Home & Gardens – The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 1
October 9, 2009
By Cayla Gabruck Pioneer Staff
GARDEN GAL — Recession gardener Cayla Gabruck poses with her garden guard dog, Ruby, in the plot she planted this year at her home in Spur Valley.
Day 132 in the Garden of Champions. Well, it’s official: it was minus three this morning and I think my recession garden may be ready to be put to bed for the winter. It’s a bittersweet ending for my little garden. We took the fence down about a week ago, and no sooner than it was removed, some little critter came in and stole my prized pumpkin plant! It was to be expected, but still the shock factor was there. It reminded me that 4H kids must feel this way after raising a calf, feeding and nurturing it, and then shipping it off to slaughter at the end of the year. For my poor pumpkin plant, the slaughter came at the paws of a tiny, but ravenous, squirrel. Aside from that, I feel confident in saying my first garden was a success. I gathered enough vegetables to get me through the summer, learned a few very important lessons and gained a bit of insight into my family history. It is a lot of work to raise a successful garden, but thanks to writing this column, I have met several wonderful people with green thumbs who have given me ideas for next year. Catherine Tumason, who has an incredible front-yard garden in Invermere, stressed the importance of an irrigation system. I followed up on the idea and found that drip irrigation is a better way to water than using a traditional garden sprinkler. During warm periods, plants are dried out and stressed prior to watering with the hose or sprinkler, but drip irrigation prevents plant stress due to lack of water by oozing moisture from tiny
pores in the hose. It distributes water directly to the root zone of plants and you lose less water to evaporation. Economically, it also makes sense as you have less water waste – up to 30 percent! Lila Fodchuk and her husband, Nestor, also have a plentiful garden in Invermere. I met with the Fodchuks in early August and already their garden was bursting with vegetables and beautiful flowers ripe for the picking. Lila’s secret is to use lots of compost, a trick I will definitely employ next year. Dale Hunt grew the biggest tomatoes I have ever seen in his floating garden in Wilmer. I don’t have access to a body of water that large, but maybe I will make a floating tomato garden on the little pond in our yard next year. Just because the growing and harvesting seasons are over doesn’t mean that the work is done in my garden. Last weekend, I attacked the task of readying my garden for the looming winter, already showing itself on the mountaintops. This was not an easy job, as our handy-dandy roto-tiller was being a bit temperamental — and, by temperamental, I mean that it absolutely refused to start. So, after removing the weeds and leftover vegetation, cutting back my rhubarb, and adding a bit of compost, I enlisted the help of my beau, who worked it over with the garden tractor. Finally, to discourage any winter weed growth, I covered the entire garden with a layer of grass clippings – fresh from my local golf course, Spur Valley Greens. I read it is a good thing to do before winter and I figure I can rototill it into the soil in the spring — that is, if I can resurrect our rototiller from the dead. Here’s hoping. Happy harvest until next year!
2 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer – Home & Gardens
Don’t toss those beverage containers!
October 9, 2009
Protect your second home throughout the winter goes back to our central station and the registered key holder will be called,” Packing up and leavRick said. ing your vacation home Digital Homes, at at summer’s end is a 250-345-0349, also sells nerve-wracking experihome security systems. ence. For weeks, or even If you would like months at a time, you your home to be secure will be far away and unand earn some income able to fix anything that while you are at it, conmight go wrong. sider vacation rental But there are steps companies like High you can take to reduce Country Properties (250the risk to your beloved 342-3887). They will list second home. your property on-line Columbia Valley and arrange short-term RCMP Staff Sergeant rentals on your behalf. Marko Shehovac said General manager that thieves target homes Julie Neville said High that appear to be empty. Country Properties will “As best you can, WATCHFUL EYES – Julie Neville of High Country also provide maintemake the house look Properties helps homeowners protect their investment. nance, such as snow relived in,” Staff Sgt. Shemoval, so they look ochovac said. cupied even when they are not. He suggested setting up lights on timers to go on What’s more, a weekly check will quickly reveal and off in the evenings. Make friends with your neigh- if the heat has failed, and Julie’s staff will have your bours and ask them to park their second car in your propane tank refilled if necessary. driveway. “If I owned a property in a region that had temEven better, arrange someone to maintain your peratures that frequently fell below -10 degrees Celyard, and install an alarm. sius, I would be a nervous wreck if I didn’t have some“Arrange alarms and a property reference for the one checking in on my property for me,” she said. alarm company so they will contact someone locally “Hiring someone to do weekly checks on a propto check the home if the alarm goes off,” Staff Sgt. erty for a small fee is definitely worth the peace of Shehovac said. mind.” A local alarm company is RFE Alarms (250-342Mountain Creek Properties (250-341-6003), 5222). Owner Rick Flowitt said his alarm systems Fairmont Creek Property Management (250-345protect against five things: burglary, vandalism, freez- 6116) and Radium Vacation Rentals (250-347-2460) ing, fire and flood. also manage vacation homes. Sensors on the windows and doors sound an alarm If all you need is someone to check your home whenever there is illegal entry. Smoke detectors trigger every few days, consider security companies such as the same alarms. A sensor on the floor alerts the con- Valley Hawk Security (250-688-4295) and Valley Sotrol centre if it becomes wet, and a thermostat mea- lutions (250-341-1903). sures the temperature. They will make sure everything is in order, as well “Only the fire and entry alarms make a noise. The as meeting contractor or delivery people whenever other alarms are silent but they are all monitored. It necessary. By Sally Waddington Pioneer Staff
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Home & Gardens – The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 3
October 9, 2009
DIRTY BLINDS? Now taking bookings for cleaning and repairs! VERTICAL, VENETIANS, AND MORE COMMERCIAL OR RESIDENTIAL Call Doug or Cathy Cowan
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SAFE AND SOUND – Pete’s Marina has a winter storage compound where your boat is secure all winter.
Storage options for seasonal toys
By Sally Waddington Pioneer Staff If you own a vacation home, fall is the time to organize and pack away your belongings for the winter. Whether your surplus stuff is as big as a boat or recreational vehicle, or as small as gardening equipment or those personal items you don’t want lying around during the winter, the Columbia Valley has the right storage options for you. In Athalmer, Deck Properties (250-342-3166) has spaces ranging from eight-by-ten-foot units, to warehouses large enough for pretty much anything. Coowner Bev Deck said she knows just what suits the second homeowners. “Vacation homeowners mostly store recreational gear, or home contents if they will be renting out their cabin and want to keep their own belongings separate,” Bev said. It is also common to pack away summer gear to make room for winter equipment like snowmobiles. After 35 years in the business, Bev has some tips for packing up the cabin. “Label everything well and have a master list at home so you know what you have in storage,” she suggested, adding you should think twice before storing
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sentimental items – in case you forget they are there. “Make sure everything is clean when you put it away,” she said. Although Deck Properties doesn’t have mice, it is a good idea to add a box of mouse poison into the corner of the unit, just in case. Drain anything that has fuel in it, and protect wooden products like antique furniture and pianos that require humidity control. Pete’s Marina in Athalmer has a security compound for boat storage, with high fences, lighting and surveillance cameras. Co-owner Norma Hansen said the security provides great peace of mind for vacation homeowners. “If you leave your boat at your second home, who is checking it? You may be there every weekend, but that still leaves five days for something to happen to it,” Norma said. Before the boat is put into storage, however, it should be winterized. “Give us a call and we will take care of everything,” Norma said. Pete’s also offers a shrink-wrapping service for boats. Other storage options in the valley include Real Storage at Windermere (250-342-4494) and Newhouse Multi Storage in Athalmer (205-342-3637).
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4 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer – Home & Gardens
October 9, 2009
FALL FIREPLACE AND WOODSTOVE TIPS A propane fireplace or free standing gas stove with a thermostat can supply sufficient heat during a power failure to save a home from freeze-up when you are away. Remember to have your tank filled. Woodstove chimneys should be cleaned and inspected annually. A rain cap will prolong the life of your chimney. Most insurance companies are now requiring a WETT inspection. Cost is $190.00. Make good use of knowledge from professionals. Warning: Don’t use ammonia based cleaners on fireplace glass. Every home should have a carbon monoxide detector near the sleeping quarters - regardless of the type of heating system you have. If battery operated, make sure to check the batteries in fall and again in spring.
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Frank Puskaric of Invermere said he was shocked at the size of the potatoes in his garden this year. Without any special fertilization, he said, the plants were five feet high. Photo by Cayla Gabruck
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