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APRIL 2014

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Spring Home & GARDEN

Friday, April 18, 2014

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Friday, April 18, 2014

Spring Home & GARDEN

PAGE 3

Container gardens

t s i w t with a

By Tresa Erickson

F

rom high-rise condos to country cottages, container gardens can make a great addition to any home.

And, they’re easy to create.

All it takes is a little soil, some seedlings and a few containers. You can find potting soil and seedlings at your local nursery and all the containers you need at home.

Almost anything that can hold soil and plants can be used for a container garden.

Consider these options: • Aquariums • Baby buggies • Barrels • Baskets • Bathtubs • Boots and shoes • Bottles • Bowls • Buckets • Cans • Chairs • Coffee mugs • Colanders • Cradles

• Crates • Cups • Desks • Dresser drawers • Hats • Helmets • Jars • Jugs • Kettles • Kids’ pools • Lunchboxes • Mailboxes • Paint cans • Pitchers • Pots and pans • Rowboats • Shopping carts • Sinks • Tins • Tires • Tackle boxes • Toolboxes • Toy cars and trucks • Wagons • Watering cans • Wheelbarrows

With a few modifications, any of these items would make great container gardens. Take a look around your home.

You are sure to find more options. Old burlap sacks,

Protect Your Investment • 100% Aluminum • NO Painting • NO Leaks • Many Colors • Gutter Guard for example, can easily be converted into hanging planters. Got a worn table sitting in the back of the garage? Convert it into a planter. Cut a hole in the top, sink a pot into the hole and twist any vines that emerge around the table legs. Now that’s a planter, and the best part is, you reused the table instead of tossing it into the landfill.

Just imagine how lovely your new planter will look on your front porch surrounded by several pairs of old rain boots blooming with flowers.

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GARDEN A special project of the Faribault Daily News 514 Central Avenue Faribault, MN 55021 507-333-3100 Publisher Steve Pope

Spring Home & Garden, April 2014 is distributed to subscribers and readers of the Faribault Daily News at no additional charge. All advertising contained herein is the responsibility of the advertisers.

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PAGE 4

By Tresa Erickson

Spring Home & GARDEN

o t a Tom e m i T Caprese Salad

Y

ou love to garden, and more often that not, you end up with more produce than you can use. You give away much of the excess. Yet there always seems to be some left, tomatoes, in particular. Lucky for you, there are lot of recipes that call for tomatoes. Here are some you might want to try.

Avocado, Tomato & Mango Salsa

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced 4 tomatoes, diced 1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 t. salt 2 T. lime juice 1/4 c. red onion, chopped 3 T. olive oil Combine avocado, tomatoes, mango, jalapeno, cilantro and garlic. Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

6 tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil 1-1/2 T. balsamic vinegar 6 leaves fresh basil, slivered 1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, cubed Salt and ground black pepper, to taste Combine tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and basil in a large bowl. Gently fold in mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Chill before serving.

Fried Green Tomatoes

2 eggs 2 T. water 1 c. all-purpose flour 1 c. yellow cornmeal Sea salt, to taste Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 lbs. green tomatoes, sliced 1 c. canola oil for frying, or as needed Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Beat eggs and water and set aside. Place flour and cornmeal in separate bowls. Season cornmeal with salt and pepper. Dip tomato slices in flour and then in egg mixture. Press into cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess.

Transfer to baking sheet in a single layer.

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Heat about 1/4 inch canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry tomato slices in batches until golden crisp, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain and serve.

Garlic Tomato Spread

2 lbs. tomatoes, halved lengthwise 1/2 c. olive oil 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 T. dried oregano 1 t. sugar 1 t. salt Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, oregano, sugar and salt. Bake for 1 hour. Turn tomatoes over and roast until caramelized and very soft, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Transfer tomato mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.

Stuffed Tomatoes

7 tomatoes 1 c. water 1 c. instant rice 1 lb. lean ground beef 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, diced 1 pinch garlic salt Ground black pepper, to taste 2 15-oz. cans tomato sauce 1 6-oz. can tomato juice Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Remove tomato tops and set aside. Scoop out tomato pulp, transfer to a bowl and chop. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add rice and cover pan. Let stand until rice absorbs water, about 5 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef until browned and crumbly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and combine with cooked rice, onion, garlic, garlic salt

Friday, April 18, 2014

and pepper. Add tomato pulp and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Set hollowed-out tomatoes in baking dish, fill with ground beef mixture and insert tomato tops. Pour tomato juice over filled tomatoes.

Bake until tomatoes are tender and filling is hot, about 20 minutes.

Tomato Bagel Sandwiches

1 bagel, split and toasted 2 T. cream cheese 1 tomato, thinly sliced Salt and pepper, to taste 4 leaves fresh basil Spread cream cheese on bagel halves. Top with tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with basil leaves.

Tomato Bruschetta

6 tomatoes, chopped 1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil 3 cloves minced garlic 1/4 c. olive oil 2 T. balsamic vinegar 1/4 c. fresh basil 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. ground black pepper 1 French baguette, sliced 2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese Preheat oven on broiler setting. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown. Divide tomato mixture over baguette slices. Top with mozzarella cheese. Broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

These are just a few recipes for turning those extra tomatoes into savory summer fare. Consult your cookbooks for further recipes and enjoy!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Spring Home & GARDEN

PAGE 5

Wildflower Oasis

Wildflower Oasis

By Tresa Erickson

H

ave you ever caught sight of a patch of wildflowers growing along the side of a road?

Lovely, wasn’t it? Have you thought about creating your own wildflower patch? Wildflower gardens are like any other garden. They take time to plant and cultivate into the mass of loveliness spotted roadside, but once they take off, you will have a lovely garden for years to come.

While wildflowers are hardy and tend to grow without assistance, they do take some work to start. It is not enough to drop some seeds onto the ground like Mother Nature does roadside. You need a site with partial to full sun, and you need to prep the site accordingly. So, grab your garden tools and prepare to clear the area.

How you go about clearing the site will depend on the size of it. If it is a small area, you may be able to dig out the weeds by hand. If it is a rather large area, you may want to mow it and cover it with plastic for a couple of months to smother

Healthy, lush and full

By Tresa Erickson

L

ive in a high-rise complex in the middle of a bustling city, and trees probably weigh little on your mind.

Live in a suburban home amid beautifully landscaped lawns, and trees probably mean a great deal to you. Trees provide a source of beauty, shade and value, and the best landscapes feature one, if not many.

If you have some trees in your landscape, here are some tips to ensure they stay healthy for years to come.

Learn as much as you can about the trees in your landscape. What problems are the trees susceptible to? Elm trees, for example, are susceptible to Dutch elm disease, which usually begins with a dying branch or two in the top of the tree. Dutch elm disease has wiped out hundreds of elm trees across the United States. Read up on the trees in your area and know how to spot the first signs of trouble.

Inspect the trees in your landscape periodically. Are they healthy? Are they full, lush and green? Are the leaves and branches disease and insect free? If not, now is the time to bring in a professional to evaluate any suspicious-looking trees.

The trees may be healthy, just in need of a good pruning, or they could be suffering from a disease. One diseased tree can lead to several diseased trees in a very short time.

Take care of the trees in your landscape. Tend to those that need it and leave the others be. Healthy, mature trees generally require very little care. Don’t overdo it with the watering, fertilizing and pruning. Most mature trees do not require additional water or fertilizer, nor do they require regular pruning. The removal of dead branches, water sprouts and base suckers is enough. You may mulch around your trees if you wish to reduce weeds, retain moisture and prevent mower nicks, but it is not necessary.

Finally, respect the trees in your landscape. Mow and trim around them with care. Keep cars, trucks and heavy machinery away from them to reduce the risk of compacting the soil and damaging the roots. Should your home undergo a remodel, mark off your trees to keep heavy equipment operators away from them.

Trees are an important aspect of a landscape. Care for yours properly. Prune them when necessary, respect them always and watch over them with care.

the weeds or apply an herbicide to kill the weeds more quickly. When the area is cleared, you will need to till it and apply some herbicide spray. This will remove any weeds remaining. Then you can rake and level the soil.

Now you are ready to plant the seeds.

Choose species native to your area. Wildflower seeds can be tiny, so mix yours with sand to make them easier to plant. Scatter the mix evenly across the site and rake it in lightly. Then water the area thoroughly and cover it with straw to keep the birds away.

With regular watering, the seeds should

germinate in 10 to 21 days and bloom in five to six weeks. To help fill in the garden and keep weeds at bay, you may want to plant some grasses. Hardy fescues, such as Kentucky 31 tall fescue grass, work well in wildflower gardens.

In the beginning, you will need to weed and water your wildflower garden regularly, reseed it periodically and mow it down each fall. Once the flowers get established, there will be very little maintenance to keep your oasis intact. Add some benches, weed now and then, and enjoy!

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PAGE 6

Spring Home & GARDEN to ensure you select the right color.

Consider your neighborhood

Study your neighborhood.

What color are most of the homes in the area? Brown, white and gray? If so, then you might want to stick to a neutral shade. A bright pink home in a sea of brown, white and gray will get the neighbors talking and might even bother some of them.

Take your color cues from your neighbor’s homes. If there is quite a mix of colors, then you may have more leeway. Just be careful that you don’t pick a color that draws unwanted attention.

Consider your landscape

Study your yard and the yards around your home.

What do you see? Lush, green lawns? City streets?

Desert landscapes? Select a siding color that will accentuate the landscape. A lavender home might look out of place in a desert landscape but work well in an urban landscape, especially one known for its array of colors.

The color quandary

By Tresa Erickson

W

arm days are here again, and it’s time you got serious about your home’s exterior.

It could use some work, and while a paint job would do wonders, you’re thinking about taking a different route—vinyl siding.

That’s right. You’re ready to shell out some bucks to rid yourself of the hassles of painting. No more hauling

five-gallon buckets of paint home, hoisting everything up the ladder and spending long hours under the sun with a paintbrush in hand. You’ve found a siding installer.

You’ve selected a siding style. Now all you need to do is choose the right siding color for your home.

Vinyl siding is easy to install, requires very little maintenance and lasts a long time, making it a popular choice among homeowners. It costs more than paint,

however, so you will want to make sure you choose the right color the first time around. If the exterior of your home has been the same color since you bought it and you like that color, then the choice might be a no-brainer.

Look for a siding color similar to the paint color already on your home. If you are not real fond of the color of your home’s exterior and are ready for a change, the decision might be a little more difficult. Here are some tips

Consider your home’s architectural style

Study the architectural style of your home. What colors would suit it best?

Some architectural styles lend themselves to a certain color palette. Colonials, for example, look best in white, cream or beige, while Craftsman homes look best in darker colors like browns and reds. Do a little research on the architectural style of your home and find out what colors traditionally work best on the exterior.

Consider your home’s features

Study the features of your home. What do you see? Red brick? Ornate columns? Rustic window boxes and shutters? Black shingles? White gutters? The siding color you select should complement the features of your home.

Red brick and black shingles

Friday, April 18, 2014

might not work with buttercup yellow siding. While you could paint the brick, you don’t want to cause undue work for yourself. Do yourself a favor and choose a siding color that will complement all of the features of your home.

Consider your own preferences

Study your preferences.

Do you want your home to stand out or blend in? Do you have a color in mind for your home’s exterior that you can’t live without? It’s your home, so choose a siding color you can live with for years to come. If you want your home to stand out and complement your rose beds, go ahead and choose the rosy pink siding. If you want your home to blend in and complement your red brick, choose the reddish-brown siding. If you cannot bear the thought of your home being any color but yellow, then go ahead and choose the buttercup yellow siding.

Consider the limitations of vinyl

While vinyl siding does last, it will fade over time.

Understand that the siding color you select today may not be the same color years from now. That deep blue could be a much softer blue 10 years from now and a really pale blue 30 years from.

Try to choose a siding color that will fade less or you can live with as it fades.

Selecting the color of vinyl siding takes time.

Don’t rush it. Study the color choices carefully, select the ones that appeal to you most and start narrowing down the options based upon the criteria above. When you have three or four choices in mind, ask for a list of homes featuring those vinyl siding colors and drive by them to see what the colors look like in the sunlight. Vinyl siding is a costly endeavor that you do not want to have to redo.

Make sure you choose the right color!

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Friday, April 18, 2014

Spring Home & GARDEN

PAGE 7

Compost for a better lawn

By Tresa Erickson

D

o you compost? Do you save grass clippings, leaves, yard waste, kitchen scraps and more for the compost bin? If so, you have some really good fertilizer on your hands, and unlike traditional chemical-based fertilizers, your compost will not harm the environment.

Compost is great for top-dressing lawns two or three times a year. It adds vital nutrients to the lawn, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It works fast, doesn’t smell and won’t stain concrete or burn the grass. And, it is easy to apply.

No matter where you live, the best time to top-dress your lawn is when the grass is actively growing. If you live in an area with a cool climate, spring to mid-summer is ideal.

If you live in a warm climate, mid-summer is ideal.

Top-dressing a lawn with compost is easy.

First, you need to aerate and seed the lawn.

Then, you can apply the compost. Make sure

the compost is finely textured. This will ensure even raking later. If your compost is coarse and lumpy, consider purchasing some from a nursery.

Apply the compost on a dry, calm day.

Shovel some around the yard in piles and then spread it out in a thin layer. When you are finished, you should be able to see more grass than compost. If you don’t, you have spread it too thickly and it could smother the grass.

Next, water the compost for about 20 minutes or so. Then, leave it be. Give it time to work its way into the soil, break down and release vital nutrients. After a week, you should be able to mow and water your lawn as usual.

Within a few weeks, you should begin to see some improvement.

Top-dressing your lawn with compost a few times a year will do it good. You will have a fuller, greener, healthier lawn. More importantly, you will make Mother Earth happy and never have to rely on chemical-based fertilizers again.

Watering a lawn can do more harm than good if the lawn is not watered correctly. Excessive watering is a waste of water and can cost homeowners money while harming the environment at the same time. Water that is not absorbed by the lawn can result in runoff, which causes nitrogen in the grass, any fertilizer that was applied and chemicals in the water itself to run into gutters and eventually pollute streams, rivers and oceans.

In addition, grass needs oxygen in the soil to grow properly. But when a lawn is overwatered, the oxygen between the soil particles is pushed out, depriving roots of the oxygen they need to grow in strong. This leads to shallow root systems, which make a lawn more susceptible to stress, disease and insect infestation. But overwatering can also be unsightly, as lawns that are overwatered tend to have more weeds, robbing even the greenest of lawns of its aesthetic appeal.

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PAGE 8

Spring Home & GARDEN

Friday, April 18, 2014

A safer alternative

By Tresa Erickson

E

very fall homeowners across the country pull out their ladders, buckets and scoops and prepare for the arduous chore of cleaning out their gutters.

Gutters are essential for directing water away from the home and must be free of debris in order to do their job effectively. Leaves, acorns, pine needles and more can fill gutters quickly in the fall and lead to major issues later. Getting up on a ladder and scooping out debris from gutters is not an easy task. It is quite the hassle, in fact, so much so that many homeowners have opted for a gutter guard system.

There are hundreds of gutter guard systems on the market. Some you can install yourself. Others require the

skills of a professional to install. Cost is based on a number of factors, including materials.

Gutter guard systems come in a variety of materials. Some of the most common include copper, aluminum, plastic, mesh and foam. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Copper is expensive and difficult to install, but it will not rust. It must be sealed periodically to prevent it from turning green. Aluminum costs less than copper and is durable, but it can be difficult to install. Plastic is also durable, easier to install and will not rust. It can crack, however, especially in cold temperatures. Mesh and foam work best as filters in gutter systems. They are inexpensive, easy to install and allow for better water flow all around, but they tend

to get clogged quickly.

Most gutter guard systems come in two designs: screens or covers. Screens act as filters, allowing for more water to run through gutters while keeping out large debris.

They are usually made from aluminum, foam or nylon or metal mesh. Perched inside of gutters, screens are hidden from view. They are the least expensive of the two designs and the easiest to install.

They are not nearly as durable as covers, however.

Covers are usually made from metal or plastic and sit on top of gutters within view.

Larger than screens, they can be difficult to install. Covers keep debris out of gutters but do not allow as much water to pass through as screens do.

As with any home improvement, you should do your homework when select-

ing a gutter guard system.

Find out what is available in your area and what will work best for your budget and know-how. If you decide to go with a professional, review the options carefully and find out if annual inspections are included in the packages presented. If not, be prepared to do the inspections yourself. If you decide to install a system yourself, take the necessary precautions. Get a buddy to help you and follow the manufacturer’s directions.

The whole point of as gutter guard system is to keep debris out of gutters and homeowners safe on the ground. Hundreds of injuries occur every year from annual gutter cleanings. Don’t let it happen to you. Consider investing in the safer alternative of a gutter guard system.

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