Tons of Tomatoes From A Small SpaceWritten by Jean Fritz
Want to grow a ton of tomatoes, but plagued by evil soil or limited space? The Japanese Tomato Ring allows you to grow 5 lush plants in a space 3" x 3", which should supply any family with tomatoes from summer through frost. Basically, Japanese Tomato Ring takes advantage of two things - your compost pile, and tomato plant's propensity to grow roots along its stem. The ring allows your compost pile to provide your plants with support and food while its contents decompose and create soil for next season. The growing plants disguise compost pile and actually make it attractive.Build your tomato ring with 4’ tall heavy-gage chicken wire and four to six strong bamboo or plastic poles. Line out circumference of your ring on ground, and place your poles 18” apart, either in a ring or a square. Encircle poles with wire, sinking bottom 6’ – 8” of wire into ground (use wire cutters and snip away bottom wire of roll, creating “legs” that will help stabilize ring.) Tie ring together with plastic garbage bag ties or pieces of lighter-gage wire (such as 14 or 16 gage.) Begin to fill cage with compost materials – grass clippings, shredded newspapers, coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, etc. Add a small amount of compost activator such as Ringers to begin decomposition process. As pile inside cage reduces, add more compost materials, layering “green stuff” (grass clippings and vegetable matter) with “brown stuff” (newspaper, bark mulch, etc.)
| | Complete your bookshelves with bookendsWritten by Johann Erickson
When trying to decide how to best decorate a shelf or table top, bookends should be considered. They are great decorating accent pieces and also work as functional items, preventing book warping, decreasing page wrinkling, and protecting book covers. In addition to preserving your books, bookends add finesse to home offices, libraries, children’s rooms, and family rooms. For a unique decorating approach, place them in a bathroom to hold bubble bath reading material.
But bookends don't only hold books. They can add drama to a CD collection, accessorize photo albums, or hold folders of work to be completed—use your imagination. You can arrange cookbooks between bookends that match your kitchen decor, whether it is roosters, apples, or decorative bottles. Then, group with baskets, decorative plates, or a prized cookie jar. Books that no one intends to read can be partnered with bookends and displayed on top of kitchen cabinets.
What kind of bookends are available? Any kind you want. You simply need to determine what material and shape book ends need to be in order to contribute to definition of a particular room. For example, a little girl’s room could utilize bookends that look like Noah's Ark to hold her collection of Childrens books. Brass eagle book ends would look great in a den filled with deer heads and decoys, while cherub characters may fit best in an elegant living room holding books of romantic poetry.
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