It's Easy Being Green

While the snow has all but left us here in the mountains of Northern Arizona, the weather has still been pretty cool. That’s how it should be this time of the year. It may warm up into the 60’s during the day but temperatures quickly drop off into the low 20’s overnight. That’s of course too cold for a garden going outside. Despite the fact that I’ve got spring fever and want to get my veggies on their way outside, I have to give them some gentle nudges inside, first.

Two weeks ago I planted two seed starting flats worth of tomatoes and other veggies which will require some time to get themselves established before they actually produce anything. More than likely I won’t be able to get any veggies outside until sometime in May so the few weeks they have to begin sprouting inside and forming root systems will be beneficial. My first flat of tomatoes has sprouted but the seedling are already too leggy. With tomatoes you want to keep replanting them fairly deep, allowing roots to grow off their main stems every time you replant them. This ensures your tomato plants will grow strong and healthy. They’ve already outgrown their little seedling flat so now it’s time to transfer them into small pots so they can continue their growth.

If you happen to save all those little plastic nursery pots you probably don’t have to worry about what you transplant your seedlings into. As it turns out, the last time we moved we through most of those pots littering our potting shed into the recycling bin. So, I turned to some newspaper to form little transplant pots just like the peat pots you could buy at the local nursery. It’s cheap and allows you to put the newspaper to another use, recycling it before it’s demise. Just like the peat pots the newspaper pot is biodegradable and will eventually just disappear into your soil. I found a great video showing how to make some newspaper transplant pots, so take a look below.

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Clothing manufacturer Patagonia has made another interesting move, showcasing their social responsibility to our planet.  The company just launched a new website called The Footprint Chronicles.  The interactive website allows people  to see the good and bad affects of manufacturing the clothes they buy like Synchilla fleece vests and rain shells.  In a press release about the new website, Patagonia company officials said they’re determined to be candid and forthright about its impact on the environment and created the site to encourage dialog with customers who are concerned about the environment.  Five new products will be added to the site on Earth Day 2008.  The site showcases more than 35 filmed interviews and slide shows of factory workers, owners, designers and third party auditors.

Patagonia has increasingly tried to become a more environmentally responsible company.  Since 1996 they’ve used only organic cotton in their outdoor clothing line.  Just recently the company also launched their synthetic fiber-to-fiber recycling program.  Patagonia takes back worn-out polyster and nylon clothing and recycles it, making it into new clothing.  The process forever captures the raw materials used in making virgin fibers.

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If you have any roses in your garden, make them even more productive with some simple composting.  Roses need potassium to boost their flower production resulting in some nice, lush blooms.  They can get plenty of potassium if you simply push banana peels into the soil at the base of your rose plants.  So, have a banana for breakfast and feed your rose too!

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Reduce, reuse and recycle…we all know the now popular mantra.  It was driven into my head as a kid in elementary school every Earth Day and consequently has urged me to turn into the “greenie” I am today.  When it comes to recycling we usually don’t think of building our homes out of recycled materials.  But one Mississippi grandma took the idea to a whole new level.  After a storm practically demolished her wood-framed house, she had another idea that could just take off.  Check out her high-flying home and maybe it will provide you with a little inspiration for your next recycling project!

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We are just 18 days away from the first official day of Spring, the Spring Equinox happening on March 20th this year.  In many parts of the country it seems the veil of Winter has been lifted already and we’re beginning to thaw out.  Is it just a teaser or has Spring really sprung?

If you happen to live in a warm part of the country, you might already be planning your first Spring garden party.  If so, how would you like to make a nifty drink dispenser that not only tastes good but can be composted when you’re done?!  Check out Elizabeth’s Drunken Watermelon on Tap for the super idea and instructions on how to put it together.  I guarantee this one will be a crowd pleaser at your next outdoor get-together.   If you don’t want to make the beverage alcoholic you can of course substitute it with another beverage.  Watermelon punch, lemonade or iced tea anyone?