Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Building a Compost Screener

Here is the latest project that my sweet hubby and I built for our eco-friendly, “green” garden. It is a compost sifter and we got the idea from plans that we found in Organic Gardening Magazine.

It’s very easy to make. The only materials required are a few pieces of 2 x 4 lumber, some hardware cloth with 1/2 inch square mesh, a staple gun and some galvanized deck screws.

Of course, we love compost because it provides eco-friendly, chemical free nutrients for our garden.

I hope you enjoy the video! The link to the article is below.

Build a Compost Screener (Organic Gardening Magazine)

Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 3:15 PM 2 comments
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Monday, March 26, 2012

10 Tips for Rain Barrel Maintenance and Safety

rockville I know I’ve written a lot of posts about rain barrels, but that’s because I think they are a real no-brainer for an eco-friendly garden.

Rain barrels are easy to make, easy to install and they help the planet in two ways: by both conserving and protecting our planet’s water supplies.

Rain barrels capture and store the rainwater running off a rooftop. The harvested rainwater can be stored for later use, or used immediately for watering lawns and landscaped areas, filling ponds or fountains, or washing cars. This stored water helps to save money and it really comes in handy during times of mandatory water restrictions.

By collecting runoff from rooftops, rain barrels can also prevent stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is caused when heavy rains  run directly into streets and storm sewers, carrying it (and the pollutants it collects) directly to the local waterways.

Rain barrels require very little maintenance. However, to make sure that they remain problem free, here are:

10 Tips for Rain Barrel Maintenance and Safety

  1. Rain barrels can weigh about 400 pounds when full, but they need to be elevated for good water flow. Make sure that they are placed on a sturdy, level base to avoid all possibility of toppling over.
  2. Make sure that all overflow pipes or hoses are directed to pervious (landscaped) surfaces so that overflow water soaks into the ground instead of pooling where it can create slippery puddles.
  3. Don’t drink the water from your rain barrel. There is no telling what substances the rain has collected from your roof or gutters.
  4. Use the water in your rain barrel before using other water sources to help prevent standing water in the barrel.
  5. Clean your gutters regularly to reduce debris.
  6. Once a year, tip your rain barrel over during a dry spell and rinse it out with a hose. You can also put a capful of chlorine bleach into the water to help prevent algae growth.
  7. Check your rain barrel on a regular basis to make sure all openings are clean, free of debris and flowing freely.
  8. During severe rain storms, check your rain barrel to make sure the overflows are working properly.
  9. If your rainbarrel springs a small leak, most can be repaired with aquarium caulk, a clear sealant available at most hardware stores
  10. Rain barrels should be drained and removed for the winter months to prevent ice damage.

Related post about rain barrels: The Rain Barrel Response

Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 7:58 AM 0 comments
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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Patuxent River Cleanup

Volunteer Opportunity with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission

Saturday, March 31 from 9 a.m. to Noon Patuxent River Cleanup

Sign up for a number of sites to pick up trash throughout the Patuxent River watershed and help the Chesapeake Bay.  Email saugust@wsscwater.com.

For more information, visit the WSSC website.

Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 11:20 AM 0 comments
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Friday, March 23, 2012

Are these products REALLY environmentally friendly?

Here’s another product that doesn’t really seem to be “environmentally friendly” to me: those motion activated water repellent systems that are supposed to scare away nuisance animals from your yard.

You set the devices up in your yard, attach them to a garden hose, and turn on the hose. The motion detecting devices say that they protect over 1900 square feet, work day and night and even squirrels will activate them. The way that they "protect" your property is by squirting large blasts of water to deter the creatures that dare to set foot on your land.

One website describes their product this way: it “provides an environmentally-friendly and safe alternative to chemical repellents and electric fences, so it’s safe for use around your family and pets.”

I have to admit, I would love to find a product that would help keep the birds from eating the fish out of my garden pond and keep the neighborhood cats and dogs from pooping in my yard. But it just doesn’t make sense to me to waste a lot of water to do it. PLUS, if you had a few nights of really active critter activity, I would think that you would run the risk of overwatering you lawn, which really isn’t healthy for it.

What do you think?

Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 8:18 AM 0 comments

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Win a Prius by Saving Water? Contact Your Mayor

 prius How would you like a new Prius? I have to say, I wouldn’t say “No”, if someone wanted to give me a new car, especially if it was one that was more eco-friendly than my current ride. So I was intrigued when I saw the press blurbs about the National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, sponsored by the Wyland Foundation.

According to their website, the Wyland Foundation, along with a whole slew of other organizations, are giving away $50,000 in prizes to people who take an online water challenge between March 30 – April 30th, top prize being a Toyota Prius Hybrid. 

But here’s the thing: in order to win, you have to live in the city with the highest number of residents who take the challenge….and this is a NATIONWIDE contest. So the first step to get anywhere near winning the Prius, or any of the other great prizes, is to contact your mayor and ask them to challenge their citizens. The website provides a letter that you can download and use to contact your mayor.

Sure, the chances of winning the Prius are a long shot, but what have you got to loose? Getting people in your city to pledge to conserve water and other valuable resources is a good thing, and a cleaner environment for your city is a great prize, in itself.

More information from the Wyland Foundation website:

Mayors are encouraged to challenge their residents to visit mywaterpledge.com from March 30 to April 30. Visitors to the website enter their zip code and then make a series of online pledges to conserve water, save energy and reduce pollution.

Participants in cities with the highest percentage of residents who take the challenge will be eligible to win more than 1,000 prizes, including a Toyota Prius and water-saving home products from Waterpik, Sterling Plumbing, Rainbird, and Lowe's.

“The mayor’s challenge gives communities a way to come together for one very important reason—the future of our planet,” said famed marine artist Wyland. “We see mayors making gentlemen’s bets over who will win college football games. Here’s a way for them to take on an even more important challenge in a friendly, competitive way.”

Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 11:21 AM 0 comments

Raingarden Workshop – March 31st

Raingardens for Homeowners. Saturday, March 31st.  9:30 AM – 12:30 PM. 

Rain gardens, also known as bioretention areas, are attractive landscape features that allow rain water and snow melt to infiltrate into the ground.  A layer of mulch and plants intercept water running off streets, driveways, and rooftops, slowing its flow and removing pollutants before the water reaches local streams, the Occoquan River and the Potomac River, drinking water supplies for the region. 

The workshop will be held at Fairlington Community Center, 3308 S. Stafford St.  Arlington, VA.  

To register, please email Aileen Winquist at awinquist@arlingtonva.us     More information:  http://www.novaregion.org/raingardens

Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 8:56 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

March 22 is World Water Day – Adopt a Waterwise Diet

Since 1993, March 22nd has been observed as World Water Day to focus attention on the importance of preserving and protecting our planet’s fresh water resources.

World Water Day has a theme each year, and this year’s theme is “Water and Food Security” and deals with the planet’s supply of clean, healthy, abundant water and its relationship to providing food to the people of the world.

As eco-friendly gardeners, we often talk about waterwise landscaping. We know that by utilizing rain barrels, choosing waterwise plants, and using mulch, we all can help conserve water in our landscapes. But for World Water Day, this year’s theme seems to focus on "waterwise eating". "Waterwise eating" means following a healthy, sustainable diet; consuming a less water-intensive diet; and reducing food waste.

Of course, we all realize that we need water to grow food for people to eat. But the “Water and Food Security” theme also wants to encourage everyone to consider the water required in the production of the food that they eat, and to adopt a diet that is less water “hungry”.

Each food has its own “water footprint”, which accounts for the amount of water used to grow and/or produce that food. By learning a little about the water footprint of your foods, you can choose to make a choice for a more “waterwise” diet.

Here are some quotes, and a short video, from the World Water Day Website:

The world is thirsty because of our needs for food. Today, there are over 7 billion people to feed on the planet and this number is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. To be able to feed everybody, we first need to secure water, in sufficient quantity and adequate quality. We will also need to produce more food using less water, reduce food wastage and losses, and move towards more sustainable diets.

Here are some additional links for information about the “water footprint” of various foods:

Water Footprint of animal products

Water Footprint – Product Gallery

Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 4:08 PM 0 comments
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No more plastic mulch bags

Here’s a neat idea I saw online and its so simple, it really makes you wonder why no one thought of it before.

The product is called Weed Recede and it is mulch that comes in its own, self-mulching paper bags. You just lay the bag on the ground, pull a couple of strings to open the bag, and spread out the mulch right on top of the paper bag. The video for the product says that “the landscape industry in the United States uses over 700 million and one billion plastic mulch bags each year”, most of which end up in our landfills.

Anyway, if you like this product, you can vote for it in the Walmart on the shelf contest (which will make the product available at Walmart stores).

Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 8:52 AM 2 comments
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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

National Arboretum Planning Turf Exhibit

Many eco-friendly gardeners think that turf grass is a bad thing. The truth, of course, isn’t that the GRASS is bad. What can be bad, and detrimental to the environment, are the actions that people take to keep their turf grass green, manicured and healthy looking.

People often over-water their lawns and apply dangerous chemicals to help keep the grass green. They can also pollute the environment by over mowing and trimming.

So I think it is great that the National Arboretum is planning an exhibit to teach people about the benefits of turf grass, along with proper maintenance techniques.

The theme of the exhibit is: New developments in turfgrass-making and environmental choice for our homes and communities and will be arranged in three sub-themes:

Turf and the Environment - Proper maintenance practices, pest/weed control, seasonal issues, water quality, erosion control benefits, research

Turf in the Landscape - Why turf? Grass species, soils, landscape &turf cooling/other benefits, ecosystem services, home values

Turf in the Community - Urbanization, recreation needs, functionality, safety/human health/obesity issues, value of turf industry/jobs

The National Arboretum is currently raising money for the conceptual design phase. The goal is to install the exhibit for an opening by spring 2013. Plans are to continue the exhibit through 2016 or 2017.
For more information, here is a pdf file of the proposal.
Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 9:22 AM 0 comments
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Spring has Sprung! Along with the Native Plant Sales

The calendar has finally caught up with the weather and Spring has now OFFICIALLY sprung. If you are like me and always try to keep a personal calendar listing gardening events that will help you spruce up your green garden, here is a list of upcoming native plant sales planned for the area.
Posted by Betsy S. Franz at 8:28 AM 4 comments
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