Strong starts
Every spring I look forward to buying tomato starts. Even though my yard suffers from neglect rooted in lawn hate (I just can’t bring myself to care for a lawn I plan to remove one glorious day), I love my raised garden beds. I can’t remember the last year I didn’t grow tomatoes. Even when I rented a duplex, I’d plant beefsteaks in containers and hope for the best.

We round up our favorite products, shops and artists from Oregon for Spring and Summer 2013.
Suzy Vitello moved into this ranch-style home knowing the future held renovations. The kitchen in particular was in need of an upgrade, from the pea-green walls to the peninsula cabinets, which gave the space a cell-like feel. “A bank of upper cabinets cut us off not only physically from the dining room, but emotionally as well,” Vitello says.
After her Hillsboro house was destroyed, Donna Reynolds seized her second chance to build her dream home.
Elizabeth Epping adored so many things about her 1910 Southeast Portland bungalow, including the home’s basic layout and original architectural details. But the kitchen, which still had Montgomery Ward cabinetry from the 1920s and a closed feeling, needed a major refresh.
