Gardening
Include Gardening in your New Year's Resolution
Microgreens are fast-growing, easy-to-grow, nutrient-dense greens that can be grown indoors and do not require much space or special equipment.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
The New Year is filled with resolutions that usually involve dieting and exercise. Gardening is a great way to help accomplish those two resolutions, while also improving your mood, reducing blood pressure, managing anger, maintaining flexibility, and more.
Start the new year with a plan to incorporate healthy vegetables into your containers, gardens, and meals. Growing vegetables encourages you to eat more fresh produce and maximizes the benefits. You'll be able to harvest the vegetables at their peak of ripeness for the best flavor and maximum nutritional value. Plus, you control what, if any, chemicals are used in your gardens and containers.
Involve family and friends during the planning process and continue supporting each other in this healthful endeavor throughout the year. Research has found that making gardening a more social experience can intensify the physical and mental health benefits. Even sharing your surplus produce with others can reap greater health benefits.
Begin by growing a few microgreens this winter. These fast-growing nutritious greens are easy to grow and do not require much space or special equipment. Just repurpose some fast-food containers, fill them with a seed starting mix or quality potting mix, and plant the microgreen seeds. Many garden centers, catalogs, and organic food coops sell microgreen seeds and sprouting seeds.
Grow a few pots of herbs in a sunny window or under artificial lights. Herbs are a healthy way to add flavor to winter meals. Start them with seeds or purchase transplants to shorten the time to harvest.
Plant these in a container with drainage holes filled with a quality potting mix. Follow the directions on the seed packet or plant tag for planting and care information. Once they are at least four to six inches tall, you can begin harvesting. Just make sure there will be enough leaves left on the plant to support new growth.
Look for new ways to prepare and incorporate vegetables into your diet. You'll find lots of recipes online and in cookbooks available from your library.
Start a list of vegetables you want to include and those that are suitable to grow in your location. Your state's extension service has information on what vegetables will thrive in your area and tips on when and how to plant and care for them.
Take stock of your current seed inventory. Make a list of any seeds and transplants you'll need to buy to boost the nutrition of your garden harvest. Greens like spinach, collards, Swiss chard and kale, carrots, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and red cabbage are among the most nutritionally dense vegetables.
Consider growing those plants that are most productive and cost-effective for the available space. Look for vegetables like tomatoes and sweet peppers that produce an abundance of fruit from just one plant. Adjust your harvest techniques to keep plants like broccoli and greens producing beyond the first harvest.
Once your list matches your gardening space, it is time to draw up a garden plan. If you are new to gardening, consider starting small and expanding over time. You will need sufficient time for planting and throughout the growing and harvest season to maintain, harvest, and utilize all the vegetables you grow.
Starting your nutritional gardening practices inside this winter will help generate momentum and keep you focused on your nutrition goals throughout the growing season.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
2023 Musical Instruments Auction Results
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tuiskula
First off, I'd like to wish a Happy New Year to all readers of this column. In recent articles, I discussed a few of the top selling items we sold at auction in 2023. In today's column I'll share some additional information on the best items of the past year, focusing on musical instruments.
Many people have musical instruments that have been passed down through their families and often don't realize that they may be of value. Instruments like antique violins and cellos may date back centuries. Selling a well-crafted violin could even put you in a different tax bracket. We recently sold a newer collection of musical instruments that still generated considerable interest and brought great results.
Our June auction featured 63 guitars from a Boston collector's estate. The collection included 1960s and newer electric and classical guitars. Some Gretsch guitars sold well, but the Gibson guitars brought the strongest prices.
Orville Gibson began producing guitars in 1894 as a hobby. He eventually decided to turn his passion into a business and formed the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Manufacturing Company in 1902. Sadly, he died in 1918 and didn't get to see how successful his company would become, according to guitar.com. In the 1920s, Gibson created a truss rod and height-adjustable bridge that musicians liked and helped the company grow. In 1935, they produced their first electric guitar, the EH-150. Gibson also designed acoustic guitars that were popular with musicians in the late 1930s. They continued to make improvements throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In 1952, they developed a partnership with a jazz guitarist that helped produce a legendary guitar. Les Paul created a solid body guitar he called "the Log." While it wasn't particularly well received at first, it would eventually become iconic. Some of the Rock and Roll greats who played Les Paul guitars include Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green, and Guns n' Roses' Slash.
The top selling Gibson guitars in our June auction were a Gibson custom L5 electric guitar with mother of pearl shell frets that sold for $3,540. Two Les Paul models were also on the list. A Gibson Les Paul 25/50 anniversary guitar with mother of pearl brought $3,245. Another Gibson Les Paul custom electric guitar went for $3,540. There were several acoustic guitars that also were popular with bidders. A 1974 Jose Ramirez six-string guitar struck a chord with collectors, bringing in $5,000.
We have three electric guitars for sale in our current auction that ends on January 10th, including a Paul Reed Smith solid body guitar. We also have nearly 200 lots of gold and platinum jewelry, along with many sets of sterling silver flatware and other silver from multiple estates. We are also offering many pieces of mid-century modern furniture and accessories as well as some fine art, antiques, and collectibles.
I will be teaching my night class at the Bay Path Evening School in Charlton in the spring and will be presenting on selling your antiques and collectibles when downsizing to the Learning in Retirement group in Danielson, Connecticut on May 6th. Please visit our website https://centralmassauctions.com for links to other upcoming events.
Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique, Collectibles Auctions and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111).