Earth Day 2010

Today is Earth Day 2010 in celebration of Mother Earth.  The day is meant to bring environmental awareness that we need to practice an eco-friendly lifestyle.  It is a celebration of hope and sharing our knowledge with others.  It's a way of teaching our young ones that we have to look after the earth if we want to survive.  Many communities hold special events in celebration of Earth Day.  Many

Weed Control

DandelionMay 29, 2009If you haven't seen a dandelion in your yard then you either don't have a yard or your yard is chemically treated. The Ontario Pesticide Ban is now in effect so some consumers are now concerned they will not be able to control weeds in the yards. Round-up® a chemical herbicide that some relied on heavily can now only be used to control poison ivy and you have to sign a

Earth Hour 2009 Reminder

Please remember to turn your lights off for one hour beginning at 8:30 PM tonight in celebration of Earth Hour.  Voting with your light switch will create a strong mandate for our leaders to make positive and decisive action on climate change in Copenhagen.  Please vote with your light switch!Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2006-2009

Earth Hour 2009

Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2006-2009

Windbreaks

In rural communities, windbreaks are a common scene and for good reason. They slow the wind down or prevent prevailing winter winds from hitting your house directly saving valuable heating dollars. In the summer they slow or prevent soil erosion. In the heat of the summer deciduous windbreaks help to cool winds before they reach your house. Some windbreaks provide a habitat for small birds

Real Verses Artificial Christmas Trees

It's that time of year for the most popular holiday icon to make its presence. A decorated Christmas tree is a must have for many. In years past that meant going out and cutting your own tree. In recent times it means pulling the artificial tree from the closet and setting it up. Either way the Christmas tree is a seasonal tradition. There are definite reasons for choosing a real Christmas

Carbon Neutral for a Day

You cannot imagine how surprised I was to see this certificate saying I was carbon neutral for a day! Our carbon footprint is something that we have been actively reducing for quite some time. We do this by growing as much as we can organically and reducing our consumption in all areas of our lives. With each house we have learned more so we have been able to fine tune to a higher level and

Leaves

Blog Update: Starting tomorrow morning I will be updating this blog somewhat. You may see some weird things going on as I test things out. Most of the changes will involve the sidebar and header. I'm still debating other changes like the background. Please don't worry though as these changes will not affect the posts or archives. So please bare with me for the next couple of days. I

This Lawn is Your Lawn

I'm of the mindset that every household should have a vegetable garden. This is not a new idea as Victory Gardens were encouraged as a way to save energy and keep people fed during World War I and World War II. Twenty million of these gardens existed producing 40% of the vegetable produce consumed nationally in the United States. Planting a vegetable garden was seen as a national duty.I hope

Bindweed

Bindweed(Convolvulus arvensis)Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) is a member of the morning glory family. It is a very invasive, spreading weed that can be introduced to the garden through soil and roots. Quite frankly I think bindweed is rather pretty with its small trumpet shaped white flowers with faint pink stripes. It covers wires and chain link fencing nicely but it is still considered a

Food For Thought

Cartoon courtesy of Nearing Zero.Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2006-2008

Something to Ponder

Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2007

Pondering

Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2007

Ontario Lawn Pesticide Ban

Female Mallard(Anas platyrhynchos)This adult female Mallard has been frequenting our backyard likely in search of a suitable nesting site. While she seems be enjoying her stroll through the lawn and I love her visits, I cannot say the same thing about grass. Sorry folks but I am a grass hater in the form of a pristine, green, outdoor growing, carpet. I can say that even though we laid sod last

Earth Day

CrocusApril 14, 2008How did you spend Earth Day? I found it difficult to say I'm going to give up using this or not going to do that for the day. The reason being is we try to celebrate Earth Day every day so some things folks get excited about doing for Earth Day have been a norm for us every day for years. I spent a good portion of the day cleaning out the side yard gardens, most of it

Blog Action Day - Square Foot Gardening & The Environment

Today over fifteen thousand blogs with twelve million readers will be blogging on one topic - The Environment. Each of my blogs are participating, each from a different perspective so be sure to read them all.Square Foot Garden Bed2006If you have been reading this blog you will know we moved here in late June so have not set up the new vegetable and herb beds. When deciding on an environmental

Earth Day 2007

Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2007

Ten Ways to Go Green in the Gardencompostuse mulchuse only organic fertilizersmanually remove pestscollect rainwater for garden watering needsuse solar powered lighting instead of electricattract beneficial insectsuse natural pesticidesuse companion plantinguse organic soil ammendmentsHappy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2007