Getting your kids outside more often sometimes means adjusting your own outdoor space to fit your kids needs. Going wild is a great way to get the kiddos interested in what’s happening outside their door. Here’s how.

If you like a manicured yard, that’s fine, but if you leave one small corner a little wild, it’ll attract cool creatures like worms, snails, and pillbugs that kids will like to see. Creatures like these enjoy a little cover – so a pile of leaves, a few more weeds than normal, and so fourth encourages visits.
Make sure to go native to attract the …read more

You have to see this great video created by the nonprofit group Kitchen Gardeners International, who are running the “Eat the View” campaign. The campaign’s goal is to encourage the return of edible landscapes on the White House lawn. This goal is seeking backing by President Obama. If he makes a change, and replants America’s garden, the theory is that this will inspire citizens to grow healthy and environmentally responsible food as well. This video is also a great simple history learning tool for kids – perfect for homeschooled kids too.

“Eat the View” is coordinated by Kitchen Gardeners International, a …read more

Pine needles as organic mulch can be a great low-cost alternative for some plants. If you happen to have a pine tree around, it’s free!
Using mulch helps plants retain water, which helps you conserve water. Plants that do well with pine straw mulch are plants that love acid. These include azaleas, blueberries, rhododendrons and hollies, among others. It’s best to leave a free area around the plant stems to avoid mold.
Pine needles provide good insulation, water retention and weed control. They also look natural and last longer than many alternative mulches. Best of all, no tree deaths are involved.
Have you …read more

Gardening is one great way to get your kids outside. However, if you don’t allow them to stay busy, toddlers can create more work for you. Here are some tasks toddlers and young children can help with.
Placing seeds: Put a few seeds at a time in a medicine cup so they don’t go nuts.
Pulling deadheads: I remember popping off my mom’s deadhead flowers as a kid; and it was pretty fun. You can let little ones pull off dead flower heads, dingy leaves, or even have them pull up dead plant. Give them a pair of kid friendly gloves.
Worm …read more

Misuse of water isn’t just bad for the environment, it’s also bad news for your wallet. Here’s how to save water and still water efficiently.

Water at night. Or you could water in the early morning, but usually nighttime (devoid of sun) gives you less evaporation time, which means your water goes further.
Lose some grass: Reduce your lawn size by a decent amount when possible. Rocks, a patio, or drought resistant flowers use less water than your thirsty lawn.
Be extra careful when positioning your sprinklers. The sidewalk doesn’t need watering.
Mulch to prevent some evaporation – mulch holds water, sort of like …read more

Continuing on with our green school audit this week, we’re going to take a look at the school grounds. We actually just completed our green audit of home yards – so, you can shift much of that audit into a school grounds audit, only on a larger scale.
School grounds are really important, and a tough green issue. Many schools have a large amount of ground space and want it to look good. However, this doesn’t mean your school needs to use harmful chemicals and pesticides. A big yard can be just as pretty when treated organically.
Questions to consider that are …read more

This week we’re talking green yard renovations. So far we’ve looked at, some basics, Composting for Soil Health, and how to Green Your Lawn.
Part of greening your yard is choosing the correct plants. By choosing varied plants that are well adapted to your specific eco-system for where you live you can accomplish a few things:

You create an environment that’s more likely to thrive on its own; thus requiring less evasive care and nurturing.
You can reduce water, fertilizer, and pesticide use.
Area specific plants do a better job of attracting the good bugs, birds, and butterflies you want in the garden, while …read more

This week, instead of doing a green room audit, we’re looking at green renovations for your yard.

Today let’s look at your actual lawn. Following are some tips I picked up from a local Oregon green resource newsletter and my collection of organic gardening books.
While not all the tips are specific to my region, a good tip is to check with your local natural gardening specialists for your city or state. Some regions will have very specific issues related to organic yard care and gardening. For instance, in New Mexico we were focused on water conservation, but in Humboldt the tips …read more

With spring coming up fast, I figured we’d skip the interior green audit this week, and look at some green yard renovations.
Obviously the best way to care for your yard and garden is organically; so we’ll look at some organic yard care tips this week. Along with that we’ll talk about some soil renovations, which plants to choose, and how to get a green lawn using methods that are healthy for your family, neighbors, and pets, while conserving water, energy, and resources.
Today you can start thinking about the products you have in the garden shed. Are they full of chemicals …read more

Cedar’s always been a little fussy about getting his hands dirty and hates bugs. I don’t like spiders so I get the bug deal but the hands dirty part I’ve done (believe me).
Although Cedar loves veggies and has done some gardening he lacks a real interest. Last year we were mid-relocation in the spring. For this upcoming spring I’m signing us on at the community garden which is (lucky for me) located right across the street from our new home. I’m hoping that the community garden; where he’ll have his own little areas will instill a better appreciation of gardening …read more