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Spring weeding

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Trowels--Use them to break up the earth, dig small holes and mix soil with fertilizer, Peterson said.

The pointed, scooped-shape blades come in a variety of lengths and widths with handles of different materials from wood to padded. So pick what works best for you, Dwyer said.

-- Spring weeding--The task needs to be addressed in early April and May, otherwise the weeds will reseed and spread, Dwyer said.

-- Organize tools and accessories--The task can be done in a 5-gallon handled, plastic bucket, labeled with your name and an apron with pockets wrapped around it for holding gloves, tools and a notebook with a writing instrument for easy access, Peterson said.

-- Have several types of gloves--Waterproof to keep hands dry and leather to wear if you're digging, shoveling or doing other hard work to protect your hands from getting calluses, Peterson said.

-- Buy good quality tools--So their handles won't bend and they'll last longer, Hoague said.

-- Use a rubber kneeling pad--It provides a cushion for knees, she said.

-- Lubricate gardening tools--It's especially important for those with moving parts that have any metal-to-metal contact. Apply lightly on blades that cross on hand pruners, loppers, etc., said Dwyer, who added that WD-40 works fine.

Rotary Gardens dishes the dirt on gardening tips

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bNow that spring has sprung, gardens are blooming everywhere.

Although most gardeners find digging in the dirt therapeutic, they also know this favorite pastime can take a toll on backs, knees, wrists and hands.

A recent trip to Rotary Gardens was fertile ground for cultivating ideas from staff and 150 volunteers who, on average, each year plant 100,000 annuals, 2,000 perennials and around 50 trees and shrubs at the botanical-themed garden, said Mark Dwyer, horticulture director.

These are some of their tips:

-- Pick the best tool for the job--The Japanese hand hoe is lightweight and provides directional control when weeding, so it's great for those gardening on their knees, Dwyer said.

Volunteer Shirley Hoague and botanical gardens' grounds crew staff member Janice Peterson agreed.

"I get down on my knees when I work, so it's handy and even works well for left-handers," Hoague said.

"You can do almost anything with it," Peterson said of her favorite gardening tool as she whacked it into the dirt.

She recommended a dandelion digger, however, for getting rid of dandelions and the Cobra Head for weeding ornamental onions.

"It can get as deep as the (tiny) bulbs are," she said, while working on the pesky alliums in the English Cottage Garden behind the Rath Environmental Center.

The Cobra Head, Peterson said, also is good for pulling clumps of grass and weeding in the half- to 1-inch cracks between pavers, she said.

The benefit of using a circle hoe for weeding is it won't cut neighboring plants even if you bump them, Dwyer said as he demonstrated the tool in a flowerbed.

-- Sharpen gardening tools--Do the task at least annually, if not two to three times a year, Dwyer said.

Sharpening should be done on shovels, hoes, pruners and anything that has a sharp edge or blade, he said.

There are many ways to sharpen tools, but Rotary Gardens uses a machine grinder, said Dwyer, who added that files also work well.

"With a sharp shovel, you get a better dig, and a hoe will chop and cut better if it's sharp," Peterson said.

-- Clean tools--Rinse off with water and remove debris with a scrubbing device after every use.

"This helps with the longevity of the tool," Dwyer said.

Also make sure gardening tools are dry to avoid rust, Peterson said.

-- Sterilize--The task can be done a couple times a year by using a bleach dip of one part bleach to 10 parts water, a disinfectant spray or disinfectant wipes, he said.

Sterilizing is particularly important with hand pruners to avoid spreading disease from one plant to another, Dwyer said.

Repeated sterilization even might be necessary between cuts, he said.

CUT FLOWER CARE

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Annuals and perennials alike are or will soon be in full bloom, waiting for you to enjoy them. You can enjoy them a while long- er in the bouquets you make by following some easy care tips. Harvest flowers when it is coolest outside -- usually first thing in the morning. Carry a bucket of water with you when you go out to harvest your cut flowers. Garden catalogs adver- tise trugs or harvesting baskets which look lovely in the pictures. However, most flowers do not re- spond well to lying in a basket while you stroll through the gar- den. Immediately after cutting, place the flowers in the bucket of water; then stroll to the next flower. Upon cutting, commercial flower growers place cut flowers into water with a floral preserva- tive. Preservatives usually con- sist of a sugar which serves as a food source; an acidifier such as citric acid retards the growth of microorganisms which can plug the stems. Special silver salts are used in some commercial preser- vatives as a further bactericide. UNL floriculture professor El- len Paparozzi said she sometimes puts a dime in the bottom of a vase as a silver source. An easy to use homemade floral preser- vative is a mixture of one-half water and one-half non-diet lem- on-lime soda. Next, remove the foliage that is below the waterline, if you didn't strip it off as you cut the flowers. Leaves left on the stems will quickly rot when sitting be- low water, causing the flowers to wilt sooner because their stems become plugged. Whenever possible, recut flow- er stems under water. This pre- vents air from entering the stems, causing blockages later on. Roses are especially suscepti- ble to "limp neck," a condition caused when an air bubble reach- es the top of the stem just below the blossom. The air prevents wa- ter from translocating to the flower and it falls over and wilts. Cutting 1 to 3 inches of stem off while holding the ends under wa- ter will eliminate most air bub- bles. A drop of water on the end of the stem prevents air from en- tering the stem when you move a flower from bucket to vase. Vase life can be extended by placing flowers in a cool loca- tion-- on top of a television is not a good choice. Not only is it very warm when the TV ison, it's hard on the TV when your cat knocks over the vase and water goes in- side. Change the water or preser- vative solution every 3 or 4 days to keep your flowers fresh for as long as possible.

Gardening tips for your aching body parts

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While attempting to crawl out of bed the morning after unload- ing a pickup truck full of wood chips, it made me think of all the enabling gardening hints I've compiled in my files. I thought maybe it was time to pass on some enabling gardening tips to you and remind myself to follow my own advice. First, get someone else to do the work! If you have problems with your back, knees, shoulders or other parts, it may be cheaper in the long run to hire help for the heavy work. My summer worker for my campus display garden grew up on a horse farm. She is used to shoveling stuff. At home, my block was blessed with a new family complete with a teenager in search of odd jobs. Matt can unload a truck full of wood chips in just a few minutes. Although now I have to get all the weeds pulled so I can spread them around. Remember, mulch! It does a garden good! If getting down on your knees is difficult or if getting up is even more difficult, there are a couple of planting aids that will make life easier. A length of 1-inch to 2-inch PVC pipe cut waist high makes a handy no-stoopplanting aid for seeds. I like to use mine for large seeds such as beans, peas, squash and corn. To use it, make the planting furrow or holes with your hoe, then drop the seeds down the pipe. No hassles of seed blowing away. Spacing can be quite accurate for less thinning later. When I looked up "enabling gardening" on the Internet, I found a similar tool for sale. Call- ed a "Plant "N Stick," it looks like a piece of PVC pipe with a probe attached to make a planting hole. It's supposed to be wide enough to drop plants through, down into the hole made by the probe. It also works for planting seed. In- stead of making a furrow, you simply make a hole and drop the seed in. Maybe I'll attach a pointy stick to my piece of PVC pipe. Another handy hole maker is the bulb auger. Generally they're sold in the fall at spring bulb planting time. My friend Tiny uses his to make planting holes for bedding plants. Simply drill a hole in the prepared flower bed and drop in the plant. Use your toe to kick the soil in around the plant and voila! It's planted. If your aim isn't very good, use a length of PVC pipe as a planting chute through which to drop your plants. Be sure to choose pipe wide enough for plants to slide through so you don't spend too much time trying to unplug it. To save time and water, in- vest in a shut-off valve for the end of your hose. Plastic or brass versions are available depending on where you shop. I love the quick couplers that are available for attaching sprinklers or nozzles. The brass quick- connect allows for more water flow so sprinklers tend to work better. Once attached, the quick connec- tors are much easier for stiff fin- gers and hands to manage than screw-on attachments. Soaker hose placed in the vege- table or flower garden early in the season can mean never hav- ing to haul hose the rest of the season. Use the quick couplers for easy hookups so that your hose is available for other jobs. If you have trouble gripping tools, you might want to add pad- ding. The home- made way is to purchase foam pipe-insulation tubes and cut the tubing to the length of the handle. Secure it with duct tape. Bicycle shops sell foam handlebar padding that can be used on small hand tools. One can also purchase tools with pad- ded handles to ease gripping and absorb the jarring that one gets when working in the soil. Adding organic matter to your soil makes it easier to work; your plants benefit from the slow release of nutrients and in- creased pore space, which im- proves air and water flow. Com- post (homemade or from the city), sphagnum peat, and wood chips will all improve soil im- mensely. Keep in mind, though, that if you incorporate wood chips or other high-carbon mater- ials to planting sites, you'll also need to add extra nitrogen fertil- izer so yourplants are not de- prived.

blinkx Partners with Growing Wisdom to Bring Users Top Gardening Tips and Horticultural How-Tos

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blinkx, the world's largest video search engine, today announced a partnership with Growing Wisdom (www.growingwisdom.com) to offer users helpful and instructive gardening television. Growing Wisdom creates and produces original gardening content that includes weather guidelines, tips on products and tools, plant care information and fun ideas for sprucing up your garden. Under the terms of the agreement, blinkx will leverage its AdHoc platform to place contextually relevant advertising against the footage, and will share resulting advertising revenue with Growing Wisdom.

Growing Wisdom provides users with up-to-date and informative videos from gardening expert Dave Epstein, a well-known meteorologist at WCVB-TV ABC in Boston, Massachusetts. From design tips to advice on tools, weather and plant care, Growing Wisdom's content is perfect for everyone from the novice gardener to the seasoned Green Thumb.

"Gardening and home improvement programming has become incredibly popular over the past few years and the Web is an ideal mechanism for distributing it," said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO, blinkx. "We are thrilled to include Growing Wisdom's high-quality videos in our large and varied library of how-to videos."

"We are committed to producing content that is high-quality, original and fun," said Dave Epstein, founder, Growing Wisdom. "With blinkx's unique technology and vast network, Growing Wisdom's gardening videos are now easily accessible and available to a global audience."

As the pioneer in video search technology, blinkx has built a reputation as the smartest way to search new forms of online content such as video. With more than 220 partners and 18 million hours of indexed video and audio content, including favorite TV moments, news clips, short documentaries, music videos, video blogs and more, blinkx uses advanced speech recognition technology to deliver results that are more accurate and reliable than standard metadata-based keyword searches.

About blinkx

blinkx plc (LSE AIM: BLNX) is the world's most comprehensive video search engine. Today, blinkx has indexed more than 18 million hours of audio, video, viral and TV content, and made it fully searchable and available on demand. blinkx's founders set out to solve a significant challenge - as TV and user-generated content on the Web explode, keyword-based search technologies only scratch the surface. blinkx's patented search technologies listen to - and even see - the Web, helping users enjoy a breadth and accuracy of search results not available elsewhere. In addition, blinkx powers the video search for many of the world's most frequented sites. blinkx is based in San Francisco and London. More information is available at www.blinkx.com.

About Growing Wisdom

Hosted by well-known New England meteorologist and horticulturist David Epstein, Growing Wisdom is a weekly online video site presenting hands-on gardening advice and inspiration for home gardeners. The Growing Wisdom Web site contains compelling articles, podcasts and blogs that provide timely, week-by-week instruction on topics such as flower and vegetable gardens, lawn care and garden pests.

Gardening tips earn readers an afternoon at Royal Court Parkland Estates

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"If you'd like to hold an afternoon tea at your home, keep it simple," David advises. "Small, bite-sized sandwiches and cakes are a given, as is a pot of fresh-brewed tea, but after that, it's all up to you."

For the afternoon tea that will be held at Royal Court Parkland Estates on June 20, Wendy plans to feature rhubarb punch and tea with milk, lemon or sugar cubes.

"And, of course, tiny sandwiches," she says. "We'll be serving coin-sized asparagus rolls; green cherry, red cherry and crushed pineapple cream cheese sandwiches; egg salad sandwiches, turkey salad sandwiches; petit fours; delicate shortbread cookies with icing flowers and chocolate-covered strawberries."

Whatever the menu, though, it is important that it be prepared ahead of time. Old-fashioned tea etiquette dictates that a hostess should not be stuck in the kitchen during her afternoon tea, but should mingle with her guests.

"Etiquette also dictated that all of the necessary items for a tea be assembled before the tea began," Wendy adds, "so that the ladies and gentlemen in attendance would not have to want for anything."

Of primary importance on the list of items necessary for holding a tea is, of course, a teapot. Either a china or silver teapot is acceptable, but beware, a china teapot is for more intimate teas, and a silver teapot is for more formal teas.

Also necessary at an afternoon tea are cups, saucers, teaspoons, a sugar bowl and sugar tongs (since sugar should always be served cubed, not loose), a tea strainer, a lemon dish, forks (if serving cakes) and knives (if jam or clotted cream will be eaten on scones). As well, each jam or cream dish must have its own serving spoon. A matching set of china is not so important, however.

"Sometimes, invitations to a Victorian tea instructed the guests to bring their own teacups, wrapped up in special boxes," says Wendy. "Other times, the invitations asked them to bring a cake, or wear a special hat."

Once the guests had arrived at a Victorian tea, the etiquette varied.

"On the part of the guests, it was important that they held their teacups properly," Wendy adds, noting that the proper way to hold a teacup is to slip your index finger, up almost to the first knuckle, through the handle and then secure the cup by placing your thumb on the top of the handle and allowing the bottom of the handle to rest on your middle finger. "Contrary to popular belief, the ring and pinkie fingers should not be extended, but should rest by curving gently back toward your wrist. To extend one's pinkie was an indication of arrogance."

But some aspects of tea etiquette has changed over the years, Wendy notes.

"The Edwardian gentleman may have found it was acceptable to pour his hot tea into his saucer to cook it before drinking, it is obviously not acceptable to do so now," says Wendy. "In fact, it would be considered quite rude!"

The teacups and saucers used at the Victorian-style tea party at Royal Court Parkland Estates will be delicate cream-coloured china, trimmed in gold, rented from Lloyd's of Moncton.

"We have a number of items available for people to rent if they are thinking of having an afternoon tea," says Brenda MacAulay, manager at the store. "It can be as elaborate or as simple as the individual wants."

In addition to cups and saucers, Lloyd's also rents out small tables and chairs, lace table skirts, benches, canopies, screens, wicker walls and chairs, silver tea services, and even bustled Victorian-style dresses festooned with lace.

"The Victorian-style dresses and parasols are nice if a group wants to get together and stage a Victorian-style tea," explains Brenda.

And organizing an afternoon tea around a certain theme can make the occasion memorable, David adds.

"Having a theme for an afternoon tea can add a sense of fun to the gathering," he says. "Last year, for example, lots of people held Jubilee teas in honour of Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee."

Darlene Dobson was involved in the organization of just such a tea. A member of the Shepody Chapter of the I.O.D.E., Darlene remembers the afternoon as one of fun and relaxation.

"We served small, dainty cherry and cheese, and asparagus, sandwiches, and, of course, shortbread cookies," she says. "No afternoon tea would be complete without shortbread cookies. We borrowed a variety of cups and saucers, dressed up in our summer best and enjoyed an afternoon filled with music, games and conversation."

Wendy Taylor knows the setting is perfect

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"We have a large backyard with a patio, a gazebo, a pond, a series of gardens and flowering trees and shrubs," says the community relations co-ordinator at Royal Court Parkland Estates. "Later this month, when the lilacs, hyacinths, lupines and daisies that will make up the centrepieces of our tables are in bloom, it will be the perfect place to hold an old-fashioned, Victorian-style tea."

That's exactly what will take place on the afternoon of June 20. That day, 150 Times & Transcript readers will gather together at Royal Court Parkland Estates to enjoy a cuppa, tour of the facility's gardens and take in a presentation by Martin Quinn, who owns and operates a nursery in Kincardine, Ontario, specializing in ornamental grasses.

And what is the price of such an enjoyable afternoon? Nothing more than a simple gardening tip, mailed or e-mailed to the Times & Transcript on or before June 9.

"Our garden tea is being held in conjunction with Communities in Bloom and the Times & Transcript," Wendy explains. "We regularly host coffee breaks or luncheons for the Communities in Bloom judges when they visit the city at the end of the summer, but we thought that this year we would host an old-fashioned Victorian-style tea to kick-off what will be a gardening weekend in the Moncton area, since the Times & Transcript will hold their annual plant swap the next day, June 21, at the March Moncton Market."

To prepare for the event, Wendy has been busily researching the proper way to hold a Victorian-style tea, both by surfing the Internet and talking to historians at a number of New Brunswick attractions, including King's Landing near Fredericton.

"There's quite a lot to learn when it comes to hosting a Victorian-style tea," says Wendy, "since this was a practice that was perfected over a number years in England during the 1800s."

Indeed. While the first samples of tea reached England between 1652 and 1654, replacing ale as England's national drink, it was not until 1840 that the practice of afternoon tea parties came to prominence.

A lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria, Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, is widely credited with inventing afternoon tea in 1840. Anna was reportedly quite fond of taking a snack of tea and tiny cakes in her rooms each afternoon, and many began following her lead, including Queen Victoria herself, who relished the new craze.

By 1855, the queen and her ladies-in-waiting donned formal dress for their afternoon teas, and by the 1880s, ladies all over England dressed in long gowns for the afternoon routine, giving rise to the quintessential Victorian tea parties that featured ladies dressed in lacy, flowing dresses and droopy hats lounging about in well-manicured flower gardens with gentlemen similarly dressed in white suits.

This was also the time that the practices of High Tea and Low Tea emerged. Low Tea is what we have come to typically think of as tea, with the upper classes enjoying gourmet tidbits served alongside tea from a silver or china teapot. High Tea, meanwhile, was practised by the middle and lower classes. It was the main meal of the day and featured meat, vegetables and tea.

"Afternoon teas are something we, as a society, have gotten away from in recent years," observes Wendy, who remembers how church teas were often held while she was growing up, and that young women were frequently given china sets as wedding presents so that they could properly entertain callers. "But holding a tea is a nice excuse to slow down and visit with friends, something we don't always get to do often enough nowadays."

David McAllister agrees. He co-owns the Bell Inn Restaurant in Dorchester, where afternoon tea is offered from 2 to 4 p.m. each day featuring chicken salad, potato salad, cranberry sauce, cheddar cheese, fresh fruit, biscuits with whipped cream and jam, and, of course, tea or coffee.

"People today, both men and women, still very much enjoy the idea of tea, because it gives them a chance to slow down in the middle of the day and visit with friends," he says. "They also like the link taking tea in the afternoon gives them with the past, even if afternoons teas today are much less formal than they used to be."

But while afternoon teas nowadays may be much less formal, usually, than their Victorian counterparts, some elements of the ritual remain the same.

Tips From The Experts; Two experts offer advice to the amateur gardener

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Each province in Canada, excluding the Maritimes, has its fair share of zone 1 soil conditions. That's one classification away from tundra, yet the people still plant gardens.

"You'd be surprised," said Satterthwaite. "They send us photos, and there's mountains of muskeg (peat bog) and then this fabulous flower garden." Nature's ability to overcome is probably the best tool in the reluctant gardener's shed.

"You can grow something, anywhere," agreed Cole. "There are plants that will survive just about everywhere."

Amid all this struggle and hard work, the inevitable question arises - why bother gardening?

"It's rewarding, but it's frustrating at the same time," conceded Cole. "You spend good money to buy a plant and then manage to kill it because you don't understand its requirements, or it really wasn't hardy in the first place."

But as with many things, there can't be pleasure without persistence and a little pain.

"I think one thing that gardening teaches you is patience. It's an ongoing thing," said Satterthwaite. "It does not play into the MTV way of life. It's not instant, bang, bang, bang."

To get down on your knees, stick your hands into the earth and make something grow is a subtle, slow process.

"That's why I think people are really gravitating toward it," she said. "It's a relief, it's very soothing."The long Canadian winter is finally over and it's time to start gardening. Here are some tips from gardening experts Aldona Satterthwaite and Trevor Cole on how to get your plots thriving.

Instead of turning your soil over just throw compost on top. Worms will pull the nutrients into the soil, sparing your lower back all that work.

If you're unsure about what to grow, take a peek at what's working in the other gardens of your neighbourhood.

Pay attention to your plants and read gardening books. A little knowledge and attentiveness can go a long way.

Start small. Amateur gardeners who go big run the risk of failing big.

Gardening doesn't start May 24. Depending on what you're growing and where, it can start earlier, or later.

Use soaker hoses, with the holes pointed downward, to water your garden. Oscillating sprinklers are fine for lawns, but they damage topsoil.

Don't water when the sun is at its peak or you'll burn your plants. And don't water too late at night. The water will lay on the leaves, creating fertile conditions for mildew.

Ready, set, get gardening

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Are you the type of gardener who confuses dirt with topsoil, only to leave a trail of wilted flowers and less-than-edible vegetables in your wake?
While you might curse the fates for not blessing you with a green thumb, the experts would say you've got to take some of the blame. Truth be told, being a good gardener is more about attentiveness and less about preternatural horticultural abilities.
"If you're willing to pay attention and look at the plants instead of planting them and expecting them to grow, these are the people with green thumbs," said Trevor Cole, editor-in-chief of The Canadian Encyclopedia of Gardening (DK).
But you need to know what to look for. The first step, then, is to acquire some knowledge.
"You buy gardening books, you read gardening books, and you start small," advised Cole, who served as curator of the Dominion Arboretum in Ottawa until his retirement in 1995. "More people get discouraged because they try to do a big garden, and they really don't know what it takes to keep it up."
Before you plant small you'll want to know what kind of soil you're dealing with.
"There are basic rules that apply wherever you happen to be," said Cole of Canada's diverse soil and climate conditions. "If you've got a clay soil you keep off it when it's wet and you try and improve the drainage." If the soil is sandy add humus, or compost, so that it retains moisture and nutrients.
And while generations of gardeners have strained their backs turning their plots with spades, the new wisdom is to leave the earth alone.
"I'm from that old school where you double dig everything, and that's a lot of work," said Aldona Satterthwaite, editor of Canadian Gardening. "Now what they're saying is just throw things on top, and the worms will pull it down into the earth."
Those things can include fish meal compost, aged manure and a little bit of bone meal. Keeping those materials above ground also helps to suppress weeds.
Now that the soil is ready, what to plant?
"If we're talking about people who just bought a new home and are concerned about their garden, I would leave it alone for 12 months," advises Satterthwaite. There might be plants hiding under the surface, waiting to spring vibrant colours upon an unsuspecting homeowner. "Stuff comes up, and you might inadvertently dig up perfectly good plants."
If you know what you've got, and it's time to spruce things up, go for a walk around the neighbourhood and take notes.
"See what other people are growing, and that will give you a clue about what might do well in your garden," said Satterthwaite.
And don't let geography stand in your way. While the most fertile land in Canada can be found in southern British Columbia and Ontario, nature finds a way in the most challenging of environments.
Upon inspecting a crooked carrot while visiting the botanical gardens in St. John's, Cole was told by the locals "that's all the soil we've got. When they hit the rock, they turn sideways." Despite Newfoundland's rocky foundation and a short growing season, people still manage to cultivate beautiful vegetable and flower gardens.
"Canadians, in particular, I think, are mad, crazy gardeners," said Satterthwaite. "They'll garden in any condition whatsoever."

WORK WITH MOTHER NATURE Enjoy an easy green spring with these organic gardening tips

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1 Keep your soil healthy

Healthy soil creates healthy plants. Healthy plants resist pests and diseases. As you spend less time treating pests and diseases, you spend more time enjoying your garden.

Plant ground covers such as colorful sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) in sunny gardens or Lamium in shady gardens, or hostas under trees to keep weeds from sprouting. Ground covers also cool the roots of surrounding plants, acting as a living mulch.

2 Choose the right plant for the right place

If a plant grows well in full sun, plant it in full sun. If a plant grows well in full shade, plant it in full shade. A plant that grows in the right place is more likely to resist pests and diseases. Besides light requirements, consider moisture conditions and soil type such as clay.

Native plants are good choices because they thrive in their native climate and resist pests and diseases. Pretty purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) blooms from June through the end of the summer. The purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata) is a drought-tolerant native that produces dozens of majestic magenta flowers from June until frost. It spreads nicely as a ground cover.

3 Use organic fertilizer

Organic fertilizers such as bone meal and composted manures are safe for people, pets and water, and better for the environment. They build healthy soil and healthy plants. Both local nurseries and online companies carry organic fertilizers.

4 Mulch

Use mulch to cover your soil around plants to control weeds, conserve soil moisture, moderate soil temperature and reduce soil compaction. Organic mulches such as pine bark, wood chips, cedar and pine needles are available.

5 Recycle

Reuse and recycle garden products, such as containers and saucers. Rogue Hoe is a company that makes garden tools out of recycled high-grade tempered steel agricultural disk blades.

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More green tips

MAGAZINES

Organic Gardening (www.organicgardening.com/) is packed with ideas.

BOOKS

Rodale Press (www.rodale.com) publishes many organic gardening books, such as "Annuals for Every Purpose" and "Perennials for Every Purpose," that will help you choose the right plants for your conditions, your garden and your taste. Other books include "Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening" and "Rodale Book of Composting."

Ten Gardening tips.

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Unfortunately, novice gardeners can end up spending more on seeds, tools and the other doodads required for a startup patch. The good news is there are a few tricks that can save you money while still turning out a good crop. Here are nine tips to get you going.

1. Plan early Plot out your garden before turning the first spade of earth. Several websites make it easy to plan your garden either at no cost or free for the first 30 days. I'm particularly partial to GrowVeg.com, which helps you plot out the amount of space you'll need for each plant and where each should go in relation to other plants. The Farmers' Almanac is still one of your best guides to when you should start planting and what kind of weather you can anticipate for the growing year.

2. Understand Your Land Before you shell out a ton of cash for new plants, ask your neighbours what plants thrive in the soil of your region. Keep in mind plants appropriate for your growing zone might not work in your garden due to variations in soil composition, micro-climate, pests, sunlight exposure and water availability. Visit your local nursery or call your municipality to learn how to get an analysis of your soil and recommendations for suitable plants.

3. Dig Deep: Digging a deep garden bed can increase the number of plants you grow and ensure roots have plenty of room to thrive.

4. Mulch: Mulching your garden - or covering the surface layer with plastic, wood chips, etc. - will feed the soil, keep the soil and plant roots cool, retain moisture to reduce watering and prevent weeds. Mulching also will cut down on the amount of time you spend watering and weeding.

5. Plant From Seeds: Starts are 10 times more expensive than seeds and often are sold long after the plant should have been unpotted. (Never buy starts with roots growing through the bottom of the pot.) Starting seeds indoors is cheaper and will give you a jump on the season. Save even more money by creating your own seed-starting pots.

6. Save and Swap Seeds: Seed packets often contain far more seeds than you actually need, so consider starting or joining a seed exchange in your area. You can also harvest and store seeds for use the following year.

7. Profitable Plants: If you have limited space, consider planting produce that costs the most in a store or at a farmers' market. Monetarily, you get the best bang for your buck by growing cilantro, salad greens, chives, tomatoes and squash.

8. Be Sun Savvy: You'd be surprised how often experienced gardeners put a shade-loving plant in full sun or a sun-loving plant in the shade. Daylight is a moving target, so it can be difficult to ascertain the best location for each plant. Before plotting out your garden, spend some time studying the movement of the sun over that patch of land, paying particular attention to those areas that are heavily shadowed.

9. Smart Watering: Consider installing an Eevapotranspiraton (ET) Controller, if you have an in-ground sprinkler system. These systems use real-time weather data sent by satellite to control when your sprinklers turn on and off. This can cut your water usage by up to 30 per cent. Controllers costs between $300 and $400, depending on system size, but some municipal water agencies offer rebates, particularly in arid regions.

10. Install Drip Irrigation: If you don't have an in-ground sprinkler system, consider installing a drip-irrigation system. You'll save on water bills because the water won't evaporate as quickly and plant roots will receive a more thorough soaking.

If you're irate, don't hesitate!!

2005-11-11T01:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday some crack head came into the bar to use the payphone to call his drug dealer,

"Man we're at such and such a corner you got to hurry up I got three guys with me."

I recognized the guy as the guy from South Street who's always trying to get me and my friend to give him money for a "train" to Ardmore. This guy's been stuck at 18th and south for months now with his car broke down and booted.

I look across the street and one of the guys with him is the guy I saw being arrested across from McGlincheys by two squad police cars with every cop having their gun pointed at him like two weeks ago. And the first guy is making this girl go through her purse looking for money as he's scamming her.

So I pick up my cell phone and call the cops. I tell them there's three guys on the corner waiting to buy drugs. They ask me to describe them and their like "Do you know what the car looks like" and I'm like "Uh no. But if you wait I'm sure it'll show up." So they tell me that they'll send somebody out.

AND they actually do! A nice big huge POLICE van shows up and of course the three scketchy guys are like "We're waiting for the bus"
So the cops like. "Yeah sure" So he stands there with them or something.

The view was being blocked by the van. And after about twenty minutes one of the guys gets thrown in the van, maybe they searched him or something and the other two are off down the street. Probably to hang out in front of my house

So then about fifteen minutes later on the south side of the street, there's this guy with his cell hanging out looking for and this could just be a guess folks his customers. He was there for like an hour.

So that and then check out robbynewwave's latest entry and see why I'm not hesitating to call 911 anymore. The police told the neighborhood people to call if you see scam artists or drug dealers operating just call it in.

I heart Philly cops!

Remarkable Theater!

2005-11-08T01:43:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to see Dottie a solo performance show by Robin Marcotte.

Wow.

Do not miss this play. It literally will make you laugh and cry at once.

Its playing now through Saturday at Mum Puppettheatre

Location: Mum Puppettheatre 115 Arch St., Phila., PA
Dates: November 3rd – 7th and 9th – 12th at 8PM
November 5th, 6th and 12th at 2pm
Running Time: 60 minutes
Admission: $15, $10 for students and seniors
For tickets, call: 215-525-4258

Written and Performed by Robin Marcotte
Directed by Dawn Falato
Lighting Design by Simon Harding
Original Music by Tim Gray
Mask design and construction by Aaron Cromie
Flyable set by Brad Helm

Thanks for the Art!

2005-11-07T01:42:00.000-08:00

Friday night we went to see The Waitstaff perform at the 5 spot. The show was hilarious and Thanksgiving themed. John Difelice's song at the end Thanks for Giving was exceptionally giggle worthy.

Saturday I worked from noon to 11:30 and hung out with some friends afterwards. Didn't feel that high energy for a Saturday night. Kind of tired...

Sunday, got slammed with flu-like symptoms - clammy and achey all over barely could even walk. I worked till 6 stocking up the bar and waiting on a couple of customers and then miraculously was saved by a co-worker and relieved to go home sick. I know I probably passed up a lot of money what with the Eagles game starting at 8 but there was no way I would have made it through the next four hours. And being busy and not being able to be cheerful is not my thing.

Spent the rest of the evening zonked out on the couch with some chicken soup and crackers. The real first food I've eaten in three days.

We were supposed to get a new kitten for the house but my beau couldn't find any at the two shelters and three pet stores he went to. He said at one store, there was some ASPCA kittens that had already been adopted that would have fit his "Scoobiness barometer" but they already had good homes to go to. Hopefully next Sunday he'll have better luck.

Tonight a friend and I will be attending Hotel Obligodo's performance of Dottie, tomorrow is a double shift and Wednesday is a totally official Phedrang's Day Off.

VIDEO GA GA

2005-11-04T01:41:00.000-08:00

My video store Flicks Video To Go at 16th and Spruce suspiciously closed and their number no longer works. I stupidly through my last rental in the door slot without looking inside. So now I'm out my $50 cash deposit and the dvd I could of kept!

What's going on! How am I going to rent videos!!

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T01:40:00.000-08:00

I love Halloween. It's my favorite holiday. All weekend we celebrated it.
On Friday we had a great game of D & D.
Everyone died.
Twice.
On Saturday we went out to brunch at Ants Pants at 23rd and South and it was awesome.
We found out the liquor store at 26th and south is now a junk/thrift shop.
We went to the Army surplus store and got costumes together. Where we also met some of our party guest
We went to the bar and had great drinks.
My sweetie dressed as Richard Kimball The Fugitive decorated the house while I made hummus, spinach dip, halloween cookies, brownies, and finished some cleaning.
We then partied till 5 am where we somehow managed to kick the last guest out and get successfully into bed without hurting myself or anyone else.
Last night someone almost died at the bar. (well not really but God always looks out for little kids and drunks)
We went home and watched the rest of 13 Ghosts

Tonight, we're going have a nice homecooked dinner and maybe make some more of my horrible cookies and bring them to people at the bar. My friend and his fiance broke up recently so maybe we'll try to cheer hime up a little with our costumes...

Mineday

2005-10-24T01:40:00.000-07:00

The weekend was great. Although for me, I really don't have a weekend as I work everyday.

But not this upcoming weekend. Oh no! I'm taking Saturday off from all jobs. I'm going to sit in my pajamas all day and watch cable. I'm going to read a newspaper and drink coffee and not even clean the house.

Because I have a D & D game Friday night and the house will have been cleaned for our guests. I'm really looking forward to Phedrang's Day Off. Who knows what crazy high jinks will happen. I'm celebrating my all time favorite holiday - HALLOWEEN!

I do know that a car won't be crashed because my ex husband crashed my car in North Philly like two years ago. So that's out. Maybe I can push a kid off a bike or something.

Anyway the last two shows of Sordid Lives went very well. Sold out. Cast party afterwards was very fun in a beautiful grown up house. And the funny part was it was 1/2 block from my sweetie's parent's house. Everyone was teasing him saying he should get trashed and wait till 4 in the morning and crash there.

We got back to town around midnight so that didn't happen and just hung out at the bar for a couple of drinks. The Eagle's game yesterday was funny and lucrative.

I do know that if anyone could pick up a Chestnut Hill Local paper for me that would be great, it has a picture of me in it and an article about the show I want to put in my collection. Thanks!

Caught Topless in Chestnut Hill

2005-10-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

So I got to the theater last night and the cast was like "Hey you're famous!"
And I was all like what? And then they gave me a copy of this week's Chestnut Hill Local and turned it to the arts section. Which has a picture of me straddling a transvestite (played by my director) and topless.
The caption for the pic is so and so "..are talking about the weather.."
During our photo shoot the photographer took probably 300 pictures of the show.
I have one scene. I guess they took the most racy picture and ran with it for press.
I was kind of embarrassed at first but I do look pretty good in the picture, and am glad I've been working out...

So if you want to come see Sordid Lives at Allens Lane, tonight's our last show. It's been a blast and I'm sad for it to end. We've sold out I think every show. If this was downtown we could run it for months. It's hysterical.

I don't think tickets are available for tonight but their might be a waiting list you could get on.

I can't wait for the next show... whatever it may be. I got to peruse some auditions on the TAGP listserv - I just hope it'll be another comedy.