Tasty Tomato Gardening tips, tricks and info 

How to build raised bed cheaply
How high is a “raised” bed? It could be much higher than ground level to accommodate a handicapped gardener, or merely a gardener with a bad back. It can be made as high and as wide as you need. You can garden in otherwise impossible spots! With a …
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Gardener: New fence gives an edge to raised beds – Sioux City Journal
Since gardens are never really finished, I'm happy to report that I finally have my new, large raised-bed vegetable garden prepared to the point of being able to add plants. The final step was installing a perimeter fence to exclude deer and other …
Read more on Sioux City Journal

Spokane Valley church members build garden beds, reclaim orchard
Members of Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Spokane Valley spent part of Sunday afternoon digging in the dirt as they began building the first of 20 new raised garden beds in their community garden. The church owns several acres behind the …
Read more on The Spokesman Review

Bethpage, NY (PRWEB) May 08, 2013

We are excited about the cupcake decorating event on May 11th. Family members can shop our store while kids, age 12 and under, decorate a cupcake for Mom, for free, says Sue Brooks, Director of Bakery and Frozen Foods for the family-owned supermarket chain. This proves to be a wonderful and well-attended event each year we do it. All of our stores are participating, and the decorating will begin at noon and go until 2:00 p.m., adds Brooks.

Sunday, May 12 is Mothers Day and King Kullen is proud to be the destination for the freshest and most sought-after flowers from around the world and arrangements created by floral experts. King Kullen will be fully stocked with all the flowers that customers need to ensure Moms and loved ones feel appreciated on Mothers Day this year.

King Kullen is a lot more than just groceries. Their Floral Departments carry roses in whatever quantity a customer desires. This is our largest floral holiday. We plan on selling over a quarter of a million roses this Mothers Day, so many roses, that if those rose stems were laid, end-to-end, it would be over 77 miles of roses – thats the distances between our Valley Stream store to the west and Bridgehampton store to the east. We will be carrying double dozens, one-half dozens, sweetheart rose dozens, spray roses, rose vases and single stem rose bouquets, plus just about any combination imaginable of roses combined with other assorted beautiful flowers. Our bouquets are our biggest seller for Mothers Day and we have professional floral experts at every store that hand-tie our bouquets, says Lesa Forte, Floral Department Coordinator.

The supermarkets also carry a variety of other Mothers Day favorites including Gerbera daisies, lilies, hydrangeas, sunflowers, tulips and peonies. Other King Kullen favorites include seasonal spring bedding plants including New Guinea impatiens. They have a wide variety of larger sized garden pots of hydrangeas, hibiscus trees, and hybrid and knockout rose bushes and hanging geraniums. Our Phalaenopsis Orchids for indoors are increasingly gaining popularity for Mothers Day, says Forte, and we will be selling a lot of upgraded blooming and tropical foliage plants in ceramic containers, tins and wicker baskets.

For more information, visit a King Kullen store today.

About the company:

Headquartered in Bethpage, New York, King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as Americas first supermarket. Michael J. Cullen opened the doors of King Kullen in 1930. Today, three generations later, King Kullen is still family owned and operated. It remains a leader in the supermarket industry. From that very first store in 1930, King Kullen today operates 41 supermarkets and four Wild by Nature stores across Long Island. In addition to traditional grocery, King Kullen features a large catering and prepared foods department, freshly baked breads and sweets, and healthy and organic areas, with pharmacies in many stores as well. For information about King Kullen, please visit their website at: http://www.kingkullen.com.

Find More Garden Pots Press Releases

East-Sussex, (PRWEB UK) 18 January 2013

Despite the drought measures spring required, 2012 still managed to become the second wettest year in UK history, only behind the year 2000 by a mere 6.6 mm of rainfall. Unfortunately, this achievement came with a price, as large parts of the UK suffered from heavy flooding.

Severe waterlogging occurred in parts of the countryside, with overflowing rivers leading to damaged crops. Many gardeners were challenged with seeing if their gardens could withstand heavy levels of rainfall. In light of the weather, English Woodlands are releasing their professional advice on minimising plant losses due to wet conditions in domestic gardens for the future.

Water Resistant Species

Some plants have an enhanced tolerance of water, and investing in these varieties is an excellent way for cautious gardeners to gain peace of mind. Willow trees are traditionally planted alongside steams and rivers to defend against soil erosion. There are both large and dwarf varieties and they can also be coppiced to provide colourful stems for basket making. Other trees that withstand very wet conditions are Alders, Poplars and even the common Oak.

Raised Planting

Keeping plants above ground level stops water from pooling around them, avoiding the risk of waterlogging. Trees can be planted on a small mound, ensuring that a degree of the root zone will be kept above the majority of water, while smaller flower and vegetable beds could be boxed off and raised above the rest of the garden. Even light water damage can ruin produce and flowers, so an extra few inches of height makes a large difference.

Drainage

Most plants require a soil with good drainage. Loam, sandy and chalky soils generally provide this. Clay soils can be prone to holding water and slow to drain after heavy rain. Installing a drainage system may be necessary, but adding organic matter to the soil will also improve structure and drainage in the long term.

English Woodlands are a tree nursery have been growing and selling trees, plants and shrubs across the UK for almost a century, supplying individuals and authorities with locally produced flora of the highest quality. They pride themselves on dispensing accurate advice and information to all customers, and are happy to help both new and experienced gardeners protect their investments through any season.

More Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening Press Releases

Moreno Valley, Calif (PRWEB) April 02, 2013

The project site is adjacent to the Moreno Valley Marketplace and is in close proximity to the Riverside County Medical Center and Kaiser hospitals in both Fontana and Riverside.

The facility, now in its first phase, will provide for 100 beds dedicated to senior assisted living and memory care. It is scheduled for completion in June of 2014.

Renaissance Villages main focus will be on senior independence and mobility, and will provide high quality, compassionate health care, while advancing independence and physical activity in a quality social environment, said Charlene Kussner of the real estate development company, Continental East Development (CED).

According to Kussner, Renaissance Village will be a full care, twenty-four-hour facility with a dedicated professional staff including a dietitian, physical therapist and nursing director. The living quarters will range in size from 500 to 800 square feet. Residents can choose from studio floor plans or one and two bedroom options with built in custom cabinetry and private baths. Some will also include a patio or balcony sitting areas.

CED chose BFHL, an architectural firm based in San Francisco specializing in healthcare projects, to aid in the design and planning of Renaissance Village. BFHL has designed several care facilities in California including the Brentwood Medical Center in Brentwood and the Senior Care Center in Mountain View.

The design calls for a fully enclosed aquatic therapy pool, a dining room, bistro and library. There will also be what Kussner refers to as a brain lab where residents can use computers and study various subjects. It will have a fully equipped fitness center, a recreation/ multipurpose room, a large conference room and an art room. There will be a large outdoor patio with a fireplace for barbecues and gatherings. The grounds will include raised garden beds for the residents personal gardening, along with walking paths and gazebos.

The Renaissance brand is not an ending, but a new beginning, a rebirth of senior living, Kussner said.

In attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony will be Charlene Kussner, Al Rattan and Lydia Percia of Continental East Development, along with a group of project investors. Also in attendance will be Moreno Valley Mayor Tom Owings, City Manager Henry Garcia, Economic Development Directors Barry Foster and Tom Freeman. Members of the Moreno Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Riverside County Office on Aging have also been invited, along with members from the Senior Citizens Advisory Board.

This is the introduction video to my container vegetable gardening blog which you can find at www.my-container-vegetable-gardening.com. It shows you my garde…
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Boulder, Colorado (PRWEB) January 24, 2013

Farming methods have changed many times since man planted the first seed in the ground 10,000 years ago. Most recently, the Green Revolution has transformed farming and dramatically increased farm productivity by using genetically engineered seeds and by applying chemical fertilizers and pesticides. But we are now seeing a backlash to these techniques due to the adverse environmental and health effects of these technologies and chemicals and a corresponding surge in interest in organic, sustainable farming practices and techniques.

Enter the Aquaponic Farm Revolution. Aquaponics is a growing technique that takes advantage of the tremendous efficiency of hydroponics, but uses the waste product of fish as the organic source of plant fertilizer in a recirculating environment. The plants, in turn, filter the water in which the fish live.

Aquaponics uses less than 10% of the water used in traditional soil-based agriculture, and aquaponic farms can be established anywhere there are people in need of fresh produce even in parking lots and abandoned warehouses. And through aquaponics, farmers automatically have sustainably-raised fish that they can harvest and sell alongside their produce.

Green Acre Aquaponics in Brooksville, FL has both pioneered this growing technique and has created a profitable aquaponics farm model that integrates six different growing techniques (deep water culture, media-based, nutrient film technique, vertical stackers, vertical towers, and wicking beds) in a single hybrid farm system to supply the demands of their ever-changing local market as efficiently as possible.

Just because something CAN grow that way doesnt mean it SHOULD grow that way Gina Cavaliero, Managing Director, Green Acre Aquaponics

These techniques and the technology that underlies them, as well as farm business management and marketing concepts explicitly tailored for aquaponic farms, will be taught during two back-to-back, four-day courses Feb 23-26 and Feb 28-March 3. The Green Acres Aquaponic Farming Course approaches aquaponic farming education from all angles: both inside the classroom and on the farm with hands-on training, as well as both detailed aquaponics and business education. The goal is to have course students walk away with all the knowledge they need to build, start, and run their own successful, profitable aquaponics farm.

“Of all the courses I have EVER taken, and there have been many, this course is by far the most exceptional!” Steve Golin, student, April 2012.

The Green Acres teaching team is comprised of three aquaponics professionals with a unique blend of aquaponics farming experience, industry leadership, and business experience. The course is led by Gina Cavaliero, the Managing Director of Green Acres Aquaponics Farm and the current Chair of the Aquaponics Association. Prior to forming Green Acres, Gina was the founder and CEO of a highly successful construction firm in Florida. Gina is joined by JD Sawyer, founder of Colorado Aquaponics and the aquaponics farm at Denvers GrowHaus, and the director of the 2012 Aquaponics Association Annual Conference in Denver. Prior to forming Colorado Aquaponics, JD spent eight years as the Director of Operations at Johnson & Wales University. The third member of the teaching team is Sylvia Bernstein, author of Aquaponic Gardening: A Step by Step Guide to Growing Fish and Vegetables Together and the founder of The Aquaponic Source. Sylvia is the former Vice President of Marketing and Product Development for AeroGrow International.

For more information, or to register for the course, please go to http://www. FarmRevolution.com.

Media Contact:

Gina Cavaliero, Managing Director

Green Acre Aquaponics

gina(at)greenacreaquaponics(dot)com

http://www.GreenAcreAquaponics.com

352.593.0531

Watch how quick and easy it can be to prepare existing raised beds for planting veggie seeds and transplants out in the garden. Forget about tilling, just gr…

Video Rating: 1 / 5

Boulder, CO (PRWEB) May 08, 2013

Maggianos is the nations favorite casual-dining restaurant chain, according to a recent study by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. Specializing in family-style Italian cuisine, the restaurant chain just edged out Pappadeaux, which ranked second, followed by Cheesecake Factory, Bonefish Grill and P.F. Changs.

The study of more than 7,000 consumers was designed to uncover which casual-dining chains they like most both overall and by specific food category as well as why they prefer one to another. Market Force first calculated the favorites based on total votes, and then factored in the number of locations for each chain for a weighted view of the results. Of the 114 chains studied, Olive Garden initially amassed the highest number of votes, which can be attributed to the fact that it has hundreds of restaurants across the country. However, when viewed as a calculation of votes per location, Maggianos ranked first. See Graph 1.

This is the first year we included Maggianos in the study, and it shot straight to the top, even surpassing Cheesecake Factory, which claimed the title the past two years, said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force. Once considered a restaurant for special occasions, Maggianos is now attracting a broader customer base of business professionals and families who are drawn to its indulgent, value-driven dining experience.

Chains That Reigned Supreme by Attribute

Market Force also calculated the top chains according to various attributes including value, cleanliness, food quality, friendly service, healthiness of food and taste. P.F. Changs was a clear favorite across the board. The Asian-influenced restaurant had the largest margin in the taste category with 64% of the vote, while second-ranked Pappadeaux earned 59%.

Overall-favorite Maggianos performed consistently well in most categories, landing in the top three for service, food quality and cleanliness. Pappadeaux was lauded for its food and service, and Bonefish ranked high for its healthy cuisine. Cheesecake Factory also earned a top-five spot in all of the categories, particularly excelling in cleanliness, value and taste.

Souper! Salad! Favorite Buffet, Capital Grille Dominates in Steakhouse Category

Market Force also asked consumers to rate casual-dining restaurants in seven different food categories Italian, buffets, steakhouses, seafood, pizza, continental and breakfast. Again, the votes were indexed by location count to even the playing field.

Cheesecake Factory emerged as a favorite among continental-style chains, California Pizza Kitchen was the No. 1 pizza place, and the Original Pancake House was the top breakfast spot. Other chains, many of them new to Market Forces survey this year, also led the rankings in subcategories including Maggianos for Italian, Souper! Salad! for buffets, Bahama Breeze among seafood and Capital Grille for Steakhouses. See Graph 3.

One of the key takeaways from this survey is that industry competition is growing fiercer as the spread among restaurant chains gets tighter, likely because there are fewer new casual-dining chains entering the market, said Eden-Harris. In the continental food category, for example, just 2.2% separates the bottom and the top satisfaction performers. This means theres an added onus to differentiate through service and other areas of operational excellence.

Market Force also looked at how the favorite casual dining chains compared in various attributes to determine if they set apart the leaders from the rest. Here is a synopsis of how the contenders fared in each of the categories.

Breakfast La Peep led in four out of six attributes, standing out for its healthy and high-quality food, cleanliness and friendly service. Waffle House and Dennys ranked first and second for value, and Original Pancake House outscored the others in food taste.

Buffet Pizza Ranch was an overwhelming favorite in most of the categories, beating out the others by a wide margin for service, food quality, taste and cleanliness. Cicis Pizza offers the best value, while Souper! Salad! received high marks for the healthiness of its food. On the flip side, Old Country Buffet scored relatively low in most attributes.

Continental – Cheesecake Factory, Cracker Barrel and BJs Brewhouse were strong performers in all attributes. Cheesecake Factory was a favorite for food taste and quality, Cracker Barrel placed highest in value and friendly service, and BJs Brewhouse was the only brand to rank in the top three in all seven attributes. Ruby Tuesday scored low in many areas, but was No. 1 in food healthiness.

Italian Not surprisingly, Maggianos led in every area, with the largest margin for food quality. Carrabbas tied Maggianos for healthiness and ranked second in every other attribute. Olive Garden and Romanos Macaroni Grill the other two casual-dining chains included in this category had comparable ratings, although Olive Garden fared slightly better.

Pizza The only chain to cross two categories Pizza and Buffet Pizza Ranch placed remarkably well, taking the top spot for all six attributes. Boston Pizza placed ranked second in all categories except for taste, which was taken by Roundtable Pizza, and healthiness of food, where California Pizza Kitchen and Chuck E. Cheeses tied for second.

Seafood In the seafood category, where meal prices tend to run a bit higher, Pappadeaux ranked first in value, while Red Lobster and Joes Crab Shack tied for last place. Hawaiian-fusion chain Roys was a clear favorite for food quality and taste, and Bubba Gumps was recognized for its friendly service.

Steakhouse The Capital Grill, which was the overall favorite casual-dining steakhouse, was first or second in every category except value. Flemings also had a strong showing, with the highest scores for service, cleanliness and healthiness of food. Texas Roadhouse and Ponderosa Steakhouse offer the best value, according to the survey respondents.

Survey Demographics

The survey was conducted in March 2013 across the United States. The pool of more than 7,000 respondents reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with 60% reporting household incomes of more than $ 50,000 a year. Respondents ages ranged from 18 to over 65. Approximately 75% were women and 25% were men, and nearly half have children at home.

About Market Force Information

Market Force is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses, including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. With more than 125 years of combined industry experience, Market Force Information has pioneered the industry with a suite of customer intelligence solutions from proprietary decision-support tools to 600,000 field associates across North America and Europe who conduct mystery shopping, to real customer surveys, contact center solutions and social media monitoring. Its solutions enable brands to identify the actions required at the store level to increase customer loyalty and improve financial performance. Market Force was named one of Forbes Americas Most Promising Companies in 2011. For more information, visit http://www.marketforce.com

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More Gardening Tools Press Releases

Santa Fe, NM (PRWEB) May 08, 2013

St. Johns College Santa Fe is pleased to present a round-up of adult summer camps for 2013. Ranging from cooking to photography, to the great books summer seminars offered by the St. Johns College Summer Classics program, the round-up offers educational experiences for anyone seeking a unique summer vacation.

Summer learning vacations are increasing in popularity for adults looking for a meaningful summer experience, said Gabe Gomez, Communications Director for St. Johns College Santa Fe. For those interested in great books in a great city, the St. Johns Classics program offers the opportunity for a world-class intellectual journey in historic Santa Fe.

St. Johns College round-up of recommended learning vacations are as follows:

St. Johns College Summer Classics Program, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Modeled after the St. Johns Program, the Summer Classics program hosts students from around the world for seminar classes in classic literature, science, history, philosophy and opera. Seminars are highly participatory discussions led by St. Johns faculty in a lively learning environment where everyones life experience and perspectives contribute to the class. Three week-long sessions are offered for July of 2013, each with a choice of themes and a reading list of great texts. Students can choose morning or afternoon classes (or attend both) and may attend for more than one week of seminars. Seminars are scheduled for: Week I: July 812; Week II: July 1519; and Week III: July 2226 .

Cost: Tuition is $ 1,250 per semester, which includes registration, books and other course materials, lunches, and special events. On-campus room and board is $ 240 per person. Discounts are given for educators.

Find Out More: http://www.sjca.edu/outreach/SF/SC/classics.shtml

The Sierra Club, Multiple Locations

The Sierra Club offers a wide array of eco-adventures like rafting the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park, or backpacking through Alaskas grizzly country. The Sierra Club is a mighty voice advocating for the preservation of wilderness areas. Expect extremely well-trained guides who will be able to point out whats special about local flora and fauna.

Cost: Fees vary widely by trip but start at $ 675 for a five-day excursion hiking the Yosemite High Country Loop. Participants may need to provide some of their own outdoor equipment.

Find out more: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings

Cornell’s Adult University, Ithaca, New York

Classes are presented by top members of the Cornell faculty and range from the funCooking intensives, Tennis and Rowing Clinics; The Wines Course, to the seriousHistory of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, The Recent Financial Crisis, and study of the Cosmos. Four successive, one-week sessions are available from early July to early August with classes that meet each day until 3:30 p.m. The school also offers a parallel program of courses for young children to teenagers.

Cost: Courses begin at $ 1,631 per person for a full week of tuition, accommodations, three meals daily, coffee breaks, hospitality hours, parking, and full access to all normal student facilities.

Find out more: http://www.sce.cornell.edu/cau/on_campus/

Gourmet Retreats, Calistoga, California

Located in the northern Napa Valley, the professional kitchen and gardens of Gourmet Retreats provide students with five hours of afternoon and evening cooking adventures. Youll learn to make stocks and sauces, improve your knife skills, and how to pair wine with meals. Field trips to local foodie hotspots like the Culinary Institute of America and local wineries are included.

Cost: The five-day culinary vacation is $ 1,150

Find out more: http://www.gourmetretreats.com/

Steve and Doris Colgate Offshore Sailing School, Multiple Locations

Hailed as the number one sailing school in the US, theres no better place to earn your sea legs. The basic Learn to Sail course runs between three and five days, and is appropriate for those with no previous sailing experience. The sessions are intensive, covering not only rigging and navigation but also crisis management and overboard rescue. The school offers ten locations in the US and the Caribbean, including New York, Florida, the Bahamas, and the British Virgin Islands.

Cost: Fees start at $ 795 per person for the basic Learn to Sail course.

Find out more: http://www.offshore-sailing.com/

Rocky Mountain School of Photography, Multiple Locations

With classes ranging from basic to advanced photography, the Rocky Mountain Schools classrooms are the wide-open spaces of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and US National Parks. Amateur to advance photographers are able to capture the most photogenic and iconic landscapes in the United States with experienced instructors who challenge participants to view scenes in an extraordinary way and make photographs driven by their own sense of beauty. Courses are offered throughout the summer and fall.

Cost: Fees start at $ 1,295, with discounts for early registrants.

Find out more: http://www.rmsp.com/workshops/

CONTACT

Gabe Gomez

505 660 1616

ggomez(at)sjcsf(dot)edu

or

Jennifer Hinsley

JLH Media

505 603 8643

Jennifer(at)jlhmedia(dot)com

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About St. Johns College St. Johns College is a co-ed four-year liberal arts college with campuses in Annapolis, Md. and Santa Fe, N.M., offers small discussion-based classes and a distinctive curriculum based on the foundational texts of the Western tradition. All students undertake a unified and multidisciplinary program, reading and discussing classic works of philosophy, literature, theology, history, political science, economics, mathematics, astronomy, physics, biology, and music. In this vibrant learning community, faculty members, known as tutors, do not lecture and are not segregated into departments, but instead learn with and guide their students as they read and discuss these foundational texts in small, seminar-style classes. The college also offers graduate-level programs based on these same principles. St. Johns has no religious affiliation and is the third oldest college in the country. For more information, please visit http://stjohnscollege.edu/.