1. ETC.
ETC.
ETC.
THE FRANCES CENTER for Cus-
tomized Employment, a nonprofit
that provides meaningful jobs for
adults with intellectual and de-
velopmental disabilities, opened
its second store in January. The
Roundabout Mercantile, an “abili-
mall,” as director Jo Monroe calls
it, opened at 2575 O’Neal Ln. and
sells used clothing in addition to
antiques and other items. The
shop is open Tuesday through
Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and
on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. The
original store, located at 14747 Ter-
rell Rd., will continue to showcase
items the nonprofit’s clients are
selling, including furniture and
home decor. Find out more at
facebook.com/francescenter.
THE POP-UP
RESTAURANT company
revolutionizing the
dining-out experience
is popping up in the
Capital City. Dinner
Lab, a members-only
dinner club, allows up-
and-coming chefs from
around the country to
try out new menus and
ideas for adventurous
diners in non-restaurant
settings. Members pay
an annual fee of $125 for a spot at Dinner Lab’s table. The charge for
each event includes food, alcohol and gratuity and ranges from $50 to
$95 per person. New Orleans-based chef Mario Rodriguez will prepare a
five-course menu he’s titled “El Jefe de Malay” for Dinner Lab’s first Baton
Rouge event on April 4. For details, see dinnerlab.com.
Shopping for a cause
AARONLYLES/PIXELLAB
ENJOYING ORGANIC vegetables
doesn’t have to mean weekly trips
to Whole Foods. With the right
information, growing an organic
garden at home can be easy and
rewarding. “Organic gardening, or
ecological gardening, is not new,”
says LSU AgCenter professor Carl
Motsenbocker. “It has been practiced
for thousands of years throughout
the world.” Organic gardening uses
natural materials rather than synthetic
pesticides and fertilizers, with a goal
of making the garden sustainable.
Here, Motsenbocker reveals the
horticultural highlights of this healthy
hobby.
Getting started
The first step is to review potential
sites. Assess features such as access
to water and tools, ease of getting to
the garden, soil attributes, and poten-
tial issues such as poor drainage, tree
roots, and the amount of light and
shade. In general, most vegetables
require full sunlight for a minimum of
6 to 8 hours a day. Once a decision is
made on the site, then a soil sample
should be taken and sent off for the
LSU AgCenter to conduct a nutrient
analysis, including soil pH.
Down in the dirt
Soil is key to gardening in general:
first soil texture and then soil health
or microbiological activity. One can
select a site with a good soil texture
or amend a soil if needed. The pH of
the soil is critical as this relates to the
availability or even detrimental excess
of particular nutrients as well as soil
microbes. In general, soil with pH in
the 6.2 to 7 range is ideal.
Considering compost
Adding organic matter such as com-
post makes the soil easier to work,
enhances the soil microorganisms
that are involved in making nutrients
more readily available, supplies some
nutrients, and promotes good root
growth. Compost is easily made in
the backyard by layering organic
materials such as leaves, grass and
kitchen scraps in piles along with
lime, topsoil, manure, organic fertilizer
and water. Over time, microorganisms
decompose the organic materials,
creating a wonderful product that can
be used in organic and conventional
gardens.
No need for weeds
The primary weed-management tool
that I promote is the use of mulches.
Mulches also prevent erosion and soil
compaction, conserve soil moisture,
and prevent crusting. Other tech-
niques are also widely used, such as
timely weeding, eliminating weeds
when they are young and vulnerable
through physical methods, not al-
lowing weeds to produce seeds, and
using healthy transplants to outcom-
pete weeds.
Bug off
In general, organic gardeners encour-
age natural predators by creating
habitats and allowing the buildup
of predator insects that will con-
trol pests. They also use biological
diversity, planting many different
crop species and using companion
plantings. I teach that the key to pest
management is crop diversity; nature
often takes care of the problem.
Flower power
I recommend that everyone plant
vegetables, herbs and flowers
together. Flowers are needed to at-
tract beneficials such as pollinating
insects, in particular bees, that are
required for pollination of many of
our vegetable crop flowers, especially
members of the cucumber family.
Without bees we would not have
these vegetable crops. Flowers also
add beauty to the garden, and edible
flowers can enhance many salads and
culinary dishes.
For downloadable publications on
organic gardening and composting,
see lsuagcenter.com.
GOOD TO KNOW
Organic gardening
Natural beauty
WITH AN IMPRESSIVE
assortment of talented
Louisiana artists and a
newly expanded exhibit
space, the 2015 Brush
with Burden art exhibition
is poised to be bigger
and better than ever. The
theme of this year’s juried
exhibition, which honors the
memory of horticulturist
and artist Steele Burden, is
“The Nature and Culture of
Louisiana.” The exhibition
will feature paintings, photography, 3-D art and mixed-media works. Both
the opening reception on March 21 and the exhibit running from March 22-
29 will be held at the LSU AgCenter’s Botanic Gardens and Orangerie. For
details, see burdenhorticulturesociety.com.
Supper club with a spin
“OLDCANERIVERCROSSING”BYGARYGREEN
MELISSAOIVANKI
9
inRegister.com•March2015