No messingwith mosquitoes

By Matt Petersonmatt.peterson@austindalyherald.com

Mosquitoes were feeding on DanBuchanan and his family until he gotfed up with them. Now, those pesky in-sects are going to die.Buchanan is the owner of the south-

eastern Minnesota franchise of Mos-quito Squad. He started the businessbecause he lived in a heavily woodedarea next to a river, and he and his fam-ily were confined to indoors. Now heand a couple crewmembers are strikingbackwith several ways to protect homesfrom infestations.Themost common program is a cycle

in which Buchanan or his employees re-apply an environmentally safe spray tothe foliage around yards every 21 days.

Regional business protectsyards from pesky insects

By Jason Schoonoverjason.schoonover@austindailyherald.com

A common saying states gardenersshould plant potatoes by Good Friday.“This year, it ain’t going to happen,”

admits Jim Stiles, owner of SuperFresh Bakery & Garden Center.A year ago, people were tending

their gardens in March, but theweather hasn’t been so kind this year.It’s nearly April, and the ground isstill frozen.“Last year the people were really

into gardening early,” Stiles said.“Last year the weather was so nice,and this year it’s just nothing.”While winter may seem to be drag-

ging later than normal, last year’sspring was early, which may add topeople’s cabin fever for warm weather.“You average the two out, and

you’re probably right on schedule,” hesaid.But the lingering snow and ice does-

n’t mean people can’t begin their gar-dening season in some way.Stiles suggested people start plan-

ning what to plant and stock up, sothey are ready once the weather im-proves.“It’s just a good time for people to

plan and think about what they wantto have,” he said.

For more information or for anappointment, call Buchananat 877-239-2483, email

dbuchanan@mosquitosquad.comor go to southeast

minnesota.mosquitosquad.com.

See INSECTS, 4H&G

Jim Stiles, owner of Jim’s Superfresh, is helping customers on the upcoming growing season.Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Cool weather keepinggardeners indoors longer

What to plantearly in the season

Once the weather warms up andthe snow melts, gardeners may notbe eager to plant right away. Solid,overnight freezes can be expectedwell into May, and some plantsarenʼt adept at handling the condi-tions.

Super Fresh Owner Jim Stilessaid things like spinach, kale andpansies can survive cool springtemperatures.

“They can really take it cold,” hesaid.

He also said carrots, peas, swisschard, cabbage, cauliflower, broc-coli and onions are good for plant-ing early.

Other plants like tomatoes, pep-pers and potatoes need warmerground soil and overnight tempera-tures in the mid-40s and 50s.

Dry conditions from the ongoingdrought havenʼt been a huge prob-lem for local gardeners. But when indoubt, Stiles suggested going na-tive.

Native flowers, vegetables, treesand bushes are often better at sur-viving the weather, as theyʼre natu-rally occurring.

“Natives to me are always good,”he said. “Theyʼre here for a reason.”

See GARDENS, Page 3H&G

By Kelli Lagesonkelli.lageson@albertleatribune.com

More andmore familieswho build new homes in-clude a full-size bar area intheir plans. Some are foradult entertainment, butothers make it a hang outplace for children andadults alike.RWP Building Materi-

als in Geneva offers a one-stop shop for designing orbuilding an in-home bar.Jessica Richards, whoworks in sales and design,said even if a person build-ing a new home didn’t im-mediately put a bar in,they made sure it was inthe plans to do one some-day. Her husband, Brett,manager and contractor,said the homeowner willcall later and ask for helpputting a bar in. RWP hasalmost everything neededto create an in-home bar.“We canhelp them lay it

out, and I don’t know thatthey’d get that at a boxshop,” Jessica said.Jessica said they can do

the designwork to plan theshape of the bar andwhereapplianceswould go. Everybar they’ve designed in-cludes room for a big-screen TV.“Most bars are centered

around the TV,” Brett said.The bar in RWP’s show-

room, at 407 W. Main St. inGeneva, has a tile back-splash behind a large TV.Most bars they design alsohave room for a full-sizefridge, microwave andother appliances.“It’s like another

kitchen,” Jessica said.Some families include a

bar area that doesn’t centeraround alcohol for adults.Jessica said she’s had a fewfamilies put a bar area inthe basement specificallyfor their children with apizza oven, fridge for popand a TV.“It can just be a place to

hang out,” Jessica said.Other options include a

sink, and Jessica said 90percent of people wantthat in a bar. Jessica hasalso designed wine racksinto cabinetry and workedwith people to have dy-namic lighting like cup-boards with textured glassdoors and under-cabinetlighting.“You could do floating

shelves,” Jessica said. “Or,

wedidputa tap line inone.”For basement bars, and

depending on the ceilingheight, Brett said somepeople like to add in adropped soffit to really setthe bar area apart from therest of the room.“It gives it a pub feel,”

Brett said.And while they mostly

help residential ownerswith bars, people can seeRWP’s work at the 112 onBroadway in Albert Leawhere they helped withsome of the cabinetry.Personalizing a bar

doesn’t just stop at locationof appliances, Jessica saidthere are a large numberof tiles and stone veneerthat are available for thebacksplash of a bar.“It adds texture and vi-

sual interest,” Jessica said.Their large showroom

with all kinds of flooring,tiling andmore canhelp vi-sual people design areas ofthe home. Jessica said cus-tomers like that they cantour the showroom andpick out pieces that wouldput their own style intotheir home’s design.

Home & Garden2-H&G MARCH 29, 2013 AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

Dietitian Jen Haugen offers herfive things to grow this year

Primed for planting

SpinachGreat for theeyes as well asthe heart,spinach loves

cooler weather and is per-fect on a windowsill, con-tainer on your doorstep orin your garden. Just start itfrom seed. Use it for sal-ads, in scrambled eggs andin smoothies.

PotatoesThe low mainte-nance potatoplant is easy togrow and once

it’s in the ground, youbarely have to do anythingwith it except make sure itreceives adequate water.Potatoes are full of potas-sium making them a fa-vorite for healthy bloodpressure.

BasilOne of my all-time favoriteherbs, basil is anessential herb

that can be used in any-thing from spaghetti andpizza to pesto sauce andThai dishes. Plant theseeds now, then as theweather warms, transitionthe plants outside.

CucumbersGo for a glass ofcucumber-fla-vored water inthe summer as a

way to hydrate and feelrefreshed. Cucumbers areeasily planted from seed,just place two or threeseeds together andmound a patch of soillightly but firmly over thetop. No room to let cu-cumbers roam? Try thepatio planter style of cu-cumbers, easily grown in acontainer or small gardenpatch.

CilantroCilantro lovesspring becauseironically, it isn’ta fan of hot

weather. But cilantro isexcellent in a refreshingfruit salsa, added to fishtacos or even Asian salads.More herbs mean moreflavor and less need forsalt.

JenHaugenHy-Vee Dietitian

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Potatoes are one low maintenance vegetable to grow in gardens this year. Metro Image

Area company can build barsin the basements of homes

Spring Home & GardenA special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 3-H&G

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Stiles welcomed peo-ple to stop by and talkshop about gardening,noting he’s always will-ing to offer advice orlearn a thing or twofrom his customers.“I love to know what

went good for you lastyear,” he said.If people want to be a

bit more proactive,Stiles suggested eagergardeners plant someitems indoors in a base-ment or spare room.“We encourage peo-

ple to start,” he said.With all gardens,

Stiles warned there’d besome successes and fail-ures when it comes togetting an early start in-doors. But if somethingdoesn’t turnout, heurged people to just tryagain.Stiles described gar-

dening as somethingthat’s simply good forpeople. Not only does itget people outside forlight exercise, but it’salso positive to growyour own produce.

“It’s so good to growyour own produce andso healthy,” he said.For many, gardening

has sentimental roots,as people picked thehobby from family mem-

bers.“It’s tradition, too,”

he said. “They remem-ber their grandparentsstarting seeds or maybetheir moms and dad inthe garden.”

Despite the late startto the year, Stiles ex-pects people to be outand planting by early tomid-April.“We aren’t too far

off,” he said.

With spring finally making a showing people can start thinking about their gardens and what they will plant. Strawberries were among the different plantsavailable at Jim's Superfresh. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Smaller plotseasier to handlein the garden

Go big or go homemay no longer be to go-tofor many gardeners.

Stiles said more peo-ple are scrapping thelarge 20-by-30 foot gar-den plots for multiplesmaller 4-by-8 foot plots.

The smaller plots are abit more manageablethan larger plots and donʼtrequire as much compost.Since walkways can beleft between plots, thesmaller gardens are a biteasier to weed.

“Itʼs just a lot smallerand a lot more doable,and itʼs not so over-whelming,” he said

Stiles suggest peoplefind what works for theirlawn garden, since allproperties produce differ-ent shading, lighting andtemperatures.

A good garden is allabout finding the right bal-ance of enough water andlight, according to Stiles.

“Plants, theyʼre just sosimple,” Stiles said.“Theyʼre just like people:They need food, theyneed water, they needsun and they need theright conditions.”Gardens: ‘We aren’t too far off’

From Page 1H&G

Aside from thinking about what to plant for the upcoming season, gardeners will also have to plan for keeping away thepests.

“It’s good togrow your

own produceand so

healthy.”-Jim Stiles

Austin Daily Heraldnewsroom@austindailyherald.com

The city of Austin isonce again offering com-munity garden plots tothe community.

Located south ofWoodson KindergartenCenter, residents can rentone of 86 plots, whichmeasure 15-by-20 feeteach. Parks, Recreationand Forestry Director

Kim Underwood said itcosts $20 to rent a plot,and plots would openlater this spring as soonas the snowmelts.There is a sprinkler

system installed at the

community gardens,which water plants on arotation.In addition, city work-

ers will leave excessmulch at a regular sitejust west of the city’s

skate park on HormelDrive. The city will some-time have compost aswell.For more information

call Parks and Rec at 507-433-1881.

Spring Home & Garden4-H&G FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 A special supplement to the AUSTIN DAILY HERALD

A Mosquito Squad worker puts down barrier spray on a lawn. Photos courtesy of Mosquito Squad

11 tips forpainting theoutside ofyour homeBy Brandi Hagennewsroom@austindailyherald.com

• Make sure the house isclean before you start. Everyhouse has mold or dirt on itsomewhere. If the house isn'tclean, the dirt or mold will liftthe new paint.• Power wash the house

and scrub the siding or anyarea that will be repainted.The best way to scrub thehouse is with a hard, nylon-bristled brush. Attach thebrush to a pole to add moreforce to the scrubbing.• After power washing and

scrubbing it is a good idea toscrape the house by hand bymoving clockwise aroundyour home with a carbideblade scraper. Like witheverything, there are cheapscrapers and expensive scrap-ers. Splurge for the more ex-pensive blade because thequality is important.After you've finished, go

around the house a secondtime, but in a clockwise man-ner. This is to make sure youdon't miss a loose spot.• Make sure all screws,

nails or any other fasteningsare tight. Do this before youpaint for a clean finish.• It's important to caulk be-

fore beginning to paint. It willsave you on energy costs andin the end it will make yourpaint distinct. Be sure tocaulk any soffits, windowsand doorways.• Before you begin using

primer and paint, take onelast look for any spots thatneed to be scraped so that itdoesn't become an issue later.• Use primer. On any bare

spots of wood be sure to useprimer. Unlike paint, primergrips to bare wood and willpreserve and seal it. If youpaint bare wood withoutprimer it will stick for awhile, but will begin to peel.One coat is usually enough.Here is another place whereyou should splurge on themore expensive primer.• After the primer is on, it's

time to paint. Apply one coatof paint moving around yourhouse is a clockwise fashion.Be sure to back brush or backroll the paint to work it intothe wood. It helps the paint tostick. Apply a second coat ofpaint, but in a counter clock-wise direction. Again, thishelps be sure that you haven'tmissed any spots.• Using a brush, apply your

trim paint. This should bedone in two coats by hand be-cause of the finer lines.• When painting outdoors,

it is important to have properequipment. Use ladders ap-propriate for your weight andsplurge on your brushes andsprayers.• An average size rambler

should take at least 70 to 80man hours to paint. It's impor-tant to take the time to do itright the first time so the paintdoesn't begin to peel.

These tips were provided bySteve Ball of Paintball in Al-bert Lea. Paintball can bereached at 507-373-1130

The pyrethroid-based chem-ical doesn’t just repel mosqui-toes, it creates a barrier andkills them. Yet the chemical issafe, EPA tested and derivedfrom Chrysanthemum flowers.For those who can’t make

that schedulework, there is alsoa permanent mist system.“Basically, you install it and

forget it,” Buchanan said.Another option is an ultra

low-volume fogger. Regardless,Buchanan and his employeeswill do all the maintenance ontheir products.Buchanan no longer has

mosquitoes in his yard, he said.His kids play outside; they don’twear bug spray, and they neverget bitten. Buchananwants oth-ers to have that same satisfac-tion.“What we’re all about is just

creating an enjoyable and com-fortable environment for you,”he said. “People spend tons ofmoney on landscaping and car-ing for yards. If you can’t go outand enjoy that, it’s kind of amoot point.”

And Buchanan won’t letmosquitoes crash anyone’sparty, either. He can apply a

barrier for weddings, gradua-tions and other outdoor events.While last year’s drought

meant fewer mosquitoes themelting snow this year couldmeanmoremosquitoes in 2013,especially if there is flooding.For those concerned about

ticks, Buchanan can eradicatethem as well. While he is basedout of Oronoco, he servicesAustin, Rochester,Winona, Can-nonFalls and everywhere in be-tween.

Insects: ‘Basically you install it and forget it’From Page 1H&G

One of Mosquito Squad's truck parks outside a property.

City to offer 86 community garden plots this year

Get outside and get growing with a community gar-den plot through the city of Austin. Metro image

“What we’re all about is just creatingan enjoyable and comfortable

environment for you.”-Dan Buchanan