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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 26, 2009 12:02:28

32inch lcd hdtv

Take care for outdoor containers: insulate them from frost with bubblewrap.

Do you grow plants in containers? Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent waterlogging.

When I got married my mom gave me her old kitchenware for our new apartment. They had been sitting in boxes under my grandpa’s garage for a few years. We went through the boxes together cleaning and sorting what survived, plates, bowls, mugs, pots, pans and silverware. I was and am very grateful for this mismatched assortment of housewares, lol because buying all those little things adds up and can become very expensive. It’s also very difficult to cook with limited utensils.

The Yellow Bowl

Among this assortment of dishes was a single yellow tupperware bowl. I didn’t really notice it at first, but it has since become my favorite bowl. We had it as long as I can remember. Oddly enough it brings back warm and fuzzy feelings whenever I use it. lol It’s also in really good condition. Lately I’ve be come a little bit of a vintage tupperware collector. My mom laughed the first time she heard me refer to her old containers as ‘vintage’.  I bought a few items for my collection from ebay, but some had to be thrown out because they smelled like cigarette smoke or something else funky. So now I get most of my tupperware from thrift stores, where I can smell it before I buy it and I don’t have to pay for shipping.  These containers are still very useful. I use mine all the time. They are great for storage because almost all the pieces come with air tight lids. I love the lids. When I was growing up my mom always kept sugar in them, one with white and one with brown. Never once did ants get to them.

My most recent thrift store find was a unique set of cups, or tumblers. These cups are not the normal harvest colors, brown, yellow, orange, or green, the iconic 70’s vintage Tupperware colors, but they are clear with a colorful printed design on them.

Rare Vintage Tupperware

I’ve never seen anything like it before. Have you? If you have anymore info about these cups I’d like to hear about it. I posed it on yahoo answers to get a date range and most people say 80’s.

In the September Estates blog post, You Say Tomato, I Say…, I discussed how to start tomato plants.  Already, the tomatoes are sprouting and are big enough to leave the greenhouse flats.  They are now in 4” pots and available for purchase.

Many people don’t realize, but the tomato is actually a fruit.  They are low in fat and packed with fiber, Lycopene, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium, Iron, Calcium, and Folate. 

When you plant the varieties of tomatoes I have chosen for our Florida climate (Bella Rosa, Floralina, Homestead, Florida Basket, Snow White, and Cherokee Purple) there are some techniques you should employ to increase your chance of success:

• Plant in raised beds, mounds, containers, or buckets with holes drilled for drainage
• Use the best good draining soil possible
• Place in full sun
• Water when the soil is dry
• Incorporate organic fertilizers
• Insert a tomato cage

Tomatoes are what you call “heavy feeders,” needing a balanced fertilizer throughout the growing season (September through April). The Estates uses worm castings, sea kelp, fish emulsion, bone meal, and Espoma brand fertilizer on ours.  We spray a soap solution once a week to keep insects at bay, and hand- pick the caterpillars off the leaves. Tom’s Plant Soap is available in the Estates Museum Store.  Other insecticides include neem oil, hot pepper spray, and pyrethroids.  As always read the label directions.  Beware of blossom end rot (caused by a calcium deficiency) and fungal diseases, such as early blight and light blight (soil borne fungi). Copper fungicide is labeled for tomatoes and can help control fungal diseases.

Cultural practices highly affect the outcome of tomatoes.  Hand watering at the root zone or using drip irrigation in the morning hours can help prevent withering.  Wetting the soil roots rather than the foliage decreases the chances of fungal diseases. Put dead leaves and rotting fruit in your regular garbage (you don’t want to risk contaminating your compost). High nitrogen fertilizer should be avoided as well. 

You can purchase Estates sprouted tomato plants, fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides at the Estates Garden Shoppe, open daily from 9AM-5PM, or at the Downtown Farmers Market on Thursdays from 7AM-2PM.  We will keep you posted on the progress of our tomato plants.

Like I have been postponing on writing a post on how to start a kitchen garden, I am sure few of you who are reading this have already postponed starting a garden of your own. Oh and I am sure you have plenty of valid reasons for postponing. Few people have lots of space both terrace and land and few like me have lots of passion but less space. It doesn’t matter. So if you have been toying with the idea of gardening and always wanted a push, here it is.. “Just get off your butt and start diggin!”

To start a vegetable garden, you need lots of stuff. Here is the list of things that you need to begin with.

• Seeds/Plants [ Vegetables, Flowers]
• Pots/Seedling trays
• Potting mix/Compost  [ Cocopeat, Perlite, Vermiculite]
• Watering cans/sprayers
• Fertilizers( Organic or Inorganic)

In this Part I of multipart series, I am going to share what you need to buy and where. I have spent hours and hours of phone calls/searching the net to find what I want. It is really frustrating to not get what we want and sometimes this can stop one from continuing gardening. Hence I thought I would first write a post on where to get what.

I will also try to put exact address/map where ever possible.

We will go through the list of items one by one.

Seeds/Plants

Fortunately In Bangalore, there are plenty of places that you get good quality seeds of different vegetables and flowers. Here we will see the list of places that sell them.

Lalbagh:

It needs no introduction. It is a great landmark and to get there just call an auto and tell him to take to Lalbagh. Take the double road gate and after going little further inside Lalbagh, on your Left you can see NurseryMen Co-op. They sell all types of vegetable seeds and flower seeds. Vegetable seeds range from Rs 10 upto 100. You also get whole lot of accessories there. They have plastic pots, propagation trays, organic pesticides, Horse Manures, Compost, Neem cake, and a lot more. Make a visit once and you will return with goodies for your garden.

Annadana Seed savers: http://www.annadana.com

Annadana needs a special mention here. They are the only organization that I know of selling a large number of heirloom varieties of Tomatoes, Peppers, Okra, Brinjal, Lettuce, Corn, Squash, Gourds and what not. Do check their website. I get my heirloom seeds from them and hey Dept of Horticulture Hulimavu got their initial seeds from Annadana.

Dept of Horticulture – Hulimavu

Also called as Bio centre, they sell many heirloom seeds. Their speciality is Tissue culture banana plants, Medicinal and Aromatic plants. Their price is very cheap and is very much affordable.

In the map, right opposite to AECS magnolia school is DoH.

View Larger Map

Sahaja samrudha: http://www.sahajasamrudha.org/

Seed savers who save the local heritage varieties of many vegetables. They also have different varieties of Rice, millets etc.

Namdhari seeds

They are a seed company and they sell both OP and Hybrid seeds.

Namdhari seeds are sold in most of their Namdhari Fresh vegetable outlets.

http://www.namdhariseeds.com/

Indo-American Hybrid seeds.

Indo-American Seeds:

Post Bag No 7099, 17th Cross, 2nd ‘A’ Main
K.R.Road, Banashankari II Stage,
Bangalore – 560 070.
Tel: 26760111

Gandhi Nagar Area:

This is a stretch near Majestic Bus stop. Nearest landmark is Sapna Bookhouse. There around 10 shops and all of them selling seeds, fertilizers and other gardening related items.

View Larger Map

New Tharagupet:

You get seeds, fertilizers here and esp if you want in large quantities.

View Larger Map

Pots/Trays

Varsha Enterprise:

This shop is one place where you get almost everything gardening. Seeds, pots, Pro-trays, Perlite, Vermiculite, Rockwool, Cocopeat, Compost, Moss, Moss sticks, and big size pots as well.

Varsha Enterprises
Brigade Mm Annexe Block,
K R Road,
Bengaluru, Karnataka 560070, India

View Larger Map

They also have a shop in Puttenahalli near J.P Nagar.

Lalbagh:

See under seeds section

Indo-American Hybrid seeds – Garden centre

See under seeds section for address;

Potting Mix/Compost

You get good potting mixes in the following places

Lalbagh

Varsha Enterprises

Accessories

You get all kinds of accessories like watering cans, sprayers, cutters secateurs, shovel, etc.

Lalbagh

Varsha Enterprises

Fertilizers/Pesticides

New Tharagupet,

Gandhi Nagar.

With all the information provided above, it should not be difficult to find anything that you need related to gardening.However, the information I have provided is not exhaustive.

In case you know of a place that sells gardening materials but not listed here. Please send me the info and I will make it available here. So that others get benefited out of it.

More on Part II

gg

Nancy Szerlag

There’s nothing sadder then to venture into the garden in spring and discover a favorite container left standing out in the winter is shattered and damaged beyond repair.

Porous materials absorb water that expands when it freezes breaking up the walls of the container. Pottery, terra cotta, cement and cast stone are vulnerable and should be given protection in winter.

Cast stone pieces made by Campania International (www.campaniainternational.com) are manufactured of a high density cast stone mix with a PSI strength of approximately 7500 – Portland cement comes in around 5000. Yet this manufacturer of high quality pots, fountains and sculptures does not recommend leaving them out unprotected in winter.

Particularly vulnerable to frost damage are planters, birdbaths, fountains and sculptures that may hold water.

Pieces placed directly on the ground are also vulnerable to freeze damage because moisture in the material absorbed from the soil expands when it freezes.

The best way to protect your pots is to empty out the soil and store them upside down in a protected area.  If you have to leave them outdoors cover the empty pots with a waterproof tarp.

If you have a pot, statue or fountain too heavy to move, take your cues from public gardens and rig some sort of protective covering. The folks at Campania International recommend you begin by elevating the piece off the ground to prevent the material from absorbing moisture. Campania makes decorative feet designed to do just that. However, a couple of pressure treated wooden slats will also work.  Be sure not block the drain holes when positioning the wood under the containers.

Fountains and vessels that hold water should be emptied and dried. Fill the cavity with burlap bags or old blankets to absorb any moisture left in the bowl or that may accumulate over winter.

After removing and cleaning a fountain pump, according to manufacturers directions, store it in a warm frost free area. Submersible pumps should be stored in covered plastic bucket filled with water so the gaskets and seals don’t dry out.

Anything that may collect water should be fitted with some sort of waterproof cover. Heavy duty plastic sheeting, bubble wrap and waterproof canvas tarps are all possibilities.  Garden centers such as English Gardens, that specialize in fountains and statuary, carry special covers specifically designed for this purpose.

If the object is visible in the winter garden consider decorating the covering. Evergreen wreaths and roping make nice decorative coverings and skirting. A wire topiary frame standing in the middle of wreath is a perfect topper for your winter display. Grape vine wound around a conical shape will turn it into a tree-like sculpture.

If you’re handy consider building a decorative housing to drop over the top of the item you wish to protect. Lattice backed with green burlap can be fashioned into an attractive and lightweight screen that will hide a statue swathed in a blue tarp.

Square shaped box frames with lattice sides and finials attached to the corner pieces are easy to construct and can be made in almost any size.

Recycled Christmas trees strategically placed in the garden provide a winter haven for the birds and hide bundled fountains and statues.

bird bath heater

If you decide to keep your birdbath filled with in winter invest in a set of heating cables.  Keeping the water from freezing will ensure the birds have something to drink and you’re your birdbath won’t be damaged when ice forms and expands. Like pottery, cement and ceramic birdbaths are not suitable for use in winter and should be stored away in a protected area. Birdbaths made to withstand the rigors of winter are available at nature stores such as Wild Birds Unlimited.

Many folks think plastic is indestructible but they forget that UV rays of the sun can be as damaging as ice, especially to plastic. So covering plastic pots left outdoors in winter will also help extend the lives of these containers.

So what if your cement or cast stone yard art becomes damaged? All may not be lost. Liquid nails, available at most hardware stores, is great for repairing damaged cement and cast stone pieces. Bondo, used as filler in car repair, is good for filling cracks. Large pieces can be reattached with Liquid Nails. To give further support to cracked pots, after gluing encircle the container with heavy gauge wire just under the rim and tighten it to a snug fit.

As cement ages it develops small opening and cracks in the surface allowing water to penetrate. A clear concrete sealer applied every couple of years will renew the surface.  Worn or damaged areas should be touched up ASAP.  Use an oil base paint to touch up a fountain in need of repair.

Henri, manufactures of fountains (www.henristudio.com)  has a fountain care kit that helps restore and maintain the appearance of cast stone fountains, statues and birdbaths. Priced in the $25 range, it includes a cleaner and lime scale remover along with a sealer spray to restore dull or faded finishes. A water clarifier helps keep recirculation fountain water clean. The Fountain Care Kit will be available at English Gardens and Sears this spring.

Bronze sculptures sport a special patina that is usually protected with a layer of clear solvent free wax such as butcher’s wax. To preserve this patina apply a thin coat of wax annually. Statues that become discolored need have their patinas redone. Contact a local art gallery to find a professional to restore such a piece.

According to maritime experts, most shipping companies are apparently operating on razor-thin margins these days.

As much as insurance premiums have risen, it is still cheaper to pay high insurance premiums than to hire armed guards, who also come with numerous liability issues.  Furthermore, when a ship is captured, insurance companies encourage owners to pay the large ransoms, rather than to try take the even more costly route of trying to retake the vessel.  The insurance companies are apparently making out quite well from the extra piracy premiums, even in spite of the ransoms paid.

Navies around the world find it too costly to fight the pirate problem, especially when so few of their own ships, when compared to the total number, are taken.  For example, on a given day, only one out of 70 or 80 ships in the Gulf of Aden are flagged by the United States.

What I’ve been wondering about, yet have not seen any discussion on, is why ship owners aren’t getting together and sailing through the area in convoys (large groups of ships sailing together) for safety?  Are the companies in such cutthroat competition with each other that they wouldn’t consider a convoy?  Is delaying by at most a few days to sail together still far more expensive than the threat of piracy?  It appears that the Russians are doing this already.  In December 2008, the Russian frigate (warship built for speed and maneuverability) Neustrashimy escorted 13 different convoys through the Gulf of Aden.  Could there not be a multiple-country convoy that sails each day? Or is the necessity of providing a frigate still more expensive than the insurance costs?

Do any maritime or military experts out there have any answers?

I am scurrying around bringing my tender plants indoors: Lime Zinger elephant ear and Bishop of Llandaff dahlia. Both are winners everyone should grow.  I grow Zinger in a very large pot and underplant it with purple oxalis, with something to trail down, like a purple petunia.  The Bishop is the brightest crimson I’ve ever seen, except on a Cardinal flower. Its dark bronzy foliage makes it a striking plant. It is about 3-4′ tall but doesn’t need much staking. It came from Old House Gardens, one of my favorite bulb sellers.

Speaking of bulbs, time to get those daffodils and other bulbs in the ground. Happy planting.

SUMMER’S CHERRY TOMATOES

In container gardening the only difference between having a green thumb and brown one is one’s vigilance in watering and fertilizing. 

It is mid-November and I just plucked a tomato from one of our vines.  The plant is dead–since late October–but a few green fruit persist and slowly turn color, even after nearly 8″ of rain and temperatures in the 40’s, with one frosty morning. The ornamental pears are finally turning color, and I had a tartly sweet and cold cherry tomato for a snack.

 Almost every summer we enjoy cherry tomatoes grown on our deck in containers.  As long as there are six to eight hours of full sun, water, and fertilizer, they will thrive and yield the sweetest fruit from July through October.  The cherry types are early, heavy producers on compact plants; and most importantly, reward us daily with snacks and salad toppers–with minimal maintenance.  They are one of the easiest plants to grow. 

The first year we had tomatoes in pots sitting on the deck.  The first few were so delicious and sweet.  Then they never seemed to ripen.  We discovered the dog was munching them down as fast as they turned salmon-orange.  They are now grown in plastic hanging pots, well above her reach. 

We typically hunt for the variety ‘Sweet Million’, and find it in 3” or 6” pots at the Puyallup Farmer’s Market (Courthouse Square, downtown), where numerous varieties of tomatoes are available from a long time grower-vendor. 

‘Sweet Million’ is perfect for hanging containers.  They have densely compact leaf internodes on sturdy branches that cascade well.  Fruiting clusters are numerous with 8 to 20 tomatoes in each cluster.  Their one failing is fragile fruit stems, so a couple green tomatoes may drop from a cluster of twelve or more having one or two ripe tomatoes that we are picking. 

The nursery plants need to be hardened, exposed to weather for a week or two before being sold.  Hardened plants typically have a dense canopy, and deep green tough feeling foliage.  We get ours in June when a 3” size pot will have 3 branches up to 12” in length and flowers, or buds.  The first picking will be middle to late July. 

A quick primer on planting tomatoes:  The plant described above likes at least 3” of its exposed 12” height buried. These are a vining plant and most vines grow better when deeply buried.  Because these will be in hanging pots and expected to cascade, the plants are put into the pot at an angle, stems even resting on the pot rim.  Fill the pot to the rim with soil.  Then using finger tips stab the soil around the nursery ball and stem.  Flood the pot with water to the container rim and let it drain.  There should be about 1-inch clearance between soil and rim.  That’s it. Over the course of three years when I was a student, I potted and watered over a quarter million greenhouse plants this way.  It works. 

Water, water, and more water-

Potted plants in Seattle thrive or die in direct proportion to container type and size versus canopy size versus watering regimen in late July through late August.  Tomatoes are tolerant of some wilt but fruits split when wet-wilt cycles are extreme.  Leaves will burn, often turn yellow and die when too much wilting occurs. 

Plastic is optimum for hanging containers.  It’s light weight and thin-wall construction is easy on supports.  Plastic also prevents water evaporation when the greatest retention is needed. 

Here are my growing conditions, with some fruit splitting, caused mostly by unseasonable summer rain.  Two 10” diameter by 6” deep plastic pots grouped together, hung from a post with full August sun exposure.  Each pot had two nursery plants with 4 to 5 main branches for the pot, and a canopy about 24” diameter by 30” vertical.  The pots were hand watered by flooding every morning with an additional flooding in the afternoon when temperatures exceeded 90-degrees–they wilted by afternoon.  Twice daily watering occurred during the peak production weeks.  These two pots produced enough fruit for two people. 

A thin solution of liquid fertilizer is used twice a week.  I just mix up Miracle Grow concentrate in a quart milk jug and splash some into the watering can I fill at the kitchen sink. 

The plants were controlled in size by pinching tip growth at the desired mature length, about 24” to 28” branch length.  The branches were pinched just past a flower cluster.  Most suckers, or new branching—there’s one between every leaf node—were pinched off, except ones near the soil to replace older stems that would lose leaves and exhaust fruits later.  The suckers that grew were then pinched after a flower bud, also.

 Soil-

Purchased potting soil mixes tend to be too high in peat, or other under-composted organic content.  The soil drains well but needs more mineral fines to retain more water.  Also, when green (under composted) organics, especially peat, dry out rewetting them is a pain.  If this happens (you will know), a few drops of dish soap in the watering can as a wetting agent can help.  Typically, flooding the pots two or three times is necessary to re-wet soil.  I will blend garden soil into bagged soil at about 1/3 volume of on-site soil. This increases the water retention without being too heavy, or causing water-logged conditions.

I usually salvage potting soil and mix the previous summer’s container soil into my own compost pile that has fifty-percent mineral soil and aged compost.  I’m a cheap gardener. ‘Dirt’ is free—excluding mortgage—and home composting is using excess vegetation from expensive water on lawn and trees.  I compost; and avoid mixed bags that usually have a hole that dribbles dirt down my neck while humping the bag around the yard. 

Having delicious cherry tomatoes for lunch or dinner is as easy as brushing teeth every morning.  Water, and then admire the deck garden with that first cup of java.

2009-November

Quando a nossa aplicação começa a tomar dimensões muito grandes, é necessário que exista algum tipo de organização para que ela não se torne confusa. Uma ótima forma de organizar a sua aplicação é utilizando Containers. Nessa aula ensinarei a usar os 5 principais tipos de containers: Grid, Canvas, StackPanel, ScrollViewer e o Border.

Boa aula.

Obs.: Você pode melhorar a qualidade do vídeo clicando em “Menu” e, em seguida, em “High Quality”.

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 “Lids Break and Break and Break” 2009-09-12
By
Great thermos, except you should connect it to your child with a bungee cord because if it falls, the lid may break. We bought two, one for each child within the past month. Both were dropped at some point, but isn’t that what kids do? Each bottle broke the lid at the hinge, now they’re both useless. Bad design? Poor choice of plastics? I’m no product designer so I don’t know the “why”, I just know the problem.

I had to chose one star, because Amazon doesn’t let me chose zero stars.

 “great bottle, BAD lid” 2009-05-13
By Easy Shopper (USA)
The bottle itself is great, but the lid is very bad. I have two of these and both leaked from day one! Leaked so badly that my son brought a note from daycare that said “mom, it’s time to replace my thermos!” the very first day I gave it to him!

The older lids with oval buttons were much better. They never leaked, but they break very easily.

Major improvement is needed for the lids.

 “Terrible Lid Design, but you can buy a replacement” 2008-10-30
By K. LaVohn (Florida, USA)
When I was shopping for my son to start preschool, I was thrilled to find these thermos bottles. He will only drink ice water, so I thought the straw design was wonderful for him. We wanted to be kind to the environment by NOT sending a plastic bottle every day. When the Thermos cups work properly, the cups do keep the ice water cold all day long, and the straw design is okay. Plus, they do give you an extra straw when you purchase it. I thought it was the perfect cup…

HOWEVER, I am so frustrated with the Thermos lid design that I could scream!!! These cups, by the cute character designs, are geared towards younger children. My son dropped this cup once, and the lid broke. When the lid breaks, the cup is no longer spill-proof, and it cannot be used in a lunch box again (water leaked everywhere). These cups are very expensive–around $15 each. I bought him one replacement cup, and he had it for about 3 weeks before he dropped that one, and the lid broke on that one also. I cannot find any place to purchase replacement lids. And I am never going to buy another one of these cups until they change the design of the lid–or make them easier for young children with small hands to carry by adding a handle or something.

If you are lucky enough to never drop this cup, then it’s great! If you ever drop it on a hard surface, then it’s terrible.

UPDATE: I did contact the THERMOS customer care line 1-800-831-9242, and I was able to order replacement lids for the thermos cups. They only cost $2 per lid and were shipped quickly with replacement straws as well. Since you can order replacement lids, I would update my review back to 3 stars.

 “Best out there for cold drinks.” 2008-09-29
By ABC MOM (Brooklyn, NY)
There is a major hassle getting these clean. I wash these in the dishwasher too, they are certainly a nuisance to disassemble and position properly in the dishwasher, but there isn’t anything out there that isn’t. Once washed, the metal containers go into the freezer so that it is ready for drinks in the morning. The caveat with this method is that as the liquid starts to warm up a bit during the day, pressure builds and liquid can shoot out if you open the lid too quickly…minor issue.

The bottom half of the straw is polypropylene, the sippy part is silicone and there is a silicone ring sealing the lid to the container. All these parts need to be disassembled gently for cleaning. If you yank and pull, the silicone straw can rip, its happened to me once, but I’ve learned to twist rather than yank. As for the general durability of the straw? Its fine. You just have to watch your kids and explain to them that its not a good idea to chew on things that isn’t food and then replace the straws as soon as they show teeth marks. My kids use to chew the heck out of the playtex straw sippy cups too, but they are older now and we no longer have this issue.

When assembling the parts together, you must be sure to line the sipping straw to the front where the lid clamps down, this will also cover the air pressure release hole so that nothing leaks. Otherwise it will leak, but once positioned, it isn’t likely to budge out of position. So just be careful to position it properly. Our containers never leak once I figured this out.

Sometimes I’ll add a couple of ice cubes to their milk or drinks to keep it extra cold. Lately I started bagging their containers in the NYBUILT neoprene bags for the 1 liter size bottles before putting into their insulated lunch bags. It keeps everything extra cold for a long time. This way if my kids don’t finish their milk at lunch, they can still sip cold milk after school. Otherwise the milk will warm up if the container is half empty.

The straws do become stained and they do wear out after repeated use. I purchase extra sets directly from Thermos for a dollar a set. This includes the top and bottom portion of the straw. I’ll purchase a half dozen at a time and start fresh every school year.

Btw, keep the straws away from the dishwasher if you are cleaning anything with tomato sauce, the tomato pigments are highly attracted to plastic and can stain the insides of the straws.

If you are trying to avoid using bpa plastic products out there to transport drinks, you can’t go wrong with these. I’ve purchased 7 of these over the last 4 years and use it daily for my kid’s milk for school.

It sounds crazy that I go through this daily so my kids can take milk to school, especially since the school provides milk practically for free, and I can afford to buy the tetra pak milks.

But I am very particular. I insist on Organic, Grass Pastured, non UHT, Whole milk. Since my kids drink so much milk, its the best I can do for them and there is no other way for me to provide it without these containers. To try and avoid the daily hassle of disassembling and cleaning —- I’ve looked high and low for alternatives –but this is it.

update — 10/06/08

I went to get the star wars design b/c my kids are crazy for star wars just realized that thermos has updated the design of the thermos. its a little easier to clean now. 2 pieces instead of 3 and much easier to remove.

 “Great idea but leaky” 2008-08-27
By Mama RB (Berkeley, CA)
I bought two designs of this product because I thought it was such a good idea. I still like the idea of a non-plastic thermos for my kids’ lunchboxes, but these are now strictly at-home items because they leak so badly. A lunchbox saturated with milk is not something I look forward to cleaning every evening! Both of ours leaked, and we tried tightening them as much as we could. I recommend the Kleen Canteen over this item, even though the KC is not insulated.

If anyone has any suggestions for an insulated lunchbox sized metal thermos that does not leak, please comment my review. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

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Gardening is all about choice. You get to choose what you want to grow, how you want to grow and where you want to grow. For apartment dwellers, the choice of place to grow is very limited and that is when containers come for rescue. Ok! now we have pots of all sizes and materials available in the market right? so where is the problem? Why a separate post for that? The problem is in the price! I am not sure about other countries or other states in India but if you are a software engineer in Bangalore, you are already paying 2-3 times the original price of a product. Especially when it comes to containers, the prices are way too expensive and it is not at all justified.

Sometime back, I checked the price of a plastic window sill planter (pic below) and its price is whopping 300 Rs!?.. I mean it was good looking and all.. but seriously 300? I just couldn’t digest the fact.

Priced at Rs 300/- a piece.

I started searching for options and found many other alternatives. I found many places in Bangalore where plastic items are disposed and trucks used to collect in loads for recycling. I checked the nearby “Gujiri shops” ( i dont know what it exactly means though), i used to pass by when commuting to work. They had lots of containers with them such as milk crates, supermarket crates. etc.  Shown in the pic below is one such. Measuring 2 feet by 1.5 feet and 9 inches deep, it is the ideal container i can get for growing coriander, palak, lettuce and what not?

Guess how much it cost me? Rs 50 a piece… that is it. There was 4 such tubs and I got all the 4 of them for 200. Now tell me why would one buy for Rs 300.

Milk crates like the one below are sold by weight. A kilogram is around 30 Rs

Lettuce is growing happily in it..

Also, dust bins are very versatile containers ,though their life is not that great and start breaking after 6 months if you keep in the hot sun. But if you are growing in balcony, it is the best you have got.

Price: Rs 14 a piece. Unbelievable but true. It holds 8 litres of media. If you buy a similar sized pot from a garden shop you will be charged atleast 75 bucks. You can buy these dustbins for the above said price only in few places. Your next door supermarket might sell this to you for Rs 50..atleast mine does. This is for Rs 14 a piece in Avenue Road.a.k.a city market.

I have grown tomatoes, Okra, chillies and am growing cabbages in these bins. Works like a charm and cheap!.

If you are looking for big size containers, paint buckets are your best friend. They come in 20L volume and has a handle too. It might cost you around 50-70rs a piece. This is a fast selling item. Many use it as a bucket.

Tomatoes, Eggplant, Capsicum grow well in 20L buckets and almost all other vegetables can be grown.

my latest addition is this tin. I am yet to make holes in this tin because it is so good. It is priced at 70 a piece. 1ft dia and 1.5 foot deep.

Last but not the least! Polythene and HDPE bags. The bags in which potato plants are growing came with compost. So they are pretty much free.

The thick polythene bag below holding a eggplant is sold at around 80/- per kg.

And if you have the necessary tools, you can convert old PVC pipes into growing machines. We will see about that in one of the future posts.

If you have a fat wallet  then garden shops are your friend. But if you want value for money and don’t mind the looks, then there are so many options. go start searching your neighborhood. Once you find such a place you will never buy those pricey pots.

This list is not exhaustive and remember there are million more options.Creativity is the limit. But please don’t use eggshells and old shoes

gg

Do you grow lilies? They grow well in containers, where they can be positioned for maximum effect in the garden.

Yesterday, I showed you how to prune a Jade. Now, let’s plant the cuttings.

Jades are wonderful because you don’t have to root the stems before they can go in the ground. I actually pruned Rosa on Wednesday, so the cuttings have had a couple of days to scar. Here’s what they look like now:

Jade cuttings

They would’ve been fine sittng out for another couple of days. I would say let them scar anywhere from 2 days to 5 days – after 5 days you’re really killing the cuttings or leaves.

It’s cold in Albuquerque today (it snowed yesterday like crazy!), so I’m doing these transplants in the house with newspapers rather than outside where cleanup is so much easier.

I generally save all containers and reuse them. Sometimes over and over, especially in the case of little ones.

You can’t have a container without a saucer to catch the water. Saucers are musts always. But you don’t have to use the clear ones like I am here. You can use a plate or a tray. Be imaginative!

See this cup? This is what I used to scoop the soil from the bag.

Now it’s a saucer.

Plastic cup turned saucer

In the plant industry, saucers are really called liners. It doesn’t matter what you call them, the point is you need to make sure it holds water. You want don’t want to spill water all over the shelf every time you water the plant there.

Besides lowering the spillability possibilities, a good saucer/pot combo means you can dress it up like practically anything.

Saucer/pot combo is a must!

Knowing it won’t spill opens up a world of possibilities for exterior containers. These small grower pots are handy, and that plastic cup sure is effective, but neither of them are cute. In the plant business, we always put grower pots and saucers inside pretty containers.

I looked around my house for containers.

Cute baby Jade

That’s adorable. Think what it would look like when it’s 2 inches taller, so cute. But I actually use that cup to hold my scouring pad and brushes, so I’m not going to keep the plant in it. Besides, I’m not keeping the plant. I’m going to wait until all of them get a little stronger, then use them as gifts.

I’ll bet that if you look around your house with fresh eyes, you’ll see lots of ways to decorate your plant pots.

Really, you can make almost anything work. Like a bandana, for example.

A bandana for decoration

I had this nice ribbon.

Using ribbon as decoration

Heck, even tissue paper would work to make a nice gift for someone.

Tissue paper can turn an ugly growers pot into a cute gift

Check back tomorrow. I took this little Jade plant with me to Savers (a thrift store in Albuquerque) today to prove that you can use almost anything as a decorative pot. I’ll post the photos tomorrow. I have him posing in everything from a cowboy boot to a baseball glove.

Here’s a look at the other finished transplants from Rosa the Jade cuttings. I have high hopes for the one consisting entirely of leaves – I think it’ll grow a strong healthy base. We’ll see, eh?

Jade cuttings in their new pots

Caring for houseplants is a continuous experimentation!

I have had the pleasure of living all over the world, and gardening in each of those many places that I have lived.  I have been recently spoiled by living in Oregon, by the extreme wealth of plants, especially evergreen plants that can be used to make a garden look great in the dead of winter.  Now that I am spending some time in the Midwest again, I am finding myself frustrated at the minute amount of interesting plant choices for winter interest.  I am making it my personal quest to open people’s minds to newer plants, or plants that would not have been hardy here before.  One of those plants that is not necessarily new to the market, but they are making a big impact right now are Helleborus, or Lenten Roses.  They are a tough plant that thrives in cold weather, and forms a nice clump of leathery leaves that are evergreen.  In warmer parts of the US they start to bloom around Christmas, hence the Lenten Rose name.  Here in the Midwest they will not start to bloom until around March, but they are still one of the first things to brighten up the bleak landscape.  I love the flowers, but honestly for me the biggest impact is to see their shiny green foliage peeking up at me out of the snow throughout the winter. 

In the past few years many people have started to realize what an interesting and worthy plant the Hellebore is.  That means that they became the darlings of plant breeders on many continents.  We humble gardeners can benefit from their interest with the ever-expanding array of new varieties.  Some of the new varieties have different colored blooms that range from almost true black, pinks, chartreuse, and creamy ivory.  The new varieties are also being bred so that their single, or double flowers are more prominent.  Old fashioned varieties had extremely nodding flowers that were hidden by that lovely thick foliage.  Now the flowers tend to stand up to be seen. 

Other improvements are that the plants are becoming more compact.  Older varieties tended towards leggy-ness and showed a bit too much stem.  Now the norm is a much tighter and neater looking clump.  You can find taller varieties still though, just check the tags of the varieties you see for their heights.  Another improvement is that they have more interesting foliage.  Crosses have been made between several of the different species of Hellebores to mingle their genes and traits.  Because I think the foliage is so cool,  this is of the most interest to me.  Helleborus foetidus and Helleborus x sternii are two examples of my favorites for the best foliage.  Their leaves are particularly thick, and have a web of veination in silver that shines against the dark green leaves.  Some have silvery undersides that are shown off by the leave’s slight curl.  That touch of silver makes them a welcome addition to the partially shady garden that they are most happy in.  The silver picks up what little light there is and reflects it back, making the whole area seem lighter.  When they are happy where they are planted, they will form a large, healthy sized clump.  To make them happy, plant them in a rich soil with lots of organic material.  They prefer not to be fertilized at all, but will tell you when they need it by yellowing leaves.  The leaves can get tattered after a long winter.  Most people cut those leaves off when they start to bloom, which also helps make the delicate flowers more visible. 

Did I mention that Hellebores are almost completely deer-proof?  Slugs don’t even like them that much.  Evergreen.  They grow in shade.  How much more perfect can you get?

Hellebores make great additions to just about any garden from my point of view, but one place that they work wonderfully well and are infrequently used is in containers.  Especially winter containers.  The foliage has such a unique texture and color to it.  It pairs well with many other choices like blue fescue grass, and ajuga.   Because the foliage is evergreen it makes a great presence over the cold months when everything else in the world seems dead.  Hellebores are not fast growers which means they will not take over any container you plant them in.  They can remain an anchor plant in containers throughout the seasons, only looking better with time. 

Here are some of my favorite and best performing varieties for zone 5 areas.

Hellebore ‘Ivory Prince’   Hellebore ‘Janet Starnes’    Helleborus x  pre=”x “>hybridus ‘Mardi Gras’   Helleborus x hybridus ‘Party Dress’  Helleborus x sternii ‘Hot Flash’

WOW Logistics received the following testimonial from a 4PL (fourth party logistics provider) partner building on our current logistics relationship: 

“We have been working with WOW Logistics now for the past 2 years and our experience with them as a 4PL provider has been nothing short of excellent! They arrange the inbound of each container from the Port of Philadelphia and the outbound of each load while using our facility to cross-dock the product for shipment to Wisconsin. Preparation is the key and since the beginning, WOW Logistics had in a very clear and concise manner outlined the process and workflow so that everyone involved would understand their role. They also anticipated any possible issues we could encounter with resolutions so that they could be resolved quickly and efficiently. WOW Logistics has always had containers delivered on time and trucks available for pick-up without incident. Most importantly they have a very knowledgeable and friendly staff that is always available when and if there are any issues.

With the amount of product that passes through our facility it is hard to believe that the process runs as smoothly as it does and thanks to our partners at WOW Logistics we all get the job done right the first time. We look forward to continuing the successful partnership we have created with WOW Logistics for years to come! “

Marcello Pisapia
Sales Manager
Preferred Freezer Services

So if you live in a cold climate where snow steals your garden joy, do not give up hope!  Who is to say that you cannot create a nice small mirage of green, living things poking out from under that blanket of snow you see outside your window (Minnesota).  Or maybe something green through the heavy sheeting rain (Portland).   If so, here are some easy thoughts for you to make your winter containers shine.

The first decision you need to make is about a container to hold your soon to be created design.  Fiber, plastic or stone?  Most nurseries will sell you a fiber pot which can be easily recycled after a long wet winter sitting outside.  You can just easily use a plain plastic pot.  If you do choose to use a terra-cotta or stone pot make sure that it is frostproof.  If you keep soil in your container and it is not frostproof the moisture in the soil will expand when it turns to ice and blow up your nice, fancy Italian terra-cotta.  Not so pretty.  Containers that are frostproof are generally thicker, and made from heavier materials and have a thicker layer of glaze covering them.  Always check though, and if you are in doubt, don’t use it. 

Your choices might be a bit more limited for cold loving plants but there are still plenty of options that can be brilliant performers.  It just means that you have to be a bit more creative in what you can use, and think outside the box.  The “rules” for designing a container are the same summer and winter though.  They look best when you have your thrillers, spillers and fillers.  Tall dramatic accents can come in the form of twigs, grasses, or dried botanicals.  Leafy full plants like Heuchera, Boxwood, and small Pines will fill up the space and interplay with other plants.  Then spillers like Ajuga, drooping grasses, ivy, and Hellebores will soften the edge.  Play with textures and colors, but for winter you do not have the added excitement of flowers.  Your drama has to come from somewhere else. 

First, scout out your garden and shrubs and look for some dried botanicals that can add some interest and survive the winter.  Red Twig Dogwood stems, after they have turned their bright red color make excellent tall accents.  Viburnum branches with their dark, rich berries are nice.  Cotoneaster berries have a bright reddish-orange color and can be used to arch over the edge of a container.  Sumac is a favorite of mine, and can easily be found along roadsides.  Cut the thick, feathery heads that have a lovely, rich caramel color.  Hang them upside down somewhere out of the light to finish their natural drying process. Another option is to cheat a little and check out your local craft store for some silks.  Around the holidays I will typically add accents like giant ornaments in bright colors.  Other items like gazing balls, mirrors and ribbon can add a nice punch of color that will hold up through the winter. 

Now that you have your collection of drama pieces, it is time to look for some living things to remind you that the world is not all dead.  Some options that I use with regularity are Heuchera which are wonderful because they have a wide range of colors and are big enough to bush out.  Other options are hellebores which have a thick, shiny foliage and hold up well to the elements.  Creeping Ajuga is also a stellar creeping performer in winter containers.  There are quite a large selection of varieties of this groundcover plant to choose from.  What I do is just pull a few clumps out of my one of my gardens, and transplant them into the container.  Dianthus with their spiky, silvery foliage hold up well through part of the winter.  Pulmonaria are great because of their intensely silver fuzzy leaves that reflect the scant winter light.  Grasses are always a major player in the winter containers that I design.  The way they wave in the breeze, and their flower heads hold the soft, fluffy snow on their delicate tips make them an interesting and vital component.  Their normal beige color also makes them a good backdrop to highlight the other darker plants in a design.  Grasses come in such a range of colors, textures, and flowers that it can be hard to choose.  Carex are always good choices, because of their unusual winter colors and thicker foliage.  Talk to the friendly folk at your local garden center for the best performers for your area that will not overwhelm your container.

One of the best pieces of advice I can offer for planting a winter container is to stuff that baby to the gills!  The plants will not grow through the season and get any bigger.  In order for the container to look finished, choose bigger plants, and a smaller container.  If you need some bigger plants, but might not want to spend the dollars, take a trip to your local mass merchant plant seller.  They usually have a large selection of #1 or #2 size evergreen shrubs like Mugo Pines, Boxwood, or Dwarf Alberta Spruces.  The Dwarf Alberta has a slight blue-green tinge that would pair well with a dark purple Heuchera, and the dark green of a hellebore.  Add a Dianthus, or blue fescue to the mix for a nice, long-lasting glimpse of hope that winter will not go on forever. 

Don’t think that at the end of the winter all of these plants will be tossed out like annuals though.  Most plants, if they have not been subjected to extreme conditions will live to be useful again in the spring.  They are all mostly dormant during the winter, which means that they can tolerate a lot more abuse and neglect.  They do not need fertilizer during the winter, and in most cases you do not even need to water your container.  On sunny, warmish days they might.  Some plants like Heuchera stay in my containers year round as a background, and I just change out the design around them.  Others like Hellebores or Ajuga will get transplanted back into my garden.  Maybe I will use them again next year, maybe not.    They are all great textural plants that will do the same for your garden as they did for your view out your kitchen window.

CPS Containter and Packaging Supply has the necessary tools for storing your survival foods and materials.

It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the Valley, quiet and very peaceful. As I look out over the yard and beyond, I am always amazed at how much color there is in the desert. At this moment, a hummingbird is hovered over a bright, Red Justicia flower and stunning, pink Oleander flowers peek out over the fence. In the distance, I can see the deep, green color of grass and trees. The Yellow Bells are in full bloom as are the Yellow Dot, the purple, orange, red, white and yellow Lantana. The contrast of the white flowers of the Blackfoot Daisy and the beautiful, deep, purple flowers of Langman’s Sage is a desert delight.

I am not always certain what colors will pop up in my yard at any time during the year. I am not picky about color. If a plant survives past its first summer, let alone blooms, I feel incredibly lucky!

Yunanistan  Ambalaj Malzemeleri İmalatçıları Derneiği

Association of the Greek Manufacturers of Packaging and Materials

www.pac.gr

1—–  Paper – Carton – Corrugated box     www.pac.gr/english/xarti.html

2—–  Plastics    www.pac.gr/english/plastico.html

3—– Flexible packaging      www.pac.gr/english/eykampti.html

4—– Metallic packaging – aluminium  www.pac.gr/english/metallo.html

5—- Glassy packaging  www.pac.gr/english/gyali.html