If your schedule is as busy as mine, your car is probably your home away from home - what essentials do you always keep in your vehicle?
Oftentimes, I am out the door early in the morning and don't return until late at night. My days include various meetings, media appearances, business dinners, and of course, visits with my daughter and grandchildren. I am very fortunate to have a driver to help me get to all of my commitments. I also have an extremely comfortable and dependable car in which to travel - my Mercedes-Benz S560 4MATIC sedan. And, because we spend so much time in the car, I try to make sure it is always equipped with all the necessary supplies.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This is my Mercedes-Benz S560 4MATIC sedan. It’s such a great car. My drivers and I love its maneuverability and comfort. Every morning, before I leave for a busy day of work, my driver Andres makes sure it is clean, packed, and ready to go.
The car is taken out of my carport which is just outside my Winter House. Anything that was brought home the night before is removed and anything we need to take with us is loaded into the car – this car has great storage space, both in the trunk and in the cabin.
This Mercedes is equipped with excellent tires and 4MATIC all-wheel drive, so it’s good in all kinds of weather. It also has ABS brakes and driveline traction control.
I make, and take, many business calls while in the car. Andres checks that we have our phone chargers along with paper and pens in the console ready to be used. The Mercedes has a lot of storage room for these small essentials.
On the passenger side door, I like to keep my bottle of water. These side door compartments are very roomy and can accommodate my large reusable water container.
I enjoy reading the daily newspapers, but don’t always have time to read them before I leave. The newspapers are placed on the dashboard, so I can read during the ride. Because reading and writing in the car does not bother me at all, I am able to get a lot done during the hour or so drive to New York City or wherever my day’s schedule requires me to go.
I also keep bar towels in the car. This vehicle has a handy pouch near the floor of the front passenger seat where I keep these 12-inch square towels. I often place one on my lap while reading the paper, so the ink doesn’t get on my clothes, but they’re also good for wiping up accidental spills or wiping anything that gets wet in the rain.
Andres also places a towel on the floor of both the driver’s side and the front passenger side seats – with the ends tucked under the car’s floor mats. Towels keep the area clean and are easy to pick up and throw in the wash at the end of the day.
Aside from all the vital safety and roadside repair supplies every car should have, I also keep a few personal items I think are important. Everyone’s list is different, but mine includes bandages, aspirin, dental floss, hand cream, lip balm, a comb, scissors, and breath fresheners.
Everything is placed into the glove compartment along with a supply of fresh paper face masks.
I also keep a spare pair of comfortable shoes in the car. I love my Martha Stewart TGarden Slip Resistant Clogs from Easy Spirit. These shoes are so light and so comfortable to use in any kind of weather. Plus, they come in a variety of great colors – if you don’t have your own, get a pair, you’ll love them as much as I do.
On the back seat, I like to have a couple of pillows and a good car blanket – just in case…
And in the trunk, I always have an umbrella and an extra bag for anything we pick up along the way.
One of my favorite features in this Mercedes – the rear cabin window shades. These really control the sun’s glare without compromising visibility.
Here is another view of these wonderful full-window shades – they help to keep the car so much cooler.
Additional features include the interior air filtration system and the dual zone front climate controls.
Plus, there’s extended heating and cooling throughout the vehicle, which is great on warm, humid days.
This Mercedes is also equipped with adjustable and padded safety headrests – three in the back and the two in front. This car provides wonderful comfort for all its riders.
And with its roomy front cabin as well as the adjustable tilt and telescoping steering wheel, it’s also a comfortable ride for my drivers, which is extremely important.
Now that we’re able to get out more and return to our busy routines, it’s great to have a safe and comfortable car, complete with all my daily essentials for a busy day. Drive safely this weekend and always. Please go to the Mercedes-Benz web site to learn more about their cars.
Tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, have long been one of America’s favorite garden vegetables. Those bold red, sun-ripened tomatoes deliver the taste of summer with every bite. And, they’re filled with excellent antioxidants and vitamins.
Just a handful of healthy plants can produce a bounty of delicious fruits within six to eight weeks. The best time to plant tomatoes is when daytime temperatures are consistently above 65-degrees Fahrenheit. Over the last few days, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been busy prepping the beds and planting this season’s tomato crop - about 100-plants are now growing in our outdoor vegetable garden.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
Chhiring covers the beds designated for this year’s tomatoes with black weed cloth to make the beds neat, tidy, and free from weeds. The foot paths between the beds are just wide enough to walk alongside for maintaining the plants and harvesting the fruits. Tomatoes should be planted in an area with full sun and well-drained soil.
Chhiring uses sod staples to secure the weed cloth to the ground. He puts down a generous amount to prevent the cloth from blowing off on windy summer days.
Here is a bed all prepared for planting.
Chhiring does this for eight long beds in our vegetable garden. This location is different from last year’s. This time, our crop of tomatoes is in the back of the garden. Always rotate crops. Doing this gives various nutrients to the soil, and improves soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants.
Here is just one tray of young tomato plants. These plants were all started from seed in my greenhouse. We don’t use any pesticides or chemicals of any kind, so we know we’re nurturing the highest quality plants. We always grow an abundance of tomatoes – I love to share them with family and friends and use them to make all the delicious tomato sauce we enjoy through the year.
Ryan separates the determinate from the indeterminate tomato plants. Determinate tomatoes, or “bush” tomatoes, are varieties that grow to a compact height of about three to four feet. Determinates stop growing when fruit sets on the top bud. Indeterminate tomatoes will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost. They can reach heights of up to 12-feet tall. And then he sets all the plants in the rows where they will be planted, making sure all the plants are equally spaced along the bed.
At each designated spot, Brian cuts an “x” with a utility knife through the weed cloth that’s just big enough for the plant.
Phurba follows and folds the flaps under the cloth one by one.
Once all four of the flaps are turned under, the rectangular area that is left is just perfect for planting.
Transplanted tomatoes that are kept free of weeds for the first four to eight weeks can usually outcompete emerging weeds later. Using a small shovel, Phurba creates a hole for each of the tomato plants. Most tomato plant varieties need about 100-days to mature, but there are some that only need 50-60 days. You can also stagger your plantings, so you have early, mid and late season tomato harvests.
All my plants do so well in part because of the nutrient rich soil that is used. I amend this soil every year, adding good compost and organic fertilizers.
Most tomato plants stem below ground. Plant them deep – everything to just under the bottom set of leaves from the top. These holes are at least a foot deep. The best fertilizer for tomato plants contains a relatively low concentration of nitrogen. High nitrogen content promotes the growth of stem and leaves, but not the fruit and flowers. Instead, tomato plants use phosphorous and potassium to produce fruit. Apply the fertilizer before the tomato plant is placed in the hole. A fertilizer with a 5-10-5 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium is good for the young plants.
Phurba and Brian work in a production line process – as one marks the cloth, the other digs. This day was very hot and humid, so the crew wanted to get the plants in the ground quickly.
The holes are about two to three feet apart from each other. We try to fit at least 10 to 12 plants in each row to maximize the use of garden bed space.
Brian begins planting. Two-thirds of the plant should be underground, meaning all but the two top most leaf sets should be buried. Planting deeply helps the plant to develop more roots, and more roots mean more ability to take up water and nutrients. If the seedling is already too tall and wobbly, dig a trench instead of a hole and lay the plant on its side. The stronger root system also helps the plant better survive the hot weather. This applies to tomatoes planted in the ground, in a raised bed or in a container.
Brian backfills each hole and unfolds the weed cloth flaps – this method of using weed cloth and “x”‘s will really cut down on the amount of weeding this season.
Phurba plants another bed. As the tomato plants grow, they need to be staked for support. Staking helps to keep the fruit off the ground, while helping to keep the plant somewhat upright. Don’t use any chemically treated wood or other material for staking climbers, as the chemicals would likely run off and go into the soil. We use, and reuse, our stakes every year.
Brian then secures the plant to a metal stake. At this stage, they are staked with two to three foot tall supports. They can be tied gently with a twist-tie or twine – the loop around the plant stem should be just tight enough to keep the vine secure, but not break it. These plants look so much better when kept upright and neat. The plants will be supported with longer bamboo canes in a couple weeks.
It’s a good idea to grow a range of varieties, including at least one or two disease-resistant types, since, of all veggies, tomatoes tend to be the most susceptible to disease. Early in the growing season, water plants daily. As temperatures increase, garden tomatoes typically require one to two inches of water a week.
93-percent of American gardeners grow tomatoes in their yards, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most Americans eat between 22 and 24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year – this includes tomatoes in sauces. These beds look great. I am so happy to see the garden nearly completely full of delicious organic crops. I’m already looking forward to our first big harvest. Happy gardening.
I love beautiful ornamental urns filled with lush, green plants.
As many of you may know, I have a rather sizable collection of tropical specimens at my Bedford, New York farm. During the winter, they’re all stored in a special greenhouse. And once warm weather arrives, they are brought out for display - many are placed in various locations here at Cantitoe Corners. This week, my crew filled several large planters with philodendrons and sago palms on the terrace behind my Summer House. All very easy to plant and maintain, these specimens will look wonderful all season long.
Enjoy these photos.
At the edge of this terrace are these six stone planters. This year, they’ll be planted with young sago palms. Ryan places one next to each urn. The sago palm, Cycas revoluta, is a popular plant known for its feathery foliage and ease of care. Native to the southern islands of Japan, the sago palm goes by several common names, including Japanese palm, funeral palm, king sago or just plain sago palm.
The plant is not a true palm, despite its common name, but a cycad, part of a prehistoric class of plants. It produces a whorl of dark green, feather-like fronds on its trunk. The pinnate leaves are typically about four to five feet long at maturity, and nine-inches wide, reaching their greatest length when grown in partial shade.
To start, Ryan places a shard at the bottom of each planter. We always save shards to cover drain holes. It keeps dirt from falling through the hole while making sure there is still room for proper drainage. Saving the shards from broken pots is a great way to repurpose those pieces.
Next, Ryan cuts some black garden cloth to line the pot.
The cloth is placed into the vessel to protect its interior. This also makes it a lot easier come fall when the plants are removed from these pots and returned to their designated greenhouse where they live during the colder months.
After the black cloth is tucked into the pot, the plant is inserted and Domi fills the rest of the container with medium. Cycads like a good draining soil. Be sure the soil medium includes elements such as peat moss, perlite, and a little sand.
Next, don’t forget the food. Each plant gets a sprinkling of Osmocote – small particles known as prills which coat a core of nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The resin-coating is made from linseed oil and as the plant’s root system takes-up nutrition from the soil, it also takes up the needed nutrients from the Osmocote.
As each sago palm is planted, Dawa gives it a good drink. It’s always important to water after planting and transplanting. This is a good way to avoid transplant shock, and will help the plant settle in to its new location.
Notice the sago palm’s trunk. It is a rough, symmetrical trunk which becomes leafless as it ages and gives way to its evergreen crown of upward pointing fronds. After watering, make sure the soil level is just below the rim of the container – this means there is just the right amount of soil.
I acquired eight of these gorgeous faux bois containers a few years ago. They will be potted up with big leaf philodendrons. Ryan assesses the pot sizes and decides where each specimen will be placed.
This split-leaf philodendron, Philodendron Selloum, is native to South America. It belongs to the group of philodendron plants that are among the most common of houseplants for their ability to thrive without much maintenance.
These plants have glossy, heart-shaped or rounded leathery leaves that develop deep clefts and oblong perforations as they grow older. The leaves may be as much as 18-inches wide on foot-long leafstalks.
Many varieties of Philodendron produce aerial roots which aid in providing supplemental nourishment. These aerial roots can be trained to climb or directed into the soil. The tough roots grow downward from the thick stem and will root if they touch the ground.
A few of the faux bois pots are tall, so a two-foot section of a tree trunk is placed inside to keep the plant at an appropriate height. Ryan also places pieces of wood between the stump and the bottom of the pot as well as between the pot and the stump for good drainage.
Then he carefully places the philodendron into the faux bois pot. To preserve these more porous and fragile faux bois planters and to simplify the removal in autumn, the philodendrons are also kept in their plastic pots.
Ryan sprinkles Osmocote around the base of each plant and carefully drapes the aerial roots outside the urn.
We always save small pieces of wood from year to year. These are used as shims under the pots, so the water drains fully.
Three to four wooden shims are placed under each urn. Ryan is also using my Non-Slip All Purpose Gloves in slate – available from my collection at Amazon.
Finally, Domi gives the philodendrons a drink.
Here they are the next morning after a soaking rain overnight. Container plants are an easy way to dress up any terrace or patio.
On the opposite side, the sago palms also look great in their summer location. These plants thrive in sunny to shady sites and can withstand some drought once established. And looking out into the sunken garden, everything is so beautiful, lush and green. This garden is tucked inside a tall hedge of American boxwood. And the main focal point is the great old ginkgo tree at the back of the space. Soon, this garden will burst with colorful lilies to accent the bold green foliage – I can’t wait.
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