I have had a busy month so far. There has been a ton of rain everyday for the last 2 weeks so I have not had to worry about watering. The strawberry plants are growing well. The raspberries and apples are getting taller too. I think that the rain may have killed 3 of the lilac bushes. We also planted 3 arborvite in the front yard.
The wildflower area is growing pretty fast too. There are several toads that live in there too.
With the storms lately the tomato plants and pepper plants look pretty beat-up. I was going to go strawberry picking today but it was storming. We went berry picking last week and I made strawberry jam.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Finally sunny
The ferns, astilbe, black-eyed susans, coneflowers, hollyhocks and dalias are finally planted. I will post pics when they start to bloom. The strawberries to not look good at all. Maybe it is too windy where they are planted. Maybe they do not like this cold weather. Not sure. I plan to buy some more plants soon to fill in the ones that died. Hopefully that will help. Anyone have any advice on strawberry plants?
Friday, May 7, 2010
Snow in May?!??!
What is the deal with the weather? I planted some annuals last weekend since the weather was so nice. Now we are supposed to get snow this weekend. Not much but still! I have all my annuals covered. Hopefully they will do ok.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
New plants
I bought some new plants today. I got some ferns and astilbe for the shade area. Some annuals and for the wildflower area purple coneflower, blackeyed susan and tick seed. Hopefully the wind will die down and I can plant some tonight.
The zinnias that I started inside are not doing well. I might just put them outside and see what happens.
The zinnias that I started inside are not doing well. I might just put them outside and see what happens.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Big steps
Here are some ideas of big steps to take that will help the environment. These are more difficult to do or cost a significant amount of money. I have not done all of these items but am working on a few of them.
-ride a bike to work, take mass transit or carpool. This takes some planning and may be difficult with your work schedule.
-give up eating meat.
-install solar panels to your house
-plant native plants in your yard. They will require less water and benefit the local wildlife
-buy your clothes used or from companies with sustainable environmental practices (this takes some research)
-install energy star appliances
-buy all organic vegetables and fruit
-grow and preserve more of your own food
-support environmental organizations. Some of my faves are Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists and WWF.
-
-ride a bike to work, take mass transit or carpool. This takes some planning and may be difficult with your work schedule.
-give up eating meat.
-install solar panels to your house
-plant native plants in your yard. They will require less water and benefit the local wildlife
-buy your clothes used or from companies with sustainable environmental practices (this takes some research)
-install energy star appliances
-buy all organic vegetables and fruit
-grow and preserve more of your own food
-support environmental organizations. Some of my faves are Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists and WWF.
-
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Medium steps
Here are some more Earth Day tips. These tips are a little more involved but have more of an impact on the environment.
-reduce the amount of meat that you eat. Instead of eating a chicken breast for dinner eat half of one and add a side salad. Have one dinner per week (or more) that are meatless.
-When you do buy new clothing consider looking into bamboo fabrics. Cotton uses a lot of water and pesticides to grow.
-install a low flow shower head. If you put in one that has a "pause" button then you can turn the water down while you shampoo and soap up.
-If you have a garden or yard install a rain barrel. (Check local codes to make sure it is allowed)
-Learn to deal with weeds in your yard. All the pesticides you use end up in the ground water. In the middle of the summer allow your grass to dry out a little. If you must water then water early in the morning to decrease evaporation.
-buy from ecologically responsable companies. Simple, simply green and 7th generation are some of my faves.
-Compost. There are several methods of outdoor composting and vermicomposting. We have an indoor naturemill composter and love it! http://www.naturemill.com/
-unplug items that you do not use everyday. Anything with a little light that indicated it is on uses power even when not in use
-if you have old appliances look into purchasing new energy star appliances
-get a home energy audit. They can tell you what changes to make in order to make your home more energy efficient
-keep your lawnmower, snowblower etc. in good condition. Machines that are dirty and not working well use more gas to run.
-plan activities ouside. The more time you spend in nature the more you will want to protect it
-reduce the amount of meat that you eat. Instead of eating a chicken breast for dinner eat half of one and add a side salad. Have one dinner per week (or more) that are meatless.
-When you do buy new clothing consider looking into bamboo fabrics. Cotton uses a lot of water and pesticides to grow.
-install a low flow shower head. If you put in one that has a "pause" button then you can turn the water down while you shampoo and soap up.
-If you have a garden or yard install a rain barrel. (Check local codes to make sure it is allowed)
-Learn to deal with weeds in your yard. All the pesticides you use end up in the ground water. In the middle of the summer allow your grass to dry out a little. If you must water then water early in the morning to decrease evaporation.
-buy from ecologically responsable companies. Simple, simply green and 7th generation are some of my faves.
-Compost. There are several methods of outdoor composting and vermicomposting. We have an indoor naturemill composter and love it! http://www.naturemill.com/
-unplug items that you do not use everyday. Anything with a little light that indicated it is on uses power even when not in use
-if you have old appliances look into purchasing new energy star appliances
-get a home energy audit. They can tell you what changes to make in order to make your home more energy efficient
-keep your lawnmower, snowblower etc. in good condition. Machines that are dirty and not working well use more gas to run.
-plan activities ouside. The more time you spend in nature the more you will want to protect it
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Earth Day
With Earth Day coming up this week I decided to add some "green tips" There are different levels that people are willing to do in terms of an eco friendly lifestyle.
Here are some baby steps to take. They have a small impact on the environment but are the easiest steps to start with.
-cook meals at home. Fast food meals produce a lot of garbage (paper
cups,wrappers etc.) Cooking at home is also cheaper and healthier.
-take lunch to work in reusable containers
-stop junk mail https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action
-identify areas in your life that you would like to make changes. (in terms of impact on the environment) Start with just one and see how many changes you can make.
-ask youself if you need to wash every item of clothing after wearing it just once. If you have a job where you do not get very dirty you can wear pants and shirts more than once.
-Does everything you buy need to be brand new? Look into buying used items at Good-will, garage sales and on-line.
-borrow items from the library instead of buying them. Libraries have more than just books these days.
These are just a few ideas. More added later in the week.
Here are some baby steps to take. They have a small impact on the environment but are the easiest steps to start with.
-cook meals at home. Fast food meals produce a lot of garbage (paper
cups,wrappers etc.) Cooking at home is also cheaper and healthier.
-take lunch to work in reusable containers
-stop junk mail https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action
-identify areas in your life that you would like to make changes. (in terms of impact on the environment) Start with just one and see how many changes you can make.
-ask youself if you need to wash every item of clothing after wearing it just once. If you have a job where you do not get very dirty you can wear pants and shirts more than once.
-Does everything you buy need to be brand new? Look into buying used items at Good-will, garage sales and on-line.
-borrow items from the library instead of buying them. Libraries have more than just books these days.
These are just a few ideas. More added later in the week.
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