Posted on August 13th, 2008
You're already reusing the water in your shower (because you read that in an
earlier tip and you follow each one of these tips the moment you read them, right?) and you have learned to chill out about overwatering the grass in Phoenix in August. Keep the dream alive, and capture the water you dump down the drain as you're waiting for the sink to get hot. Then, use that cold stuff to un-parch your pooch or bolster the Brita.
Thanks to Eileen Shields for suggesting this tip!
Posted on August 10th, 2008
The next time it rains, try collecting the drops in an easy-to-pour container for watering your houseplants. Potted plants, window boxes and indoor plants will love a healthy helping of freshly fallen rain. Another benefit? Rainwater is not only free to use, but also free of the chlorine and fluoride added to most tap water, giving your plants a healthier drink. If you collect rain for watering, try to use it as soon as possible so nasty bacteria and bugs don't use your watering dish as a breeding ground.
Posted on July 22nd, 2008
We love summer, but we hate mosquitoes. Besides notoriously spreading disease, mosquito bites are itchy and ugly and that hideous buzzing sound -- ugh! Before you whip out the chemical sprays and fogs, consider picking up a few citronella candles to help keep bugs at bay. Citronella candles have been around for years and studies show that people sitting near the candles had 42% fewer bites than people sitting outside without. Oil of Citronella shows little or no toxicity (although you should avoid contact with skin) and gets the Environmental Protection Agency's stamp of approval. Fight mosquitoes without hurting the environment and put the itch-relief cream back in the medicine cabinet.
Posted on July 11th, 2008
Next time you’re dropping by your local Starbucks for a cup of brew, don’t forget to ask them for a little somethin’ somethin’ for your garden too! Starbucks will happily give you their used coffee grinds to take home for your compost! Coffee grinds are great nitrogen-fixers, helping to kick-start your compost while also keeping bad smells at bay. Our gardens salute you, baristas-in-green-aprons!
Posted on July 10th, 2008
Isn't it amazing how that pile of recycling grows each week? Although it's become really easy to recycle a lot of things, which is GREAT, often we forget that reuse comes before recycle. Trying to re-purpose containers from your recycling bin will help reduce truckloads to recycling plants, plus the energy it takes to melt down containers into new things.
Check out your recycling bin- it's full of gardening potential! Reincarnate your recycling into seedling containers before sending them to be recycled. Yogurt containers, egg cartons (plastic and cardboard), wide-mouthed glass jars, paper Chinese food take out cartons, and small boxes all make wonderful homes for seedlings and small plants. For ...
Posted on July 1st, 2008
Hose responsibly.
In the summer, lawn watering and other outdoor uses can account for up to 50 percent of home water use. Studies show that as much as half of this outdoor use is wasteful. As a general rule, 2 to 3 cm of water per week is adequate.
Don't overwater your landscape. It can cause yellowing leaves or poor plant health. Give plants only the amount of water that they need.
Use low-angle or pulsating sprinklers that produce large fat droplets of water. Sprinklers that spray the water high into the air or produce a mist or fine spray lose much of the water through evaporation.
Set sprinklers to water the lawn, not ...
Posted on May 24th, 2008
Its not too late to plot a small veggie garden, grow your favorite herbs or get a pumpkin patch ready for Halloween. Growing your own food can be personally rewarding and save you money but it also does wonders for the environment. Homegrown food requires very little energy or waste to produce and deliver – no excess packaging, shipping in large trucks or gas guzzled to get to the store and pick it up. You can also avoid unnecessary use of chemicals and pesticides so commonly found in our food these days. Be sure to plants varieties native to where you live so as not to disrupt the ecosystem or waste water on plants that ...
Posted on May 23rd, 2008
As you plot and scheme and dream up your 2008 garden, consider which plants might hit it off together the best. Its a method called companion gardening and has proven to help soil nutrition, ward off pests and improve taste. Here are a few examples: Plant sunflowers behind lettuce - the lettuce keeps the soil moist and the sunflowers keep the lettuce shaded. Repel pests through smell - plant onions and garlic to protect strawberries, tomatoes, carrots and roses or use mint to save your cabbage. Marigolds are great pest busters anywhere as well as fragrant herbs like thyme and lemon interspersed throughout. Certain plants can act as decoys, luring pests away from your ...
Posted on May 19th, 2008
For a heavy duty spring clean, collect all your household hazardous waste and make a trip to your local haz-mat depot to ensure corrosive, flammable, explosive, or poisonous waste is disposed of properly. When poured down the drain or thrown in the trash, toxic waste can wind up circling back into our food, water and land. Find a safe and cool out-of-the-way spot in your home or garage to stockpile these items until you can get to the depot. It’s better to store them yourself for a time where you can keep an eye on those nasty bits and bobs and then make one big trip - maybe plan a neighbourhood collection to cut down on ...
Posted on May 16th, 2008
Hey Mary Poppins, have the gusty winds and spring showers put a damper on your trusty umbrella? In keeping with one of our sexy mantras ("I choose to reuse whenever possible") we suggest taking your busted rain shield to the garden instead of the curb. Simply remove the fabric, bury the handle in the ground and let your climbers climb. This impromptu trellis is great for vines and flowers – morning glories would make for a particularly beautiful living umbrella sculpture. Neat huh?
