Must Mulch

Last year when I started my garden, I had read that I “should” do a lot of different things to help my garden have higher yields, but it was hard to determine what would really have a significant impact.  I pretty much just started with the basics last year and I didn’t mulch.  Big mistake.  Because my garden isn’t in my own backyard it can be difficult to find the time to water it everyday, which is my first challenge.  Second, for some reason my garden plot seems to sprout weeds much more quickly than I ever anticipated. Last year was particularly bad because it was never tilled before the beginning of the season due to the unseasonably wet spring.

So this year I learned my from struggles last season and decided to invest in a $7 bag of mulch to save me many hours of weeding and keep my plants from struggling to grow because the soil gets dehydrated on warm days so quickly. Thus far, it has been the best $7 I’ve spent on my garden yet! I took a picture a couple of weeks ago after a few days away from the garden and the impact is obvious.  The first row to the left of the pink line is barely distinguishable because of all the weeds that have cropped up.  Luckily this row is potatoes so they are a bit more hearty than a pepper or tomato plant and won’t wilt as quickly. I swear, I didn’t touch the other rows prior to the picture and they have significantly less weeds and are never as dry.  Not only does it keep the moisture in the ground better, but there aren’t weeds all around soaking up the water and nutrients that are there!

While I’ve got that figured out now, I’m still looking for a good natural fertilizer, so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know! Sometimes I wish I could just use Miracle Grow and have big plants like many of the other plots, but growing organic produce is 75% of the reason why I have a garden in the first place so I’ll just have to manage my garden envy in the mean time.

Happy growing everyone!

Seedy Saturday

It’s almost planting season already! This past weekend I went to an event called Seedy Saturday in Mississauga. It was a combination of free workshops and a marketplace type environment with vendors selling everything from seeds to worm composters to homemade baked goods.   I picked up seeds from two vendors, one was Urban Harvest which is located in Toronto. I had seen them at the Green Living Show last year, but by then I had already finished most of my planting and their booth was so crowded I just ended up avoiding it all together. At this event their area wasn’t quite as busy and I was able to get a look at the wide variety of seeds that they had available.  I ended up getting some Rainbow Chard, Rosa Blanca Eggplant, Edamame and Sugar Baby Watermelon seeds.  The other was a local home-based vendor called Mountain Grove Seed Co. with seeds of some unique plants like Chinese Lanterns and Golden Sundrop Tomatoes.  I also picked up some Chives, Lavender and Buttercup Squash.

I was so excited about my new seeds that I started most of my seedlings on Sunday.  Again, the end of February is a little early for starting seeds for garden planting, but I found that last year when I planted early that I was able to get away with a few mistakes without it seriously impacting my summer garden. I will be planting a container garden again this year along with renewing the lease on my community garden plot so I’ll need lots of seedlings to fill them both! It will be interesting to see if the yield is different for these seeds versus hardware store brand seeds. I will be sure to post if I notice a difference.

While I didn’t have time to attend any workshops, I did get some handy information from one of the vendors.  I asked how easy it was to harvest seeds from vegetables and it actually sounded pretty simple!  She used tomatoes as an example and said that she waits until the tomato is very ripe, then take the seeds out and rinse them once a day for about 3 days. Rest them on parchment or waxed paper, because they will stick to paper towel, and you’re ready to go!  I will have to do some more research, but if it’s this simple, I could save some money on seeds by making my own! I’ll keep you posted!

Hammer Time!

Well, more paint brushes and screw drivers were used than hammers, but you get the jest. This weekend was a project weekend!

I had picked up some paint chips this week and decided I’d like to paint my bathroom and kitchen. Conveniently, Kevin was away this weekend (luckily I had pitched my colour ideas earlier in the week) so I had the apartment to myself.

After breakfast with my parents on Saturday morning, I stopped in the Home Depot next door to the restaurant to pick up supplies. I was excited when I saw the CIL Naturaliving line of paints. I wasn’t sure how easily I would find an eco-friendly paint, but it wasn’t difficult at all! Unfortunately, this line of paints are only available for white-base colours and the one I had chosen needed a medium base, so I went with the Martha Stewart Living medium-base paint which at least has low VOCs and low odour, and just happened to be $10 off.

In addition to my painting project, I had a few smaller tasks on my list. One of which was to add new weather-stripping to some of our windows and seal others for the winter months to cut down on wasted energy from some serious drafts. A few simple steps, a hair dryer and sticking down some foam stripping made a huge difference! Then I replaced some burnt out light bulbs with Philips Energy Saver light bulbs which I was able to find in a “soft white” colour so they blend in with my other bulbs. I’m replacing my traditional bulbs as they burn out since each of these particular types of bulbs costs $7-9. Even though these bulbs have a much longer lifetime and can cut your energy costs, it can still be a pretty significant investment to replace all of them at once depending on the types of bulbs needed.

I also wanted to try switching to a motion sensor light switch in the kitchen. I find that I’m in and out of the kitchen so often that I end up leaving the light on when I leave the room thinking I’ll be right back. I was able to find one at Home Depot for $22, but I ran out of time and haven’t yet connected it. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Finally, there were a couple of things I needed to do to that weren’t very green, but also weren’t avoidable if I wanted to fix up a few things. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a small “eco fee” (only 5-6 cents) was added for these items at the register. I was glad to see that the fee is insignificant enough to not make the price unreasonable, but I still haven’t been able to find out whether this is government implemented or if this is a Home Depot initiative.

There are lots of things you need to do every year to maintain or improve your home. Eco friendly options are available in more types of products everyday. And while the eco-friendly option might be a bit more costly, consider the impact you’re having on your immediate environment and your family’s health when you opt for products containing strong chemicals and other harsh ingredients. We have other options, we just need to find them!

Cleanse Day 1

Day 1 of my cleanse is coming to a close and it hasn’t been the most pleasant experience.  I’ve been drinking quite a bit of coffee lately so the withdrawal headache has been lingering since about 11 a.m. this morning.  I’ve been drinking some green tea to try to get some relief, but it hasn’t been as effective as I had hoped.

I’ve also been craving carbs like crazy! I often start off my day with a fruit and fibre muffin or something similar so my body is used to running off carbs and coffee first thing in the morning and it was not happy when I changed the routine.

I started the day off with a recipe intended to help your body’s filtering system clean itself out.  It was mainly all natural cranberry juice which is known to be rich in phytochemicals, help prevent and treat urinary tract infections and help prevent kidney stones.  The flavour was relatively good compared to some other juice cleanse beverages I’ve tried. Here’s the recipe:

 Cranberry Blender Booster

• 1/2 cup cranberry juice (no corn syrup added)
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 scoop protein powder (hemp or soy preferred)
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp wheat germ
• stevia and ice to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

There haven’t been many positive side effects yet, hopefully by the end of tomorrow I will start to feel some benefits. I’m just glad I’m able to eat solid foods in addition to the drinks and soups.  The juice cleanse I did last was very difficult without something to crunch or chew for a full week. For dinner I had a few hard-boiled eggs, carrots and fruit with my dinner beverage and I feel pretty satisfied. 

Well, I think it might be early to bed tonight. I’m feeling a bit low on energy and it doesn’t hurt to get some extra sleep when you’re cleansing!

Hit the Reset Button

Well, tomorrow is the First Day of Autumn. While I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my summer, the time and my routine have gotten away on me. Between weekends at the cottage, summer hours at work, trying to maximize my time outdoors during the week and avoiding any sort of heat generating activity I definitely have not been following my usual schedule.

I went without air conditioning again this summer, which isn’t unusual for me and going green gave me yet another reason to avoid the AC. However, because my apartment was quite warm I wasn’t able to cook as many new recipes as I would have liked to avoid heating up the kitchen.  I also got away from blogging a bit this summer because I just couldn’t stand having my laptop blowing hot air on my legs while trying to write!

I also spent quite a bit of time at the cottage on weekends, which meant I wasn’t going to yoga as often as I normally would (errands moved from the weekend to weeknights) and I wasn’t eating the foods I normally would.

It’s time to hit the RESET button!

I’ve been working up my resolve to start a new cleanse.  The last one I did worked wonders, but it definitely took a lot out of me so I’ve been hesitant to start another. I find a cleanse is a great way to reset your body and kick off the start to making positive changes.

I picked up the book The Everything Easy Cleanse Book which contains a number of different cleanse programs targeted at achieving different goals. This is a three-day cleanse, which makes me a little less nervous about it. I’ve also found that any more than three days and I start to feel very uncomfortable. Starting Monday I’m going to start the general detox.  I will keep you posted on my progress including any noticeable changes as I go!

Hopefully with this commitment out there for all the world to see I can stick with it.  I’ve found in the past that it’s a real benefit for others to be aware of your cleanse program for a number of reasons.  First, as with most choices in life, once you tell other people, it increases your own commitment because there will be questions if you don’t follow through! Second, they won’t wave the office birthday cake (or any other no-no food) in front of you if they already know you’re going to say no. And finally, they’ll understand why you’re so cranky when the mood swings come!

Have a great weekend everyone! I’ll be posting my Day 1 cleanse update Monday evening!

Two Birds, One Stone

Recently I decided that 7 years of doing dishes by hand was enough for me, but I don’t own my own home yet so I can’t exactly install a dishwasher in my kitchen and the pipes are too old to handle a high volume of water.  However, I wasn’t going to resign myself to what seems like a life tied to the sink, so I investigated my options.

I know there are many conflicting opinions around dishwashers and whether or not the help or hurt the environment.  On one hand, you’re using energy to power the dishwasher and it’s a waste of water and power if you don’t wait for a full load. On the other hand, washing by hand isn’t an efficient use of soap or water and I’m not one of those people who find it relaxing. I believe I’ve found the perfect compromise!

I have discovered the world of countertop dishwashers! They are obviously much smaller than a full size dishwasher, which means that it’s perfect for my small household.  I don’t have to wait long for a full load, but it can still manage all the dishes used to make a dinner. I’m saving water, particularly because I don’t have a double sink, which means the water is constantly running when I wash by hand.  And it’s Energy Star approved!  To top it all off, I found this gem on kijiji for only $50 which means I’ve saved a bundle of cash as well as recycled a perfectly good appliance!

       

This little machine has been an absolute God send.  You just connect it to your sink faucet with a quick connect attachment, turn on the hot water, add soap and away you go! It’s also surprisingly quite so I’m able to run it at night when there are fewer demands on the power grid.

I thought I would take it a step further and splurge for the biodegradable soap and rinse aide.  I got both at Whole Foods for a reasonable price.  Whole Foods actually carries powder detergent (which seems to work best in these machines) in their 365 private label brand and it does a great job.  It was very tricky to find biodegradable dishwasher detergent and particularly biodegradable rinse aide in mainstream grocery stores and Wal-Mart, but Whole Foods and similar chains are a pretty safe bet.

If you live in a small space and have some spare counter space I would definitely suggest a countertop dishwasher.  They retail for about $250, but there were many local listings on kijiji so I would start my search there.

Tea Cup Tidiness

For years now, I’ve had my jewelry stowed away in photo boxes.  This was helpful in keeping them out of the way, but it also made it a hassle to go dig through box after box until I found what I was looking for. A few weeks ago I was browsing some of the entries on the Goodwill Blog and came across a very interesting take on jewelry storage.  Tea cups!

You can hang long earrings off the side, put studs in the bottom and wrap your bracelets around on the saucer! They all came in cup and saucer sets at the Goodwill where I purchased them, but I’ve mixed them up a bit to give them a more eclectic feel. And you’ll never guess how much I spent…$11!  I just had to have the set with the red rose on it so that was a little more pricey, but I just happened to go of 50% off Friday and saved a bunch!

I think this is a great introduction to repurposing items in creative ways.  I’ve also used old suitcases stacked on top of one another in my living room as an end table with storage! I actually got the idea to use the suitcases from a home decorating show and managed to get a few antiques from my grandma when I was at the cottage this summer!

The same can be done in your garden with old baskets, bowls and decorative items.  The Revolutionary Yardscape looks like a great book that I can’t wait to dig into once I’ve plowed through all the gardening books I’ve borrowed from the library. Another blog by Beth Evans Ramos has many other great ideas for greening your life and particularly your decor.  The Penny Bowling Ball and Slightly Tacky Wreath are personal favourites.

Great Canadian Resources

This weekend I got some new books from the library and have managed to find some wonderful books containing information on Canadian gardening and going green!

The first book that I’ve found very handy so far is the Complete Guide to Canadian Vegetable Gardening. It isn’t overly complicated like many of the books I’ve found and subsequently skipped.  This one gives very practical and simple steps to growing without having to dedicate every minute of spare time to tending to your plants.  Because it’s Canadian it also gives appropriate planting timing and realistic advice on what you can and cannot grow in a Canadian climate.  It also gives a quick reference guide in the back where you can look for information by vegetable/herb name and have all the information you need from seed to harvest.

 

With help from this book and the Successful Container Gardening book mentioned in a previous post, my seedlings are coming along well.  I’m going to have to find bigger planters for them sooner that I thought.  They’ve already got their first two seedling leaves on most of them, except the peppers. For most plants you should transplant after the first set of “true” leaves start to show.  I’ve transplanted some of the beans (farthest row) that were growing in the instant green house pucks (right) because they had roots growing out of the netting and were beginning to open up with real leaves. The others will need a bit more time covered with clear plastic to stay warm.

Another book I found this weekend is Go Green, Live Rich (Canadian Edition). This book has 50 practical short term and long term ways that you can go green and save money!  It includes Canadian specific references, government rebates, and local programs. Many of the methods where you can save the most cash are for homeowners, but it also provides some great tips for shoppers including:

1. Buy in bulk – reduce packaging and save up to 1/3 on many groceries
2. Bring your bags – reduce the 30 billion plastic bags that end up as garbage and save $44/year
3. Eat less meat – save about $6/week on your grocery bill and 1.2 billion tonnes of animal waste
   • Switching to a vegetarian diet has more impact on greenhouse gasses than switching from an SUV to a hybrid!
   • Methane from animal waste accounts for approximately 1/5 of greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans
4.  Grow your own! – Save money on veggies, know where your produce comes from and reduce transportation emissions
5. Use recyled paper products – save $40 annually and help save 19 million trees
6. Clean green  – save $580 per year by making your own cleaning products, which are better for you and the environment
   • I will post a recipe for household cleaning in a post coming soon

And these are just a few of the ways you can save on emissions, waste and cash! I would highly recommend picking up this book from the library or buying for an eReader!

One last great resource that I’ve found is Green Earth Organics. I actually came across this company on a “deal” website called Groupon.  They provide an organic grocerydelivery service, specializing in produce,  throughout the GTA, Vancouver and Muskoka!  For $37-$47 you can have a box of fresh, organic, locally grown produce delivered to your door.  This helps reduce transportation emissions and is a very convenient way to do your grocery shopping.  You can also place standing orders for weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly for items you know you use regularily and save on your bill!  I would highly suggest checking this out if you drive to the grocery store or aren’t located near a healthfood store.