"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."
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Wendy Taylor knows the setting is perfect
"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.
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
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.
"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
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."
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
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.
---
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."
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.
---
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.
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.
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.
Friday, November 11, 2005
If you're irate, don't hesitate!!
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!
"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!
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