As Coon described, a woman came into their greenhouse one day and, after a long chat, shared with the mother-daughter duo the secret to growing the best bell peppers.
“She told us that when you dig the hole, put some matches in it first; cover them a bit with soil and plant your pepper right on top of it,” Coon said.
Coon recalled that she and her mother giggled a bit about the advice, but when the time came to plant their peppers they thought “oh, why not?”
“They were the best peppers we’d ever grown,” Coon said, without the least big of exaggeration in her voice. Peppers really like sulpher, like that found on match heads.
Neither Coon nor Blackstone knew the woman’s name and they never saw her again, but Coon credits her for the secret to growing the best bell peppers.
Stories like this one highlight the camaraderie between gardeners around growing season.
“Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone knows how to do something a little better than everyone else, and that’s the best thing about having a greenhouse,” Coon explained. “When someone comes in to pick up a cucumber then end up staying and trading secrets — it’s like gardening gossip hour.”
For greens or gardening gossip, Farmhouse Greenhouse is located at 346 Fort Fairfield Road in Caribou and can be visited at the Caribou Farmers Market, located at 159 Bennett Drive on Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. until noon starting mid-May. Additional information about Farmhouse Greenhouse can be obtained by calling 227-2754.
Proper planning lasts a landscaping lifetime
CARIBOU, Maine — North End Landscaping and Stone Supply (NELSS) offers a variety of lawn and garden services in addition to their extensive stone work services, and has been growing a list of satisfied customers since 1993.
Whether a homeowner is planting a few trees or creating an extensive stone patio environment, NELSS owner Joe Cowett has some well-founded advice.
“Whether it’s stone or soft-scaping products like trees and shrubs, the key to making both work is the preparation,” Cowett said. No matter if it’s preparing the soil for a plant or tree, or prepping the ground getting a retaining wall ready for an embankment, Cowett emphasized that the success of each project comes down to the prep work.
“If you’re doing a project as a homeowner, take the time to do the preparatory work correctly so that these things last long-term,” he added.
Preparation is vital to planning a landscape, particularly since overlooking issues can prove highly problematic.
The fundamentals Cowett looks at whenever he’s involved with a project are how landscape changes are going to impact what’s going on around them.
Trees, for instance, require a long-term approach to planting.
“Obviously you don’t want to plant trees too close to your buildings for a couple of reasons,” Cowett said.
For starters, Cowett says that the root systems tend to spread out and, over time, they can affect a building’s foundation. Also, depending on what the tree sheds in various seasons, it could affect a home or garage’s roof by contributing to the break-down of shingles.
Snow is another factor Cowett cautions homeowners to remember even after it’s melted.
“Being in northern Maine, snow is a big issue for us in the winter, so you have to plan out where you’re going to locate these gardens and these plants in regard to where your snow gets piled,” he cautioned.
Even the type of plants a homeowner picks for their garden needs to be carefully thought out in relation to the amount of sun they’ll be getting and how much moisture they can handle.
The other main facet of North End Landscaping is their stone can help keep a landscape in place during instances of excessive runoff and shifting earth; retaining walls not only help keep a hill or embankment where in needs to be, they can add quite a bit of curb appeal to any home.
While the price tag that comes with a retaining wall fluctuates greatly depending on variables such as height and complexity of engineering, Cowett estimates that building even a relatively small retaining wall will most likely run over $1,000. Though such a figure may seem steep to some, Cowett reminds that the figures reflects the cost of materials, the engineering to ensure the wall does what it’s supposed to and stays in place as well as the cost of labor.
“If a homeowner wants to do it themselves, which they can, they can save quite a bit of money by reducing labor costs,” Cowett advised.
Cowett’s successfully worked with many do-it-themselfers before who beautified their embankments and preserved landscapes with their own hands.
“We can set them up from the start of the project to completion not only with the products they’ll need, but with advice as well,” Cowett said.
Located at 84 Access Highway in Caribou, additional information about North End Landscaping and Stone Supply can be obtained by calling 498-8879.
Update living space with gently-used furniture
By Kathy McCarty, Staff Writer
Looking to update your living space but don’t have a lot of cash to do so? Then consider letting the money you do have go the distance, helping you achieve your desired makeover and help feed the hungry in Aroostook County at the same time.
“Catholic Charities in Caribou and Presque Isle have a great selection of used furniture, with prices to fit any need,” said Dixie Shaw, director of the organization.
Shaw said in addition to the standard use for furnishings, people looking to stretch their money are continually coming up with unique ways to re-use all sorts of items.
“With the whole Pinterest (an online bulletin board system) deal and the popularity of up-cycling that we are in, it is really getting to the point that one man’s trash is another’s treasure,” said Shaw. “And man do I feel like we are sitting on the treasure.”
“We try to have a variety of price ranges. If you need a couch and you have 40 bucks, we’ve got it. If you want a nice couch and you can afford it, we’ve got that too,” she said.
Shaw said she and her staff are continually looking for ways to reuse even slightly damaged items, in order to raise more funds to buy food for those less fortunate in the County.
“We are now pulling ideas such as making a private litter box space for your cat out of an old dresser and putting them up in our store. Pallets are all the rage and we’ve got those too,” Shaw said, noting pallets can be used for all sorts of projects, including one she saw recently that used pallets to create a small shed.
Fred Schieber, who works with the food banks, said drop-offs can be made in three locations, with pickups also possible.
“In addition to the Davis Street location in Presque Isle and the Old Van Buren Road location in Caribou, we also accept drop-off donations at the Monticello warehouse at 155 U.S. Route 1,” said Schieber.
Hours of operation and contact info for the three locations are as follows: Caribou, open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., call 496-3243; Presque Isle, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Wednesday in Monticello.
“People can contact the Caribou or Presque Isle stores to arrange for donation pickups. We accept anything that is not broken or excessively damaged, except for TVs and computer equipment. Basically, it needs to be reusable. We also accept clothing and shoes,” said Schieber.
Schieber said donations are tax deductible and receipts are provided upon request.
He said items vary by store and move quickly, so don’t hesitate when you see something you really like — it might not be there when you go back.
“What is available in the stores really changes on a day-to-day basis. We always have things like used furniture, household appliances, kitchen supplies and hardware,” said Schieber.
“You can also find things as diverse as windows, chicken feeders, sporting equipment and antiques,” said Schieber. “Right now books and seasonal/holiday items are big sellers.”
Schieber agreed with Shaw, noting how lots of people are finding new ways to use old things.
“People do repurpose what they find and often the Internet is a source of inspiration. Some examples of people reusing items include: using old game pieces in scrapbooking, using old dresser drawers for shelves and planters, wooden skis as wall decorations, making doors into work tables, gluing china and glassware together for garden sculptures and bird feeders, and making purses from old hardback books,” said Schieber. “An Internet search under ‘repurposing’ is sure to result in many other ideas.”
Jeanna Gardiner, manager of the Presque Isle store, said each store gets weekly calls for pickups and that donations are steady.
“We get a lot of furniture, building supplies, shoes, clothing. It all goes to buy food and keeps a lot of stuff out of the landfill,” said Gardiner.
She too has seen a lot of neat uses for old items.
“I’ve seen people turn old suitcases into foot stools or put in shelves and mount on a wall. A lot of items get used in gardens. People have used dresser drawers for planting flowers. We see so many cute ideas,” she said.
“We’ve seen folks turn doors into tables and turn shutters into shelves. The ideas are endless,” said Gardiner.
Shaw has been thrilled to see all the ways people have gotten creative with the treasures they find at either store.
“I find it so exciting. I often say to people in our store, ‘Where else could you get this much entertainment for so little and help us feed the County,’” she said.
“It is fun to see the ideas people come up with. We have had people bring us pictures after they redo something,” said Shaw. “It amazes me what folks do with some of the items.”
Companion gardens can be a grower’s best friend
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU, Maine — The pair’s no peanut butter and jelly, but cabbage and nasturtium are longtime gardening BFF’s.
Nasturtium, like many other popular companion garden plants, helps keep pests off of veggies when it’s planted close by.
“[Nasturtium] is an herb with an edible flower, and the leaves have a peppery flavor that’s great in salads,” explained Jenny Coon, “and it helps keep white flies away.”
As the director of the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce, Coon knows Caribou; as the owner of Farmhouse Greenhouse in Caribou, Coon knows plants; knowing what helps plants grow well in Caribou is right up her alley, and she recommends planting nasturtium, marigolds and calendula in companion gardens to help keep pests at bay.
“Calendula is commonly called the poor man’s saffron, and it looks like a great big orange and yellow daisy,” Coon explained. It also has an edible flower, but its benefits extend beyond being both aesthetic and edible as it also helps keep bugs off garden plants.
Marigolds also help keep pests away “and that’s why often you see marigolds planted in gardens — it’s not just to look pretty,” Coon said.
For times when flower power just isn’t enough to keep those pesky bugs at bay, Coon offered this simple anti-insect recipe: water, some dish soap, and a spray bottle.
“Aphids and a lot of other pests breath out of their sides, so when you spray your plants with a dish soap and water solution, the bugs get coated in it and they suffocate,” she explained. “You’re saving your plants, you’re saving money (because who doesn’t have dish soap?) and it washes right off in a good rain.”
