Laker & The Pioneer Best of Awards

22 Saturday, July 14, 2018 visit us online at lakerpioneer.com NEVER STOP GROWING Innovative design enables 88-year-old Waconia man to continue gardening BY AL LOHMAN [email protected] Art Ehalt loves to garden. But as arthritis took away his mobility and made garden tasks very diffi cult he had to fi nd a way to elim- inate the bending, squatting and kneeling that come with planting, weeding and picking. So, at the Ehalts’ home on South Pine Street in Waco- nia you will fi nd a creation that enables the 88-year-old to continue to sow and harvest fresh vegetables. It is a donut-shaped raised garden bed Ehalt devised and his sons helped build that enables him to access his plants on his scooter or with his walker without bending or reaching. Art makes a trip around the garden at least once each morning and evening, says his wife Betty, who leaves the gardening to her husband. The garden also is equipped with an innovative sprinkler system so watering can be done with just a turn of the outdoor faucet. Ehalt’s family jokes that he hasn’t bought anything that hasn’t made over, and the additional garden fea- tures were made from reclaimed machinery parts or other metal items. Those include an ornamental wind spinner that actually measures wind speed and an ar- bor that’s crafted out of an old wagon. Indeed, the raised garden bed also serves as a kind of sculpture garden that the Ehalts can view from the rear window of their rambler home that they moved to seven years ago as it became more diffi cult for Art to get around. Before moving to Waconia, the couple farmed on Goose Lake for a few years and Art ran an industrial products business in St. Bonfacius for many years pri- or to retirement. During the time they were in St. Boni, the Ehalts were known for their elaborate Christmas displays that Art created, including a lighted carousel, helicopter and Santa Claus shooting a basketball into a basket. Among Ehalt’s other creations: a miniature electric fence to keep squirrels out of his bird feeder and his cane, which he turned into a set of extension tongs to pick up items. FAST FACT Raised bed gardening has other beneﬁ ts beyond preserving backs and joints, note garden profes- sionals. The gardening technique improves drainage, uses space more efﬁ ciently, increases yield and simpliﬁ es the control of weeds and pests. And you don’t need an elab- orate layout like Art Ehalt’s to do raised-bed gardening. Permanent beds can be built of wood, brick, concrete, metal, stone, or plastic. Even bales of straw can be pressed into service as semi-per- manent structure. Planting in pots or container gardening is similar to growing in miniature raised beds and offers many of the advantages of their larger cousins. CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Art Ehalt sits next to his innovative garden. Ehalt’s cane doubles as an extension tongs. (Al Lohman/Sun Patriot) '" $' -" .* ('-( %'$- / %'$(($" '" (*& $! -(* ,( $' - ,( <®ñÖ ®£pæ®ÿ¨ < -AÖ£A[ā ÏnAÝ -A[n |¨Ï Ýn ¨æ£Ýö Ý¨ AÝnÏ / ¨[A nónÏö +0# '($" - ./ + *'*$." Z ¨nAen æ£[nÓa :ne£nÓeAö AÝ "¨¨£ Z õnÏ[ÓnÙ|Ý£nÓÓ ·Ï¨ÏAÓ Z Aö ÝÏ·Ó Z [ÝóÝnÓa AÏeÓb -¨Ý¨ æQb £n A£[£ nÓ·n 0£nÏÓb ÏÝÓ I ÏA|ÝÓ Z /¨¨ Ïn£ÝAÓ AóAAQn |¨Ï ö¨æÏ nón£Ý Z nAÝÙ:n£nÓÓ -Ï¨ÏAÓ I nAÝ £ÓæÏA£[n ¨æ£Ón£b 2Aõ ÓÓÓÝA£[n Z een£ 2ÏnAÓæÏnÓ 0Ý¨Ïna :ne½ ¯üAv "¨¨£b 2æÏÓ½ ¯üAß· Z 0n£¨Ï $æÝÏnA[ ¨¨Ïe£AÝ¨Ï |Ï¨ 0 0 ¨£ ÓÝn Z ¨æ£Ýö ón£ÝÓ {ȡǋǤ Ƙƾ ǋȄ ī©ƮƮ ȡƑŖ īŖƾȡŖȄ ©ȡĸ ¤~ä×äØ~ü¯ ¨Ï óÓÝ ôôô½nÓ·n[n£ÝnÏ½¨Ï 02½ 0<½ $"9""2½ Z Ïnn ¨¨e -ÏnÓÓæÏn n[Ó Z æ£úAÝ¨£Ó Z -ÏnÓ[Ï·Ý¨£ ¨·¨æ£e£ Z Ï½ ¨|¨ÏÝ 0¨nÓ pæ ñÚ ®ÖA¨ąp ā®ñÖ £pfÚ ¨ pAÚā æ® ñÚp ÿppā ¾A[Ú} ¤~ä½×¯½ß×s Øs¤ 0¨Ïn£n Ïónb 0·Ï£ -AÏ ¨£ón£n£Ýö ¨[AÝne £nõÝ Ý¨ /enónô :nÓÝ¨£A £[ ;Ĝ¤~ąąƋ ĜƇĔÁ´ ĜĵÁő~ťÁ´ Ƌ ZĜŗÁ ZĜŗ´~ðą± Vð~őč~¤õŗť 7ųąõÁ ZÁõĔÁ¤ă± Vð~őč~¤õŗť +Ĝųőŗ° ?ĜĔļ Ë~čôŝĵč `ųÁŗļô'őõļ Ë~čôşĵč \~ťļ Ë~čôĪĵč %$ $ $ # ""!&

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