shabri hardyn development
Yogprasad Moneta
It was not my most rational moment. But then, when it comes to love and real estate, few are. T and I had been casually looking for a home in and around downtown Atlanta for about a year, traveling from Tennessee, kids and dogs in tow, filled with the naive optimism of all families contemplating a fresh start.
We will be happy here. We will be happy in this new, old house. Our lives will resemble those in catalogues. I will bake pies in brightly colored Le Creuset stoneware. Our children will frolic among leaves. Our dogs will wear scarves.
Fantasy is the heart of real estate. You invent the dream and then you find a place to house it. And so it was for us in Atlanta, a city we long adored but could not afford. At least, not until I got the call from my friend Virginia, a contractor and expert flipper who was walking through the historic neighborhood of Candler Park when she spotted a bent poster-board sign among the weeds of a dilapidated cottage, For sale by owner scribbled in ballpoint pen, nearly illegibly, almost contemptuously, above the price.
I had already seen many, many houses in Candler Park, all well over our budget. This one, I knew, given the price and the fact that it had stayed on the market more than twenty-four hours, had to be, much like its FOR SALE sign, a busted disaster.
The house had been converted into a duplex and used as apartments for decades, and thus treated with as much affection as a leper in a hot tub. Every room held evidence of indifference. Shoddy paint jobs, protruding nails, peeling vinyl flooring, cracked windows, holes where pipes used to be, mildew in the bathroom corners, caked grease in the kitchens, fireplaces stuffed with three-foot-high ash, toilets, also stuffed. Outside was no better. Several exterior walls had seen the clapboard replaced by a toxin-coated paper that had been made illegal in the seventies. You could poke a straw through them as easily as wet Kleenex. There was also mold in the basement. And termite damage. And rotted subfloors. And no subfloors where subfloors ought to have been. And rats living the good life in the attic, using the kudzu that was suffocating the drooping roof as a rodent superhighway in and out of our lives.
I understood, but what I aimed to create with my resurrected Atlanta cottage was the tonal opposite of that controlled fastidiousness. I longed for a comely, welcoming space where no human disaster would register. An enveloping timelessness born of the history inherent in all the objects we chose to fill the house: a cast-iron sink we rescued from the dump; a Civil War pharmacy cabinet; a pastry mirror whose red letters have faded like writing in wet sand. And art. A riot of Southern paintings, photographs, sculptures, primitives, and ephemera that would go on to cover every spare inch of wall like plaid on golf pants.
Our children began to play in the backyard, now cleared of all the briar patches and rusted chain link, the trees freed of invasive weeds exhaling at last, their leaves unfurling to meet the sun. The dogs chased squirrels, dug for long-forgotten bones.
We shored up the front porch, put in the start of a garden of heirloom roses and Limelight hydrangeas. After one of our more protracted debates, I convinced T to paint the front door a bright pink. Now strangers stop and ask to take pictures of it, letting themselves through the old iron gate and pausing to chat on our steps. Most talk about how the house used to look, how it looks now. They say it makes them happy when they walk past. I know this to be true; I see the smiles while I water the clematis, hungrily vining around the posts where the hateful cactus used to be.
At no point in the process of finding this house and breathing it back to life did I ever think it was just for me. In my head, there were always others to consider. The families before and after ours. The ghosts already there and the babies yet to arrive. The South is a crowded landscape, because our past never leaves. Why would it when we offer it a seat at the table?
Nothing can compare to the fresh, sweet, crisp taste of homegrown sweet corn that is picked and eaten on the same day. Sweet corn is certainly a favorite crop among home gardeners and, with the many varieties now available, there is one to suit every taste and need. Sweet corn is not difficult to grow and, by following the cultural guidelines provided in this publication, you too can enjoy this sweet delicacy.
Sweet corn may be divided into three distinct types according to genetic background: normal sugary (su), sugary enhanced (se) and supersweet (sh2). There are also varieties now containing a combination of either two or all three of these genes, exhibiting qualities of each. These are sometimes designated as synergistic (sy) or augmented supersweet (shA.)
Sugary enhanced hybrids contain the sugary enhancer (se) gene that significantly raises the sugar content above standard varieties while retaining the tenderness and creamy texture of standard varieties. No isolation from standard varieties is necessary.
Supersweets (sh2) should be isolated from any other type of corn tasseling at the same time to ensure sweetness and tenderness. Their pollen is weak and easily supplanted by other types, which causes the kernel to revert to a form with the toughness and starchiness of field corn. Because corn is wind-pollinated, this isolation distance should be 500 feet or more, especially down-wind.
Many new varieties contain two or all three types of genes. These may be called by several different terms including mixed gene, multi-gene, synergistic, sweet breeds, and extra tender, among other names. All of these should be isolated in the same manner as the sh2 varieties.
Sweet corn is a warm-season vegetable requiring soil temperatures between 60-90 degrees F. Avoid planting seed in cool soils. Wait until at least two weeks after the last average killing frost before planting. If planted too early, weak stands, stunted growth or frost-killed seedlings may result. The newer, sweeter varieties are even more sensitive to cool, wet soils and may not perform well in these conditions.
Plant seed approximately 1 inch deep in rows 3 feet apart with 8 to 12 inches between each seed in the row. A hand pushed mechanical planter can make seeding much easier for larger stands of corn (Figure 1).
A soil test through the local county extension office is always the best way to determine the lime and fertilizer needs. If lime is required, it can be tilled into the ground during soil preparation but is most effective when applied 2 to 3 months prior to planting.
If a soil test is not done, a general guideline is to apply 6 pounds of 10-10-10 per 100 linear row feet before planting. Fertilizer can also be broadcast at a rate of 30 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Sidedress two to three times during the growing season with ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) at a rate of 3 to 5 pounds per 100 feet of row. More frequent sidedressing may be required on sandy soils or when excessive rain occurs. Sidedressing involves digging a shallow trench on one side of the row, near the plant, and applying fertilizer. It is then covered with soil (Figures 3 and 4).
Water is vital to ensure a good stand of corn. Corn requires a minimum of 1 inch of water per week for normal development. The most critical periods for water are during pollination and during final ear filling.
Water sufficiently to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Irrigate in the early morning or early evening to allow foliage to dry before dark. Soaker hoses or drip irrigation placed alongside rows are an excellent way to irrigate corn and conserve water.
Keep rows clean and free from weeds. Light, shallow tilling between rows can be done, but take care not to get too close to the root system of the corn. After cultivating with a tiller or hoe, mound soil 2-3 inches up around the base of the plants to support stalks from wind damage. On small stands of corn, where it is practical, place organic mulches around plants to help conserve moisture and control weeds. Chemical herbicides are also available to aid in weed control.
After picking, cook and eat corn right away or store it in cool temperatures, such as in a refrigerator, as soon as possible. It can then be canned, frozen or eaten fresh within a few days. Keeping the corn cool is the key to better flavor as high temperatures will convert the sugar in the kernels to starch, giving it a bland taste. Although many new varieties have extended storage quality, most lose 50 percent of their flavor within 12 to 18 hours of picking if left unrefrigerated.
Common cultural problems of sweet corn include poor kernel development caused by dry weather during silking, planting too close, poor fertility, too few rows in a block causing poor pollination, and lodging (falling over) from too much nitrogen and/or wind damage.
High temperature and poor water management during the tasseling stage can cause poor pollination and fewer kernels on the ears. Insects such as Japanese beetles can also affect kernel pollination by eating the silk.
Common insect problems that will be encountered in sweet corn include corn earworm, aphids and flea beetles. Cutworms, seed-corn maggots, Southern corn rootworm, wireworms, fall armyworm, European corn borers and Japanese beetles may be encountered as pests of sweet corn.
We translate science of everyday living for farmers, families and communities to foster a healthy and prosperous Georgia. For more than a century, we've provided research and education through a network of committed specialists, agents and volunteers to help Georgians learn, grow and do more.
Attracting bees with the right plants is important, but what about inviting them to make a home nearby with attractive ready-to-move-in housing? A custom condo became my project in the winter for solitary native bees of all kinds who come knocking on my door for a place to lay their eggs.
When I did my research on solitary native mason bees and other bees, I discovered to my surprise that they are a much more efficient pollinator than the social honey bees which were originally imported from Europe with the colonists. Mason bees are one of the few managed native pollinators in agriculture because of this terrific pollinating ability.
c01484d022