The Winchendon Courier
Serving the community since 1878 ~ A By Light Unseen Media publication
Week of August 26 to September 2, 2021

Gardening

Put Kitchen Scraps and Landscape Trimmings to Work in the Garden

green scraps for compost
Composting can be as simple as collecting disease- and insect-free plant debris, placing it in a pile and letting it rot.
Photo credit: Melinda Myers, LLC


Convert landscape and garden trimmings into valuable compost. Incorporate this soil amendment into garden soil to improve drainage in clay soil and increase water-holding ability in fast draining sandy soils. It also promotes healthy plant growth more resistant to insect and disease problems and keeps plant-based kitchen scraps and garden waste out of landfills.

Composting is as simple as placing disease- and insect-free plant debris into a pile and letting it rot. Don't add meat, dairy, or fat that attracts rodents or weeds that have gone to seed, invasive plants or perennial weeds that can survive the compost process and end up back in the garden.

You can enclose the pile in a bin to keep the process neat, tidy, and out of sight. Some gardeners prefer tumbler composters for added ease when it comes to loading, unloading, and turning the pile. Dual bin tumblers allow you to stockpile the raw materials in one bin while actively composting in the other.

Always check with your municipality first. Some have restrictions on the type of bins that are acceptable while others may offer them at a discount.

Start your pile in an accessible space hidden by nearby plantings, fences, or decorative bins. Turn the pile frequently, moving the more decomposed materials in the center to the outside and less decomposed to the center.

Speed things up by mixing nitrogen and carbon rich plant debris, topping with soil or compost, and adding a bit of fertilizer. Including equal parts of nitrogen rich (green) materials like herbicide-free grass clippings, fruit wastes, vegetable clippings and manure with carbon rich (brown) cornstalks, evergreen needles, straw and fall leaves will speed the process. But don't let this recipe prevent you from composting. All plant waste will eventually decompose as weather, insects and micro-organisms digest the materials over time.

Start with an 8- to 10-inch layer of garden trimmings. Cover with an inch of soil or compost and sprinkle with fertilizer to help speed things along. Repeat until the pile is at least three feet tall and wide. Moisten the pile to a consistency of a damp sponge.

Turn the pile as time allows or frequently for faster results. Move the more decomposed materials from the center to the outside of the pile. It's a great work out and speeds up the decomposition.

The more effort you put into composting the sooner you will have rich organic matter for your garden. But even casual composters end up with a wonderful amendment for the garden.

Compost is ready when it is brown and crumbly. Mix finished compost into potting mixes for containers, work it into garden beds or spread a one-inch layer over the soil surface of perennial gardens every other year.

Start putting your landscape trimmings in a heap and watch the magic happen.

Melinda Myers is the author of more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.

Antiques

Antique and Vintage Cars Selling Well

1931 Auburn sedan car


Before I dive in today's topic of collectible cars, I have some exciting baseball card news to share. The T206 Honus Wagner card that I thought might set an auction record did just that on August 16th. It's now the highest priced baseball card ever sold, hitting a home run when it went for $6.6 million.

America is said to have a love affair with cars. Some believe the love affair ended many years ago as styles have changed. The muscle cars of the 1960s have been replaced with today's SUVs. But many baby boomers and middle-aged buyers want to own cars from the era when they grew up, or even from before they were born. Past columns have discussed automobile memorabilia like advertising signs and gas pumps. I'll focus on the cars themselves in this article.

The New York Times reported that the pandemic did not hurt the collectible car market. In fact, the Times reported that "rather than back away from classic automobiles because of the pandemic, buyers flocked to them, sometimes in stunning numbers." The New York Times noted that collectors were "choosing to quarantine themselves in what some might consider the ultimate safe distancing bubble--the cockpit of a classic car."

There are a few examples of older cars selling well at auction over the past several years. When they were first produced, Model Ts were mass-produced and therefore affordable. They were manufactured from 1908 to 1927. A 1910 Ford Model T Touring car sold for $35,000 at auction in 2019. The Stanley Motor Carriage Company of nearby Newton, MA, built steam powered "Stanley Steamers" (nicknamed "flying teapots") beginning in the late 19th century until 1924. A 1919 Stanley Steamer sold for $60,000 in 2019.

Cars that you may have seen on local roads in the 1960s and 1970s are also bringing phenomenal sums at auction.

Here are some 2020 auction results:
1958 Chevrolet Apache 32 Napco Pickup - $68,200
1971 Dodge Charger R/T - $86,900
1955 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible - $88,000
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner - $99,000
1963 Lincoln Continental Convertible - $106,700
1970 Plymouth Road Runner - $176,000
1970 Ford Mustang Boss 429 Fastback - $225,500
1970 Plymouth Superbird - $151,800
1962 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible - $242,000
1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Convertible $154,000
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe - $151,250
1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E 1 of 101 Produced - $132,000
1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS Pro Touring - $126,500
1968 Ford Mustang GT500CR Fastback - $225,500

And here are some auction results from this year:
1963 Corvair 95 Pickup - $49,500
1958 Chevrolet Impala Resto Mod Convertible - $253,000
1971 Plymouth Cuda Convertible - $962,500
1967 Chevrolet Chevy II Hardtop - $132,000
1968 Dodge Hemi Charger R/T - $231,000
1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Code - $203,500

As for more recent models, CNBC reported that a 1995 McLaren F1 race car recently sold at Monterey Car Week for $20.5 million. It was the "most expensive car to sell at auction since 2018." Hopefully, it's good on gas.

We will be offering a 1962 Corvette as well as other Corvettes in an online auction that will end on October 13th. There are also vintage boat motors, bicycles and other estate items in that sale. Our next online model railroad and die-cast car auction is underway. I'll be appraising items virtually for the Townsend Historical Society on November 13th. My "Evaluating your Antiques" class will take place on November 10th at Bay Path Evening School in Charlton. Please visit our website for more details on upcoming events: www.centralmassauctions.com

Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique Auctions, Estate Sales and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111) info@centralmassauctions.com