Do You Drink JP’s Water?

Jamaica Plain Forum is hosting a potluck dinner and program tonight about water safety in Boston.

By all measures, Boston’s water is safe. The city is supplied mostly by two central Massachusetts reservoirs: the Quabbin and the Wachusett. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has made improvements to the water supply infrastructure dating back to 1985, according to Jamaica Plain Forum, which is hosting an event this evening to discuss the safety and sustainability of Boston’s water. The event, "Glass half full or half empty: Is Boston's water safe, sustainable and resilient?" will examine how Boston's water is treated and the sustainability efforts that go into the water we drink. "Find out why you can “drink with confidence” and “flush with pride” as a Jamaica Plain resident," says a Forum invitation to the event. Stephen Estes-…

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Growing Greener

Watering the Summer Garden

Top picks for water conservation: careful planning, mulch to conserve moisture, infrequent but deep watering, and engineering that rainwater.

Our big blue planet is the planet of water. Every form of life on our planet — from the largest mammal to the smallest microbe — depends on water. Without water, there is no life.  The amount of water on our planet is not infinite. Sometimes we act as though this most precious substance is so ordinary we don’t even have to think about it.   This spring it looked as though we were in for a parching drought.  Summer rains have brought our total rainfall almost up to the average (45” a year), but we are close enough to scarcity that gardeners are thinking seriously about the very best ways to conserve the water we use on our landscaping and gardens.  That’s why the lush front garden at Melissa Braun Desjardins’s JP home is especially …

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Growing Greener

Time to Get Growing (And Gird for A Possible Drought)

Preparing the Garden for a Summer Drought: Choosing the Right Stuff; with Watering, Less is More; Keeping the Container Plants Alive; Getting a Raised Bed Going; Boston's Perennial Divide

The floating clouds of white dogwood, the appearance of dandelions in the lawn, the forty shades of green that make up JP’s lush landscape,– a gardener doesn’t need to look at a calendar to know that it’s time to begin. The birds know it – they are already patrolling backyards and plots in the community gardens looking for the tasty seeds gardeners are planting. So whether you are planning on growing herbs in a container, flowers to attract butterflies to your balcony or backyard, or a family size vegetable garden… it’s time! Something we may need to consider in particular this year: the experts tell us that we may be in for a drought this summer. Which means we may want to change the way we garden. John Lee and Helen Glotzer, gardening …

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