MARCH 2014
GARDEN LOVE
Discover new veggie varieties to grow
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New garden
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IN tHe
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pring is a time of renewal, and nowhere is that represented more clearly than in the garden. After a long and cold winter, New varieties it’s time to get back to the land, and 2014 offers a blooming here are a few fresh-for-2014 varieties the National garden Bureau is promoting: bounty of new varieties of vegetables that require less water, stand up to heat better and are often able to be thrive in smaller spaces, Tomato Fantastico making them ideal for more green thumbs. Bred for small gardens, hanging baskets or containers, Fantastico is an earlyWhile many people love their heirloom plants and vegetables, maturing, high-yield grape tomato with others get excited by something new, said Diane Blazek, executive built-in late blight resistance. If you let director of the National Garden Bureau. them go a few days past peak, these little “Some people like the novelty. They want something unique. beauties resist cracking better than othSometimes it’s about bragging rights and growing something that ers, and they’re easy to harvest with long clusters of sweet, tasty fruits held toward nobody else has,” Blazek said. “When horticulturists created the the outside of the plant. world’s first black petunia plant it was exceptionally striking and sought after.” Green Bean Mascotte Year after year the breeding companies strive for newer, better these stringless beans are long, fine, almost French in appearance and grow plants. strongly in all regions of the United “Just like anything we do, we follow trends and fashion in colors, states. With a smaller root ball, they’re texture, fragrance and savor,” said South Carolina gardener Jenks more compact and optimal for window Farmer, who is releasing “Deep-Rooted Wisdom,” a collection of boxes, container and small-space gardens. Its disease resistance makes for practical lessons, oral histories and do-it-yourself pointers. “We love reliable growing. novelty and learning new things.” New varieties are usually improved varieties, Blazek said. Overall, Eggplant Patio Baby new varieties are “easy to care for, more heat/drought tolerant, disBeautifully glossy and an early and abundant producer throughout the ease-resistant and, oftentimes, more compact. Many times, breeders season, patio Baby’s egg-shaped fruits are taking heirlooms and are improving them for productivity, disshould be harvested at baby size, 2 to 3 ease resistance and a more controlled growth habit,” she said. 2 | March 20, 2014 ShopBrazos.com
inches, and are delicious roasted or in dips and salads. It’s also child-friendly, with thornless leaves.
Cucumber Pick A Bushel A compact bush-type cucumber spreading only about 24 inches, pick a Bushel offers a sweeter-tasting lightgreen cucumber with a firm texture, perfect for pickling when harvested early. great for containers.
Microgreens Peas for Shoots Adventurous cooks can’t always find what they need at the grocery store, and now they can grow their own. these Asian-style pea shoots are exceptionally tender and impart the sweet taste of fresh peas to salads and cooked dishes. Easy to grow in the garden or indoors in a shallow tray.
Pea Blue Podded A tri-use pea that can be used young as an edible podded pea, shell peas during midseason and dry pods later for soup peas. purple/blue shells house green peas on 5- to 6-inch-tall plants that are so beautiful you could grow for an ornamental. T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E
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jim•n•i
A few favorite things
Jim.n.i has fashionable clothing, accessories, décor and gifts By SHAUNA LEWIS The Eagle Jim.n.i in Downtown Bryan carries an eclectic mix of clothing and other items, and is the perfect place to find a new spring outfit or a Mother’s Day gift. Earlene Butcher -- who owns the store along with husband, Jim Butcher – said the couple opened the store, at 202A West 26th St., about six years ago. They named it Jim.n.i because she often talks about what “Jim and I” do. She had always wanted to open a shop, and after selling real estate for 28 years, decided to make her dream come to fruition. Jim.n.i started out mainly as a gift store with some accessories, but it has since expanded to more of a clothing store, along with a variety of other items, such as shoes, accessories, lotions, perfumes and decorative pieces. “There’s a little something for everyone,” Butcher said. The store’s slogan is “our favorite things.” For her store’s inventory, Butcher picks out things she loves, as well as merchandise she has found to be popular with customers. She’s always on the lookout for new, unusual items.
“I hope that I have developed the type of shop that if someone has a special occasion, they’ll say, ‘I’ve got to go to Jim.n.i, and surely they’ll have something,’” Butcher said. Jim.n.i carries clothing for women of all ages, and Butcher said she tries to provide as many items made in America and constructed of natural fibers as possible. The store has options for casual outings, as well as special, dressier occasions, such as weddings or college events. Jeggings and maroon dresses have been popular with younger women. Butcher also enjoys providing clothing for more mature women, who often have difficulty finding comfortable, stylish clothing. For those shoppers who aren’t sure where to start, Butcher said she is always glad to help them put together outfits. She even uses local girls and women to model Jim.n.i clothing. Jim.n.i also carries a variety of shoes. Popular shoe lines include Volatile and CC Resorts, which both make stylish shoes that are also affordable and comfortable. To finish out an outfit, Jim.n.i has a variety of jewelry, scarves,
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headbands and handbags. For warmer weather, the store has a variety of pretty, lightweight scarves that can be used in many ways. Besides being worn as a scarf around the neck, Butcher said they also make wonderful shrugs or bathing suit cover-ups.
Customer favorites include TokyoMilk perfumes, hand creams and candles, as well as Camille Beckman body and hand products. The store also carries Relief cream, which Butcher wanted to provide to customers after finding it to soothe away her own aches and pains.
Jim.n.i also features items for children, including dresses, socks, tights, leg warmers, hair bows and headbands. The store has a variety of cute, colorful smock dresses for girls, which make the perfect Easter outfit. Toys include popular Jellycat stuffed animals, from London, England.
Butcher said customers can put together a special gift for Mother’s Day or any other occasion from merchandise in her store, along with one of the store’s cards.
She said she enjoys helping customers find what they’re looking for, and wants their trip to the store to be a pleasant experience. Shoppers often ask about the different fabrics and the history of the store’s unique jewelry. “It’s really not just a store; it’s kind of like a happening,” she said. Butcher said Downtown Bryan has a lot to offer, with its variety of stores and art galleries, as well as events such as First Friday, when stores stay
open late. She often sees Houston area residents come to Downtown Bryan to shop in a quaint atmosphere, without the “hustle and bustle” of the big city. She encourages shoppers to ask for a loyalty card when they stop by the store. For more information on Jim.n.i, call 979-823-8000, visit www.jimnishop.com or find Jim.n.i on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus or Pintrest. For more on Downtown Bryan, visit http://downtownbryan. com.
At times, Jim.n.i also carries a few items for men, such as holiday socks. Other items include soap rocks, decorative perfume bottles, figurines, soy candles, cute hats and caps, and crosses from the Texas Foundation of Hope. RainRaps -- lightweight, waterrepellant jackets that can be folded and put into a small bag -- have been especially popular for customers wanting to stay dry during football games. For customers to use for pampering themselves or a loved one, Jim.n.i also has several lotions and perfumes available.
Earlene Butcher owns Jim.n.i, along with husband, Jim Butcher.
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jim•n•i
Jim.n.i is located at 202A West 26th St. in Downtown Bryan, next to Brazos Glassworks.
Jim.n.i has an array of earrings and other unique jewelry.
The store offers several cute caps, headbands and belts.
Jim.n.i carries several smocks for girls that are great for Easter.
Shoppers can find a selection of décor and gift items, such as candles, decorative perfume bottles, photo frames and figurines.
Jim.n.i has several lightweight, colorful scarves for warm weather. T H E B R YA N - C O L L E G E S TAT I O N E A G L E
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Grassroots effort By Melissa Erickson More Content Now
No matter where you live, there’s plenty to do to get your lawn to go from dormant to green as quickly as possible. “Spring lawn care is very important for a number of reasons,” said David Beaulieu, the landscaping expert for About.com. “First of all, by taking care of the necessary tasks in a correct and timely fashion, you’re setting the tone for landscape maintenance for the next several months. Falling behind would mean having to play catch-up later, which injects unnecessary stress into your life.”
Your turf care program should start with an evaluation to see what underlying issues may be keeping your lawn from reaching its potential, said Jonathan Lee, maintenance manager for Poul’s Landscaping & Nursery in the suburbs of Chicago. “Soil conditions are the key factor in how your lawn performs so rather than looking at the grass, take a look at a sample of your soil,” he said.
What to look for When inspecting your lawn, keep in mind where the low areas are or areas where drainage is poor, because those spaces where water can
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collect will harbor myriad turf diseases, Lee said. “Drainage is a very difficult issue.” Other things that can be done in the spring include core aeration,
top dressing, power raking, overseeding and additional fertility treatments.
Care tips While raking seems
Where to start with spring lawn care
like a fall activity, Beaulieu advises people to rake in spring as well. “Instead of leaf removal, the object of the chore is thatch removal. Thatch (old grass tissue) won’t kill your grass right away, but it’s a long-term issue that you must keep an eye on,” Beaulieu said. If grass is matted down, that could be a sign of snow mold. “Rake the area lightly and monitor it to make sure that the grass fills in there as it normally would as spring progresses,” Beaulieu said. Like a really bad haircut, certain spots in the yard may require special attention.
“Springtime is the best time to address patchy or thin areas since we are able to capture the benefit of Mother Nature on our side by providing us with timely rains and great temperatures for growing cool-season grasses like your typical Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass or fescue grasses,” Lee said. “The one critical thing to keep in mind is that grass seed requires soil temperatures above 55 degrees and given that each spring is different, you should monitor soil temperature with a simple probe thermometer that can penetrate the soil about 3 to 4 inches.”
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