The Milwaukee Post

By MELINDA MYERS MILWAUKEE – Don't let a lack of time or space get in the way of gardening your way to a healthy lifestyle. Plant a container of nutri- tious vegetables and herbs. Include a few planters on the front porch, back patio or right outside the kitchen door. All that's needed is some potting mix, fertilizer, plants and a con- tainer with drainage holes. A 15-to-24-inch diameter pot or 24- to-36- inch-long window box is a good starting size. Bigger containers hold more plants and moisture longer, so they can be watered less fre- quently. Check containers daily and water thoroughly as needed. Self- watering pots need less frequent watering, allowing busy gardeners and travelers the opportunity to grow plants in pots with minimal care. Fill the container with a well-drained potting mix. Read the label on the container mix bag. Add a slow-release organic nitrogen fertil- izer, like Milorganite at planting for better results with less effort. It provides small amounts of nutrients throughout most of the season and eliminates the need to mix and water in fertilizer throughout the growing season. Sprinkle a bit more on the soil surface midseason or when changing out your plantings. Mix colorful flowers with nutritious vegetables for attractive, healthy results. Bright lights Swiss chard, pansies (their flowers are edible), colorful leaf lettuce, spinach, radishes, and trailing ivy make a great cool season combination. Fresh-from-the-container-garden vegetables make the best-tasting salads and the greens provide Vitamins A and C as well as calcium. Use the pansy flowers to dress up a salad or frozen in ice cubes for an added gourmet touch to bev- erages. For summer, use a tomato, pepper, eggplant or peas, beans and cucumbers trained on a trellis. All are packed full of nutrients and make a great vertical accent. Surround the towering vegetables with purple basil, tri-color sage, carrots, beets and a colorful trailing annual like verbena, lantana or bidens. Don't forget to squeeze in a few onions or garlic. The fragrant foliage can be decorative and these vegetables help lower blood sugar and cholesterol, while aiding in digestion. So be creative and add a few small-scale, attractive vegetables high May 30, 2014 • Milwaukee County Post • 19 Brothers charged in theft from car lot WAUKESHA – Two Milwaukee brothers were charged last week after allegedly trying to steal a catalytic converter from a car in for service at a Brookfield car dealership. Matthew Radke, 30, and Ryan Radke, 25, were both charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court with counts of attempted theft and crimi- nal damage to property. Matthew Radke also was charged with possession of cocaine – all mis- demeanors. A criminal complaint said an offi- cer on patrol at about 2 a.m. Feb. 4 near 130th Street and Capitol Drive found a woman sitting in a running car at a car dealership, and a short time later saw two figures hiding alongside a truck in an area not open to the general public. An officer found a catalytic con- verter lying next to that vehicle, which appeared to have just been cut off it. Matthew Radke said he'd been unemployed and decided to steal a cat- alytic converter, but Ryan Radke said his brother had been doing such things for a few months, the com- plaint said. Matthew Radke also was found in possession of cocaine, the complaint said. Woman allegedly stole $16,000 from employer WAUKESHA – A Cudahy woman has been charged after she allegedly stole more than $16,000 from her New Berlin employer in just over two months late last year. Cheryl Riel, 35, was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court recently with one felony count of identity theft and faces up to six years in prison if convicted. A criminal complaint said unau- thorized charges were discovered on a company charge card last December stemming from September purchases. Riel repaid $849, but the complaint said another $16,001 in unauthorized transactions were made from October into early December, when she was fired from her job. A supervisor reported Riel offered to use her 401(k) and last paycheck to repay the company, the complaint said. AREA BRIEFS No Dems to run for Kramer's seat WAUKESHA – With at least five Republicans entering the race to replace state Rep. Bill Kramer, Democrats will not have a candidate on the ballot in the 97th Assembly District. "We would have loved to have a candi- date in the 97th, and we had some good ones who considered it. For various reasons, none of them decided to run," Scott Trindl, second vice chair of the Waukesha County Democratic Party, said in an email. There are no Democrats registered as candidates with the Gover nment Accountability Board for the district and Trindl said that with a Monday deadline for nomination signatures, it would be difficult to gather enough signatures even if some- one came forward. Democrats had made efforts to take the seat from Kramer over the last several elec- tion cycles. Even with Kramer facing sexual assault charges and choosing not to run, Trindl said it would be difficult for a Democrat to win. "With the gerrymandered districts in Wisconsin, along with Waukesha County being majority Republican, it's very hard for a Democratic candidate to win a Waukesha County district," he said. Trindl said he feels the party is strong at the top of the ticket and "since you can't gerrymander a state, our candidates have a strong probability of winning." The party also has candidates running against Republicans Rep. Chris Kapenga (99th District), Rep. Dave Craig (83rd District) and for the open 22nd District seat. There is also a challenger registered to take on state Sen. Paul Farrow in the 33rd District and another to take on U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner. Trindl is also the office manager of the county party's downtown Waukesha cam- paign office and said the recent open house was well-attended and the office will help get the party's message out. – Arthur Thomas, Conley News Service At least 5 Republicans entering race Photo by Charles Auer/Conley News Service At least five Republicans have entered the race to replace state Rep. Bill Kramer in the 97th District. As of press time, there were no Democrats on the ballot. Create colorful planters to brighten home's exterior Submitted photo Mixing nutritious veg- etables with colorful flowers and trailers that spill over the con- tainer edges creates an interesting and attrac- tive container garden.

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