Five Liquor Stores Coming Soon to Needham

Five stores approved by Board of Selectlmen--approved unanimously, one in a 3-1 decision.

  If you need a nice bottle of wine, there are five places in Needham which will soon be able to oblige.  At last night's Board of Selectmen meeting, the Board discussed all ten of the applications they received and voted on them. At a previous meeting, Selectmen vice-chair Daniel Matthews said that the Board has, "no intention of issuing all six in first round." The Board issued five of them last night.  1257 Highland Avenue, Manager Michael O'Connell "This was a good example of a well thought-out package store in this location," Selectman Maurice Handel commented. "It would support other businesses in the plaza."  The application was unanimously approved. 292 Forest Street. Manager Dave Volante The local farm stand is looking to add …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Strawberries: To Pick or Not to Pick?

Whether they are picked in the backyard, directly at the farm or purchased at the market, these summer berries are a delightful treat this time of year.

While it is early in the harvest season, one local delectable fruit to enjoy right now is the strawberry. Whether they are grown in home garden, freshly picked, bought at the local farm or purchased the old fashioned way at the grocery store, at this time of year they are delicious, juicy and a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. Pick Your Own For those looking for freshly harvested and enjoy the experience of picking strawberries directly off their vines, there are a few quality farms that offer pick your own strawberries and provide a fun event the entire family can enjoy. Just to name a few: Ward's Berry Farm, in Sharon, Verrill Farm, in Concord and Brookdale Fruit Farm, in Hollis, New Hampshire. The Home Garden Strawberries are fun to…

• Photos (1)

Gardening 101

Gardening 101: Watering Techniques

Mother Nature may control the sunlight, but gardeners can effectively manage their plant's precipitation needs.

A number of variable come into play when it comes to maintaining a garden, but a vital component that the gardener does have some control over is water. Mother Nature does help in this area, however, few gardens can get by on natural rainwater alone. While many towns impose water bans during the summer, it is important to know how to best manage water resources and to efficiently garden around the water supply. Choosing Plants When it comes to the landscaping around the home, consider native and drought-tolerant plants. Native plants are suited to the extremes of this area and are suited to withstand short periods of wet and dry, hot and cold weather. Drought tolerant plants often have deep roots that can seek out deep ground water or a …

• Photos (1)

Gardening 101: Maintenance Mode

Everything is green and blooming—now what?

Now that all the plants are in the ground and summer is well under way with everything growing lush very quickly, here are a few notes to keep in mind: Weeding Weeding: it's a necessary evil of gardening. Weeds are of course an invasive or unintentional plant that competes for nutrients and space with desirable plants. The number one key to easy weeding is to do it early and often. Just scratching the surface around a nice plant every once in a while will keep weeds that are germinating at bay. The growth of these pesky plants are hindered when starting with a clean bed, but many times enthusiasm gets the best of many gardeners to start digging and planting right away. Besides simply pulling, digging and tugging, there are some alternative…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Volante Farms Ice Cream Stand Opens Today

New shop will serve frozen treats daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Volante Farms will hold a grand opening for its new ice cream stand today from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The ice cream stand is the final stage of Volante Farms' recent renovations and will feature hand-scooped, locally made Crescent Ridge ice cream and frozen yogurt. "The crew has been training all week, learning the ropes of scooping, jimmies vs. sprinkles, sugar vs. waffle. All the important stuff," Volante Farms Field and Marketing Manager Ryan Conroy wrote in a blog posted Tuesday on the farm website. To start with, the ice cream stand will offer 20 flavors, including classics such as vanilla, choclate, chocolate chip and strawberry as well as specialties such as rum raisin, grapenut and butter pecan. For a full list of flavors, visit …

• Photos (4)

Gardening 101

Gardening: The Basics of Herb Planting

Herbs provide both flavor and aroma to the garden and the kitchen.

Herbs can add so much depth to a dish, but those bunches from the grocery store never seem to last long and though not expensive individually, those figures do add up. Wouldn't it be great this summer to read a recipe, note the ingredients, and head out to the garden to freshly snip those flavorful elements? Herb gardening can be a resourceful tool for the kitchen as well as a lovely enhancement to any vegetable or flowering garden. A surprising fact about herbs is that they can be planted as perennials or annuals. With that in mind, don’t plant perennial herbs in the middle of a vegetable garden. Place them in a protected space or bed near the house. For annual herbs, they benefit from the rich soils and sun provided with vegetable …

• Photos (1)

Gardening 101

Gardening: The Everlasting Blooms of Perennials

This Mother's Day, give Mom a gift she'll admire year after year.

The sun is predicted to shine this weekend after another long stretch of cool, rainy, cloudy days, and gardening enthusiasts have waited patiently all spring to get those perennials in the ground. But wait, it's Mother's Day on Sunday, and now comes the big question: the mall or the garden center? The answer? Flowers are a wonderful gift for that special lady and why not give her something that will grow and bloom year after year? This Mother's Day, think of Mom’s garden and the power of a lasting gift. There are many beautiful perennial plants, shrubs and vines available now that will send blooms far into spring, and even better, she will have a yearly reminder of your thoughtful gift. Spring Flowering Perennials Show your mom how much …

• Photos (4)

Gardening 101

Gardening: It's Not Too Early to Plant Some Produce

Cold season vegetable gardening has arrived!

Starting a vegetable garden is one of the most exciting times of spring. With dreams of heirloom tomatoes fresh from the vine and buckets of zucchini flooding the kitchen, gardeners new and old may think they need to impatiently wait out in May to prepare their patch of vegetable heaven. While it is still too cold to be putting many summer crops in the ground, many plant varieties actually thrive in cooler temperatures. With all the work that can go into tilling and turning over a garden, it is gratifying to get something into the earth early. So, after calculating and reserving space for summer goodies, consider some of the often overlooked early crops to get a jump on the vegetable garden season. There is some produce—such as radishes, …

• Photos (5)

Gardening: Are 'Rosier' Pastures in Your Landscape?

Not the most skilled of green thumbs? No problem! There are now rose varieties for all levels of gardeners.

  Roses can be the obsession of many a skilled gardener and the bane of a nervous one; however, as one of the most hybridized and cultivated plants in history, there is now finally a rose for everyone. Roses fall into a variety of types, the most commonly found today include: Hybrid Tea, Star Romantica, Floribunda, Shrub, Climbing and Grandiflora. Starting the Process Roses are overall easy to plant. They prefer a sunny location and well-drained soil. Dig a hole twice as large as the container it comes in, loosen the soil around the roots slightly and place in the hole keeping base of the rose level with the existing soil. Add any amendments to the hole to improve the local conditions, such as manure, compost or bone meal while filling …

• Photos (5)

Gardening 101

Gardening 101: Is Planting Safe in April?

Learn when to plant those breathtaking summer annuals and vegetables.

Changes in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map If you have ever browsed through a gardening book, you may have noticed a plant zone map. This feature can be used to determine what plants will thrive in your specific part of the country. Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture shifted its zone map for plant hardiness for this area adjusting it a half zone warmer. Depending on very local conditions, this puts almost everyone reading this article in Zone 6. This translates that plants can survive throughout the winter with temperatures as low as -15 to 0 degrees F. New England's Fickle Springs: When is it Really Safe to Plant? The zoning map also assists in determining which plants will survive a New England spring. Most annuals are cultivated…

• Photos (3)