas and this will be evident when the first part of the project opens in September 2013”

By Bonnie James
Deputy News Editor


The Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD), described as the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project, will have organic vegetable gardens playing an important role on the landscape of the QR20bn, 31 hectare mixed-use development.
“The gardens shall be woven into public open space, residential courtyards and roof terrace and allow residents to participate in the production of fresh vegetables,” said Kenneth Wallace, senior design manager, Turner International Middle East – Qatar.
Involved in the planning and design of MDD, the master planner and landscape architect was giving a presentation on ‘Urban Agriculture at Msheireb Downtown’ at an event on green infrastructure, organised by the Qatar Green Building Council.
“Agriculture in urban areas is not common in Qatar, but it is a growing trend throughout the world,” he said adding urban food production can be significant in meeting nutritional requirements, enhancing food security and reducing fertiliser and water use.
Wallace, who has a keen interest in sustainable urban development, said the plan is to have roughly 400sqm of organic gardens both on rooftops and public realms.
“Given previous experience from the region that up to 20kg of vegetables could be produced per year from one sqm of land, the organic gardens at MDD would have the potential for up to eight tonnes of produce per year,” he predicted.
There is also a proposal to develop within MDD’s Heritage Quarter a garden dedicated to plants mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, with a focus on edible species.
“A demo garden installed at MDD construction site office for over a year has tomatoes growing and hens laying eggs,” Wallace said.
The organic vegetable gardens in MDD can become gathering places that provide community building, intergenerational activity and social interaction.
Wallace said during cooler months most vegetables could be grown in Qatar. Organic waste materials will be used to fertilise the vegetable gardens, which are to be maintained by the Facility Management division of Msheireb Properties.
Potable water will be used to irrigate the organic gardens while treated sewage effluent will be utilised for landscaping.
“A salient feature of landscaping in MDD is the use of native desert plants for greening urban areas and this will be evident when the first part of the project opens in September 2013,” Wallace said.
The vision for MDD is to create a sophisticated district with vitality for the people of Doha. It is designed to regenerate and preserve the historical heart of Qatar’s capital city with a new architectural language that is modern, yet inspired by traditional Qatari heritage and architecture.
Walking, cycling and transit use will be high on the priority list within MDD which is to have a major metro station.
Renewable energy, district cooling, energy and water efficient buildings, using local and green materials, and promoting sustainable waste management are among the highlights of the project.
According to the MDD website, utilising the latest in sustainable technologies, Msheireb will adhere to the highest standards in green building.
The strategic objective of the project is to reverse the pattern of development in Doha, which has tended towards isolated land use, reliance on car transportation and energy hungry structures.

Filed Under: gardens and landscaping
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