 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
|
How-to's for home and garden Maryland can be a great place for gardens. Zone 7 or 6 on the USDA Map, it has a moderately long growing season. Some of our best home garden crops include tomatoes and peppers, sweet corn, herbs, cucumbers, and squashes and melons. In fact, Maryland is famous for its tomatoes grown on the Eastern Shore. (And they go so well with our Maryland blue crabs!). If you are landscaping, shrubs and trees which originated in Asia are often successful – azaleas and rhododendrons, nandina, plums and cherries, flowering almonds, and forsythia are just a few of the favorites. Central and Western Maryland farms supply us with apples and peaches. Despite our love affair with lawns, turf grass can be challenging here. The US Department of Agriculture has a research facility in Beltsville, where many new types of plants, including grass, are developed and hybridized. It, and the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service’s Home and Garden Office are tremendous resources for residents. You might also want to check the Extension Service for information about handling invasive plants. Beyond the ones we think of unkindly, such as kudzu, water hyacinth, and Creeping Charlie, there are some surprises, such as English ivy. Kitchen Garden When Nellie designed and installed a kitchen garden, then wrote about it in Nellie’s Notes, clients asked us how to do one for themselves. Here are the directions for a 14x14-foot plot, backed up to a masonry house or garage wall. You can change the dimensions to suit your space, make it free-standing, format it as a rectangle or hexagon, or use different fencing or path materials. Materials List
Using stakes and string with a level, lay out a square extending from the back wall of garage. Following manufacturer’s directions, install wooden fence posts at corners, mid-points of sides, and on either side of gate, using Quik-crete to secure. Slide vinyl posts over wooden posts, cut fence sections to fit and install, and install gate. Lay cast concrete bricks on lengthwise sides under pickets to prevent animals from getting in, and soil from leaking out. Again, using stakes and string, measure 18 inches into enclosed area. Sprinkle sand about four inches wide and one inch deep along this line, turning a 90-degree corner to each gate post. Starting in a corner, lay concrete retaining blocks with the rear lip down to outline the garden area, and then add a second course. In the center of the garden, use the same method to create a round or square garden with about 18 inches between the gardens for a path. Lay sections of newspapers (to block out weeds without blocking water drainage) along the path, add paver stones, and fill between with pea gravel. You will want to add pavers from gate post to gate post to avoid having the pea gravel seep into the lawn. Fill gardens to top of blocks with compost, or sifted and amended top soil (add dessicated manure, rotted leaves, etc.). Peat moss, vermiculum and/or perlite will keep the soil fluffy and easy to work, while retaining moisture. If you start in the fall, you can add your leaves to the beds, layer with vegetable peelings and soil, and create compost ‘on the spot.’ Each spring, you will need to ‘fluff’ the soil with a 3-pronged cultivating rake, and add some more dirt. Use trellises or cages to support tomatoes and cucumbers, rotate the location of vegetables types from season to season, and be sure to add some marigolds around your peppers and tomatoes to control nematodes and add color! Do not pile soil against your home’s siding - it provides a pathway for termites! Painting Paneling The wooden paneling used years ago in family rooms and clubrooms makes a home feel past its prime, and dark. But painting it actually gives it a whole new character and will make the room feel bigger! First, make sure you have a wood surface, since some panels are plastic, or a plastic veneer over pressed board. In a hidden area, use a sharp knife point to scrape a small spot of the finish away. If you have wood fibers, these instructions should apply. (If the panels are plastic, consult your paint store to see if they have finishes that will work.) Also be sure that wood paneling has not been waxed - if it has, you will need to consult with your paint store folks, too, and may need to sand the walls. Dust off the paneling thoroughly. If it is dirty, use a cleaner such as Mr. Clean or Spic-and-Span (which will need to be rinsed) to start the surface preparation. Really filmy paneling will need to be wiped down with mineral spirits - make sure your room is well-ventilated, and use a filter mask over your nose and mouth. Use primer paint as your next process. Use a primer rated for both oil and latex finishes, since you won’t know what the manufacturer used on the paneling. If you are using certain colors such as yellow, peach, or pale green for the final coat of paint, you will need to get tinted primer. You will need to use a brush on the grooves of the paneling. If the sheets are otherwise flat, you can then use a roller, but styles such as the routed knotty pine paneling of the 50s and 60s will work better with a large brush. Let the primer dry as instructed on the can. Older paneling will absorb primer, and you may want to do a second coat. Use an eggshell sheen finish for your final coat. Again using a brush for the grooves, paint the walls. You may need to do a second coat, depending on your paint quality or color. Follow the can instructions for drying and repainting times. Trim around doors and windows can be left natural, or painted as well, again using a primer. |
NELLIE ARRINGTON, CRS |
 |
