lewis county home & garden

Home & Garden

A 2012 Feature Section

Lewis County

Indoor AirQuality Leftover Paint Gardening Tips Local CSAs

& Farmers Markets

2 • Lewis County Home & Garden �• The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash. Thursday, April 5, 2012

eliminate five common sources of indoor air pollution.

CIGARETTE SMOKE: Levine points to cigarette smoke as the most irritating form of indoor air pollution.

Eliminating this is easy: Homeowners simply should never smoke inside their residences, she says. Cigarette smoke has a habit of lingering in a home’s carpeting, bedding, furniture and walls.

DUST MITES: Another common cause of poor indoor air quality is dust mites. These critters are microscopic. And it’s not the mites themselves that cause people to sneeze, tear up or cough – it’s the excrement they leave behind. These dust mite pellets trigger asthma and allergy symptoms. Because they can’t be seen, dust mites enjoy living in

Breathers, beware! The air inside your home could need some serious cleaning. Here are the top 5 culprits

Persistent cough? Always sneezing? Having trouble concentrating or sleeping? There’s plenty of reasons this

could happen, but it shouldn’t be because of the air you breathe, which is something that any homeowner can take steps to control.

Alanna Levine, a pediatrician in New York, sees plenty of children with persistent coughs and sneezes that result from poor indoor air quality. Some are miserable enough that they can’t complete their homework or struggle to focus in school.

Parents usually assume that their children are suffering from bacterial infections when the real culprit is closer to home: In fact, it is the home.

Fortunately, homeowners can take some simple steps to lessen or

bedding, stuffed animals and furniture, undetected by homeowners.

One way homeowners can cut down on this microscopic population is by keeping their residence’s humidity levels between 30 to 50 percent with a good humidifier. Homeowners also can cover their beds and box springs with allergen-proof coverings.

PETS: Pets, too, are a common cause of indoor air pollution. The best solution is often a painful one; those who are allergic to pets, or who have children who are, might have to part with their furry companions.

If the allergies aren’t too severe, pet owners can lessen the allergic impact by making sure their pets stay off the furniture and beds and by bathing them more frequently.

MOLD/MILDEW: Tony Abate, vice president of operations at AtmosAir Solutions in Fairfield, Conn., says that mold and mildew can cause air quality problems. Mold and mildew usually pop up because of moisture problems, so it’s important to keep homes dry, especially in basements, crawl spaces and other areas susceptible to moisture.

Abate, a certified indoor environmentalist, recommends that homeowners make sure their downspouts and gutters are working properly, that the grading of the land outside their homes slopes away from their residences and that they stock a dehumidifier in their basements if that area has extremely high humidity.

CARPET: Dick Gebhart, technology manager for Owens Corning, a global building-materials provider, points to carpeting as a fifth culprit. Carpeting can prove an irresistible home to dust mites and chemicals that cause people to sneeze and cough. “I don’t think a lot of people are aware of indoor air pollution. They think that air pollution comes from the outside,” Gebhart says. “They don’t think about the impact that their furniture, their carpeting or even their electronic devices have on the quality of the air inside their homes.”

Gebhart recommends that homeowners replace old carpeting. They also can invest in a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air – HEPA – filter. This filter prevents vacuums from kicking up an abundance of dust.

Homes are built differently today, Abate says. Construction is tighter. This means that indoor air pollution is a more serious problem: Tighter homes increase the chances for mold, and they make it less likely that odors and allergens will simply drift away.

This is why it’s so important for homeowners to take the relatively simple steps to eliminate the most common sources of indoor air pollution.

© CTW Features

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Lewis County Home & Garden • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash. Thursday, April 5, 2012• 3

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Homeowners can provide relief for family members with allergies by purchasing anti-allergy bedding and pillows. Here’s a three-step guide to purchasing these bedding materials:

1Nonporous fabrics provide the best protection against

allergens, though some complain that these fabrics also become overly hot. Microfiber polyester fabrics also will do the job and usually provide a more comfortable sleeping environment. A tightly woven cotton fabric also is a good choice. The good news is that manufacturers are happy to advertise when their bedding products qualify as anti-allergy, so they aren’t too difficult to find.

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Vacuuming rugs and furniture is a key component to boosting the quality of indoor air. Unfortunately, many vacuum cleaners kick up dust as they work, making life miserable for residents with allergies.

This is why home experts, including Dr. Alanna Levine, a pediatrician in New York, and Laura Dellutri, the Healthy Housekeeper for The Daily Buzz TV, recommend that homeowners use a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air, or HEPA, filter.

The government requires HEPA filters to remove 99.7 percent of all particles that are greater in size than 0.3 micrometers. A HEPA air filter can capture dust mite pellets and other allergens. It's important, though, for HEPA vacuum cleaners to release all of the air sucked into them through the HEPA filter.

HVAC BasicsChemicals and sprays may help to clean household surfaces, but they can also irritate children and adults who suffer from allergies.

That’s why Dick Gebhart, technology manager for Owens Corning, recommends that homeowners seeking to boost the air quality of their homes focus on HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) systems.

By regularly changing the filters in their HVAC systems and scheduling routine maintenance, homeowners can ensure that

their indoor air is as pure as possible, says Tony Abate of AtmosAir Solutions.

And for those times for when cleaners are a must – everyone needs to clean toilet bowls, counter tops and floors, after all – Laura Dellutri, the Healthy Housekeeper for The Daily Buzz TV, recommends that homeowners look for cleaners that don't use bleaches, phosphates, chlorine and ammonia. There are plenty of natural products on the market that don't contain these chemicals, and instead rely on baking soda, soap and borax.

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Got leftover paint from a recent paint job? Don’t consign it to the graveyard of paint cans

in the basement. A small amount of paint can serve to touch up edges, molding or furniture.

Incidentally, leftover paint stores better and is easier to identify in a clear plastic peanut butter or

mayonnaise jar, recommends Chris Ring, vice president of operations and training for ProTect Painters, a national house-painting franchise based in Ann Arbor, Mich.

As for the rest, why not use it instead of getting rid of it? Here are some projects that breathe new life into last year’s paint and create new points of interest around a home.

Last Year’s Paint, This Year’s ProjectsThat stack of leftover paint cans should be put to good use. Try these easy DIY projects to help accessorize a room

Bold colors on a door, lamp or wall hangings can brighten up a room.

Home


Repurpose an ornate picture frame as art in its own right. “Look for a frame at a flea market or junk shop that is in good shape and has something about it that speaks to you,” says interior design consultant Holly Becker, founder and editor of decor8, the popular home design blog.

“I like using ornate vintage frames because, with a little soap and water, a light sanding and a few coats of paint, you can lean it up against the wall or prop it on the mantel and use as a decorative element,” says Becker, also the co-author of “Decorate: 1,000 Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home” (Chronicle Books, 2011).

“Just make sure to carefully remove and discard the glass and frame backing first.”

Paint only the shelf edges or door frames for an element of surprise. Painting the shelf edges in a cupboard or closet adds an unexpected pop of color. It’s easy to do and doesn’t require a lot of paint; even leftover test pots will get the job done.

“A strong, clean edge – perhaps in black with white shelves – is bold and graphic. That will give your cabinet or bookcase a modern edge,” Becker says. “If you tend to lean on the side of understated, go with something pale, like gray, mint or blue.”

Painting the moldings around a door “is a fresh way to liven up a space on a budget and adds a quirky touch,” Becker says.

A painted vintage frame with textured details becomes a piece of art all by itself. Group it with framed photos to create a stunning vignette.

Carefully prepare surfaces before adding a new layer of paint: Drawer fronts should be sanded and wiped clean, and hardware should be washed in soapy water.

Paint dresser drawer fronts or hardware for an entirely new look. If your dresser already is painted or stained, you can paint over the finish, but any surface you plan to paint must be “clean, dull and dry,” Ring says.

Remove the knobs or handles and sand the drawer fronts using a fine grade of sandpaper. Wipe the sanded surfaces with a damp cloth and allow them to dry completely before applying a coat of primer, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Apply a coat or two of paint to the primed surfaces. Reattach the hardware once the paint has dried completely.

To prepare hardware for painting, remove it from the furniture and clean in soapy water first.

Deck the walls of a dollhouse. “One of the best gifts my sisters and I received as children was a new dollhouse, handmade and delivered unpainted. My parents painted the exterior with paint left over from a recent refresh of our home’s exterior, and this made the gift all the more special,” says Carrie McBride,

managing editor of Apartment Therapy’s online magazine Ohdeedoh. “We loved thinking of this little house as a miniature version of our own, and the same idea could be used for interior paints within a dollhouse.”

No kids? A dollhouse is a quirky way to display collectibles and curios for those with a knack for arranging.

© CTW Features

Did you know?When it’s time to part with paint, it’s OK to put it in the garbage if it’s dried or solidified. Add cat litter if necessary to absorb the moisture and harden the paint. Leftover paint that’s still usable can be donated to Habitat for Humanity or to local drama clubs for set design.

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When a pet has its own special space in a house, it’s easier to keep things organized and routine. Not only does it make things easier for the four-legged ones to understand, but it keeps pet-owners from ripping their hair out in frustration.

In “The Dog-Friendly Home,” author Ruth Strother offers some ideas to make a pet area more comfortable for all the occupants in a house.

Pet toy chest: Just as with children’s toys, she explains, pet toys can overtake a home and cause twisted ankles, and the mess can create stress. Instead of piling them in a corner, find or build a toy chest.

For a personal touch, paint the pet’s name on it or stencil pet symbols, such as bones and paws. “Take out two or three toys and a time – they don’t need more! Rotate them and when they’re done playing, put them in the chest,” she says.

Grooming station: An in-house grooming station makes it easy to maintain a regular grooming

regimen, which goes a long way in keeping the home clean of animal hair and dirt. The grooming station is a designated area with a table and shelves or wirewall grid to keep grooming supplies and pet supplies in general.

Attractive beds: A stylish house shouldn’t have a sloppy pet bed thrown on the floor. Strother suggests some modern options: a platform bed made from Baltic birch plywood sized to match the dimensions of the pet bed cushion, or a nightstand-bed combo for smaller pets that incorporates a small mattress into a piece of household furniture.

Insulated doghouse: If Fido or Lassie spends a lot of time outside, he or she may appreciate an insulated home that protects from harsh elements. Strother explains that flat-roof doghouses with a slight slope to the roof are easy to insulate with insulation board. In warm weather, the roof can be propped open slightly for ventilation.

Pet Projects

Home


Tech Geek to

For non-USB friendly products, try the Bluelounge Sanctuary – it’s compatible with almost 4,000 devices. The sophisticated design comes in three colors and can be found at computer or home design stores.

Loose cables that fall off desks can be cleaned up with Cordies, which have rubber grips to keep wires organized. Cordies, a product of Quirky.com, a site that helps inventors produce their ideas, is sold at office and home design stores. It comes in several colors and materials to match any techie’s tastes.

Minimize cable tangle with fun cable ties. Kikkerland Design makes them in the shape of monkeys,

crocodiles and dachshunds – great for the tech-savvy teen’s room. They can be found at many specialty shops. Nature lovers may like the New York Museum of Modern Art’s leaf cable tie, designed to make cables look like wrapped twigs.

Hide cable clusters with the Bluelounge CableBox Mini, sold at computer or home design stores. The box holds surge protectors, and with six bright colors to choose from, it adds flavor and pop to a room.

High-powered tech means clunky chargers – something standard surge protectors may not accommodate. Techies can simplify with the Pivot Power surge protector, another Quirky.com product sold at office and home design stores. It fits up to six large chargers and can twist around furniture, great for saving space under the desk.

Extra devices mean a need for more USB ports, but extra ports don’t have to look boring or messy. The Museum of Modern Art (NY) store offers a pale green hub with four plugs that looks like a string of peas. Kikkerland Design, offered at many specialty gift or home shops, makes a red tulip garden with a USB plug in each of its four flowers.

© CTW Features

Got a lot of gadgets? Keeping up with new technology can create a knotty mess of wires and

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Bypass Shears: A quality pair of bypass shears are good to keep around. Use for cutting back perennials, pruning shrubs, deadheading flowers, harvesting and snipping twine.

Gardening

Gardening is a rewarding hobby and one that gardeners know is forever evolving. Organic gardening is one relatively new trend that is growing in popularity. But even trendsetters need their gardening tools, and the following tools are among those a gardener should ever be without.

Must Haves!

Shovels: Gardening might be relaxing, but it's no walk in the park, either. Gardeners can expect to do lots of digging, making a good shovel is essential. A round-nosed shovel ideal for digging holes for plants, while gardeners can use the flat blade of a square-nosed shovel to edge neatly.

Spading Fork: A spading fork helps gardeners break up soil that's too rocky for a shovel to handle. Spading forks can loosen the soil, turn it over and even be used as a spreader.

Hula Hoe: Also called an action hoe, stirrup hoe, scuffle hoe and an oscillating hoe. This tool has sharp edges on the front and back of the blade, enabling you to slice through weeds, roots by pushing and pulling them across the top of the soil. It works especially well when weeds are small and not too deeply rooted - it will pull them up or slice them at ground level without disturbing the soil too much.

Garden Knife/Multi-Tool: This little tool is a gardeners best friend. They can be used for weeding, planting, digging out tough roots, edging, and more. The sharp edge easily cuts through soil and makes quick work of weeds, and is also very handy come harvest time. Find one with a cerated edge for opening bags of soil or to cut down stalks.

Wheelbarrow: A wheelbarrow helps ease some of the physical demand associated with gardening. Rather than carrying tools one-by-one or manually lifting heavy bags of fertilizer or soil, simply toss these items in the wheelbarrow to make it easier to garden throughout the yard. Plastic wheelbarrows are durable and often much lighter than their metal counterparts.

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The sugar plums and gingerbread men have all been packed away, and now thoughts of sunny days and colorful flowers are dancing in the heads of gardeners dreaming of the planting season to come. Before delving willy-nilly into planting without a plan, read through our list of tips designed to make the 2012 planting season your best gardening year ever.

Plant Native What better choice than to plant native — using plants that are well suited for our area? A native plant garden is a great choice, featuring plants that the deer and rabbits won't devour into oblivion. Rain and below freezing temperatures won't destroy them and the sun won't burn them to a crisp. Ground covers such as lady fern and sword fern do well. Pacific Bleeding Heart is another lovely choice. Some lovely flowering shrubs include red flowering currant, bald hip rose (the hips may be harvested and made into a jelly), ocean spray, blue elderberry and salal. A native garden is an investment in preserving the Pacific Northwest landscape as well as

a low maintenance alternative to a hot house garden.

Plant Edibles Why not combine beauty and function by planting a garden that incorporates flowers and edible plants together? “Nasturtiums are one of the overlooked edibles,” said Patty Kaija of Kaija’s Garden and Pet in Chehalis. “The foliage tastes peppery and the flowers are edible and very pretty in a salad as well.” Herbs are another great choice that are enjoyable for the foliage and scent. “A lot of people mix in herbs (in the flower garden),” Kaija said. “The different herbs can be used in cooking, and they also smell real good even if you just brush by them.” Then there are the edible berries — which, surprisingly, can add a delightful and colorful note to the garden landscape. “A lot of people are mixing in more and more berries into the landscape as well,” Kaija said. “People don’t realize blueberries give you wonderful fruit and provide a very pretty fall color of a beautiful red foliage.”

Gardening Tipsfor Beginners

BASICS: What to do and How to Enjoy Your GardenBy Victoria Stewart

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Plant Deer Resistant There is nothing more frustrating than planting a beautiful flower garden only to go out the next morning to discover what you really planted was a deer and rabbit smorgasbord. Good flower choices that are not appealing to deer include:

1. Lenten Rose (Hellebore)2. Columbine3. Foxglove4. Iris5. Lupine6. Trillium7. California Poppy8/ Daffodil9. Tulip10. Any of the alliums or sages

Fight Slugs Early, Often and Hard One of the most devastating critters to wreak havoc on any type of garden is a very tiny critter: the slug. So, one of your first spring garden tasks (which should begin immediately) is a “Slug Eradication Program.”“This time of year it is a really good idea to put out slug bait,” said Jim Green of

Pioneer West in Centralia.But this isn’t your grandfather’s slug bait. At local garden stores, find a wonderful alternative to the old (and deadly) slug pellets. “Sluggo” is one of the nicest and is totally organic,” Green said. “Pets and kids can eat it and it will still not hurt them.” Green recommends placing jar lids with holes poked in the bottom to let the water drain out around your garden. Inside the lids, place some slug bait. “Slugs come right to it,” he said.In addition to the slug lid traps, slug pellets can be simply scattered around and throughout the garden. A “defense line” scattered around the perimeter of the garden can also be helpful. “Sluggo lasts a long time, even in the rain,” he said. Green should know a thing or two about slugs: He lost a 25-acre field of corn once, overnight, to slugs. “It was horrible,” he recalled. “The field was just annihilated.” The culprit were the little, dark slugs that hide in the ground during the day, then crawl out to feast at night. Old-fashioned slug eradication

methods include putting salt directly on the slugs. “That’s horrible for your soil,” said Green. The best bet is Sluggo, which lasts for three or four weeks, unless there is continuous rain, in which case you want to put it on weekly. “You always want to be ahead of slugs — not behind them,” said Green.

Clean your Garden Pond Many gardeners enjoy garden ponds, and when getting ready for the spring season, don’t forget pond maintenance. Matt Kaija of Kaija’s in Chehalis said one of the most important things to do is to remove debris from the pond. “The first thing you do is inspect the pond for obstructions that might have fallen in the water,” he said. “Like leaves, needles and organic debris. Get all organic debris out of the pond as best you can, because as it breaks down, it becomes phosphate and feeds the green water and the stringy algae you see.”

Kill the Weeds Getting ready to plant that vegetable garden? Make sure you kill the weeds

first — instead of later. “My top garden tip is to make sure you take care of the weeds prior to planting,” said Jim Green of Pioneer West in Centralia. “If you go out and just start planting, you will be fighting weeds from beginning to end.” Green likes to work his garden in the fall and let it lie fallow through the winter, with existing weeds growing. Then, he provides the death blow. “Spray it just prior to planting with the generic Killz-All,” Green said. “It is one of the safest chemicals you can use, it doesn’t transpose to other plants and you start out with a nice, clean bed.”

Sweeten Your Soil Since Lewis County is notorious for clay and acidic soils, a good thing to do is to sweeten your soil, said Patty Kaija of Kaijas. “It’s a good thing to do for your garden and your yard,” she said. “Apply dolomite lime to sweeten the soil. A good dose will work wonders and while it wont’ kill the moss, the moss won’t reoccur. Just keep it away from acid loving plants like rhododendrons and blueberries.”

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12 • Lewis County Home & Garden �• The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash. Thursday, April 5, 2012 (

Lewis County Farmers Markets It’s spring and time to get outside, get some fresh air and take advantage of the longer days. It’s also a good time to start thinking about where your fresh vegetables come from. Consumers who don’t grow their own vegetables have three basic shopping choices: a chain supermarket, purchasing a share in a community-supported agriculture program, or a local farmers market. Which to choose?More and more people are choosing the latter. Farmers markets all are about one thing: living and eating locally. There are seven to choose in the Lewis County area during the spring, summer and early fall months. Such venues are a rapidly growing fixture in the American urban landscape, where local crafters, food growers and consumers converge in one place to haggle over fresh, nutritious vegetables, flowers, crafts and other goods made by local farms and businesses. Becoming a “locavore” — someone who tires to eat only locally grown food and produce — has multiple benefits. Today’s processed food travels on average 1,300 miles and fresh produce over 1,500 miles before it lands in our plates, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. All this transportation, some say, unnecessarily contributes to carbon dioxide emissions. More importantly, it distances food consumers from food growers and the methods they uses to cultivate their produce, underscoring one of the benefits of buying local food: you know where it has come from. Farmers markets are a growing local

business model. Between 1994 and 2010, the number of farmers markets more than tripled nationwide, from 1,755 to 6,132, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A 2006 USDA survey found that over 60 percent of farmers markets required that their venders themselves grow the produce they sold. Farmers also wish to form relationships with their customers. During the summer many have designated times when customers can visit their farms and see firsthand where their food is coming from and how it’s cultivated. Dates are often listed on their websites, Rose said. Farmers markets also help the local economy. Audrey DeMoisey, treasurer of the Mossyrock Farmers Market, noted last year that they only allow homegrown or homemade products or “value-added” goods — mass produced products that are modified by local crafters — to be sold at their market. “We’re trying to stay local ... trying to support the local economy,” DeMoisey said. Most farmers markets have a similar creed, although not all are equal. Some markets have more craft vendors than food, while others accept various food subsidy payment options, like food stamps. Officially recognized farmers markets are certified by the Washington State Farmers Market Association, and must accept EBT payments, WIC coupons and FMNP. To be certified, 51 percent of market venders must sell food products verses decorative plants or crafts.

By The Chronicle

Farmers Markets: Food For the Body, Grown in Your Neighborhood

Fresh LocaL Eats!GARDeN

Community Farmers Market (Chehalis)

Where: Boistfort Ave., Downtown Chehalis

When: Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 12 - October 23

More Info: www.communityfarmersmarket.netContact: Jackie Rose, (360) 870-5824

The Historic Lewis County Farmers Market

(Centralia)Where: Downtown Centralia

When: Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., May through Sept.

More Info: www.lewiscountyfarmersmarket.org

Contact: Derrill Outland, (360) 736-8977

Community Farmers Market (Centralia)

Where: Corner of N. Pearl and Maple (across from City Hall)

When: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.July 21 - Sept. 29

More Info: www.communityfarmersmarket.netContact: Jackie Rose, (360) 870-5824

Tenino Farmers MarketWhere: 301 Old Hwy. 99 N., Tenino Elementary School

When: Saturday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., June 2 through Sept. 24

More info: www.teninofarmersmarket.org

Contact: Dawna Donohue, (360) 264-2002

Rochester/Grand Mound Farmers Market

Where: Rochester Middle School, 9937 Hwy 12 S.W., Rochester

When: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., June through Oct.

Contact: Bethany Lael, (360) 273-9567

Mossyrock Farmers Market

Where: 258 Mossyrock Road West, Mossyrock

When: Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,

May through Sept.Contact: Darla Brooks,

(360) 983-3092

Winlock Farmers Market

Where: Winlock Events Plaza on Kerron St., Winlock

When: Wednesday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., April through Oct.

Contact: Jeanie Emmeneger, (360) 785-4817�

�

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Lewis County Home & Garden • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash. Thursday, April 5, 2012• 13( There is nothing that says “spring is here” louder than the bright beauty of fresh spring flowers. Local garden shops and greenhouses have been gearing up for the spring season and have an assortment of spring flowers with lovely color to brighten up even the darkest, rain-filled day.

Pretty and Pert: Primroses and Pansies

Among the more popular choices easily available are pansies and primroses. “They have bright colors with many different choices, different colors and different bloom styles,” said Jim Green of Pioneer West in Centralia. “And they handle these hard freezes we are having every night.” “There is nothing that says spring

is here quite like a primrose,” agreed Patty Kaija of Kaija’s Garden and Pet in Chehalis. “You will see them blooming, even when they get snowed on. They are one of the toughest spring flowers.” “Primroses and pansies are semi-perennial,” explained Green. “Pansies will often keep blooming if planted in the right spot.” To add a bit of insurance for keeping your primroses and pansies alive and possibly coming back, they should be planted in a semi-protected spot. “They make beautiful color bowls too,” Green said.

Heavenly Hellebores “Hellebores are always a good choice,” said Kaija. “They are a shade loving, early spring blooming flowers

Top Flowers for a Colorful

Spring

By Victoria Stewart

• Flowering Trees & Shrubs • Fruit Trees & Berries • Nice Variety of Bare Root Roses • Fuchsia and Geranium Starts• New Pottery • Bulbs • Color Bowls • Seeds & Veggies

Spring Arrivals!Watch for April tulip fields a-bloom!!

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oThe Beauty of

FlowersSpring

( GARDeN

14 • Lewis County Home & Garden �• The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash. Thursday, April 5, 2012C

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that will come back year after year. They are always one of the first plants to bloom, and there are many different varieties and colors available.”

Spring Vines and Shrubs for Color

For more delicious spring color, don’t forget the lovely blooms and flowers to be found on shrubs and vines. “Winter jasmine is an early spring bloomer,” said Kaija. “It is a vine and blooms yellow.” Another yellow bloomer is the shrub, forsythia. “Camellias are a very early blooming, evergreen shrub. They love the shade.”

Spring Flowering Bulbs If you didn’t get around to planting your spring flowering bulbs in the

fall (when they should have properly been planted to permit a good, cold hibernation in the ground), don’t despair: Local garden shops have potted spring flowering bulbs ready for purchase and enjoyment. “We have spring bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, crocus and hyacinth,” said Kaija. “These are always good for a first blush of color in the yard.” Enjoy the lovely spring color of the bulbs in the pot and then, said Green, “put the bulb in the ground after (the foliage) dies back” for continued enjoyment next spring. Most spring bulbs can, and should, be left in the ground all year.“Bulbs like daffodils and tulips and hyacinth will come back year after year without doing anything,” he said.And the best part of spring flowers? The realization that summer is just around the corner.

o(

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The Helsing Junction Farm near Rochester has been a community-supported agriculture operation, or CSA, for 20 years — about as long as CSAs have been around. From the beginning, Susan Ujcic and her partner, Anna Salafsky, have coaxed fully organic produce from the rich river-bottom soil of their Independence Valley farm for delivery to a growing number of dedicated CSA members. For CSA members, it’s like having your own personal gardener. “It’s farm to table in 24 hours,” Ujcic said. The basic concept of CSAs goes something like this: CSA members purchase “shares” in both the cost and

risk of growing fresh produce by paying farmers up front before or near the beginning of the growing season. The risk involves fluctuations in growing seasons, pests, poor weather, and other unknowns inherent in farming. About 300 people had pre-paid for Helsing Junction Farm’s CSA boxes by January, Ujcic said. Those payments provide the farm with a source of advance income for the coming season and eliminates the need for a farm loan to get them started. Prepayments also help inform them how much they need to grow. In exchange for cost-sharing and risk, boxes full of Helsing’s fresh garden produce are delivered to members via

By The Chronicle

Feast On FoodFrom Local Farms Through Community Supported Agriculture

EatHealthy drop sites during the summer months. In Helsing’s case, the produce is harvested the day before it’s delivered — about three to four times per week for 18 weeks between June and October, according to Ujcic. “It’s a win-win for everybody,” Ujcic said. Helsing Junction Farm had a presence at farmers markets in the past, but no longer. They found that to compete with other farms visually, Ujcic said, they were forced to bring their best crops to the market rather than place them in CSA boxes. “We decided to do CSA because we only wanted to do one thing,” Ujcic said. “It’s a good source of income.” CSAs offer a number of benefits. The cost of a CSA box is less than that of box-store produce, according to Ujcic. At the same time members are supporting local farms, which in turn helps preserve open space. That space, Ujcic said, will become more precious as water becomes ever more scarce in California, where much of our mass-produced vegetables are grown. Where local CSA farms can

get fresh produce to your table in a day, in-season, factory-farm produce from California takes a week, reducing its longevity in your refrigerator, according to Ujcic. It also limits the choice and variety of produce. “We have hundreds of different varieties of crops every year,” she said.

Certified OrganiC PrOduCe, grOwn LOCaLLy

& deLivered fresh

eat seasOnaLLy, effOrtLessLy. www.bOistfOrtvaLLeyfarm.COm

Eat locally and seasonally. Be inspired by easy recipes and simple serving suggestions.Enjoy healthy, fresh, delicious vegetables, even the ones you thought you didn’t like! Join us for a season of amazing Organic produce, fresh fruit and cut flowers, delivered weekly to your neighborhood!

bOistfOrt vaLLey farm Csa

Why is our farm a great match for you?

CH468844sl.cg360-245-3796

(Brandon Swanson / [email protected]

Boxes of produce wait to be shipped from Boistfort Valley Farm near Curtis.

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16 • Lewis County Home & Garden �• The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash. Thursday, April 5, 2012C

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Get to know your farmer. Call a potential CSA farmer, talk to them and ask to view the farm. Here are

some basic questions to ask:

• How long have you been farming?

• How long have you been operating a CSA?

• Are there items in your box grown by other farms, and if so, which farms?

• How successful was last season?

• I’d like to talk with a couple of your members before I commit. Could you provide a couple of “references”?

Source: www.LocalHarvest.com

Things to Consider When

Shopping for a CSA Farmer Relying on fresh produce also teaches people how to eat seasonally, according to Ujcic. In our increasingly globalized world, the associations between our food and the natural growing season are becoming more blurred. When fresh fruit and produce is out of season in the Pacific Northwest, it’s in-season in the Southern Hemisphere, and is shipped thousands of miles to grocery stores in the Northern Hemisphere. Grapes, for example — 270 million pounds of them — travel 5,900 miles from Chile just to get to California, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Another benefit of CSAs is forming a relationship with your farmer. Helsing is especially sensitive to educating children about where their food comes from. “Children have lost their connection to how their food is grown,” Ujcic said. Not all CSAs are equal. Some offer members different options, including substitutions and vacation holds. Helsing offers neither: members get what is ready to be harvested. The upside is each box includes recipes for cooking and incorporating the produce in the CSA box into their meals. “You have to embrace cooking” with CSAs, Ujcic said. It’s a chance to learn how to cook a variety of seasonal meals that have the added benefit of being

fresher, more nutritious, and localized, helping to keep consumer dollars in the area. Helsing Junction also doesn’t offer doorstep delivery, like some farms. Instead they have 30 designated drop sites between Portland and Lynnwood. “We try to target neighborhoods,” Ujcic said. Helsing offers three CSA box sizes. The mini runs $20, or $360 for the season. A small box is $26, or $468, and a large is $36 or $648. The farm offers an online payment option and will break advance payments into four installments if necessary. The recession, while having many negative effects on people’s lives, has had one interesting effect on the CSA market. Helsing not only saw no dip in their customer base, “it has grown,” Ujcic said. Seattle Weekly named Helsing Junction Farm the no. 1 CSA in Western Washington in May 2010. For more information about the farm, their produce and their CSA program, see their website at www.helsingfarmcsa.com or contact them directly at 273-2033.

GARDeN

Lewis County Home & Garden • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, Wash. Thursday, April 5, 2012• 17CH468821cz.cg

Boistfort Valley Farmwww.boistfortvalleyfarm.com

426 Boistfort RoadCurtis, WA 98538

245-3796Vegetables, herbs, flowers

Coffee Creek Community &

Gardenscoffeecreekcommunitygardens.

comP.O. Box 1525

Centralia, WA 98531360-241-4855

Vegetables, herbs, poultry

Happy Hen Farmwww.happyhenfarm.com

8620 180th Way SWRochester, WA 98579

273-8788Vegetables, herbs

Helsing Junction Farmwww.helsingfarmcsa.com 12013 Independence Road

Rochester, WA 98579273-2033

Vegetables, herbs

Newaukum Valley Farm

www.newaukumvalleyfarm.com 269-5135

Vegetables, flowers

Prana Farmswww.pranafarms.com

Toledo, WA 98591206-853-9422

Rising River Farmwww.risingriverfarm.com

13208 201st Ave SWRochester, WA 98579

273-5368Vegetables, herbs

Stillwater Farm13136 201st Ave SW Farmhouse B


Vegetables, poultry, pork

Sweet Briar Herb Farm218 A Stub Road

Onalaska, WA 98570978-5691

Fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs

Terralumina Gardenswww.terraluminagardens.com

173 Sareault Rd.Toledo, WA 98591

360.442.0801 Vegetables

Winlock Meadows Farm

www.winlockmeadowsfarm.com186 Tingle Road

Winlock, WA 98596758-4927

Vegetables, eggs, flowers

Wobbly Cart Farming Collective

www.wobblycart.com13136-A 201st Avenue SW


Vegetables

Wood Violet Herb Farm

Cinebar, WA 98573978-6556

Vegetables, herbs, flowers, seeds

Community-Supported Agriculture in the Lewis County Area

Chris Geier / [email protected]

Using vegetables that will be delivered to members of the Boistfort Valley Farm community supported agriculture program, Heidi Peroni prepares a vegetable gratin in her home on the farm that she runs with her husband Mike.

GARDeN

Indoor GardeningGrow BIG or

Go HomeWe can take care of all your seasonal

and indoor gardening needs!

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111 W. Main St., Centralia ◆ Open 10-6 • 7 Days A Week

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Are you an avid gardener whose green thumb is starting to turn yellow because the only time you have available to garden is at night? Don't despair. You can still have a garden - you just need to make a night garden. Sometimes referred to as a moon garden, a night garden is full of white, silvery blooms that are easily seen in the dusk and provide gardeners with the same beauty and joy of traditional day gardens. To create a night garden, all you need is a site with good soil and the right plants. You can even take your day garden and transform it into a night garden. To make your garden shimmer at night, experts suggest you plant a wide variety of white, silvery annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees that bloom at different times throughout the year. Suggestions include:

❀ Spring: creamy daffodils, dogwood, freesia, fothergilla, rhododendrons, snowdrops, spirea, viburnums and white tulips

❀ Summer: astilbe, baby's breath, falsespires, shasta daisy and white bellflower

❀ Fall: boltonia, bugbane and monkshood

To make your garden come alive, you might want to throw in a few plants from the noctifloral group, which bloom or release fragrance only in the evening. Many gardeners find that angel's trumpet, evening primrose and four o-clocks make excellent night bloomers, while flowering tobacco, night jasmine and summersweet work well as heavy-scented flowers. Adding lighting such as candles, lanterns or torches will add more ambiance and provide you with the light needed to garden. Some gardeners also find the addition of seating and soft music make for a cozier, more enjoyable garden. Night gardens are an excellent alternative for green thumbs who don't have the time to enjoy their passion during the day. For many, a few hours spent under the light of the moon sure beats the heat and makes for a pleasurable way to relax at the end of a long day. If you long to pursue your love of gardening but just don't have the time, try making a night garden and seeking refuge there. Who knows - you may come to love gardening by moonlight more than you do gardening by sunlight.

Gardening By

The Moon

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