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A Special Supplement To The Progress-Index & The Colonial Voice

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Fall Home Improvement 2012

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PI_PROGINDEX/SPECIAL_SECTION/PAGES [T01] | 09/21/12 16:35 | SUPERIMPPB

A Special Supplement To The Progress-Index & The Colonial Voice

PI_PROGINDEX/SPECIAL_SECTION/PAGES [T02] | 09/21/12 16:38 | SUPERIMPPB

BY ELLEN GIBSON

FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

For many families, the end of sum-mer means it’s time to put awaythe inflatable kiddie pools, camp-ing equipment and gardening tools

for the season.If you plan to shove this gear into arbi-

trary piles around the edge of the garage,you’re not alone: Many Americans say thegarage is the most disorganized room intheir home, according to the InternationalAssociation of Business Organizing.

But a messy garage is not just unsightly, itcan cost you money. People with clutteredgarages tend to waste time searching formisplaced items and end up re-buyingthings they already own, says Erica Ecker, aprofessional organizer in New York City.

They also risk injury. Garages often holdhedge trimmers, table saws, toxic chemicalsand other dangerous items alongside chil-dren’s scooters and bikes.

An overstuffed garage puts your vehiclesat risk, too. When the car door can’t swing

open without hitting a wheelbarrow orworkbench, it gets dented and dinged. Moni-ca Ricci, a professional organizer whomakes appearances on the HGTV show“Mission: Organization,” says that in many

homes, garages are so filled with clutterthey stop serving their main purpose.

“When your garage is too full to park acar in, that expensive piece of machinerysits out in the elements every day and nightwhile your clutter stays cozy and dryinside,” Ricci says. “What kind of sensedoes that make?”

Whether your garage is slightly dishev-eled or looks more like an overstuffed stor-age unit, the changeover to fall is an idealtime to give it a tune-up using these stepsfrom organizational experts:

1. Prepare. Tackling a junk-filled garage isphysically demanding. Ecker advises pacingyourself and setting a schedule in advance.Consider renting an outdoor storage con-tainer so your belongings aren’t sitting inthe driveway or in the house for a monthwhile you finish reorganizing the garage.

Enlist help. If you can’t afford a profes-sional organizer, recruit relatives or offer toswap labor with a friend who is planning asimilar household project. An assistant canhelp you move heavy objects, keep you moti-vated and ask objective questions (“Do you

really use that?”), says Ellen Kutner, whoruns the company Simply Organized inPoughkeepsie, N.Y.

2. Empty and sort. Empty the contents ofthe garage out into the driveway and beginsorting it into piles, grouping like thingstogether. Categories will vary by household,but you may start with Sporting Equipment,Tools, Hardware, Car Care, Lawn Care, Sea-sonal, Toys and Household Goods.

3. Purge. The next step — paring downyour stuff — is the most important. First,toss anything broken or expired. Returnborrowed items to their owners. If you ownmultiples of something, donate the dupli-cates or sell them. Analyze how often thingsget used. “Too often the garage can be like atime capsule,” Ricci says. Are you storingcamping equipment from when your col-lege-age kids were Cub Scouts? Time to getrid of it.

Find ways to downsize bulky items. Forexample, Ecker says, rather than storingmostly-empty paint cans for future touch-up

Fall’s a good time to give the garage a tune-up

AP PHOTO/THE CONTAINER STORE

Platinum elfa Garage Shelving and Storagefrom The Container Store is shown.

Please see GARAGE, Page T4

T2 Sunday, September 23, 2012 The Progress-Index, Petersburg, VA

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jobs, keep a mason jar-size container ofeach leftover paint, labeled with the brand,color name and finish. “Being organized isnot about being neat and tidy, it’s about lim-its and boundaries,” Kutner says. “Youdon’t need to stock everything you mightone day need. That’s why there are stores.”

4. Spruce up the space. While the garageis bare, give it a thorough cleaning. KristinLong, who owns the company The Organi-zational Specialists, recommends addingdurable floor tiles or a fresh coat of paint.Making the garage more visually appealingwill inspire you to keep it tidy. While you’reat it, wipe down all the warm-weather gearthat is going to get stashed for the next eightmonths.

5. Build upward. Look at what’s left andfigure out where it will live in the garage,placing the most frequently used stuff inthe most accessible locations. Install shelv-ing to add vertical storage and get thingsoff the floor. Clear bins are best so you cansee what’s inside. Ecker recommends theELFA system sold by The Container Store,saying it’s easy to install and adjust. Ifyou’re feeling less ambitious, the snap-together plastic shelves sold at any big-boxstore work fine.

Use hooks to hang ladders, bikes, shovelsand rakes. Mount pegboard on the wall tokeep tools out of kids’ reach, and put dan-gerous substances like pesticides on highshelves. The garage ceiling is underutilized,Ricci says, but with a ceiling storage systemsuch as Hy-Loft, Racor Hydraulics Lifts orOnrax, you can stash stuff you only accessonce or twice a year, such as sleds or cush-ions for outdoor furniture.

If you do woodworking or crafts, metroshelving on wheels gives you the flexibilityto move supplies into the center of thegarage or driveway. Ecker recommends theUline brand.

6. Label everything. Label containers

using a Sharpie or other permanent meth-

od. Be sure to label the container, not the

shelf, so when bins get moved, items are

still put in the correct place, Long says.

7. Maintain. An organizing project is

only as good as its upkeep, Kutner says.

Just as you take the car in for an oil change

every 5,000 miles, when you start to see clut-

ter accumulating, it’s time to do garage

maintenance. If you buy something new,

something else has to go. When you take an

item out to use it, put it away immediately

after you’re done.

GARAGEContinued from Page T2

AP PHOTO/THE CONTAINER STORE

Whether your garage is slightly disheveledor looks more like a storage unit, thechangeover to fall is an ideal time to giveyour parking pad a much-needed tune-upusing steps from organizational experts.

BY CAROLE FELDMAN

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

Are your windows leaking air? Are they

getting more difficult to open? Is the wood

frame rotting?

Homeowners choose to replace their win-

dows for a variety of reasons, from energy

efficiency to aesthetics.

“It might be the seals have failed or the

wood has rotted,” said Kerry Haglund,

senior research fellow at the Center for Sus-

tainable Building Research at the Universi-

ty of Minnesota.

Or homeowners might be looking to

replace leaky windows to keep heat or air

conditioning in, or they might want added

UV protection to protect furniture from fad-

ing in the sunlight.

No matter what the motivation, new win-

dows can be costly. “They’re too expensive to

think you’re going to get your money back

either in terms of energy savings or when

you’re selling your house,” said Kit Selzer, a

senior editor for Better Homes and Gardens.

Still, new energy-efficient windows can

make your home more comfortable in win-

ter and summer, and more attractive.

Haglund recommends choosing the most

energy-efficient window you can.

The cost for a new window can range

from hundreds of dollars to $1,000 or more,

depending on the frame, style ? double-hung

or casement, for example ? and whether you

choose single, double or triple pane glass.

Decorative elements can add to the price.

A casement window might be be a good

option in windy areas, said Gary Pember,

vice president of marketing for Simonton

Windows.

“As the wind increases, they become

more efficient because of the way they

seal,” he said.

A double-hung that opens only from the

top might be a good choice for someone

looking for increased security, he said.

Older homeowners or those who think

they’ll stay in their homes as they age

Please see WINDOWS, Page T5

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$25T4 Sunday, September 23, 2012 The Progress-Index, Petersburg, VA

PI_PROGINDEX/SPECIAL_SECTION/PAGES [T05] | 09/21/12 16:38 | SUPERIMPPB

might want to consider awindow they don’t have tolift.

Frames come in wood,vinyl, aluminum and oth-er materials.

Wood frames are moretraditional, but requireregular painting.

“ I f yo u ’ re w a n t i n gsomething maintenance-free, you can’t get any-thing better than vinyl,”Pember said.

There are many optionsnow for vinyl frames,including a variety of col-ors. You can also get awood interior and a vinylexterior.

Selzer said aluminumframes are more contem-porary, but also moreexpensive.

M o s t w i n d ow s s o l dtoday are double pane,although people in north-ern climates may choose atriple pane, Haglund said.

“Single pane is stillavailable in southern cli-mates, though we don’trecommend it.”

Windows must meet anarea’s building energycode, she said.

“Windows in the Northare optimized to reduceheat loss in the winter,while windows in theSouth are optimized toreduce heat gain duringthe summer,” according tothe government’s EnergyStar website.

“This explains why win-dows that are energy effi-cient in Florida will notnecessarily be energy effi-cient in Michigan.”

The Energy Star andNational FenestrationRating Council labels canhelp you compare win-dows.

Consumers may be mostfamiliar with the U-factor,which tells you how muchheat can escape throughthe window.

The labels also includeinformation on how muchlight and heat from thes u n i s t r a n s m i t t e dthrough the window.

While Haglund urgeshomeowners not to scrimpon energy efficiency, shesaid there are other waysto save money short offull window replacement.

A new window can befitted into existing framesthat are in good condi-tion.

Or, she said, you canreplace just the sash —the part of the windowthat contains the glass.

Again, this would onlywork if the frame is ingood condition.

If you decide not toinvest in new windows,you can increase the ener-g y ef ficiency of yourexisting ones:

“Stor m windows arecertainly a good idea,”

Selzer said.Use caulk or weather-

stripping to seal any leaksaround the frame.

And insulating draper-ies or other window treat-m e n t s a l s o c a n h e l pincrease comfort.

“They’re so much moretailored and thinner thanthey used to be,” she said.“Old insulating treat-ments were very bulky,like putting up blankets.Now, they’re certainlysleek and more effective.”

• Online:Center for Sustainable

Building Research at theUniversity of Minnesota:http://efficientwindows.org

Federal Trade Commis-sion on windows: http://www.ftc .gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/homes/rea20.shtm

WINDOWSContinued from Page T4

AP PHOTO/SIMONTON WINDOWS, THERESA CLEMENT

In this image taken in 2011 and released by SimontonWindows, Mark Clement, a professional contractor andhost of MyFixItUpLife home improvement radio show,installs energy-efficient Simonton replacement windowsin his 100-plus-year-old home in Ambler, Pa.

The Progress-Index, Petersburg, VA Sunday, September 23, 2012 T5

PI_PROGINDEX/SPECIAL_SECTION/PAGES [T06] | 09/21/12 16:40 | SUPERIMPPB

BY DIANA MARSZALEK

FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

When it became clear that allergies wouldprevent Nancy B. Westfall’s infant daughterfrom having a rug in her room, the Atlanta-based artist turned instead to paint, a fewstencils and a plan.

Westfall used the baby’s bedroom floormuch like she would a canvas, painting on ita diamond-shaped pattern that gave thespace a custom look you simply can’t achievewith a kid’s area rug.

Eleven years and another house later, West-fall remains a big fan of bringing floors to lifewith color instead of covering them up.

“They look pretty refinished, and theylook even better painted,” Westfall says.

You don’t have to be a professional artistlike Westfall to do it, although proponents ofpainting the floor say it does require patienceand nerve.

Rachel Cannon Lewis, an interiordesigner in Baton Rouge, La., encour-ages clients to consider it. Painting afloor, whether it’s wood or concrete, canbe more affordable than tile, carpet or

other floor coverings, she says.And in homes that date back more than a

century, painted floors are more historicallyaccurate: Back then, people frequently paint-ed their wide, plank wood floors to protectthem from warping, Lewis says.

Plus, painting just looks good.“I’m starting to think of the floor as the

sixth wall,” says Lewis, who considers floors“an overlooked opportunity to get creativeand introduce color.” (The “fifth wall,” bythe way, is the ceiling).

Painting floors yourself can be a lengthyprocess, Lewis says, primarily because thethin, oil-based paint she recommendsrequires multiple coats, with lengthy drytimes between each one. Getting fancier by,say, creating a pattern with paint or a stencil,requires even more patience and precision.

Even if you hire a professional painter,however, “You have to be willing to embracethe idea that it’s going to be a different solu-tion than what most people tell you to do,”Lewis says.

Paint can be a dramatic, low-cost floor covering

AP PHOTO/GREGG IRBY FINE ART

Atlanta artist Nancy B. Westfall painted this floor in her daughter’s room.Please see FLOOR, Page T8

T6 Sunday, September 23, 2012 The Progress-Index, Petersburg, VA

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“There are going to be

friends that come over who

don’t get it, and your mom

is not going to get it,” she

says. “But I love the notori-

ety that comes with push-

ing the envelope and going

for it.”

Painted floors are not as

durable as some of the

alternatives, especially in

high-traffic areas, says Sid-

ney Wagner, a Charleston,

S.C., interior designer.

“Over time, even with

polyurethane, they will

show scratches and the

paint will scratch?off,” she

says. “However, a tip to

help combat your floors

from looking too shabby is

to paint a contrasting layer

of color underneath. So

when that second layer of

color comes through with

the scratches, the marred

floors will look planned

with your color scheme.”

Carol Charny, a Larch-

mont, N.Y.-based interior

designer, says that painting

floors requires a bit of

throwing caution to the

wind.

“You can do anything

you want. The world is

your oyster,” she says. “You

just have to disengage from

fear.”

In the home interiors

shop she used to own,

Charny used black and

white paint to make the

floor look like it was cov-

ered with an area rug, com-

plete with fringe.

She warns that the mar-

gin for error grows with

the complexity of the proj-

ect. “You’re not going to

paint an Oriental rug,” she

says.

On the other hand, the

beauty of using paint is

that, if something goes

awry, you can cover it up.

“You have to relax,” she

says. “It’s only paint.”

FLOORContinued from Page T6

BY LISA A. FLAM

FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

When the lazy days of summer give

way to hectic fall schedules, there is

nothing like dashing in from the cold

and being enveloped by a home filled

with delicious smells.

These days, there are endless ways

to add a special scent to your home.

Home fragrance products have explod-

ed into a $5 billion industry, with can-

dles, diffusers, room sprays and oils

offered everyplace from drug stores to

high-end retailers. There are many

use-what-you-have, do-it-yourself

options as well.

The idea is to create an inviting,

comforting and calming environment,

whether you’re having 20 people for a

sit-down dinner or simply hanging out

on the couch for the evening.

“This is a time when people are

spending more time at home, and they

want that cozy, holiday, warm feeling,

and maybe you want that even when

you’re not entertaining ? you want it

on a Tuesday night when you’re watch-

ing TV,” said Jessica Romm, lifestyles

editor at Martha Stewart Living.

“Fragrance is a really nice way to do

that.”

Once comprised mostly of candles

Home fragrances offer new variety, seasonal scents

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PI_PROGINDEX/ADVERTISING/AD_PAGES [T07] | 09/21/12 16:56 | SUPERIMPPB

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T8 Sunday, September 23, 2012 The Progress-Index, Petersburg, VA

PI_PROGINDEX/SPECIAL_SECTION/PAGES [T09] | 09/21/12 16:39 | SUPERIMPPB

and potpourri, the home fra-grance market took off inthe mid- to late 1990s, andretail sales in the UnitedStates hit a high of $5.3 bil-lion in 2011, according toKaren Doskow, industrymanager for consumer prod-ucts at Kline and Co., a mar-ket research company inParsippany, N.J. Saleslast year were up 4 per-cent over 2010, she said.

Today’s offeringsinclude candles, roomsprays, reed and plug-indiffusers, wax melts,essential oils, and old stan-dards like drawer linersand sachets. Many productsnow of fer a moresophisticated scentand they’re more dec-orative as well, Dos-kow said.

Just as there arescores of scents to

choose from (Yankee Candlehas about 200 candle fra-grances), the prices varygreatly. “It can range from aRenuzit adjustable (airfreshener) for 99 cents up toa Jo Malone scented candlethat’s in excess of $100,”Doskow said.

In fact, Jo Malone’s luxu-ry candle offers 230 hours ofburn time and sells for $425,while a large Yankee Candlethat offers up to 150 hours

of scent costs$27.99. Crabtree& Evelyn

h a s s c e n t e dsprays for $19,

while French per-fumer Frederic

Malle’s “perfumegun” spray sells for

$145.Whatever your

budget, try tocapture the nat-ural smells ofthe season in asimple and min-imal way, Rommsays. She men-

tions masculine scents likewood and leather, and thesmells of seasonal fruits andvegetables, such as pumpkin,apple, pear and squash.

“You’d think about mealsthat you’re cooking orthings you would havearound ? fruits of the sea-son or spices you mightuse,” Romm said. “Our phi-losophy in terms of homefragrance is to not battle orcompete with what youwould naturally have inyour home during the fall.”

As winter arrives, a freshChristmas tree is great,Romm says, but withoutone, you can introduce thesmell of pine, or eucalyptus,and spices like clove andcinnamon.

A good way to carry fra-grance through your home isto use multiple products atonce, says Hope MargalaKlein, executive vice presi-dent for brand, design andinnovation at Yankee Candle.

“We recommend a lay-ered approach, with the

candle being the focus,” shesaid.

About an hour beforeguests arrive, a host mightlight a candle ? or a no-flamealternative if kids or pets arean issue ? in each of themajor entertaining spaces,such as the kitchen, diningroom and great room, andaccent those with diffusers.“By the time guests get here,the house smells amazing,”Klein said.

Don’t forget to add a glowto the bathroom, where youmay also want to display acan of room spray for a con-centrated burst of fragranceif needed, she recommends.

The amount of scent youshould use depends on thesize of your home.

“People who have enor-mous rooms would probablyneed more,” Klein said. “Orif you’re living in a smallapartment in New York City,you could probably do onecandle for the whole place.You don’t want it to over-power folks.”

One scent can be usedthroughout the home for anintense smell, or you cancombine scents. “People willcreate their own recipes forwhat they think is great,”Klein said.

Romm is partial to DIYhome fragrance, like settinga pot of apple cider with cin-

namon or cloves to simmeron the stove, displaying apretty bowl of cinnamonsticks, or drying slicedapples on parchment paperin the oven on low heat.

“You can serve it just asguests are arriving so thatsmell fills your home,” shesaid.

SCENTSContinued from Page T8

AP PHOTOS/THE YANKEE CANDLE COMPANY

Above: The Yankee Candle large jar in Autumn Wreath,Spiced Pumpkin and Apple Cider are shown. Left: A YankeeCandle Signature Reed Diffuser in Spiced Pumpkin is seen.

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BY ARLENE HIRST

NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE

The interior designer Nate

Berkus first appeared on the

national scene in 2002 as a

guest on “Oprah.”

He was such a hit with the

audience and the star that he

became the show’s featured

design expert. Since then, his

career has boomed.

He has written a book,

“Home Rules: Transform the

Place You Live Into a Place

You’ll Love,” and starred in

his own television program,

“The Nate Berkus Show,”

which ended this spring.

In October, Berkus, 40, will

have two major introduc-

tions: a 150-piece collection

of furnishings for Target,

and a new book, “The Things

That Matter” (Spiegel &

Grau, $35).

Speaking from his office

in Chicago (he has another

in New York), he spilled

details about both projects.

Your new book is extremely

personal. It’s as much about

the people themselves as it is

about interior design. Why

did you decide to write it?

It’s a reaction to all the

information and the misin-

formation that is out there

on television, in magazines

and on websites telling peo-

ple what to do: how to deco-

rate. For me, the home

should tell a story about the

people who live there. It’s a

different way of looking at

design. My goal was to tell

how people made their choic-

es.

I hate when people say

there are no rules to design.

There are rules about things

like scale and proportion.

And of course a home needs

to be utilitarian and func-

tional, but there are many

roads and directions to

achieve this.

How did you select the proj-

ects in the book?

I picked the interiors

because they are far-flung: a

studio apartment in Brook-

lyn; a San Francisco apart-

ment with a 10,000-square-

foot terrace; a minimal ranch

house in Marfa, Texas. But

all really reflect the people

who live there. The 14 proj-

ects in the book are triumphs

of personal style.

There’s a big chunk of your

own biography, too.

I didn’t set out to do that

when I started, but I learned

so many personal stories

that I felt it was only right

and appropriate for me to tell

mine.

Before Target, you designed

a 2008 collection for Home

Shopping Network. Are you

philosophically committed to

the mass market?

I am a fan of the mass

market. I have a responsibil-

ity to my custom clients to

know as much as possible

about antiques, rare carpets

and fine art, and a lot of what

we do is custom for high-end

clients. But I get a rush find-

ing a beautifully designed

object at a great price.

How would you describe

the style of your Target collec-

tion?

I don’t strike a chord with

any one style. I love every-

thing from Swedish antiques

to midcentury modern to

Milan design from the ‘70s. I

love crafts, basketry and met-

alwork. All these elements

are incorporated in the line.

I did design with a point of

view using natural materi-

als, knitting and textural fin-

ishes. I don’t want people to

buy the entire collection. I

want them to be able to buy

pieces and layer them into

their homes.

The line will have a long

life. I’ll be able to constantly

refresh it. I don’t want to

totally overhaul every sea-

son. The whole is focused onaccessories and objects. I seeevery horizontal surface asan opportunity. A lot isdrawn from pieces in myhome that I’ve been collect-ing over the last 25 years.There’s a lacquer tortoiseshell like one that’s hangingon my wall.

What about color?I’m influenced by fashion,

painting and photography.My colors for the fall aredeeper and earthier. Thenthey will lighten up in thespring. I only used two colorsin each product becausethey’re easier to incorpo-rate.

Who are your designheroes?

In design, Axel Vervoordta n d J a c q u e s G r a n g e.Grange’s interiors are sointensely personal and so

AP PHOTO/JEFF CHRISTENSEN

Nate Berkus poses for aportrait Feb. 14, 2011, inNew York.

For Nate Berkus, the home should tell a story

Please see BERKUS, Page T11

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T10 Sunday, September 23, 2012 The Progress-Index, Petersburg, VA

PI_PROGINDEX/SPECIAL_SECTION/PAGES [T11] | 09/21/12 16:44 | SUPERIMPPB

layered. I admire Andree Putman and an

architect I have worked with, Ahmad Sar-

dar Afkhami. I love Verdura jewelry, Gio

Ponti, Fornasetti and Gabriella Crespi.

In the mass market you need to know

what the best things are.

You were an executive producer of “The

Help.” How did that come about, and are

there more films in your future?

Tate Taylor, the producer, is a friend of

mine and he sent me a galley of the book

before it was published, looking for finan-

cial backing. I read it in a day and a half

and loved it. So I signed up to support it in

any way I could. It was a thrill to sit at the

Academy Awards. I love the idea that it

reached so many people. And I’m current-

ly working on a second movie project but I

can’t tell anyone yet what it’s about. I can

say that it’s another adaptation of a book.

You’ve built an amazing career in a

very short time. What do you want to do

next?

I want to go back on TV in a meaning-

ful way. I’m working on a new show and

hope to find a home for it in a year or

two.

BERKUSContinued from Page T10

BY KATHY VAN MULLEKOM

DAILY PRESS

NEWPORT NEWS — The grow-

ing season isn’t over with the end

of summer. Until the first hard

frost hits, you have plenty of time

to plant, pick and plate cool-weath-

er crops.

Fall is a great time for garden-

ing thanks to cooler, milder tem-

peratures, fewer garden pests and

softer, moist soil. Some vegetables,

like collards, taste best when

nipped by light frost. Lettuce

thrives for weeks in fall tempera-

tures, and is easy to tuck between

and under taller plants or in con-

tainers.

When you plant in pots, make

sure there are numerous holes for

good drainage; use good quality

potting soil, not garden soil

because it’s too heavy.

Planting a fall garden late sum-

mer ensures crops mature before

freezing weather, especially when

you choose varieties that mature

quickly; information about days

to maturity can be found on plant

tags. A fall garden is best started

with transplants, rather than

seeds, so you get earlier harvests.

Find your frost/freeze dates with

the National Climatic Data Center

at www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/cli-

mate/freezefrost/frostfreemaps.

html.

Here are some fall gardening

tips from Bonnie Plants.

Fall gardening tipsTidy up. Remove spent plants,

like early planted beans, cucum-

bers or lettuce, since they’re pret-

ty much done for the season and

can harbor pests. Clear away holes

left from pulling plants, and get

rid of weeds before they go to

seed. Throw away anything dis-

tressed and compost the rest.

Discard any fallen fruits; rot-

ting produce can attract pests.

Take note of where everything

was planted so you rotate crops to

keep plants healthy.

Set up the soil. Freshen garden

soil by removing the existing layer

of mulch and replace it. Straw

makes an excellent cover because

it’s easily scattered, it’s also a

favorite home for spiders that help

control insect pests in your gar-

den. You can also use a layer of

shredded leaves for mulch.

Loosen compacted soil, and

fluff it up with a garden fork.

Major tilling isn’t necessary; just

move soil enough to allow new

plant roots to settle in and let

water get through. Test soil (you

can buy a testing kit at most gar-

den retailers) to see if it needs

help. Add amendments, if needed.

At the very least, work some com-

post in where your plants will be

growing.

6 fall cropsTop Bunch Collards — This

hybrid yields good and matures

early. They grow best in full sun,

tolerate partial shade, are rich in

vitamins and sweetened by frost.

Space transplants 36 inches apart.

Spinach — Although spinach

prefers full sun, it’s one of the few

vegetables that produce a respect-

able harvest in partial shade.

Winterbor kale — This nutri-

tious leafy green is a vigorous pro-

ducer that endures winter easily.

Cut the outer leaves so the center

continues growing. Space trans-

plants 12 inches apart.

Early Dividend broccoli — Pop-

ular, productive and easy to grow,

this broccoli is high in fiber and

calcium. Space transplants 18

inches apart.

Mustard greens — Offering

spicy hot leaves, this is a very fast-

growing, nutritious vegetable, and

always tastes sweeter when nipped

by frost. Space plants 12 inches

apart.

Bonnie hybrid cabbage —

Grows large, round, blue-green

heads. Cabbage is especially high

in beta-carotene, vitamin C, K and

fiber.

• Online:

www.bonnieplants.com

Fall gardening can yield hearty crops

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T12 Sunday, September 23, 2012 The Progress-Index, Petersburg, VA