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4B Daily News – Saturday, December 8, 2012 Country Life garden & home LED under-cabinet lighting What's better than broccoli? By Norman Winter McClatchy-Tribune News Service Broccoli just could be the perfect vegetable. It is high in vitamin A, easy to grow, and as tasty after freezing as it is fresh. The list of attributes is longer, it is tolerant of cold weather. We are ready to harvest now at the Columbus (Ga.) Botanical Garden while the lawns have turned brown and a lot of flowers have already frozen. Broccoli can be grown in partial shade; head, and the stems and leaves all edible. The best of all is that once it is harvested it continues to produce. Though we planted a fall crop it will not be long until you can plant a spring crop. Transplants are almost always easy to find a garden centers for both spring and fall crops. This native to the Mediterranean region is also a great plant to get children interested in gardening. I have watched several moms showing our broccoli to the children who visit the garden. To raise broccoli, buy transplants locally or produce your own and set out in early spring or late summer. Transplants can be produced along with transplants of cabbage and cauliflower, taking about four weeks from seeding to setting in the garden. Plant your broccoli in a sunny well prepared bed 8 to 12 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart. Broccoli has a relatively shallow, fibrous root system, so cultivate carefully. Mulching is even better. Broccoli heads are really flower buds; they must be harvested before the flowers open or show yellow. Mature heads measure 6 to 8 inches across, while lateralheads that develop later are smaller. Broccoli is a heavy feeder. Use a liquid water soluble fertilizer when transplanting, then side-dress three weeks later, with a slow release fertilizer containing micro nutrients. Last feed again as the flower buds are beginning to form. Your local extension office can give you variety recommendations for your area but over the years I have been very pleased with Green Comet, Green Duke, and Premium Crop. Some gardeners believe fall broccoli has a better quality than spring broccoli because it matures as the weather is getting cooler rather than warmer. The No. 1 pest of broccoli is the same as for cauliflower and cabbage — the cabbage looper or worm. They are pale green measuring type worms with light stripes down their backs. Imported cabbage worms are velvety green. They make ragged holes on the undersides of leaves and bore into the heads of cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. If your plants get them in quantities more than you can remove by hand, one of the safest organic insecticides on the market, Bacillus thuringiensis, will take care of the loopers and can be applied as close as the day of harvest. There are several brands and formulations available so follow the label precisely. Depending on variety and the season, broccoli should be ready for harvest 60 to 80 days after transplanting. Harvest while the flower buds are tight. Pay attention to where you are harvesting or you might damage the secondary buds below the main head. As you gather around the table during the holiday season and partake in a variety of broccoli dishes, let it be a reminder you are just a few short months away of being able to grow your own. When lighting your of a high-density, shatterhome, a few places are easy proof plastic rather than to overlook. The space glass and are resistant to beneath your kitchen cabi- vibration, shock and impact. nets is one of • Finally, these spots that LEDs are very usually doesn't cost effective. get too much Although they attention, but one typically cost a that can benefit bit more, you'll greatly from a spend less money touch of light. through energy Under-cabinet savings and fewer lighting is exactly bulb changes. as it sounds—it's Another conlow-maintenance sideration of lighting installed LEDs is their Sean beneath your cabslim, sleek inets in the form design. As underof a bar fixture or cabinet lighting, a series of smaller they're meant to discs. remain hidden Under-cabinet from view. This lighting uses a should be no few different problem, with types of bulbs—halogen, very few exceptions, fluorescent, compact fluo- depending on how big the rescent (CFLs), xenon or lips on your cabinets are. light emitting diodes Under-cabinet lighting is (LEDs). usually quite easy to install. LEDs are the emerging We recommend asking an standard for under-cabinet electrician or contractor to lighting with multiple bene- make sure all of your matefits. rials are in agreement with • They're energy effi- local electric codes before cient, using just a fraction of you begin. the power standard incanWhen planning to install descent bulbs use. under-cabinet lighting, there • LEDs can last up to 10 are some basics you should times longer than CFLs and know about. First, there are more than 100 times longer two types of under-cabinet than incandescent bulbs. lighting—bar and disc. And • They're cool to the for each option, you'll need touch and produce 95 per- the proper hardware, includcent less heat than incandes- ing mounting brackets, a cent—a safer option if you junction box and power have children in the home. supply. Options include a • LED casings are made power switch and dimmer. Whether you use it for a dramatic effect or to simply provide accent lighting to a darkened kitchen, undercabinet lighting is an effective way to flood countertops with light. It's a decorative and functional upgrade that should provide thousands of hours of effective and non-invasive lighting. So, whether you're installing a multi-light fixture or a series of discs beneath your cabinets, there are plenty of options out there. Until next time, Happy Home Improving! Murphy Project Home Searching for a Quality Used Vehicle at a Great Price? See Me, LARRY BIRDSONG, At VALLEY AUTO WHOLESALE 1155 Market Street Downtown Redding 530-244-0432 www.ValleyAutoWholesale.com Get the rest of the year free! Get a jump start on your New Years resolution Start your membership at Tehama County's Premier Facility now and pay nothing until 2013 Must sign up EFT * 3 month minimum commitment Tehama Family Fitness Center 2498 South Main St, Red Bluff 528-8656 www.tehamafamilyfitness.com Sean Murphy is a copywriter for Build.com in Chico. Visit the company's website for more home improvement tips at www.build.com.