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Saturday, October 3, 2015 An Advertising Feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

Jamie Hancock Garden Column – The non-toxic home – Peaceful, beautiful and easy to care for – Open House Directory –

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2 | Saturday, October 3, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

Using cold frames in your garden Jamie Hancock

jamiehan@ksu.edu

center that is covered with an old window.

More permanent beds can be constructed with wood, concrete or masonry sidewalls. Wooden walls and supports should be painted or treated with copper napthenate but not creosote or pentachlorophenol that can be harmful to plants. Painting the inside surfaces white or silver will help maximize the light level for the plants.

Clear coverings can be old shower doors or Plexiglas, fiberglass, polyethylene or other translucent materials. Coverings are often referred to as the “sash�. The size of the cold frame may depend on the size of the sash.

What do they do?

Cold frames heat up the soil whenever the sun shines. Soil inside the frame will heat up much faster than open ground.

Many seeds will germinate in 50 degree soils. Three days of sunshine and decent temperatures can coax life into many seeds. Cool season vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, and spinach can be available sometimes to mid-December.

Other chilling-resistant crops are: scallions, leeks, carrots, chard and a European salad green called mache or corn salad.

Predicting our coming fall and winter weather is mind boggling but, something we can have some control over is the environment in a cold frame. There are a number of vegetables, particularly greens for salads that will grow very well into winter with the protection of a cold frame.

Specialty plants and tender perennials can also benefit from a cold frame. Don’t count on vine ripened tomatoes though. That is asking a little much.

What is it?

A cold frame is a simple structure that uses solar energy and insulation to create a protected microclimate in your yard.

Cold frames shelter plants from snow, wind, and ice. They can be made of wood, straw, glass or plastic. It can be as simple as 4 bales of straw creating an open square HANCOCK continues on 4C

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Hancock: Constructing a cold frame Continued from 2C Mache is far hardier than lettuce and can even be harvested frozen and still look beautiful after it thaws. Scallions can also be harvested frozen. Most everything else needs to be harvested unfrozen. This is not really a problem because the interior of cold frames gets above freezing on most winter days, even when it’s cloudy.

Location Cold frames should always be located on well-drained soil, free from flooding during heavy rain. A location with a southern exposure and adequate wind protection on the north and west is ideal. A water source should be nearby.

Construction Two-inch thick lumber provides good

durability and insulation for the frame.

The back wall (north side) should be 18 inches tall. The front wall (south side) should be about 12 inches tall for a 6 foot frame. Weather stripping at joints and edge helps retain heat. Use 2 x 4 lumber for corner posts.

Bed preparation Frames can be set on level ground but more permanent structures need excavation. Concrete or masonry walls should be set on bases below the frost line. It is a good idea to excavate 2 to 6 inches of soil and replace it with good potting soil. This is better for starting seedlings and helping limit weeds. Contact the Extension Office for more details on cold frame construction.

If you are a flower gardener, cold frames

can be of service to you too. Tender or tropical plants that will not survive our winter cold can be protected in a cold frame. It is not a greenhouse and your plants will not be growing lushly but, they have a good chance of survival with proper care and attention.

Cut the tender plant back as much as possible before the fall frost. Remove the plant from the ground and place it into a large plastic pot. Take plenty of soil with it to insulate the roots. Pack the cold frame tightly with pots and add leaves or mulch over the soil surface and into any significant air gaps. Water each pot well. Keep the pots moderately moist all winter. If they are too wet the roots will rot. They should not receive much sunlight because this will encourage active growth. White

plastic over the sash will limit the light penetration.

Cold frames can heat up in the sunlight much like a car. As a general rule to prevent overheating, if it’s 35 degrees F to 40 degrees F and sunny, open the frame partway. At 45 degrees F to 50 degrees F you may need to open it up entirely. Be sure to close it down before temperatures fall too low in the evening.

If you are not ready for the gardening season to end in the fall cold frames are a great way to keep your hands in the dirt.

Jamie Hancock is a horticulturist with Kansas State Research and Extension in Shawnee County.

The non-toxic home

By Shanna Sloyer Special to The Capital-Journal

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they will eventually be re-released into the air when it’s disturbed. Instead, Chavez recommends using a micro clean service, which includes air duct, ceiling, window and floor cleaning to rid the home of both air and surface pollutants. He uses HEPA air filtration equipment to suck polluted air out of the home, filter it, and release clean air back into the environment. Chavez recommends that the typical homeowner have their air duct system cleaned every 7 to 10 years, and more often if residents experience respiratory issues or struggle with allergies.

Between deep cleanings, or if a micro cleaning service isn’t in the budget right now, here are some suggestions for minimizing environmental toxins in your home that you can tackle yourself: 1) Use natural cleaning products Find recipes online to make your own out of common household ingredients or buy products from a health food store to cut

If your allergies or asthma are in full gear right now, you might be looking for solutions to keep irritants and environmental toxins out of your home. Indoor air can have a higher pollution concentration than outdoor air, and surprisingly, many of the toxins in our homes come from products we use to keep them clean and make our lives easier. In addition to chemicals like oven cleaner and Clorox solutions, the combination of mold, pet hair, smoke and dirt is enough to send those of us prone to allergies into a state of misery. Our best bet is to rid our environment of harmful toxins so that we can breathe easier.

Dan Chavez, manager at Chavez Restoration and Cleaning, compares our home to a box. Homeowners can clean the box, but the air inside will still be polluted. They can also clean the air in the box, but if pollutants remain on surfaces inside the box, HOME continues on 9C

Stock Photo/Metro Creative Connection

6 | Saturday, October 3, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

Peaceful, beautiful and easy to care for

By Dianne Lawson Special to The Capital-Journal

Nine and a half years ago Ellen and Ken Brown built a new home in a heavily wooded area. From that woodsy beginning, they have created the yard that meets their desires for peace, beauty and ease of care.

Because they still have lots of trees, most of their yard has to be a shade garden.

Without enough sunlight to have many brightly colored annuals, their yard is primarily many different shades and textures of greens, making it a restful, serene and peaceful place. The yard is primarily trees and perennials. “I mainly focused on Japanese maples, hydrangeas and hostas,” Ellen said. “The Japanese maples in the first week in May and the first week in September show lots of color. I like having trees close to the house and planted beech and magnolia close to the porch and deck.”

Ellen planted three main varieties of hy-

drangeas to bloom early, midsummer and late. She planned so that she would have a display of flowers in her yard and fresh flowers in her house all summer long.

Several different kinds of hostas border her yard, in many shades of green. Her plants are named throughout her yard on unobtrusive, small signs near the ground.

The only annuals in her yard are on her deck in back of the house and a few in a sunny spot just in front of the house. The brightly colored annuals on her deck pop with brilliant colors. In the sunny spot in front of the house impatiens keep coming back even though most annuals don’t return year after year. “I never planted them there, they were across the sidewalk,” Ellen said.

Her large yard features immense areas of grass punctuated by trees, creating a park like setting.

Ellen said that she doesn’t have to spend much time working outside. “I purposely

Trish Williams/Special to The Capital-Journal

Above: Front of house. Below left: Impatiens found a sunny spot in the front yard. Below right: Water fountain designed the yard for low maintenance.”

She hired a man to bring in mulch and spread it. She chose hostas not only because they grow in shade, but because, “Once you plant a hosta,” she said, “it’s maintenance free.” To help her water her yard, she has in-ground sprinklers, as well as hand-held ones.

Objects of art among her plants include a Japanese lantern, a pagoda, water fountains and a metal sculpture brought back from Arizona.

Her screened-in porch is open on three sides so that the Browns can enjoy their yard. Plants inside the porch give the appearance that the yard extends into the porch. The plants there include a large hibiscus that was brought inside after a squirrel was eating its leaves.

Ellen is the gardener in the family, although her husband is available to help.

“He keeps things running, he fixes things for me. He is good at inventing,” she said.

“Any time I need help with a piece of equipment, he helps. An engineer, he can fix things and see how things can be done easier.”

Besides her husband, “There are three men who are important in the development of the yard.” Ellen said. “Jerald Binkley and Bob Saathoff brought the red granite rock from the Flint Hills just because they’re friends. When they brought the rocks,

I’d say, ‘Great” but my husband would say, ‘Not more rocks’. He thought we had enough. Craig Srna helped mentor me for years. Two years ago he gave me azaleas, a couple of Japanese maples and some evergreens from his garden.”

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Trish Williams/Special to The Capital-Journal

Above left: Pagoda and red granite rocks from the Flint Hills. Above right: Shade garden full of hostas. Below: The sunny back deck, full of brightly colored annuals.

but that wasn’t always the case. “I wasn’t interested in gardening until I was invited A small creek runs along the back and to join Topeka Beautification. Master Garone side of their property and then runs deners was just starting and I took a Masunder a bridge and later into the Shunga- ter Gardeners class. It is the finest educanunga Creek. Because the Shunganunga tion for a gardener,” Ellen said.

At the end of summer, Ellen’s yard still has had problems with pollution, one of their neighbors called their creek, “trou- looks good, because of her knowledge, bled.” “We bought the sign on the bridge planning and work.

Before retirement, Ellen was an accounthat says, “Bridge over Troubled Water,” Ellen said. When the neighbor saw the tant and Ken had an engineering firm. Persign, he appreciated the Browns’ humor. haps their former professions are reflected The wild plants around the creek add to in the planning and attention to detail that helped to compose their peaceful, beautithe green shades of their yard.

Ellen may be a wonderful gardener now, ful and park like setting.

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Home: Removing toxins from your home 6) Change your filters Change or clean your furnace or A/C filters at least once evdown on harmful chemicals when you ery 1 to 3 months, depending on use. clean.

7) Avoid using artificial air fresheners 2) Invest in a high-quality vacuum Also steer clear of dryer sheets, fabric Choose a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA fil- softeners, and other synthetic fragrances ter and bag so that dust particles are con- as they can pollute the air your family tained and removed from the environment breathes. entirely. Chavez recommends replacing your vacuum every couple of years.

3) Keep clutter at bay Less clutter means fewer places for dust particles to hide. Declutter areas such as bedrooms where family members who are especially prone to allergies spend the majority of their time.

4) Establish a no-shoe policy To reduce the nubmer of pesticides and chemicals that enter your home, ask visitors and family members to remove their shoes at the door.

5) Use toxin-reducing houseplants Spider plants, ficus, peace lilies, and Boston ferns, in addition to several other indoor plants have been shown to reduce potentially harmful gases by absorbing them and cleansing inside air.

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8) Use low-VOC products VOCs are a group of chemicals that vaporize easily and release gas pollutants into the air. Look for low or zero-VOC labeling on paint, caulks, sealants, finishes, and carpeting.

9) Avoid using pest and weed control chemicals Chemical residue from pest and weed control products can easily be tracked

indoors where they remain in furniture and carpets for year. Use natural products that eliminate the need for chemicals.

10) Ventilate In winter months, open doors and windows on opposite sides of the room to facilitate airflow, leaving them open for 5 to 10 minutes at time.

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