Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Seeds!

A few weeks ago, we mentioned that the time to get seeds is early in the season to get the best selection. Well, the time is NOW!

Donna

You can't believe the number of seeds that Donna Steele has organized and placed in our seed racks. And, not surprisingly, many gardeners have already been in to take a look at the tremendous variety offered.

Vegetable Seeds Galore

Close to 60 sunflowers, more lettuces than one can imagine, Asian vegetables and organic and heirloom seeds fill two aisles. We love that Donna arranges them in alphabetical order by the type of seeds. That way, all of the tomato seeds are in one area and we can compare the offerings from Ferry Morse, Burpee, Renee's Garden, Botanical Interests, Livingston, Lake Valley, Baker Creek and Meyer seed companies.

A Small Section of our Seed Aisles

Brian, our garden shop manager and buyer, has brought in excellent seed starting potting mixes, heating mats, starting trays, mini greenhouses, grow lights and peat pots in many sizes. We even spied some live moss and mushroom kits.

Everything for Starting Seeds

We have seed starting seminars scheduled during the winter months; check our website for a list of events. So, it's ready, set GROW! See you in the seed aisles.

Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year's Resolutions for the Gardener

Year after year, we make the same resolutions; lose weight, get organized and get more exercise. This year, I'm suggesting a bit of a twist by offering ideas for gardening resolutions. Here it goes!

Test the soil. Bring in a baggie to our garden shop and we will test it free for pH. Refresh your soil with organic matter by adding compost from your own garden or by the addition of Leafgro.
Purchase seeds early for the best selection, but be careful not to plant them too early. Most seeds take only 8 weeks or so to grow to transplant size. Bigger is not necessarily better. Check individual seed packets for information.
Sort and clean tools now. Donate tools no longer in use. Upgrade to ergonomic tools, like those from Radius, if it will make gardening more comfortable.
Speaking of which, start 'Spring Training' to get into shape for stooping, weeding, digging and the like.
Take some photos now of your garden areas to see the 'bones' of the garden. Look for ways to add vignettes, seating areas and, naturally, more plants.
Share plants and ideas with gardening friends. A group of us here at Valley View Farms visit each others gardens for inspiration and a chance to see what a great job each has accomplished. As a bonus, there are always plants to divide and give away.
Take the time now to read and attend classes about gardening. We offer seminars here in February, March and April. Go to the Grow It Eat It website for a schedule of vegetable classes as well. Our gardening resources have increased in the last few years with the addition of classroom space at Cylburn Arboretum in Baltimore and The Baltimore County Agriculture Center in Hunt Valley.
Plant more pansies! Planted in spring or fall, they add smiles to every one's faces. If the ground is too wet, plant up some pots to set around the garden and front entryway to your home.
Add a bench, a piece of statuary, a bottle tree, a birdbath or some gazing globes. These little additions to the garden add a dramatic flair and keep the eye searching for fun.
Keep a journal. Last year's weather was unique, but I will soon forget why. (Drought in early summer, record rainfall in late summer). Journaling on a smart phone, through photographs, or the old-fashioned way, a pencil and notebook, will help with future challenges in you garden.

I might have a shot at keeping some of these this year. Happy New Year!

Friday, December 23, 2011

WBAL Radio Kids Campaign at Valley View Farms

Scott Wykoff's Blog

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

A Gift That Keeps On Giving

When it comes to Baltimore holiday traditions, there's nothing quite like the tradition of seeing (and hearing) WBAL's Kids Campaign broadcast from Valley View Farms. And being reminded once again of just how generous Baltimoreans really are.

For more than a decade now it is how countless Baltimoreans usher in the Christmas holiday.

And it all benefits the WBAL Kids Campaign!

Once again this year WBAL's Morning News with Dave Durian and Bill Vanko set-up shop in one of the East Coast's best Christmas shops for what has evolved into a Baltimore holiday family tradition.

There's no better time or place to experience the magic of the holiday season in Baltimore.

And how about the many folks who come out to say hi each year at Valley View Farms and support the WBAL Kids Campaign.

In just a couple of hours one morning this year the likes of MRI Global Search, CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield and RK&K Engineers donated tens of thousands of dollars. And like I said, that was just in a couple of hours.

That said, think of all the many other companies and organizations who also come-by to make donations over the course of the two days WBAL's Morning News does its thing at Valley View Farms.

Also, how cool is it to see individual WBAL listeners from all walks of life walk up to Dave Durian, Bill Vanko, Keith Mills, Malarie Pinkard, Johnny Goldsmith and the 'Piano Man' Brent Hardesty to give whatever they can to help their fellow Baltimoreans.

Simply put, every penny, nickle, dime and dollar that is donated to the WBAL Radio Kids Campaign at Valley View Farms and over the course of the year goes directly to the benefit young, economically deprived boys and girls in the WBAL Radio listening area as WBAL Radio covers all the administrative costs of the Kids Campaign.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the WBAL Radio Kids Campaign and to hear the stories of who benefits from the generosity of so many WBAL listeners across the Baltimore-area.

It's also neat each year to see listeners come out to Valley View Farms who renew their friendships with others they only see once a year during these live WBAL Radio broadcasts during the holiday season.

And how about all the great singing groups who get up early in the morning to perform at Valley View Farms on WBAL like from Calvert Hall High School, John Carroll High School and Sum Of Their Parts. Just to name a few.

I've talked to folks over the years who say it just wouldn't be Christmas for them and their families if they didn't come out to enjoy all the fun during the WBAL radio broadcasts at Valley View Farms in the days leading up to the big day.

And how about all the great food and snacks that Royal Farms (their great coffee above), Chef's Expressions and Miss Shirley's brought by this year! Not to mention the great folks at Esskay who have sponsored the broadcasts from Valley View Farms once again.

And if you can't make it out to see and hear all the holiday fun this year and you want to make a donation, you can mail your contributions to:

The WBAL Radio Kids Campaign
3800 Hooper Avenue Baltimore,
Maryland 21211

Thanks to all the generous contributions, hundreds of Baltimore-area boys and girls will have a very Merry Christmas and truly a Happy New Year!

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: Name: Scott Wykoff; Location: Baltimore, Maryland, United States

I joined the WBAL Radio news department in 2002. In my career, I've covered the September 11th terrorist attacks on the Pentagon, Cal Ripken’s Hall of Fame Induction, the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, Barbaro's breakdown in the Preakness and shootings at the Capitol, the White House, and the National Zoo. Now, I'm thrilled to be working for WBAL Radio, covering BOTH 2008 political conventions. I'm honored to be the recipient of three national Edward R. Murrow awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

View my complete profile

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Steinbach Nutcrackers

The Steinbach Nutcracker signing occurs on Friday, December 9th this year, from 4-8 pm. Valley View Farms' relationship with the Steinbach family goes back to the early 1990s.

In 2003, we moved many of the nutcrackers out to the greenhouse for some elbow room

Herr Christian Steinbach would visit for a day or two in December to meet and greet admirers of his wooden toy factory's work. Nutcrackers, smokers, small wood carvings and ornaments that had been on display in our International Christmas Shop were brought back by our customers to have them signed by Herr Steinbach.


Herr Steinbach signs a nutcracker as his assistant looks on

But, he did much more than that. Each piece was signed and often contained a personal message. He would stamp or draw little designs on the bottom of the nutcracker and then take the time to fix any minor imperfections he would see in each one. Herr Steinbach would then pose with each collector for a quick Polaroid photo. Dressed in his traditional lederhosen, he was quite the character.

Kathy, Tim and Herr Steinbach delight the audience during a raffle drawing

For the past several years, Karla Steinbach, Herr Christian Steinbach's daughter, has come to Valley View to carry on this tradition. Karla is the 6th generation to head the Steinbach company in Hohenhameln, Germany.

Karla chats with collectors as she signs

She dresses in traditional German clothing as well,and, seated at a desk in the International Christmas Shop, looks at home signing nutcrackers and speaking to today's collectors.

Karla keeps the Steinbach tradition going

It's nice to know that these traditions, much like the art and craft of creating a a nutcracker from the forests of Germany, continue. Stop in if you have the chance, to meet Karla and speak to her about her work. And, if you miss this year's signing, look forward with us, to next year.

Monday, November 7, 2011

John Hessler, City Planner Extraordinaire

John Hessler manages Valley View's patio department for half of the year. He uses his artistic talent to create patio settings that people might enjoy on their porches and patios. But, by late summer, John switches hats as he begins to display our Department 56 Village Collection. John just finished designing and building the 11 different villages that we offer. The display sits in the center of our Christmas shop surrounded by over 100 decorated themed trees. John is a talented city planner---we've got an amazing 80 foot display as proof.

John Hessler shows us how its done!

I asked John which village is his personal favorite and he quickly answered "Christmas in the City". John's own collection includes over 30 buildings from that collection and another 30 from the North Pole series that he began collecting when his daughter Ashlee was just 3 months old. Ashlee is 20 now.
John is happy to share tips and techniques with customers everyday at the store. Every year we showcase John's talent during our Department 56 event, being held this year on the weekend of November 12th and 13th. We are also honored to have Department 56 Village artist Tom Bates with us on Saturday. Tom is the predominant designer of the Christmas in the City series, and also works on The Alpine Village, The Original Snow Village, and The North Pole Series. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet Tom and have him sign your Department 56 piece from 12-4 pm.

Tom Bates signing as Cathy Kramer talks to a collector

We are also pleased to have Ken Scwartz with us. Ken will be here all weekend to discuss the villages with collectors. Ken is the founder of one of the oldest Department 56 Collectors Clubs in the country. I'm pretty sure that between Ken and John, every possible question anyone may have about the villages, past and present, can be answered. Also, Cathy Kramer, our representative from Department 56, will be here to talk to folks about their village pieces.

Clockwise from top left: Tom Bates, Ken Scwartz, Kathy Foard, Cathy Kramer and John Hessler

John's display demonstration will be held this year on Sunday at 12:00. We'll all learn some great tips to make our villages more beautiful. I should mention that some of our most avid collectors work at Valley View Farms. Max Barton, whose mom and grandmother both work here, may be working as John's assistant.


John and his able assistant, Max

I would have added the photos of John's 11 villages, but photos just don't do it justice. Stop in and take a look yourself and meet John and the crew.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Planting Bulbs for Spring Color

Planting bulbs identifies a gardener as a true optimist. Who else would plant brown orbs of varying sizes hoping for brilliant Spring color?

The cooler night time temperatures and frosty fall mornings mean it is time to plant. Valley View Farms still has a complete selection of bulbs including daffodils, tulips, iris, hyacinths, alliums and much, much more.

Many of the bulbs are deer resistant, in fact, all animals leave the toxic bulbs of the daffodils alone. Others would benefit from an application of Bobbex when they are planted to keep pesky chipmunks and squirrels away.
Choose an area that receives six hours of sun or more for optimum results. Plant in a well drained area as most bulbs don't like "wet feet". Add compost to the bed as you plant, but don't worry about adding a fertilizer right now. The best time to feed will be in the spring as the flowers fade.
In general, larger bulbs like tulip and daffodils should be placed 6-8 inches deep. Smaller, minor bulbs like crocus are fine planted just 3-4 inched deep. Planting them deeper may prevent some varmints from getting to them and allows for adding winter-hardy pansies over the planting bed.
Choose tools that are comfortable for planting. Bulb planters are great for planting individual bulbs. Look for an auger for the household drill to speed things up a bit. Because I plant my bulbs in clumps of 6-12 bulbs, I generally use my garden shovel for most planting tasks. Plant pointy side up, but don't worry if your not sure which end is up; the bulb will grow towards light regardless.

There are many good websites with wonderful ideas for planting. Click here to view the new website from the folks in the Netherlands called Dig, Drop, Done. They have some videos and a gallery for some added inspiration.
Planting bulbs is easy. Add them to your garden now and you'll be enjoying spring flowers for years to come.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Pumpkin Art

We have some talented people working at Valley View Farms. One of our long-time employees, Carey Wilkerson, is especially artistic.

She personalizes Christmas ornaments in November and December, and creates hand-painted signs for all of our departments. This time of year, Carey also decorates pumpkins. Here are four of them that we presented to local television stations.

The ballerina pumpkin is painted pink. An added tutu and a tiara make this extreme makeover complete!

Talk about about a whopper of a hamburger;the burger and fixin's are made of felt. The lettuce is tissue paper. I love the sesame seeds made from pumpkin seeds. .

This scary pumpkin is painted black. Those eyes sure are creepy, but scarier yet are the roots. They are made from that spray foam found in the hardware store. Creepy!

My favorite decorated pumpkin is the puppy. Faux fur was used to create the adorable paws, tail and floppy ears. The puppy's muzzle is some type of clay. She is adorable!

Thanks, Carey, for sharing your creativity with us. Now when I pick out my pumpkins, it won't necessarily be for carving.