Time to think about gardening; who’s afraid of the big bad bar?
by Colleen Wolfe
soboblog@baltimoreguide.com
Although the recent weather has been all over the map, spring is officially here. And many people look forward to getting their hands dirty in their gardens. If you are not an experienced gardener but do enjoy brightening up the outside of your home with plants and flowers I have a few tips to pass along. I asked Charlie Newcomb, Locust Point neighbor and landscape architect, a few questions about the basics of getting ready for spring planting. Here are a few words of wisdom from him.
Q. Since spring in Baltimore can still be very chilly, when do you know when is the right time to start your spring planting
A. It depends on the plant. Annuals need temps above 55 degrees all the time, but with some protection end of April is a good time. Perennials can be put in now, as can shrubs.
Q. What should you do to get your soil ready?
A. Turn soil over with a shovel to a depth of at least six inches. Don’t take out or kill the worms. They are great to have around. Add some humus, manure, peat moss or perilite. You need to put back in what last year’s plants took out. A general 5-10-5 fertilizer is good enough. Let the birds eat the eggs and bugs that hibernated in the soil over the winter
Q. Are there any special things you can do to help container/house plants that have been hiding indoors all winter transition outside? I understand that a sudden change in location can shock some plants.
A. Yes, slowly put containers in the sun and slowly adjust the amount of water given. Most houseplants are tropical and may need to wait until May or June. Don’t forget to add a bit of fertilizer and watch for too much sun at first.
Q. If this is someone’s first attempt at gardening, what are a few basics they should be thinking about as they plan what they are going to plant this year (assuming that in the city they will probably be working with a fairly small space)?
A. Think containers. Think HERBS!!! Herbs thrive in poor soil, with hardly any care and almost complete abuse. They don’t like to be watered too much. Think chives, parsley, oregano, and thyme. Allow as much sun as possible. Herbs in the sunny front of the house in containers are a perfect way to have some color and aroma.
Stay away from tomatoes. Go to the farmers market and buy them instead of spending more money, water and time trying to grow them when there are so many other things you can grow like lavender, perennials and annuals that give lots of color and are not as temperamental as veggies.
Charlie Newcomb is the chairman of the Parks and Beautification Committee for the Locust Point Civic Association. He has also been a certified horticulturist for the past 20 years and has worked as a landscape designer for the last eight years with Akehurst Landscape Service, Inc. If your green thumb needs a little more help than the advice Charlie has given here he can be reached at Akehurst at 410-837-4256.
Several months ago you may have spotted a for sale signs outside the French Quarter bar at the corner of Fort Avenue and Stevenson Street in Locust Point. Soon after, the inevitable rumors started flying about what was going to move into the space. So here’s the latest that I’ve been able to dig up. Local real estate developer Mark Sapperstein still owns the building, which is still up for sale. Apparently someone, name as yet unknown, is interested in buying the building and liquor license, in order to open up a Japanese skewer restaurant. For lack of a better comparison, this concept sounds like Japan’s version of a tapas restaurant.
But anything involving the sale or transfer of a liquor license in Baltimore City is not bound to proceed smoothly. With the Liquor Board being one commissioner short, the recent vote on transferring the liquor license to the hopefully soon-to-be owner resulted in a tie. The Board wanted input from the neighborhood before voting again. But neighbors seem to be divided. Residents who live closest to the French Quarter voiced their opposition at a recent board meeting of the Locust Point Civic Association. Fed up with unruly bar customers the neighbors are skeptical of any new bar or restaurant that would also bring with it added parking problems.
With only Pazza Luna, the Wine Market and Hull Street Blues offering finer dining choices in the neighborhood some residents see the addition of a new restaurant as an asset to the neighborhood, certainly a better alternative to another corner bar. Until the Liquor Board fills its vacant seat this issue looks like it will keep ending in a tie. I’ll keep you updated on how it progresses.
There’s still time to sign up for the City’s Tree Steward Program. The Department of Recreation and Parks started the program a year ago to teach neighborhood volunteers how to correctly plant and care for trees. Since it started, 77 volunteers and 46 Rec and Parks staff have planted 489 new trees and have helped maintain 656 additional trees in the city. Through a combination of classroom training and hands-on practice, participants can learn how trees function in an urban environment and become certified to plant and care for trees.
There are six training sessions being held at the Locust Point Recreation Center (1627 E. Fort Avenue): Thursday, April 5th, Tree Basics; Thursday, April 12th, Pruning 101; Saturday, April 14th, Prune A Tree; Thursday, April 19th, Planting & Soils; Saturday, April 21st, Plant A Tree; Thursday, April 26th, outreach. Thursday sessions are from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and Saturday sessions are from 10 a.m.–noon and are outdoor hands-on training. To sign up or for info contact Jahmilla Wilson at Jahmilla.Wilson@baltimorecity.gov or (410) 396-0729.
Last week’s column on irresponsible dog owners prompted a few responses from neighbors, all equally fed up with dogs in Latrobe Park’s playground. One anonymous emailer said the problem with dog owners who refuse to clean up after their pets is evident all over the park, not just in the playground. Another neighbor said she’s not going to keep quiet about it any longer. Karen Klemkowski wrote that the problem is a real nuisance on her street as well and she’s had enough. “I am not taking it any more and when I see a dog owner walk away after their dog has done their business, I yell to them, excuse me are you going to pick that up?”
All agree on one thing. It’s not the dogs that are to blame but bad dog owners and more people have to speak up. “I love dogs, and I do not blame the dogs at all. It is the owners who are being very disrespectful of our wonderful neighborhood and its people. And the bad owners who are making others see dogs as the problems. Anyway it was great to see someone speaking up and watching out for the safety of our children,” wrote Klemkowski.
