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Have you ever known a gardener that just never seems to have a successful crop of anything? Ask them what they plant and where- there’s a good chance they plant the same thing in the same place, over and over. They’re not bad gardeners- they’re just missing a step. Suggest they begin to rotate crops from one are to the next, and with a little work, they’ll enjoy harvesting their own food.

Why Rotate Crops in a Home Garden?

Bugs get used to the same crops in the same place. You might as well set plates out when you plant the same thing in the same spot- or in the same container, for that matter.

Diseases that affect one plant will often affect plants in the same botanical family, but not in another. Instead of buying expensive “soil fixers” and pesticides, crop rotation cuts down on disease and pests.

The same pest that adores your tomatoes could starve when faced with corn or another vegetable. That’s worth the effort.

How Proper Crop Rotation is Accomplished

Begin on paper while winter is still blowing outside. This also works throughout the year when each crop is harvested for spring, summer and fall.

Make a list of what you grow, and group those vegetables into their respective families. Measure your garden plot(s), and map them out on the paper.

Beside each plant, label them as spring, summer, fall or winter vegetables. This allows rotation throughout the year and still growing varieties in keeping with the seasons.

What Follows What?

Here are the groups and some examples for each:

A) Greens, grown for their edible leaves

Kale,

Swiss Chard,

Spinach,

Broccoli,

Cabbage,

Salad Greens

B) Fruiting plants, with crops you pick off the plant

Tomatoes,

Potatoes,

Corn,

Peppers,

Eggplant,

Squash,

Cucumbers

Potatoes are included in this group because they are in the Nightshade family with tomatoes, even though the fruit is underground.

C) Roots

Carrots,

Onions,

Salsify,

Turnips,

Beets

D) Legumes that feed and enhance the soil

Beans,

Peas,

Alfalfa,

Peanuts,

and others.

Make the Rotation Plan

Label each area of your garden. For this example, I’ll use a typical four foot wide by eight foot long raised garden bed. Using string, I’ll separate it into four areas, each two feet wide.

The first area gets planted with group A plants, the second, with group B, and so on. The varieties will match the growing season and the time of year. Bush plants are planted with bush plants, vines with vines, and so forth.

In the second four foot by eight foot bed, the first area gets planted with group B plants, then C, followed by D, and finally by group A plants.

Next season or next year, each bed moves over one space.

Each bed is appropriately fertilized and weeded, any dead or broken off leaves are picked up and taken to the compost pile. Any diseases are dealt with rapidly, and the diseased plants are tossed into the general trash, not in the compost.

After a bed is harvested, fresh compost and other amendments are added before new plants are inserted.

Some gardeners allow beds to “sit fallow”- that is, to rest with nothing grown in them. With the addition of compost and appropriate amendments, this isn’t really necessary.

Right now, I have bunching onions that are almost 2 feet tall and nearly an inch wide. This really does work- the original garden bed was heavy clay the color and density of concrete.

Use this method for container vegetables as well.

You’ll enjoy crops all year long in your healthy and productive garden beds.

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Tips for Eco-Friendly Landscaping – When we give to the earth, the earth gives back to us. We all know that it is very important to be ecologically conscious by not wasting resources and keeping our land clean. A positive way to give back to the earth and help yourself too is to have an eco-friendly plan in mind when you plan to do your landscaping.

3 Tips for Landscaping Eco-friendly Landscaping

#1. Compost! Compost is a very good way to feed your plants and make sure they have all the necessary nutrients to grow, while responsibly disposing of certain materials from your home. Compost is a form of recycling that is very beneficial to plants. To begin, you can make a compost using any old vegetables and fruits, tea bags, grass clippings, pine needles, wood ashes (in small amounts), hay, cardboard, newspaper, leaves, sawdust, or manure. Mix this into your garden and landscape soil, and your plants will thank you for it!

  #2. Keep ’em safe! Use only eco-friendly fertilizers and insecticides. Fertilizers are important to helping your plants grow, but many contain chemicals that are bad for the environment. Consider buying a no-phosphorus fertilizer. Environmental scientists have found that too much phosphorus is prone to causing algae, which clogs our waterways and thus harms the environment in many ways as it is cleaned out.

Almost all commercial insecticides on the market today harm the environment. It is important to use insecticides on your landscape plants that won’t do this. Wet suggest making this homemade insecticide:

– 5 tablespoons vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon baking soda – 4 tablespoons liquid dish soap

Mix all of these ingredients together in one gallon of water and spray on your plants as an eco-friendly insecticide and fungicide.

  #3. Use the right plants! Consider using only native plants in your landscaping. Native plants are much more hardy than non-natives because they were designed for your particular area. They will require less water and less insecticides and pesticides than other plants. Native plants also benefit the wildlife and help the life cycle of various other plants and animals thrive. If you don’t know what plants to look for when selecting those that are native to your area, visit the U.S. EPA’s Greenacres Program.

  These are some of the most important tips for landscaping in an eco-friendly way. In addition, consider using a reel mower if you have a small lawn. It will benefit you with some exercise and does not use gasoline. With a large lawn, you may prefer to use a non-polluting electric mower to get the job done in a timely manner. Enjoy landscaping and be sure to create a small, organically-grown garden to promote sustainability!

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Organic garden fertilizers consist of decomposed plant and animal compounds that are broken down by microbes into a form that living plants can use, usually dissolved in water and taken up through the roots. They are naturally occurring chemical compounds, unlike chemical fertilizers that are compounds created in a lab. Some organic fertilizers contain mostly one main nutrient, for example bat guano has high nitrogen content and very small amounts of phosphorus and potassium. Organic fertilizers also contain other nutrients and trace elements. When you select an organic fertilizer, you need to know where it falls on the N-P-K range so you know on what plants it should be used and when in the plant’s life cycle it will offer the most benefit.

What makes good fertilizer?

“N” = Nitrogen, “P” = Phosphorus, “K” = Potassium.

Represented in that order, these are the numbers you find on fertilizer packages. 10-5-5 is an example.

Some plant based organic fertilizers are Compost, Humus, Alfalfa meal, Cottonseed Meal, Corn-gluten meal, Soybean meal, and Kelp/Seaweed products. Check labeling information to be sure that the source plants were raised organically. Some meal crops such as cotton are heavily sprayed with pesticides, and traces of the poisons may be retained in the meal. Compost and humus should be finished, soil-like products when applied to your garden.

Want to make your own compost? Check out our guide here

Animal based organic fertilizers are Manure, Guano, Blood meal, Bone meal, and Fish Emulsion products. Guano may come from bats or seabirds, and is available in pellets or dried powder. Its high nitrogen value makes it quite potent, and it can easily burn plants if not used properly. Fish emulsion is my personal choice, because it is diluted and used when watering plants, or it may be used as a foliar feed. Fish emulsion is gentle enough even for tiny seedlings. It provides all the nutrients they need for a strong start, and is well-rounded enough to use all season. Blood meal is the dried and powdered blood from slaughterhouses, and is a real benefit for green leafy vegetables. Some people say that blood meal attracts dogs; it is also known as a deer repellent. Bone meal is powdered bones and is very high in phosphorus and calcium. Root crops benefit from bone meal, as do flowering bulbs and roses. Broccoli is one vegetable that is reportedly high in calcium, and the only way broccoli plants can get calcium is if the soil they are grown in contains calcium. I dust bone meal in the soil when I set out broccoli plants, and I feel like it increases the health value of my broccoli by increasing the calcium content.

Plants also need minerals. Most mineral fertilizers contain additional micronutrients. Epsom salt is a very good source of magnesium and sulfur. It can be used directly in the soil in granular form, or you can dissolve one Tablespoon of Epsom salt in one gallon of water and spray it on plants for a foliar feeding. Tomatoes, peppers, and roses will really respond to Epsom salt feeding. Greensand, Gypsum, Hard-rock phosphate, Soft-rock phosphate, and Limestone are other mineral fertilizers. A soil test should be done before you add mineral supplements, since some can affect the pH balance of the soil.

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Chives are a perennial so once you get them started there is no need to replant each year. They are very bountiful and will take over a larger area if left to go to seed in the winter time. There are common chives and there are garlic chives which to me have a stronger flavor. Both are a great addition and if you do not have space for them outdoors, they are easily grown inside using containers.

Chives can be found growing wild in yards, along road sides, and pastures and several other places. They spread easily and are very hardy.

Chives thrive best if grown in soil that will drain well and should have ample supply of sunlight. If using a container choose a potting mix rich in Hummus. The container should have adequate holes for drainage and you will need to provide a sunny windowsill or other appropriate place for it.

If preparing a site outdoors for direct seedling keep in mind you don’t need a large area for a continuous supply of chives. The soil however must be well fertilized and manured to get the best results, as this applies to all gardening. Make sure you choose a spot that during the growing season that will be able to be watered easily. Chives thrive on water but not over-watered. This is why you need adequate drainage. To keep it thriving throughout the growing season an occasional weeding should be done.

Remember it doesn’t take many seeds. Planting a few seeds will give you a very ample supply, especially the second year if you let the plants go to seed. Sow your seeds at about 1/2 inch depth and about 4 to 8 inches apart. Plant outdoors as soon as the danger of frost has passed for the region you live in.

Maintain moisture by watering daily. Germination does not take long. Thin if necessary and every two to three years plants should be thinned out and divided to prevent overcrowding.

As soon as the chives reach about 6 inches in height you can start using them. Don’t pull the plant. Snip off about 4 inches of the chive. A few weeks later you can cut again.

Chives may be used in all kinds of dishes and fresh chives sure do beat dried chives on a baked potato. It will add a wonderful addition to your garden and to your cooking.

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Spring means that the garden centers are packed with people, and car trunks are packed with plants. Everybody has dirt on their knees, dirt under their nails, and is excited about gardening. To make certain that this excitement yields positive results, let’s discuss the basics in this article of spring planting tips.

Installing new plants and having them grow successfully is not difficult, nor is it as complicated as some would have you think. Is it as easy as just digging a hole and setting the plant in? Yes, it certainly can be. I won’t get into bed preparation, as I have covered that in other articles.

Let’s start with B&B plants. B&B is short for balled in burlap. Closely examine the ball on the plant that you have purchased. Did the diggers wrap twine around the ball to hold the plant secure? If they did, you should at least cut the twine and lay it in the bottom of the hole, or remove it completely. Pay close attention around the stem of the plant where it emerges from the root ball, as diggers often wrap the twine around the stem several times as they tie the ball. This is extremely important because if the string is nylon, it will not rot and will girdle and kill the plant two or three years from now.

When B&B plants are stored in the nursery for extended periods of time it becomes necessary to re-burlap them if the bottom starts to rot before the plants are sold. If the plant that you buy has been re-burlaped it is possible that there could be nylon stings between the two layers of burlap, so check the stem carefully. As long as the nylon string is removed from around the stem of the plant, it is actually harmless around the rest of the ball, and you do not have to remove it.

Is the root ball wrapped in genuine burlap, or imitation burlap made of a non-biodegradable plastic material?

Genuine burlap will rot quickly underground and does not have to be disturbed before planting. If you’re not sure or suspect a poly type burlap, you don’t have to remove it completely, but should loosen it around the stem of the plant and cut some vertical slices around the circumference of the ball.

What kind of soil are you planting in?

If your soil is heavy clay, I highly suggest that you raise the planting bed at least 8” with good rich topsoil. If you can’t do that for some reason, install the plant so that at least 2” or more of the root ball is above the existing grade and mound the soil over the root ball. Keep in mind that plants installed this way could dry out over the summer, but planting them flush with the ground in heavy clay can mean that the roots will be too wet at other times of the year.

Learn all about soil HERE

The “experts” suggest that when planting in clay soil you dig the hole wider and deeper than the root ball and fill around and under the plant with loose organic material. That sounds like a really great idea, doesn’t it? Some of these experts also recommend that you dig the hole extra deep and put a few inches of gravel in the bottom for drainage. Where do you suppose they think this water is going to “drain” to?

Keep in mind that most B&B plants are grown in well drained soil. That means that the soil in the root ball is porous and water can easily pass through. Now imagine if you will, a root ball about 15” in diameter, setting in a hole 30” in diameter. All around and under that root ball is loose organic matter. Inside of that root ball is porous soil. Now along comes Mother Nature with a torrential downpour. There is water everywhere, and it is not going to soak into that hard packed clay soil, so it is just flowing across the top of the ground searching for the lowest point.

When it reaches our newly planted tree surrounded by loose organic matter, it is going to seep in until the planting hole is completely full of water. (Remember my article on getting rid of standing water and the French drain system?) By using this planting technique we have actually created a French drain around our poor little plant that cannot tolerate its roots being without oxygen for long periods of time. Because the bottom of this hole is clay, even though we’ve added gravel for drainage, there is nowhere for the water to go, and this plant is going to suffer and likely die.

If you cannot raise the planting bed with topsoil, and are planting in clay soil, I recommend that you install the root ball at least 2” above grade and backfill around the ball with the soil that you removed when you dug the hole. Backfilling with the clay soil that you removed is actually like building a dam to keep excess water from permeating the root ball of your newly planted tree. The plant is not going to thrive in this poor soil, but at least it will have a chance to survive.

Once again, raising the bed with good rich topsoil is the best thing you can do to keep your plants healthy and happy.

You can also grow your trees and shrubs from cuttings, learn how to here.

No matter what kind of soil you have, be careful not to install your plants too deep. They should never be planted any deeper than they were grown in the nursery. Planting too deep is a common problem, and thousands of plants are killed each year by gardeners who just don’t understand how critical planting depth is.

Staking newly planted trees is always a good idea. If your new tree constantly rocks back and forth when the wind blows it will have a very difficult time establishing new roots into the existing soil. Stabilize the tree with a stake. You can use a wooden stake, a fence post, or for small trees I often use 1/2” electro magnetic tubing, (conduit), available at any hardware store.

You can secure the tree to the stake with a single wrap of duct tape. In about six months or a year the sun will dry the glue on the duct tape and it will fall off. Check the tape to make sure that it has fallen off. You don’t want to girdle the tree with the tape.

Container grown plants are much easier. Follow the rules for depth of planting as described earlier. Before gently removing the plant from the container check the drain holes in the bottom of the container for roots that might be growing out the holes. If so, cut them off so they will not make it difficult to get the plant out of the container.

The easiest way to remove the plant from the container is to place your hand over the top of the container and turn it completely upside down and give it a gentle shake. The plant should slide right into your hand.

Examine the root mass as you hold it in your hand. Sometimes when plants have been growing in a container for a long time the roots start to grow in a circular pattern around the root mass. This is not good, and you should disturb these roots before planting so you can break this circular pattern. You can take a knife and actually make about three vertical slices from the top of the root mass to the bottom. This will stimulate new roots that will grow outward into the soil of your garden. Or you can just take your fingers and loosen the roots that are circling the root mass and force them outward before you plant them.

What about fertilizer, bone meal, peat moss, and all those other additives they are going to try and sell you at the garden center?

Raise your planting beds with good rich topsoil and forget about the additives. Be very careful with fertilizers, they can do more harm than good.

As far as bone meal and all those other soil additives are concerned, don’t get too caught up in all that stuff. The only thing that I know for sure is that they will make your wallet thinner, but I don’t think you’ll see a difference in your plants.

Did I mention planting in good rich topsoil?  That’s the secret!

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It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to start living green, and with a few simple changes, you can start small and build new habits that will lead to a more eco-friendly life. In honor of Earth Month, here are a few easy and inexpensive ways to tread lightly on the earth this year.

Protect both the environment and your pocketbook with these 22+Tips for a greener life:

Inside the Home

1) Install a Programmable Thermostat A programmable thermostat allows you to decrease run times when you are away or asleep. This way energy isn’t wasted.

2) Set the Thermostat Higher in Summer, Lower in Winter When you are home, set your thermostat a little higher in summer or lower in winter. Lowering the thermostat in winter can reduce energy usage by 3 percent, for instance. http://www.pnm.com/save/energy_tips_winter.htm http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/consumptionbriefs/recs/thermostat_settings/methodology.html http://www.ccetompkins.org/energysavings/factsheets/thermostat.html http://www.warmair.net/html/thermostats.htm (Very useful calculator)

3) Use LED bubls CFLs use 78% less energy than incandescent bulbs. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/save-electricity-and-fuel/lighting-choices-save-you-money/led-lighting

4) Become a Microwave Gourmet Microwaves use 50% less energy than conventional ovens. Another benefit is that in summer a microwave won’t contribute additional heat to the kitchen, prompting the air conditioner to run more. https://www.brit.co/microwave-recipes/

5) Shade Sun-Facing Windows in Summer With Awnings, Curtains, etc. in Summer Reduce the amount of unwanted heat that enters your home during the summer, and in turn reduce air conditioner use. http://downtownhomestead.com/landscaping-energy-efficient-home/

6) Open Sun-Facing Windows in Winter In winter, do the opposite. Open your sun-facing windows to allow the sun to come in and warm your home, meaning less use of the heater.

7) Change Air Filters Regularly Change the air filter for your heater and air conditioner regularly. A dirty, clogged filter makes the heater or A/C run more. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac

BONUS TIPS:

Cold Wash Not you, but your clothes. By turning your washer settings to cold/cold and turning off the hot water valve you cut down on the amount of energy consumed by your hot water tank. Cutting the energy use cuts your gas or electric bill, and chances are your clothes won’t notice the difference as much as your wallet.

Change Your Shower Head According to the EPA, by installing a WaterSense labeled shower head the average house can save up to 2,300 gallons of water per year. That reduces your carbon footprint by cutting the water heating costs by 300 kilowatts per year. Check out your local home center or hardware store to find out what will work for you.

Turn Off the Water When You Brush Your Teeth Conserving water when performing everyday grooming tasks like bathing, showering or brushing your teeth is an excellent way to start living green. How many times have you let the water run for minutes while you brush your teeth or wash your face? Water is a precious resource and you could conceivably save gallons of water by becoming more mindful about letting the tap run while brushing your teeth.

In the Yard

8) Use an Automatic Water Sprinkler Timer Use an automatic water sprinkler and consult your local water district for optimal watering times. Consider one with a rain sensor, so your sprinklers don’t run needlessly when it is rainy. http://allaroundthe.house/lawn-sprinkler-ultimate-guide/

9) Stagger Watering Times On top of using an automatic sprinkler timer, stagger watering times in areas where runoff occurs quickly to minimize waste and pollution. If runoff starts after 5 minutes, but your yard requires 15 minutes of watering, run three separate sessions of 5 minutes each at intervals that are 60-90 minutes apart. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/TOOLS/TURF/MAINTAIN/cycle.html http://www.snwa.com/html/land_irrig_cycle.html http://www.weatherset.com/Explain/SmartWatering.html http://allaroundthe.house/watering-your-lawn/

10) Mulch Prevent weeds and rapid soil moisture loss by applying mulch to your gardens and flowerbeds. Even your yard can benefit — today’s electric lawn mowers also mulch, meaning they leave finely cut blades of grass on the yard after mowing. These clippings decompose and fertilize the grass while helping the ground retain moisture. This both reduces watering and the use of artificial fertilizers, which pollute water supplies through runoff. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/FEATURE/BACKYARD/benmulch.html

11) Xeriscape Xeriscaping is the replacement of water-hungry grass and plants with drought-resistant varieties (often native to the area) and alternate ground coverings such as rocks. http://allaroundthe.house/guide-planning-low-maintenance-landscape/

12) Plant Trees. Trees clean the air and shade your home in summer. Just check with local guidelines and do your research ahead of time so that you plant a beneficial and low-maintenance tree. Planting a tree in your backyard is a fantastic way to go green and show your support for the Earth. Trees are the living embodiment of what it really means to “go green” because trees get rid of carbon dioxide in the air and release oxygen into the environment. If you don’t have a lawn or backyard, plant something green on your patio or balcony, or fill your apartment with houseplants. Living plants like Boston ferns are a healthy addition to your home, as they help offset the pollutants lurking in our home environment by purifying the air. Before you bring plants home, check to make sure they are safe and non-toxic for children and pets. Adding plants or trees to your life is an easy and inexpensive action that can yield big benefits for the earth.

13) Don’t Hose Down to Clean, Sweep Instead Don’t waste water hosing down your walkways. Sweep with a broom instead.

14) Don’t Use Gas-Powered Tools for Yard. Go Electric or Push. Don’t pollute the air and drive up the demand for gasoline. Instead, consider electric tools or push tools, which are quieter and cleaner to operate.

Finances; Record Keeping

15) Go Paperless More and more banks and other businesses are giving their customers the ability to opt out of receiving paper bills and correspondence. Going paperless not only saves trees, but also reduces clutter around your home, which in turn helps control indoor dust buildup. Paperless delivery drives down costs for providers and means less vehicles operating to deliver paper mail.

16) Print Efficiently There are four easy ways to print more efficiently.

a) Learn to use Print Preview to see how a document will look when printed, rather than actually printing it.

b) Use a virtual printer to preserve documentation in PDF files rather than on paper; this is great for printing verification of online transactions, for instance. http://www.pdfforge.org/pdfcreator

c) When you have to print, consider printing on both sides of the page to reduce paper usage. http://word.tips.net/Pages/T001418_Printing_On_Both_Sides_of_the_Paper.html http://blog.techsoup.org/node/579

d) Use the print selection option or programs that prevent the printing of unnecessary advertisements and empty space. http://www.denningesolutions.com/howto_printselection.html

Electronics

17) Unplug Electrical Devices When Not in Use

Appliances and household electronics may appear to be dead when you hit the off button; however, these items still consume power and waste precious electricity when they remain plugged into outlets. Make it a habit to go through your home unplugging these electrical vampires that silently suck electricity even when they aren’t active. After you’ve turned off appliances and unplugged them, make it a new habit to also shut off lights whenever you leave a room.

BONUS TIP:

Using a power strip is another great way to save electricity. Plug all your devices like the computer, printer and scanner into a power strip and turn it off when you leave your office to ensure these devices won’t draw any electricity when not in use. (Don’t forget to turn your computer off when you’re done using it–leaving your computer on and using a screensaver is another energy drain!)

18) Use E-books and E-Readers Instead of Newspapers and Books With inventions such as Amazon’s Kindle and continued development of smart phones and portable media players, it is possible to comfortably read from the screen.

Transportation

19) Walk or Bike Spare the air, reduce gasoline consumption, and get some exercise.

20) Keep Your Car Maintained A well-maintained car pollutes less and runs more efficiently, meaning less fuel consumption. Also, proactive maintenance prevents costly breakdowns. Have your car’s oil changed regularly (consult your owner’s manual and sites like AAA to determine the optimal schedule).

BONUS TIP:

Check Your Tires By running your tires at the recommended pressure you save gas mileage and reduce wear-and-tear. Every three pounds of pressure you are low can decrease fuel economy by about 1 percent. Also, if your tires are at different pressures they can wear incorrectly causing possible alignment issues later on.

21) Organize Your Errands

Make sure you plan out your route before you do any sort of running around. Try and combine trips to spend less time on the road. Do you need to go to the post office today? Or can it wait till tomorrow when you go grocery shopping. By reducing your time on the road you reduce fuel consumption and harmful emissions. However, the nicest “green” benefit might be the stuff that’s staying in your pocket when you don’t have to fill your tank as often.

22) Car Pool Many of your local cities offer park-and-ride lots to help accommodate carpooling. Another benefit is that you can use the carpool lane to make your commute quicker. Talk with your coworkers or check on-line resources to find out more about what’s offered in your area.

  If you think that going green isn’t accessible to the average person and takes too much time, effort or money, these tips show how easy it is to start living a more sustainable life. Follow one small step at a time until it becomes a habit, and then add another green tip to your day. Incorporate a few of these easy changes into your life, and in no time at all, you’ll be well on your way to becoming part of the green movement!

All of these ideas are relatively easy and inexpensive to implement. Please share your tips in the comments!

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Saving seeds doesn’t have to be a frightening task and can even be absolutely easy, according to Fred Bove of the San Francisco Permaculture Guild. Instead of waiting for the last riffraff plants to flower, he instructs to look for the biggest, most colorful specimens that were among the first few plants to become ripe.

He urges to resist harvesting the first beautiful flower, vegetable or herb of any one planting, and allow full maturity.

“You want to save the best characteristics (of any plant) and pass them on,” explained Bove. Depending on the plant, you may want to select for size, flavor or how quickly it takes for the crop to reach maturity. “That way, you’re promoting the desired characteristics in the next generation of seeds.”

The next important challenging task is identifying a seed that’s ready for saving. There are different ways to save seeds, depending on the variety. Plants in the apiaceae family, which includes parsley, fennel and cilantro, will bloom and form umbrella-shaped flowers (called umbels).

“If you pick them a bit too early, the seeds won’t develop enough to reproduce and you’ll plant them and nothing will happen.” To single out seeds that are ready to save, look for flowers that are beginning to drop off. Look more closely and you will see what Bove describes as “little green nubs.” These nubs, or seeds contain all the relevant information for future plants.

Once the plant is cut, there’s no communication coming from the stem indicating to keep on living. Now it’s time to preserve the next generation.

How to Harvest Seeds

Identify the earliest, best-looking and most floriferous plants in your garden.

Watch and wait for the plant’s seeds to ripen. When the flowers begin to drop away, you will see “little green nubs.”

Cut the flowering plant with garden shears.

Carefully place the flowers upside-down in a small paper bag, ensuring any seeds that fall go directly into the bag.

Close the bag and tie a string around the top, leaving a loop at the end.

Hang the bag through the loop in a cool, dry place, away from any drafts.

Examine the seeds every few days. As they dry out, the seeds will fall out of the stems to the bottom of the bag.

When the seeds are dry (about two weeks) rub the bag, as if you’re warming up your hands over a fire. This will further separate the chaff from the seeds.

Pour the seeds out of the bag and onto a flat surface.

Separate out anything that is not a seed. This can include leaves, stems, chaff and other debris.

Store in a closed container and label with the year and type of seed. If stored away from moisture, most seeds will be viable from three to five years.

Put your seed in the ground during the next planting season.

How to Save other Seed Types

Beans and peas: The easiest seeds to save – just wait for the seedpod to sell and dry out.

Brassicas: The brassica family includes cabbage, mustard, kale and broccoli. They have “seedheads” that can be saved and stored like apiaceae family plants.

Melon and pumpkins: Remove the seeds, clean and dry.

Hard to Save Seeds

Some seeds, like lettuces and radicchio, are small and fiddly and therefore harder to collect and store.

The art of seed saving has been practiced for centuries. The thought of this daunting task could send any novice gardener straight to the seed catalog. But for the adventures organic gardener, saving seeds if done right can bring years of great produce and glorious blooms economically.

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You might live in a townhouse with a postage stamp-sized yard. Perhaps you live in an apartment building without a balcony or access to green space. Perhaps you have a large yard, but it is completely shaded by large trees, or the soil in your yard is not hospitable to growing edible plants such as tomatoes, herbs and peppers. If this is the case, a community garden plot may be just the solution.

Advantages of Community Gardening

Good Soil and Sun Exposure

Community gardening allows individuals and families to cultivate plants and grow food when otherwise they may not be able to due to conditions at their own home. Many community gardens are located in areas with mostly sunny exposure, perfect for growing vegetables and many varieties of perennial and annual flowers.

Tools and Storage are Shared

Many community gardens are equipped with garden tools such as shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, buckets and watering cans, all of which are available for members of the garden to use. Member gardeners usually share the responsibility of upkeep and maintenance of the tools. Some community gardens have a shed on the property for storing this equipment. A well-organized community garden could even keep a supply of sun screen and spare gardening gloves on hand.

Sharing Plants and Seeds

Some community gardens organize an annual seed swap where gardeners can bring extra seeds from their collection for trading with other gardeners. Cuttings of annual plants and extra seedlings are also often traded at swaps.

Composting

Compost is easy to generate and maintain when many gardeners are contributing to the pile. Green and brown garden scraps and weeds that have not gone to seed can be tossed onto the pile. As this plant matter is broken down naturally, it can be added to the existing soil to add nutrients to it. Because there are many gardeners at a community garden, the labor required to keep the pile turned and aerated is divided, while the rewards can be reaped by all who participate.

Make sure you know how to build the perfect compost pile, share with your fellows community gardeners.

Connecting with Other Gardeners

While many gardeners enjoy the peace, solitude and tranquility of gardening, others long to find like-minded folks to talk with about growing plants. Becoming a member of a community garden ensures that there will be other gardeners around to connect with. Community gardeners can share tips, tricks and lessons learned with one another.

Growing Organically

More and more community gardens are taking up the policy of growing without chemical pesticides or fertilizers. When communities begin to take notice of how productive an organic garden can be, the message is spread that growing organically is a successful and worthwhile endeavor. While fraught with its own set of challenges, banding together with the other garden members will make it easier to fight pests and weeds without the use of chemicals.

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Teach Kids to Grow Vegetables and Herbs Without Chemicals

Composting

You can start an organic garden with your child any time of year by composting. Playing in the dirt is elementally satisfying to children, so give them children’s garden tools to help you hack away at your mound, introducing oxygen and hastening the breakdown of your scraps.

If you live in an apartment, consider a small vermiculture station in the kitchen where red wiggler worms turn vegetable scraps into rich garden soil. Red worms appreciate paper bedding, so the child can shred old homework and tests to get the bin started.

    Seed Starting

The smallest toddler can get in on the gardening game when you start a flat of vegetable seeds at home. If a child is dexterous enough to pick up oat cereal circles, he can grasp a bean and drop it into the soil. Arm your child with a watering can whose rose delivers a very fine spray, so he doesn’t dislodge the seeds with his exuberance.

Deter damping off by following the spacing directions on the seed package. If you’re dealing with smaller seeds, combine them with sand in a salt shaker. As the child “seasons” the soil with the shaker, he’ll deliver just the right amount of seeds per square foot.

    Miniature Vegetables

If your child wrinkles his nose at the sight of vegetables on his dinner plate, perhaps you aren’t appealing to his reduced sense of scale. Pair ‘Tom Thumb’ lettuce with ‘Spoon’ tomatoes in a container, and he can harvest a salad that serves one. If carrots aren’t normally on your menu, pique your child’s interest with the ‘Thumbelina’ variety, which resembles an orange golf ball at maturity. Use floating row covers to protect your Lilliputian veggies from flea beetles and weevils.

    Edible Flowers

Kids love it when you turn the notion of what’s edible and what’s ornamental in the garden on its head. Although few children enjoy the peppery petals of nasturtium blossoms, you can set a very special table for a tea party with candied violets or scented geraniums sprinkled atop cupcakes.

If you’re overrun with zucchini, help a child to snip the large yellow flowers that seem to turn into green giants overnight. They’re delicious stuffed with meat, rice, or cream cheese and fried lightly. Conduct your harvest early in the morning, so the child can help you handpick squash bugs that feed on sap. Place cardboard squares at the base of each plant, and foil the speedy insects when they run for cover under the squares by dropping the squares in a bucket of soapy water.

    Pizza Garden

Salsa gardens are a popular gardening trend among grown-ups, but a pizza garden will have your kids checking the plot daily. You can plant tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, basil, oregano, and onion for traditional pizza toppings. However, today’s pizza chefs don’t limit themselves to conventional ingredients, so expand your pizza garden to include eggplant, broccoli, or spinach.

Rotate the location of your pizza garden each year, as tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers are all members of the nightshade family. You reduce the possibility of foliar blight striking your plants when you move them to a different quadrant of the organic garden every season.

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Starting your seeds indoors will lessen the amount of time you have to wait to see results in your garden, and many people prefer to grow their plants indoors first to ready them for the growing season. It can be motivational and satisfying.

If space is available near a sunny window, start seeds four to eight weeks before the plant-out date in your area (average date of last killing frost). Starting too early usually results in spindly plants due to crowding and lack of sufficient light.

Almost any container with drainage holes in the bottom will work for planting. Paper milk cartons cut in half, Styrofoam cups, tin cans, plastic trays and pots are common containers used. For convenience, however, you may wish to start plants in the plastic trays and pots available at garden supply centers.

Use a rich, well-drained soil. Potting soils made for African violets and other house plants usually are suitable and do not have weed seeds. They are, however, more expensive than soil mixes you can make at home. If you use soil from the yard, it should be top soil that is well drained and not high in clay.

The best soils are often found around established shrubs and trees. Add sphagnum peat and sharp sand to the soil in a ratio of about one-half volume of each, and mixed thoroughly.

To kill weed seeds and some damaging soil fungi present in your commercial soil, place the soil mix in shallow trays or baking pans in an oven for 45 minutes at 250 degrees. For best results, the soil should be moist.

After the soil has cooled, fill containers firmly but do not pack. Allow about 3/4 inch from the soil surface to the rim of the container. Place seeds on the soil surface. Use a piece of window screen or old flour sifter to sift soil over the seeds to the depth indicated on the seed packet.

If you use compartmentalized trays or individual peat pots, place two or three seeds in each pot. Do not cover too deeply, as this may reduce or prevent seed germination.

Just like planting directly in the ground, a general rule is to cover no more than four times the diameter of the seed.

Apply a fine spray of water to avoid washing the seed, causing them to float to the soil surface. Household window sprayers are suitable.

Cover the containers with plastic sheets or panes of glass and place in a cool room (60 to 65 degrees) away from direct sunlight until germination. By doing this, you will almost eliminate the necessity of watering the bed again before the seeds germinate. Be sure to keep an eye on it though. DON’T let it completely dry out!

Germination can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of months, depending on what you are growing, so patience will have to be on of your virtues.

When seeds germinate, move them gradually (over two or three days) into brighter light. When the seedlings have developed the first true leaves (the leaves above the cotyledons or “seed leaves”), thin to one plant per container

if using partitioned trays or peat pots. Use tweezers to pinch off unwanted seedlings rather than pulling them, to avoid disturbing the remaining seedling.

If seeds were planted in larger containers, transplant into individual peat pots or other small containers. An alternative is to thin the seedlings so they are spread about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart and leave them in the larger containers. This method, however, makes inefficient use of seed and space.

Water your seedlings carefully. Small containers used for starting plants dry out quickly. On the other hand, soil kept soaking wet inhibits seedling growth and may kill the plants.

About one week prior to planting-out time, gradually expose seedlings to longer periods outdoors unless temperatures are below 50 degrees. At the same time, reduce watering to a minimum as long as plants do not wilt.

This will help the plants adjust to full exposure without undergoing undue shock at planting time.

When it comes time for planting in the ground, carefully remove the plant from its container keeping the roots intact.

Dig a small hole in the garden plot and place the plant into the hole. Cover up the roots completely nearly up to the bottom leaves of the plant. Pack down the soil around the plant and water!

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Ant poisons and ant baits are extremely toxic substances. For homes with pets, small children, or those that just care about the environment, these methods of getting rid of ants may not be viable options. There are non-toxic home pest control methods, however, that are safe for kids, the environment, and pets and get rid of an ant infestation.

  Common Types of House Ants and Where They Nest

Pharaoh Ants – Pharaoh ants are tiny. They can range in color from yellow to red and have black and white markings on their abdomens. Pharaoh ants are a common house pest and will build their nests in the walls, behind appliances or underneath carpeting.

Carpenter Ants – Carpenter ants are either black or black with a red head. These ants nest by burrowing into moist and rotting wood to build their nests. When carpenter ants infest a home, they are most commonly found around windows and doors where wood has been exposed to the elements and become soft enough to burrow into.

Odorous House Ants

Fire Ants – Fire ants are aggressive swarmers and as such, are the most dangerous variety of h ouse ant. They will nest nearly anywhere in a home. Fire ants range in color from red to dark brown and are most common in the American South.

Argentine Ants – Argentine ants are light brown in color with a large, almost clear, abdomen. They are sometimes referred to as “honeydew ants”. Argentine ants are a home pest to be reckoned with since their massive colonies can grow into the millions within the walls of a home.

Odorous House Ants – Odorous house ants are brown or black in color and all of the colony’s workers are the same size. They give off an odor if stepped on. Odorous House Ants typically live at ground level within baseboards or underneath carpeting. An individual with an Odorous House Ant infestation will frequently see the ants crawling about the home as this variety of ant is very active.

  Non-Toxic Methods of Ant Control

All ants navigate by the use of pheromones. Disrupting the ants’ navigation system will often result in the ants becoming lost and not able to find their way back to their colony. A colony losing large numbers in this manner, or having trouble foraging due to navigation issues, will often move to a safer area. Some common, non-toxic household substances that disrupt ant navigation and also prevent future ants from navigating through the same area are:

Baby powder

Chili powder

Cloves

Mint oil

Simple Green spray

Vinegar

Cinnamon

Pepper

These substances can be sprinkled or sprayed along baseboards, in cupboards and pantries, behind appliances, and anywhere else an individual believes ants may be crossing. None of these substances, however, will actually kill the ants. It will just frustrate them and force them to move find a more convenient home.

To further disrupt and confuse house ants, an individual can leave lights on at night that are typically turned off, or place a reading or desk lamp on the ground near high activity areas throughout the night. This will throw the ants off as the change in light and slight change in temperature will throw off the ants’ instinctual foraging patterns.

  Ant Infestation Prevention Methods

Keep all counters and floors clean and free of food – especially before going to bed at night.

Sweep daily and mop regularly. This will dispose of any small pieces of missed food.

Caulk any areas ants may use to enter the home. An opening as small as 1mm is wide enough for an ant.

Keep trees and bushes trimmed. Ants can crawl up trees and along leaves to gain access to open windows.

Replace all aged and deteriorated weather stripping, as ants will find tiny holes to gain access. Some ants will actually burrow through rotted weather stripping.

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To diagnose plumbing noises, it is important to determine first whether the unwanted sounds occur on the system’s inlet side-in other words, when water is turned on-or on the drain side. Noises on the inlet side have varied causes: excessive water pressure, worn valve and faucet parts, improperly connected pumps or other appliances, incorrectly placed pipe fasteners, and plumbing runs containing too many tight bends or other restrictions. Noises on the drain side usually stem from poor location or, as with some inlet side noise, a layout containing tight bends.

  Common Plumbing Noises

Hissing Pipes

Hissing noise that occurs when a faucet is opened slightly, generally signals excessive water pressure. Consult your local water company if you suspect this problem; it will be able to tell you the water pressure in your area and can install a pressure reducing valve on the incoming water supply pipe if necessary.

Thudding Pipes

Thudding noise, often accompanied by shuddering pipes, when a faucet or appliance valve is turned off is a condition called water hammer. The noise and vibration are caused by the reverberating wave of pressure in the water, which suddenly has no place to go. Sometimes opening a valve that discharges water quickly into a section of piping containing a restriction, elbow, or tee fitting can produce the same condition.

Water hammer can usually be cured by installing fittings called air chambers or shock absorbers in the plumbing to which the problem valves or faucets are connected. These devices allow the shock wave created by the halted flow of water to dissipate in the air they contain, which (unlike water) is compressible.

Older plumbing systems may have short vertical sections of capped pipe behind walls on faucet runs for the same purpose; these can eventually fill with water, reducing or destroying their effectiveness. The cure is to drain the water system completely by shutting off the main water supply valve and opening all faucets. Then open the main supply valve and close the faucets one at a time, starting with the faucet nearest the valve and ending with the one farthest away.

Chattering or Screeching

Intense chattering or screeching that occurs when a valve or faucet is turned on, and that usually disappears when the fitting is opened fully, signals loose or defective internal parts. The solution is to replace the valve or faucet with a new one.

Pumps and appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers can transfer motor noise to pipes if they are improperly connected. Link such items to plumbing with plastic or rubber hoses-never rigid pipe-to isolate them.

    Other Inlet Side Noises

Creaking, squeaking, scratching, snapping, and tapping usually are caused by the expansion or contraction of pipes, generally copper ones supplying hot water. The sounds occur as the pipes slide against loose fasteners or strike nearby house framing. You can often pinpoint the location of the problem if the pipes are exposed; just follow the sound when the pipes are making noise. Most likely you will discover a loose pipe hanger or an area where pipes lie so close to floor joists or other framing pieces that they clatter against them. Attaching foam pipe insulation around the pipes at the point of contact should remedy the problem. Be sure straps and hangers are secure and provide adequate support. Where possible, pipe fasteners should be attached to massive structural elements such as foundation walls instead of to framing; doing so lessens the transmission of vibrations from plumbing to surfaces that can amplify and transfer them. If attaching fasteners to framing is unavoidable, wrap pipes with insulation or other resilient material where they contact fasteners, and sandwich the ends of new fasteners between rubber washers when installing them.

Correcting plumbing runs that suffer from flow-restricting tight or numerous bends is a last resort that should be undertaken only after consulting a skilled plumbing contractor. Unfortunately, this situation is fairly common in older houses that may not have been built with indoor plumbing or that have seen several remodels, especially by amateurs.

Drainpipe Noise

On the drain side of plumbing, the chief goals are to eliminate surfaces that can be struck by falling or rushing water and to insulate pipes to contain unavoidable plumbing noises.

In new construction, bathtubs, shower stalls, toilets, and wallmounted sinks and basins should be set on or against resilient underlayments to reduce the transmission of sound through them. Water-saving toilets and faucets are less noisy than conventional models; install them instead of older types even if codes in your area still permit using older fixtures.

Drainpipes that do not run vertically to the basement or that branch into horizontal pipe runs supported at floor joists or other framing present particularly troublesome noise problems. Such pipes are large enough to radiate considerable vibration; they also carry significant amounts of water, which makes the situation worse. In new construction, specify cast-iron soil pipes (the large pipes that drain toilets) if you can afford them. Their massiveness contains much of the noise made by water passing through them. Also, avoid routing drainpipes in walls shared with bedrooms and rooms where people gather. Walls containing drainpipes should be soundproofed as was described earlier, using double panels of sound-insulating fiberboard and wallboard. Pipes themselves can be wrapped with special fiberglass insulation made for the purpose; such pipes have an impervious vinyl skin (sometimes containing lead). Results are not always satisfactory.

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A freezer is a sensible investment for many households. Money saved in the family budget is one of the primary reasons most consumers opt to buy a freezer. Energy savings rank as another deciding factor.

Living green and practicing a healthy lifestyle have prompted many residents to grow vegetable gardens, plus more people than ever are making meals from scratch. Freezing provides a splendid way to store surplus vegetables and save dinner leftovers. Before buying a freezer for the home, consider first how one can get the most savings.

A Few Quick Facts about Home Freezers

Consumers need to know what’s available when searching for a freezer. Some models require manual defrosting, for example, while others are self-defrosting. Chest freezer sizes vary greatly, ranging from tiny 2.5 cubic feet units to whopping 25 cubic feet giants that take up a great deal of space. Note too, that some units are more energy-efficient than others.

Freezers for the home come in three basic styles: Combination refrigerator freezers, upright freezers, and chest freezers.

Combination units, where the freezer is on the top, side, or bottom, offer minimal freezing space.

Chest freezers offer a roomy interior, but may require bending and digging to get to foods at the bottom of the unit.

Upright freezers look very much like refrigerators and allow easier access to foods, but upright models are not as energy-efficient (compared to chest models).

  Check out our post on How To Freeze Fresh Garden Vegetables to learn ways to save money with your freezer

Questions to Ask before Buying a Freezer

First-time buyers should ask questions before deciding on which unit is right to avoid making a costly mistake. Sample questions first-time buyers might ask:

How will the freezer be used? Vegetable gardeners often have surplus food. Hunters and fishermen may need a place to store large cuts of prepared meats and fish. Other consumers might consider the savings from weekly store specials and the ability to store seasonal treats and holiday foods.

Is there room in the home for a freezer? Small chest freezers take very little space and store a fair amount of food for a small family, couple, or even an individual. Upright units take less space compared to the larger chest units.

Is the unit affordable? Prices start around 200.00 for a 5.0 cubic foot manual-defrost chest freezer. Price depends on size and features.

How does one calculate a suitable freezer size? The Web site, eHome Resource.Com, posts the article, “Choosing a Freezer” and the author (unknown) states, “You generally need 1.5 cubic feet of space for each family member … However, if you do not keep your freezer full, it will cost more to run; so you may choose to go with a medium size. You can store 30 to 35 pounds of food in one cubic foot of freezer space.”

Is there a family member with a disability that would have trouble accessing items in a chest freezer? Upright units allow easy access to foods and may be a good choice for someone who has difficulty bending.

Which type unit is more energy efficient? Chest freezers with manual defrost use the least energy and cost less to run.

  Additional Savings to Consider When Buying a Freezer

Investing in a home freezer reduces trips to the grocery store and is great for storing seasonal food items for several months or more. Consider these additional points when buying a freezer:

The larger the family, the more freezer space is required, but singles and couples on a budget can just as easily save food dollars by purchasing a small chest freezer.

Stocking a freezer means fewer trips to the grocery store – a real money-saver.

Fewer trips to the supermarket mean time can be used for other things.

Buying a home freezer is valid investment even during tough economic times. Money saved by stocking up on grocery store specials is just one advantage. Savings also include gas, time, and money saved from gardening and freezing produce. Sportsmen can freeze meats and fish. Stored leftovers add to the savings and save a busy cook time in the kitchen.

Choosing a freezer depends on family size and needs, as well as available space for the unit. Purchasing a freezer that’s energy efficient helps protect the environment. Consider the facts before buying, and know a well-planned investment will yield years of household savings.

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If have decided that home schooling really is right for you and your kids, you will likely want to know what to do next. Here are some quick points for getting started with home schooling:

Locate your state’s home school group. You can do this online easily by typing in your state and the keyword “home schooling” at your favorite search engine. Then go to your state listing.

Locate your local support group for parents of home schooled kids. These groups will help you to get good tips from other parents and is a great place to find like-minded people to share your troubles etc.

Know the laws in your state about home schooling. If you have questions, arrange for an evaluation with your local school board so that you can verify that your child is approved for home schooling. They will also check for a proposal from you about home schooling your child

Get any magazines, books and/or other supplies that you will need in order for you to have steady resources on hand to offer tips etc.

What Happens next?

When it comes to the home schooling of your children, quite a few factors play into not just what you will do about it, but also how you will make sure that you are approved to do it. Like everything else, this is a process. Many people have questions that they need to answer about home schooling.

As the parent/teacher of your child, you must do the following to get started with home schooling:

Develop your home schooling curriculum that is both approved by the school board or state, as well as meeting your ability to teach.

Schedule a meeting with the school board or state education officials so that they can offer you any help with tutors etc. that are approved. You will also be presenting your proposal at this meeting.

Get information about and register for evaluations with your school board or state to ensure that your child is meeting with the approved standards in your area.

Get yourself certified to teach your child

Create a home schooling proposal for what you are planning to teach your child and how you plan to go about it.

The court says clearly that school officials and parents must agree on a method of evaluation that may include one of the following approaches:

standardized testing,

periodic progress report,

or dated work samples.

Home visits may not be necessary as a condition of this approval.

Dated work samples mean just what they sound like in that, they are a few samples of work with dates on them. You do not have to compile an extensive portfolio in order to submit it to the school although you might like to keep these kinds of records for your own use.

Progress reports can also serve as your plan for the coming year if you include information about how current learning will be extended into the next year, and what new areas will be added. While the law does not specify that a home schooling plan needs to be submitted annually, many towns have come to expect them.

It is important for you to include in your education plan what form of evaluation you are planning to use. That way if the school later asks you for a form of evaluation that you’d prefer not to use, you can refer them to your approved education plan in which you already said that you would submit your preferred evaluation.

Adding a line in your annual report such as, an annual progress report/dated work sample/standardized test results will be submitted upon request; is a good idea if you aren’t sure whether or not they’ll ask you for anything. Of course, if they don’t ask, you don’t need to submit anything.

As with anything else, getting everything organized is the first step to getting off to a great start. Deciding to home school is a big decision, getting the paper work in order will keep everything flowing.

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Do you think you just don’t have the space or time for a vegetable garden? Is the idea of vegetables in neatly spaced rows the only way you can imagine growing them? Think again.

There are vegetables that are so beautiful that they are right at home in any garden bed. Some kinds of flowers taste marvelous in a salad or served up with melted butter along with the vegetables. Grow a cucumber vine on that arbor for the delicate yellow flowers, interesting tendrils and of course cucumbers for your salad. A row of raspberry or blueberry bushes can make a lovely, and tasty hedge. A vegetable garden does not need to be hidden in the back yard. Plant these lovely edible plants in plain sight and create an edible landscape.

6 Plants for a great edible landscape

Rhubarb makes an outstanding plant for low maintenance borders and herb gardens as well as a dramatic landscape element planted singly or in groups. Choose a brightly colored variety that grows well in your part of the country. Both red and green stalk varieties are available but the red plants will be much more attractive in your beds. Rhubarb grows best in cool climates, in the cold winter regions of the country. Full sun is best, although in the warmer parts of it’s range it will benefit by partial shade in the afternoon. Be sure to mulch well to keep the soil as cool and moist as possible.

Learn more about Growing Rhubarb

Chives, with their spiky grass like foliage arrive early in the spring. The hollow stems can be snipped to use in salads, dressings, sprinkled on top of soups and of course on a sour cream topped baked potato for extra color and flavor. But the show really starts when the chive flowers emerge. Soft lavender spheres atop slender green stems are just lovely. Use the flowers to flavor vinegar and in fresh salads. Chives will reseed itself readily in most loamy garden soil.

Sage is a tough garden herb that thrives in dry conditions and poor soil. It can sprawl over stone walls and makes beautiful mounds of gray green foliage in the landscape. In the early summer you will be rewarded with sprays of purple flowers that last for weeks. Great as a single specimen or planted as an edible border or to cover a difficult bank, sage is a top choice. It will need some water in extremely dry conditions and can reseed and spread if conditions are favorable. Use in poultry stuffings and sausage.

Thyme is another great edible landscape herb. Plant creeping thyme between stepping stones to release it’s pleasant scent when stepped on. It grows well along the dry edges of driveways and paths. Lemon thyme is another great variety that can add interest to your landscaping beds. Consider incorporating other herbs in your flower beds as well.

Chard is another colorful multi use plant. It looks great in beds with it’s rainbow hued stems and richly veined leaves. Plant a seed mix that included red, orange and yellow stemmed varieties. Use chard in soups, stews and casseroles. It can be used in the early spring as a spinach substitute for great flavor and added nutrition.

Huge heads of red cabbage surrounded by pads of large flat leaves are dramatic and beautiful. The related kale plants come in fantastic color combinations and leaf types. Suitable for cooler temperatures, try growing these members of the cabbage family in the early spring or set out in the fall for winter interest.

Even common garden plants can be interesting and lovely in your edible landscape. A huge pot of cherry tomatoes near the front door will catch everyone’s eye, and you will surprise your guests with a mouthful of sun warmed sweet tomatoes almost every time! Colorful hot peppers mixed with your bedding plants, glistening purple eggplants and a sweet potato vine ground cover are additional ideas for a landscape that does double duty.

Spicy nasturtiums and dainty violets can be used in salads. Day lily buds can be served just like green beans. Roses and the rose hips that form on the plants after the flowers fall are high in vitamin C!

An edible landscape is a great way to supplement your grocery bill with delicious and nutritious home grown produce.

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Many parents believe that it is necessary to have a teaching credential to be qualified for teaching their child what they need to learn to become productive and successful adults. Although it is a tremendous responsibility to teach your own child the rewards can be priceless.

  The pros and cons of homeschooling are many, but do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

With total control over your child’s homeschooling needs you have the flexibility to teach your child values that cannot be taught in a public classroom. On the other hand your time will not be as free as it used to be.

  The education a child can gain from a loving and concerned parent will be much greater than is possible to receive in a public school system. You don’t need a teaching credential or even a college degree, just the desire to give your child a quality education. If there are subjects that you don’t feel comfortable teaching it is possible to hire a tutor for those classes. And on the positive side your home school curriculum can incorporate other things such as your own religious and moral beliefs, something that will not be taught in a public school system. By taking control of a child’s education a parent can shape that child’s value system better than anyone else.

  There are two main requirements necessary to achieve a rewarding home schooling experience for both you and your child. Obviously you must have a desire to teach your children, that is number one. If you are doing it out of duty or obligation you may soon find yourself in way over your head and wanting to get out. The second requirement is determination. You must truly want your child to succeed and be willing to put forth the time and effort it takes for your child to reach his or her potential. With these two ingredients your child may be able to realize an education that could not be achieved in a public classroom.

  You, more than anyone else, want your child to reach their full potential. This is usually not possible in a crowded classroom environment. A child, to learn at their best, must have one-on-one instruction from someone who truly cares for them. And who better than you can give that to them? Public school teachers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of students they must control every day. With the many different learning styles, discipline problems, regulations that need to be followed and other factors a public school teacher cannot spend the individual time with each child that is necessary to bring out that child’s best. Home schooling can help children to blossom and bring out a child’s full potential like nothing else can. Do you have doubts about your ability to teach? All you have to do to overcome your fear is to visit a public classroom for a day. Visit a kindergarten class or a first grade class and you will see that much of the time spent is merely controlling the children’s behavioral problems. And the lessons that are taught are usually very simple. In a one-on-one home atmosphere you will be able to progress at your own pace. With a few home school books and lesson plans you will be able to get started very easily. Remember, you are starting your teaching experience with a very young child. And you will actually be able to learn as you go. With a little preparation it is possible to grow with your child. And the first time you see some of your instruction sink into your child’s brain you will feel satisfied that you are performing a very important task.

  You will surely be surprised at how effective you can be as your child’s homeschool instructor.

Public school teachers have their curriculum all laid out for them. They must follow programs and use materials that others have already approved for them. They must also move at a predetermined pace so that they can get through their study programs even if it means going forward at the expense of a child understanding what has been taught. You, on the other hand, can come up with your own homeschooling curriculum which can include religious or moral beliefs. You can take a field trip anytime you desire. You can make sure your child fully grasps a specific subject before moving forward. This will allow your child the opportunity to learn as they should be learning and at a pace they can keep up with. In a public system the slower children are often left behind.

There are negatives as well as positives however. The biggest negative to home schooling is your time. Your child will most likely receive a more rewarding education at home, but you will be devoting lots of your time to this cause. This could be a big sacrifice, especially if you are struggling financially and need to work. However, with a real desire you may be able to live without luxuries that will give you the time you need to offer your child the education they deserve. Search the internet for lesson plans, other pros and cons, christian home schooling information, home schooling requirements, home schooling books, eclectic homeschooling and other topics of interest. After researching this subject you may find that teaching your child will be even more rewarding for you than it is for your child. If you would like to develop a special bond with your child homeschooling may be the way.

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Gardening doesn’t have to be time intensive, especially when you have the right tools and materials for the job. Having a busy schedule means you want to make the most out of your gardening experience, even if that garden is housed in just containers. However, did you know that the container you choose to plant in as well as what you put in it can make a world of difference in the success of your container garden?

It’s All about the Pots

There are a number of different plant containers to choose from, so how do you know which one is best? What you don’t want to do is choose unglazed clay or terra cotta pots. The primary reason is that unglazed terra cotta or clay pots are very permeable. This means moisture leaches out of the container rather quickly leaving the plant starving for moisture.

When you use the unglazed terra cotta or clay pots, you could water the plants in them in the morning and by evening time; the plants will feel a bit dry, not moist as they should be. The extreme conditions of going from dry to wet to dry again within a short amount of time can eventually put your plant into shock.

Choosing a pot for your container gardening can be easy. A container in which the material is not permeable, meaning that the moisture won’t escape readily from the very material the container is made of, is the best choice. This material could be metal, plastic or a glazed pot.

  Soil Mixture Essentials

It is important that you choose a potting mix that does not have any synthetic ingredients in it. Regular garden or top soil is not the best as it could have excessive weed seed or even bugs in it that could hinder the good health of your plant. Instead, choose a high quality potting soil with natural fertilizers made from organic materials, particularly one that slowly releases the proper nutrients into the soil.

  Add Moisture Retaining Materials to the Soil

Lend a bit of a hand in the moisture department. Add some special water retaining crystals into your potting soil. These crystals absorb a lot of water which they then release slowly in the soil. This particular material is especially beneficial if you are busy and don’t always have the time to water your container garden each day.

Part of the fun of having a container garden is the planning of it. Take your time in selecting just the right pots that will not only be the best for your plants but also your decor whether it is a balcony, patio or postage stamp yard. Ensuring the proper potting soil and water retention materials will only enhance your gardening experience.

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