tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34291905122049437292024-03-13T15:00:05.732-05:00EcoDiabeticDiabetic Urban Environmentalistadminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-59095723751880313812016-01-14T03:24:00.000-06:002016-01-22T03:29:41.572-06:00Vegetarian Lifestyle Myths<div align="center">
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One of the things that often holds up a lot of people from considering a lifestyle of vegetarianism is a negative stereotype of vegetarians that is really not at all accurate. Of course there are extremists in any discipline and the same is true of vegetarians or vegans. Its good to dig a bit deeper and put any preconceptions on hold that might be holding you back from what would be a wonderful lifestyle choice.<br />
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It is true that the vegetarian way of life can be part of a larger spiritual discipline as well. But you can get a lot of good from a life of vegetarian eating even if it is not part of your religious or moral life. So if you are hesitant to explore making a switch to a vegetarian diet, you don’t have to also join a new religious or social community to get just as much out of it as anyone. When you begin to explore the work of vegetarian disciplines, you will find a wide variety of types of people who enjoy the lifestyle. The vegetarian “<em>community</em>” is a diverse population with cultures of people who are at various levels of commitment to the vegetarian lifestyle. There is not reason to have guilt or fear that if you wish to start out slowly. In fact, starting out just easing into a vegetarian way of life is a good way to find out where in the discipline you feel comfortable.<br />
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The first myth about becoming a vegetarian to overcome then is the idea that as soon as you make a commitment to start cutting meat from your diet, you will necessarily become part of some strange eastern cult that will change your beliefs and your way of life. The huge majority of people who make a vegetarian lifestyle their own are normal people just like you. It might surprise you if you found out that its very likely that many of your neighbors and coworkers are quietly enjoying a lifestyle of vegetarian living. And becoming a vegetarian does NOT “<em>turn you into</em>” some kind of obnoxious wild eyed religious fanatic. <br />
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In fact, you can enjoy all the benefits of being a vegetarian and live happily among others who are not following your diet choices. And you can be a vegetarian and develop a reasonable diet that still allows you to get your protein from cheese, fish and other traditional sources as you cut out the more conspicuous sources of protein such as beef and chicken. Just as it’s a good thing for you to get over the idea that becoming a vegetarian is some kind of strange or “B<em>izarre</em>” idea, you should discard quickly any fears that you will be seen as odd or peculiar when you inform your friends and loved ones you have made this lifestyle choice. <br />
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There is no “<em>coming out of the closet</em>” to becoming a vegetarian. As long as it is as natural as switching to low fat milk from whole milk to you, it will be natural to your friends and loved ones.<br />
The people you know well will watch your behavior closely to see if there is any reason to worry about you in making this change. If they detect you are going to be angry at them for not following you into vegetarianism or that you are going to become “<em>an evangelist</em>” for living without meat, then they will become nervous and avoid you, especially at meal time.<br />
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But if your vegetarian lifestyle is a choice you can make without disrupting the lives of others and one you can live in harmony with others who are not vegetarians, you will demonstrate to them that it is no problem that you just eat different things than they do and that above all vegetarians are NOT crazy.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-21784368132350285962016-01-12T17:30:00.000-06:002016-01-22T03:23:15.673-06:00Organic Vegetable Gardening At Home<div style="text-align: center;">
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Anybody can do organic vegetable gardening at home because the principle behind this is not that different from what they do in the farm. The only difference is that you work in a smaller area and you get to choose what you like plant. <br />
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The first thing you have to do is find an ideal location. A lot of people do organic vegetable gardening in their backyard. To make it work, whatever you are planting should get at least 6 hours of sunlight everyday and access to water. Just like the ancient civilizations that relied on an efficient irrigation system, you too should do the same by making sure there is adequate drainage because if you don’t, you will have to do organic vegetable gardening using a raise bed. <br />
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When your ideal location has been found, it is time to cultivate the land. For that, you will need your gardening tools and a pair of gloves to pluck out the weeds on the ground. This might take a few days to make sure the area is ready for planting. You will only know if the ground you are going to plant your vegetable is a good spot by testing it with some compost and mixing this with the soil. Should it be able to integrate and stabilize itself with the soil, this means that you can start planting your crops and see it grow in the succeeding weeks. If you don't like to buy compost from the gardening store, you can make your own using coffee grounds, dead leaves, grass clippings, food waste or even manure. They also serve as excellent fertilizers.<br />
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As for your vegetables, take note that some of these may not be suitable in the land you are planting these on. This is because of several factors that are beyond your control such as the weather, pests and other plant borne diseases. You can avoid making this mistake by doing some research on what vegetables are ideal to plant in your area and asking fellow organic gardeners. <br />
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One way to protect the organic vegetables you are planting is by planting a variety of them at a time since some of these protect each other from pests. Such practice is better known as crop rotation especially when you want to adapt with the weather in your area. Another defense system that works is getting the help of Mother Nature as birds, certain insects and even toads have proven to be useful. <br />
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If you live in an area where wild animals may eat your vegetables, you should put up fences so they are not able to get through. Other tools you can use are animal hair, baby powder and deodorant soaps. Part of preparing the land is removing the weeds. But remember that new weeds grow after some time so you have to inspect the area from time to time.<br />
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Planting your own organic vegetable garden at home will surely save you money as these are quite expensive in the supermarket. If you have some excess stocks when it is time to harvest them, maybe you can give some to your neighbors or make some money by selling it at the local market which isn’t that bad given that you do not shell out that much cash for this investment.<br />
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-63612955730222371952015-07-02T17:54:00.002-05:002015-07-02T17:54:23.777-05:00Non-Meat Protein For Vegetarians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>Important Non-Meat Sources Of Protein For Vegetarians</strong><br />
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Although most vegetarians consume a considerable amount of protein, they often do not absorb as much as they would on a nonvegetarian diet. This is because plant proteins are considerably less digestible than animal proteins, which contain amino acid chains that are closer or identical to human amino acid chains.<br />
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Consuming animal proteins might yield close to a 1:1 absorption ratio, while consuming plant proteins, such as wheat, might only yield 50% of the amino acids needed to build a "complete protein" or a protein that can readily be assimilated into the human body.<br />
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In order for vegetarians to absorb a healthy amount of protein, they must consume a variety of plant proteins to form complete amino chains. By eating vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, fruits, and whole grains, vegetarians can increase the amount of complete proteins they create by combining a number of varieties of amino acid chains.<br />
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Vegetarians must also consume more foods that contain proteins because plant proteins are generally harder to digest. While a nutritional label may suggest that pasta has 5 grams of protein per serving; you may only be able to digest 2-3 grams of that protein, which means you must complement the pasta with other sources of protein.<br />
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In addition to natural sources of protein, vegetarians should also seek foods that are "protein-fortified"-- or artificially-infused with protein. <br />
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For example, many supermarkets offer a variety "protein-fortified" pasta and bread. I have seen pasta that contains as much as 12 grams of protein per serving.<br />
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Soy milk is also a good source of protein for vegetarians. Studies on isolated soy protein show that it can be absorbed nearly as well as animal proteins, yielding close <br />to a 1:1 protein absorption ratio.<br />
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For non-vegan vegetarians, yogurt, milk, and eggs (which contain complete proteins) are all excellent sources of protein.<br />
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As a vegetarian you have a number of options to boost your protein intake - and you should consider taking advantage of all of them. You should diversify your food selections, drink more soy products, and eat "protein-fortified" breads and pasta.<br />
<br />adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-53803025519176537102014-03-30T03:29:00.001-05:002014-03-30T03:29:35.298-05:00Conserve Water With Drip Irrigation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you’re looking for ways to keep your garden watered without wasting too much time and money, you’ve probably gone through a lot of options in your mind. Maybe you’ve considered a sprinkler, a hose, or a good old-fashioned watering can. All of these methods might be convenient, but most of the time you will end up wasting water on plants that don’t need any more. If you live in a drought stricken area like I do, you know that every bit of water counts. I ended up getting a drip irrigation system. I haven’t regretted this decision at all.</div>
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When you install a drip irrigation system, you can choose one of two varieties: above ground and below ground. The above ground version drips small amounts of water continuously onto the ground, and allows it to soak in. It is all regulated from a pressure controller, which ensures that the water just comes out at a drip instead of a spray or a stream. These pressure regulators are very inexpensive. The whole drip system can be set up with a pressure regulator and a garden hose with holes poked in it (although it is ideal for you to get a pipe designed for this type of use, I’ve found that the hose method works acceptably).</div>
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The underground system is a bit more of a pain to install and maintain. But if you’re really into the aesthetic aspect of your garden and don’t want any visible watering system, then you might consider it worth it. It’s essentially the same as the above ground version, only a small trench is dug for the hose or pipe prior to any planting. This allows the water direct access to the roots for the most watering efficiency. Plus, you can impress your neighbors by having a beautiful garden without ever going outside to water it! They’ll be baffled.</div>
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To choose between the two systems, you need to take several things into account. Do you have the same plant layout year round? If it is always changing, you probably won’t want to bury your hose. It can be a pain to dig it up and re-align it with all your new plants every year or so. Even if your plant layout never changes, you need to consider how much you<br />really mind seeing a hose in your garden. If it really bothers you to the extent that you’re willing to work for a few hours to get rid of it, then by all means bury it. But otherwise I would suggest staying above ground if for nothing else than the convenience of repairing and rearranging.</div>
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One of the main advantages of the drip irrigation system is its efficiency. Instead of spraying large amounts of water willy-nilly like a hose does, it makes the most of your precious water by putting it exactly where it is needed. It can also provide your garden with constant watering, instead of just having to go thirsty whenever you’re not around to water it.</div>
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So if you’re looking for an easy, cheap, convenient, and efficient alternative watering method, you should go out to the gardening store today and purchase the necessary items to install a drip irrigation system. I think you’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to maintain a garden after you have it.</div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-78023829974220571382014-03-30T03:18:00.003-05:002014-03-30T03:18:29.994-05:00Easy Square Foot Garden Vegetables<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As a rule, we choose to grow bush beans rather than pole beans. I cannot make up my mind whether or not this is from sheer laziness. In a city backyard the tall varieties might perhaps be a problem since it would be difficult to get poles. But these running beans can be trained along old fences and with little urging will run up the stalks of the tallest sunflowers. So that settles the pole question. There is an ornamental side to the bean question. Suppose you plant these tall beans at the extreme rear end of each vegetable row. Make arches with supple tree limbs, binding them over to form the arch. Train the beans over these. When one stands facing the garden, what a beautiful terminus these bean arches make.</div>
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Beans like rich, warm, sandy soil. In order to assist the soil be sure to dig deeply, and work it over thoroughly for bean culture. It never does to plant beans before the world has warmed up from its spring chills. There is another advantage in early digging of soil. It brings to the surface eggs and larvae of insects. The birds eager for food will even follow the plough to pick from the soil these choice morsels. A little lime worked in with the soil is helpful in the cultivation of beans.</div>
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Bush beans are planted in drills about eighteen inches apart, while the pole-bean rows should be three feet apart. The drills for the bush limas should be further apart than those for the other dwarf beans say three feet. This amount of space gives opportunity for cultivation with the hoe. If the running beans climb too high just pinch off the growing extreme end, and this will hold back the upward growth.</div>
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Among bush beans are the dwarf, snap or string beans, the wax beans, the bush limas, one variety of which is known as brittle beans. Among the pole beans are the pole limas, wax and scarlet runner. The scarlet runner is a beauty for decorative effects. The flowers are scarlet and are fine against an old fence. These are quite lovely in the flower garden. Where one wishes a vine, this is good to plant for one gets both a vegetable, bright flowers and a screen from the one plant. When planting beans put the bean in the soil edgewise with the eye down.</div>
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Beets like rich, sandy loam, also. Fresh manure worked into the soil is fatal for beets, as it is for many another crop. But we will suppose that nothing is available but fresh manure. Some gardeners say to work this into the soil with great care and thoroughness. But even so, there is danger of a particle of it getting next to a tender beet root. The following can be done; Dig a trench about a foot deep, spread a thin layer of manure in this, cover it with soil, and plant above this. By the time the main root strikes down to the manure layer, there will be little harm done. Beets should not be transplanted. If the rows are one foot apart there is ample space for cultivation. Whenever the weather is really settled, then these seeds may be planted. Young beet tops make fine greens. Greater care should be taken in handling beets than usually is shown. When beets are to be boiled, if the tip of the root and the tops are cut off, the beet bleeds. This means a loss of good material. Pinching off such parts with the fingers and doing this not too closely to the beet itself is the proper method of handling.</div>
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There are big coarse members of the beet and cabbage families called the mangel wurzel and ruta baga. About here these are raised to feed to the cattle. They are a great addition to a cow’s dinner. The cabbage family is a large one. There is the cabbage proper, then cauliflower, broccoli or a more hardy cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi, a cabbage-turnip combination.</div>
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Cauliflower is a kind of refined, high-toned cabbage relative. It needs a little richer soil than cabbage and cannot stand the frost. A frequent watering with manure water gives it the extra richness and water it really needs. The outer leaves must be bent over, as in the case of the young cabbage, in order to get the white head. The dwarf varieties are rather the best to plant.</div>
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Kale is not quite so particular a cousin. It can stand frost. Rich soil is necessary, and early spring planting, because of slow maturing. It may be planted in September for early spring work.</div>
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Brussels sprouts are a very popular member of this family. On account of their size many people who do not like to serve poor, common old cabbage will serve these. Brussels sprouts are interesting in their growth. The plant stalk runs skyward. At the top, umbrella like, is a close head of leaves, but this is not what we eat. Shaded by the umbrella and packed all along the stalk are delicious little cabbages or sprouts. Like the rest of the family a rich soil is needed and plenty of water during the growing period. The seed should be planted in May, and the little plants transplanted into rich soil in late July. The rows should be eighteen inches apart, and the plants one foot apart in the rows.</div>
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Kohlrabi is a go-between in the families of cabbage and turnip. It is sometimes called the turnip-root cabbage. Just above the ground the stem of this plant swells into a turnip-like vegetable. In the true turnip the swelling is underground, but like the cabbage, kohlrabi forms its edible part above ground. It is easy to grow. Only it should develop rapidly, otherwise the swelling gets woody, and so loses its good quality. Sow out as early as possible; or sow inside in March and transplant to the open. Plant in drills about two feet apart. Set the plants about one foot apart, or thin out to this distance. To plant one hundred feet of drill buy half an ounce of seed. Seed goes a long way, you see. Kohlrabi is served and prepared like turnip. It is a very satisfactory early crop.</div>
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Before leaving the cabbage family I should like to say that the cabbage called Savoy is an excellent variety to try. It should always have an early planting under cover, say in February, and then be transplanted into open beds in March or April. If the land is poor where you are to grow cabbage, then by all means choose Savoy.</div>
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Carrots are of two general kinds: those with long roots, and those with short roots. If long-rooted varieties are chosen, then the soil must be worked down to a depth of eighteen inches, surely. The shorter ones will do well in eight inches of well-worked sandy soil. Do not put carrot seed into freshly manured land. Another point in carrot culture is one concerning the thinning process. As the little seedlings come up you will doubtless find that they are much, much too close together. Wait a bit, thin a little at a time, so that young, tiny carrots may be used on the home table. These are the points to jot down about the culture of carrots.</div>
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The cucumber is the next vegetable in the line. This is a plant from foreign lands. Some think that the cucumber is really a native of India. A light, sandy and rich soil is needed I mean rich in the sense of richness in organic matter. When cucumbers are grown outdoors, as we are likely to grow them, they are planted in hills. Nowadays, they are grown in hothouses; they hang from the roof, and are a wonderful sight. In the greenhouse a hive of bees is kept so that cross-fertilization may go on.</div>
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But if you intend to raise cucumbers follow these directions: Sow the seed inside, cover with one inch of rich soil. In a little space of six inches diameter, plant six seeds. Place like a bean seed with the germinating end in the soil. When all danger of frost is over, each set of six little plants, soil and all, should be planted in the open. Later, when danger of insect pests is over, thin out to three plants in a hill. The hills should be about four feet apart on all sides.</div>
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Before the time of Christ, lettuce was grown and served. There is a wild lettuce from which the cultivated probably came. There are a number of cultivated vegetables which have wild ancestors, carrots, turnips and lettuce being the most common among them. Lettuce may be tucked into the garden almost anywhere. It is surely one of the most decorative of vegetables. The compact head, the green of the leaves, the beauty of symmetry all these are charming characteristics of lettuces.</div>
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As the summer advances and as the early sowings of lettuce get old they tend to go to seed. Don’t let them. Pull them up. None of us are likely to go into the seed-producing side of lettuce. What we are interested in is the raising of tender lettuce all the season. To have such lettuce in mid and late summer is possible only by frequent plantings of seed. If seed is planted every ten days or two weeks all summer, you can have tender lettuce all the season. When lettuce gets old it becomes bitter and tough.</div>
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Melons are most interesting to experiment with. We suppose that melons originally came from Asia, and parts of Africa. Melons are a summer fruit. Over in England we find the muskmelons often grown under glass in hothouses. The vines are trained upward rather than allowed to lie prone. As the melons grow large in the hot, dry atmosphere, just the sort which is right for their growth, they become too heavy for the vine to hold up. So they are held by little bags of netting, just like a tennis net in size of mesh. The bags are supported on nails or pegs. It is a very pretty sight I can assure you. Over here usually we raise our melons outdoors. They are planted in hills. Eight seeds are placed two inches apart and an inch deep. The hills should have a four foot sweep on all sides; the watermelon hills ought to have an allowance of eight to ten feet. Make the soil for these hills very rich. As the little plants get sizeable say about four inches in height reduce the number of plants to two in a hill. Always in such work choose the very sturdiest plants to keep. Cut the others down close to or a little below the surface of the ground. Pulling up plants is a shocking way to get rid of them. I say shocking because the pull is likely to disturb the roots of the two remaining plants. When the melon plant has reached a length of a foot, pinch off the end of it. This pinch means this to the plant: just stop growing long, take time now to grow branches. Sand or lime sprinkled about the hills tends to keep bugs away.</div>
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The word pumpkin stands for good, old-fashioned pies, for Thanksgiving, for grandmother’s house. It really brings more to mind than the word squash. I suppose the squash is a bit more useful, when we think of the fine Hubbard, and the nice little crooked-necked summer squashes; but after all, I like to have more pumpkins. And as for Jack-o’-lanterns why they positively demand pumpkins. In planting these, the same general directions hold good which were given for melons. And use these same for squash-planting, too. But do not plant the two cousins together, for they have a tendency to run together. Plant the pumpkins in between the hills of corn and let the squashes go in some other part of the garden.</div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-78290210092444437062014-03-30T03:11:00.001-05:002014-03-30T03:11:52.866-05:00Rain Barrels Help Dry Areas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you’re a gardener that has an unlimited supply of water, consider yourself lucky. There are many of us who live in drought zones where the garden and lawn watering rules are very constrictive to the healthy growth of gardens and plants. Many people just give up when they find out how few gallons of water they are permitted to use, but some of us have just found ways to cope with less water. There are many ways to optimize ones garden to conserve water while still keeping it lush.</div>
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Some of the ways include drip irrigation (the use of a pipe or hose with small holes to gradually seep into the roots of the plant), the placement of plants in groups of equal watering needs (to prevent wasting water on plants that don’t need it), and using compost or mulch to insulate the water and prevent drainage.</div>
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But one of the best ways to keep your garden alive during a drought is to take preventative measures. Occasionally a drought will be predicted far in advanced, or those already experiencing a drought will be given a few weeks of heavy rain. When this occurs, you should take the opportunity to set up several rain barrels. Many people think this would be a time<br />consuming, silly thing to do. But it can save you many gallons of water, and hardly requires any work.</div>
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Finding the barrels will probably be the hardest part. You can use your own garbage cans, or head to your home improvement store to get a few 55 gallon plastic drums. These can be expensive and difficult to transport, so keep that in mind before you go to the store. You will probably want to cover the top of the barrel with a screen of some sort to filter out any unwanted leaves or debris that might fall off the roof of your house.</div>
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Once you have your barrels ready, you’re faced with the decision of where to place them. Usually during rainfall, there is one corner or segment of the house that rain tends to pour off of. If you are taking the simple approach to barrel placement, just place the barrel under all the places where you see large amounts of drips. However, while this might be the easiest way to place them, you won’t see very high volumes of rain in the barrels.</div>
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If you want to take a more complicated approach to placing the barrels, you should consider tweaking your gutter system a bit. If you remove each individual segment and place it at a very slight slant so that all the water is diverted to the nearest corner of the house, you can place a rain barrel at each corner. So essentially your entire house acts as a catcher for the rain, instead of just a few feet worth of shingles. This is how to maximize the amount of water your rain barrel will catch.</div>
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After a heavy rainfall, each individual barrel probably won’t see very much rain. If it looks like it won’t be raining more any time soon, it’s a good idea to empty each barrel into one main central barrel. Seal it and save it out of the way, for whenever you may need it. Then the next time it starts to rain, you’ll be able to quickly put all your catching barrelsinto place without having to lug around all the water you’ve accumulated so far.</div>
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The use of water barrels might sound like an antiquated idea. However, when you’re in the midst of a drought and you’re able to spare that extra couple of gallons for your garden in addition the city allotment, you’ll be grateful for every bit of time and money you spent on collecting all that rain. All it takes is a few trips out in the backyard every time it starts to sprinkle, and you’ll be a very happy gardener when water isn’t so abundant.</div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-1866707997769531382014-03-30T03:02:00.000-05:002014-03-30T03:02:52.122-05:00Preparing For Healthy Soil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you’re getting ready to go on a new garden venture, you need to prepare your soil to ideally house your plants. The best thing you can do in the soil preparation process is to reach the perfect mixture of sand, silt, and clay. Preferably there would be 40 percent sand, 40 percent silt, and 20 percent clay. There are several tests used by experienced gardeners to tell whether the soil has a good composition. First you can compress it in your hand. If it doesn’t hold its shape and crumbles without any outside force, your sand ratio is probably a little high. If you poke the compressed ball with your finger and it doesn’t fall apart easily, your soil contains too much clay.</div>
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If you’re still not sure about the content of your soil, you can separate each ingredient by using this simple method. Put a cup or two of dirt into a jar of water. Shake the water up until the soil is suspended, then let it set until you see it separate into 3 separate layers. The top layer is clay, the next is silt, and on the bottom is sand. You should be able to judge the presence of each component within your dirt, and act accordingly.</div>
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After you’ve analyzed the content of your soil, if you decide that it is low on a certain ingredient then you should definitely do something to fix it. If dealing with too much silt or sand, it’s best to add some peat moss or compost. If you’ve got too much clay, add a mixture of peat moss and sand. The peat moss, when moistens, helps for the new ingredient to infiltrate the mixture better. If you can’t seem to manage to attain a proper mixture, just head down to your local gardening store. You should be able to find some kind of product to aid you.</div>
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The water content of the soil is another important thing to consider when preparing for your garden. If your garden is at the bottom of an incline, it is most likely going to absorb too much water and drown out the plants. If this is the case, you should probably elevate your garden a few inches (4 or 5) over the rest of the ground. This will allow for more drainage and less saturation.</div>
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Adding nutrients to your soil is also a vital part of the process, as most urban soils have little to no nutrients already in them naturally. One to two weeks prior to planting, you should add a good amount of fertilizer to your garden. Mix it in really well and let it sit for a while. Once you have done this, your soil will be completely ready for whatever seeds you may plant in it.</div>
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Once your seeds are planted, you still want to pay attention to the soil. The first few weeks, the seeds are desperately using up all the nutrients around them to sprout into a real plant. If they run out of food, how are they supposed to grow? About a week after planting, you should add the same amount of fertilizer that you added before. After this you should<br />continue to use fertilizer, but not as often. If you add a tiny bit every couple of weeks, that should be plenty to keep your garden thriving.</div>
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Basically, the entire process of soil care can be compressed into just several steps… ensure the makeup of the soil is satisfactory, make sure you have proper drainage in your garden, add fertilizer before and after planting, then add fertilizer regularly after that. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a plethora of healthy plants in no time. And if you need any more details on an individual step, just go to your local nursery and enquire there. Most of the employees will be more than happy to give you advice.</div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-12470091971693568652014-02-08T18:49:00.005-06:002014-02-08T18:49:48.487-06:00Water Conservation Ideas for the Kitchen Sink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It can sometimes be difficult to visualize the importance and direct effect that simple conservation efforts can have when we are bombarded with negative information regularly. Lets take a look at what a few changes in the activities around the kitchen sink can do.</div>
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Rather than running the tap when cleaning vegetables, use a bowl of water. Later, reuse it to water outdoor plants. Reusing water from rinsing out the coffeepot for outdoor plants, the compost or lawn is something we do all the time. Rich in nitrogen as well as some trace minerals, coffeepots should be diluted with water before using. Choose a different group of plants every day and you may find you no longer have to water or fertilize them very often at all. Cooking water (pasta, steamed vegetables, boiled potatoes etc.) can be used in the same way just let it cool first. All of these water sources contain extra nutrients that will aid your gardens immensely. Very hot cooking water can be used to kill weeds simply pour it directly on the weed and around its roots.</div>
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After meals, scrape your dishes into the compost bucket before rinsing. While rinsing, place other soiled dishes, jars and utensils underneath while you work; it will begin the presoaking process reducing labor and water use. Anything caught in the sink basket can be contributed to the compost, too.</div>
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Save about 5 gallons of water per washing by doing dishes in a few inches of hot soapy water. It may seem funny to do this – but by turning the hot water tap on to rinse the dishes into the sink the level will slowly increase and will maintain a hot temperature. This way, another sink full of water solely for rinsing is no longer necessary. We sometimes use rinse water to pre-soak stuck on dishes as well.</div>
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In the winter, the water from washing or soaking dishes should be left to cool. This way it releases its valuable heat into the home, rather than the sewer. Dishwashers, that are not built-in, allow reuse of the water for pre-rinsing heavily soiled dishes because they drain into the sink. The water can be trapped in the sink, or a soiled pot, where the heat is slowly released into the home, saving energy costs in the winter. Of course, the opposite applies in the summer, when extra heat is not desirable.</div>
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Very hot water is not always necessary for all washing and rinsing needs. Usually, by the time we are finished washing our hands, the water is just beginning to warm up so really, all we have done is heat up our pipes. We can conserve water easily by turning off the tap while lathering hands. The running water is really only necessary for initial wetting, then rinsing so running water in between is really a waste.</div>
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Now, if you measured the amount of water saved each day by those simple methods we just described – there would be dozens of gallons of pure, drinkable water left untouched in the reservoir. By reducing hot water consumption, our energy bills are a little bit smaller. All this, just from the kitchen sink!</div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-46681926020855562592014-02-08T14:37:00.000-06:002014-02-08T14:37:07.924-06:00Why Use Recycled Plastic Lumber?<div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.714285714; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Plastic lumber, poly-wood, permawood, envirowood, poly lumber and eco-lumber are all names for the same great product – no matter what you call it – it all still refers to the revolutionary material that is transforming the casual and patio furniture industry. Poly wood is both environmentally friendly and economically viable.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.714285714;">Constructed from recycled milk jugs and plastic containers, recycled plastic lumber is formed into many of the profiles you would expect from traditional lumber. This feature allows it to be sawed, cut and screwed much the same as wood lumber. It is now being used for decking, railings, picnic tables, benches, patio furniture and even childrens playground equipment. Consumers can rest assured that the use of recycled poly lumber helps to keep billions of pounds of recyclable plastics from entering our every growing landfills. Due to increased environmental awareness post consumer plastic bottle recycling has dramatically increased over the past ten years from 234 million pounds to over a staggering 1.5 billion pounds.</span></div>
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Traditional hardwood lumber is often treated with hazardous chemicals to ward off possible insect attacks. It also will over time need sanding and some type of refinishing and will also start to rot if left out in the elements for prolonged periods of time. On the contrary, plastic lumber contains no hazardous chemicals and can not leak or contaminate the soil nor does it require any maintenance beyond cleaning as needed which usually just requires hosing off.</div>
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Recycled plastic lumber is built to withstand all of the elements from frosty winters, to tropical sun and salty, windy coastal weather. This plastic lumber is weighty and not to be confused with a thin plastic product that his formed and molded into chairs that you find at many home supply stores. Poly lumber is actually formed into 2x4s, 2x6s and the like to then be cut, screwed and assembled into furniture that will adorn your patio, deck, poolside or garden. New applications for this product are being thought up every day. The most recent suggestion was for an artificial reef which would have a life span of 60 years submerged in the ocean.</div>
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Recycled plastic lumber is an economically viable alternative to traditional hardwood lumber. It is built to last a lifetime so there will be no replacing your splintering, bug infested or rotting patio furniture in a matter of years. Recycled plastic lumber is a friend to numerous environmental issues such as deforestation. By using recycled products for furniture you are helping to reduce the use of our forests and precious air filtering trees for our day to day needs! We all know that our forests and trees play a major role in helping prevent global warming.</div>
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Therefore, recycled plastic lumber is quickly becoming a resource that is sought out in all types of applications with both environmental advantages as well as economical advantages. Recycled plastic lumber is definitely a product worth looking into with virtually no maintenance the advantages of this environmentally friendly product is undeniable.</div>
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-60668720708603283432014-02-06T14:25:00.000-06:002014-02-08T14:25:54.100-06:00What Organic Really Means<div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.714285714; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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The word “organic” may appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese and other single-ingredient foods. Certified organic requires the rejection of synthetic agrochemicals, irradiation and genetically engineered foods or ingredients. Literally, of course, the term is a redundancy: all food is composed of organic chemicals (complex chemicals containing carbon). Any materials used in the production or processing of organic food must be proven safe. Awareness is growing about the value of organic foods. But, whether organic chicken or pesticide-free lettuce represents “healthier” alternatives has long been a subject for debate.</div>
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Organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. Gardening organically is much more than what you don’t do. In fact, sales of organics have surged more than 20 percent each year in the past decade. In terms of number of farms, acreage and value of production, the organic food industry is growing at a rate of 20-30% per year. As commodity programs are eliminated, more farmers have discovered that organic production is a legitimate and economically viable alternative enterprise. The growth in the number of organic farmers has increased steadily, similar to the growth of the U.S.</div>
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In current organic production systems, growers are not permitted to use conventional synthetic organic fungicides in their disease management program. Non-organic milk comes from farms that are allowed to use genetically modified cattle feed, along with routine antibiotic treatments and synthetic pesticides. Arguments have long raged as to the effects these hormones and chemicals have on the bioproducts. Growth hormones in cows, pesticides on produce and antibiotics in poultry are among the reasons many Americans are turning to organic foods.</div>
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Organically raised animals may not be given growth hormones to or antibiotics for any reason. Producers are required to feed livestock agricultural feed products that are 100 percent organic, but farmers may also provide allowed vitamin and mineral supplements.</div>
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The US Department of Agriculture finally put in place a national system for labeling organic food. The new federal rule guarantees you, the consumer, organic products that are grown without toxic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Pesticides derived from natural sources (such as biological pesticides) may be used in producing organically grown food. Limitations in relation to which pesticides may or may not be used, present the organic grower with some unique and very demanding challenges. Food that is at least 70 percent organic will list the organic ingredients on the front of the package. More than 40 private organizations and state agencies (certifiers) currently certify organic food, but their standards for growing and labeling organic food may differ. Even with these labeling rules in place, consumers should be prepared for some confusion when shopping for organic foods. For one thing, organic products are not uniformly labeled because many farmers using organic methods do not pursue certification at all. In addition, the language contained in seals, labels, and logos approved by organic certifiers may differ.</div>
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While consumers struggle with the fact that often, the availability of organic materials is limited when large quantities are needed. More and more people have come to appreciate the added dimensions of value and quality available in the organic marketplace.</div>
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-60553203245866537002014-02-01T12:41:00.000-06:002014-02-08T12:42:28.167-06:00Grow Herbs Instead Of Market Buying<div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.714285714; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Herbs are no doubt among the easiest plants to grow in your garden. Many of them are fairly drought tolerant and have a blooming period albeit short. In addition, herbs lend a delicious fragrance to the garden.<br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.714285714;">While most herbs are easily grown in containers which is a major plus, if you have space, consider planting an entire herb garden. It needn’t take that much space. A plot of land measuring approximate 200-400 square feet should do you quite nicely. Find out the diameter of a mature plant; obtain some graph paper and sketch out your garden before you dig a single hole. Remember to allow at least 1 foot of space between mature plants for ease of weeding and pruning.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.714285714;">One of the most fragrant herbs to add to your garden is lavender. The scent of lavender in bloom is heavenly and is wonderful for making scented sachets to hang in your closet or place in your dresser drawers. This is the only herb I would suggest you plant as many as you have space for as those sachets make wonderful gifts.</span></div>
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As the song goes, 4 great savory herbs to add to your garden are Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Fresh chopped parsley is a wonder addition to potato and pasta salads, not to mention a lovely garnish for many other dishes. Try drying sage leaves to add to many dishes including stuffing for turkey and chicken. And, both rosemary and thyme are excellent accents when roasting poultry and lamb among other savory dishes.</div>
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Tarragon is a wonderful addition to soups and vegetables. This herb is also good in tuna, egg, pasta and green salads. Add when making sauces for fish or chicken, it’s a must for barnaise sauce.</div>
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If you intend upon canning pickled vegetables from your garden or making pretty vinegars for gifts think about planting some dill. While its true you can purchase dried dill weed very cheaply, there is no way you can get a full stalk of dill unless you grow it or pay rather dearly for it when needed in quantity.</div>
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In my opinion, no herb garden is complete without chives. In fact, if I could plant only one herb, it would be chives because they are so very useful. While I love green onions, by the time I get around to using them, alas they all but lifeless. No problem with chives growing right outside my door. They not only add that touch of needed green, they also have that subtle onion flavor which is perfect for salads and potato toppings.</div>
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Unfortunately, another one of my favorite herbs is not worth planting. Cilantro tends to bolt so quickly you would be lucky to retrieve a leaf or two. Obviously those that grow cilantro commercially know something we don’t know and they arent telling. If you figure it out please let me in on the secret. I will let you in on my secret for preserving store bought cilantro, however. Place the bunch of cilantro in a glass of water and cover with the plastic bag it came in. This way, the cilantro will stay fresh and crisp for up to 2 weeks in your fridge.</div>
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On a final note, let’s talk about mint. A favorite of mine is pineapple mint. It has a wonderful fragrance and taste and makes a lovely tea and garnish. However, there is a real problem with mint. It’s tangled roots go deep and it tends to try to take over every other plant in the garden. Spray it with Round-up and it comes right back again. Once planted, you simply can’t get rid of it! So, if you want to add mint to your garden, plant it in a container and move the container often enough to insure it does not take root in the ground through the drainage hole in the container.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.714285714;">Dating back to 7000 B. C., zucchini (</span>Cucurbita<span style="line-height: 1.714285714;"> </span>pepo<span style="line-height: 1.714285714;">) is native to Central and South America. Sometimes called by the nickname Italian Squash, zucchini was brought to North America by its southern neighbors. Early European explorers introduced zucchini to Italy and other countries in Europe. Italians initially grew zucchini for their sweet, edible blossoms, later the hearty fruits were experimented with producing the delectable dishes that resulted in zucchini being dubbed Italian squash. Up until the 20th Century, most Americans considered zucchini a treat reserved for eating on special occasions and were store-bought instead of grown in gardens.</span></div>
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Part of the summer squash family, zucchini is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C, a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A, potassium, calcium, iron, folate, copper, riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorous. Many of the nutrients have been shown to be helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Summer squashes magnesium has been shown to be helpful for reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Together with the potassium in summer squash, magnesium is also helpful for reducing high blood pressure. All summer squash are perfect diet foods – low in calories, sodium, fat-free, and provide a source of fiber. All parts of the zucchini are edible.</div>
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How To Grow</div>
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Zucchini is probably the best known of the summer squashes. It is a type of narrow squash that resembles a cucumber in size and shape. It has smooth, thin skin that is either yellow or green in color and can be striped or speckled. Its tender flesh is creamy white in color and features numerous seeds. Its edible flowers are often used in French and Italian cooking.</div>
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Zucchini can be planted by direct seeding or by transplanting young plants that have been started indoors. Seed directly into the ground as soon as the soil reaches temperatures of 60F/16C. for vines. Fill the holes with compost and mound slightly. Plant seeds 1in/2.5cm deep.</div>
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Zucchini is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family that includes cucumbers, melons, gourds, and squash, all particularly sensitive to frost. Select a sheltered spot, and prepare holes about 12in/30cm in diameter and 12in/30cm deep. Measuring from the centre, space the holes 36in/90cm apart for bush types, 6ft/1.8m apart for vines. To conserve space, squash can be trained over a sturdy trellis, in which case 2ft/60cm between plants is enough.</div>
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Zucchini grows best when exposed to 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Regular watering is essential for summer squash. Feed the plants with a high-potassium organic liquid feed to produce a higher yield. Thick mulch added after planting will preserve moisture and keep the fruits from touching the ground where they will become soiled and be exposed to insects and diseases.</div>
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Harvesting</div>
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The flavor of zucchini is best when it is less than six inches long. They should be firm, but not hard. Zucchini are prolific producers and regular harvesting will promote continued yield throughout the growing season. Harvest by cutting the stems from the plants gently with a paring knife. As they are composed mainly of water, summer squashes dehydrate rapidly. Harvest just before cooking and keep in the refrigerator in a perforated plastic bag until cooking. Don't forget that squash blossoms are delicious to eat.</div>
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Small summer squashes are used skin and all. Larger squash need their skin and seeds removed: slice lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Wash summer squash under cool running water and then cut off both ends. You can then proceed to cut it into the desired size and shape for the particular recipe.</div>
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In the kitchen, zucchini can be steamed, sauteed, boiled, baked, fried, grilled, and stuffed. Some ideas include: serve raw as an appetiser with a vegetable dip or salad dressing, grate and saute with thinly sliced garlic, add to breads, muffins, cakes, stews, casseroles, soups, sprinkle grated zucchini or other summer squash on salads or sandwiches. It can be preserved by canning, freezing, and drying.</div>
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In the garden, some gardeners let the squashes ramble through the corn patch, where their sand papery leaves deter raccoons. Good companion plants for zucchini are: corn, marjoram, and nasturtium. Don't grow zucchini and Irish potatoes together as they are incompatible.</div>
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-85712985727633279112013-08-15T00:55:00.001-05:002013-09-03T16:15:20.011-05:00Organic Vegetable Garden 101<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Organic systems recognize that our health is directly connected to the health of the food we eat and, ultimately, the health of the soil.</div>
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Here are some of the main features of organic growing:</div>
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- Organic growing severely restricts the use of artificial chemical fertilizers and pesticides.</div>
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- Instead, organic growers rely on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops.</div>
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- Genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are not allowed under organic standards.</div>
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<span style="color: #555555;">Going organic may mean that you have to make a trade-off between glossy, same same supermarket looks with better tasting crops that are not perfect in </span><span style="color: #333333;">shape</span><span style="color: #555555;"> or size, but many gardeners think this is a price worth paying. You’ll be able to grow different crops that are always relatively expensive to buy in supermarkets and at farmers markets and, growing your own vegetables is both fun and rewarding.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555;">Among the many things an organic </span><span style="color: #333333;">vegetable garden</span><span style="color: #555555;"> may offer towards a satisfying experience are fresh air, </span><span style="color: #333333;">exercise</span><span style="color: #555555;">, sunshine, knowledge, supplemental income, mental therapy, and fresh food, rich in vitamins and minerals, harvested at the best stage of maturity.</span></div>
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You can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste, although this is a bit more time consuming, you will also make cost savings, because you do not need to buy costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening.</div>
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<span style="color: #555555;">Where animal manures are available, they are probably the best source of fertilizer and organic matter for the organic gardener. Use manure which has been aged for at least 30 days if possible, or composted. I am often out in the road if any </span><span style="color: #333333;">horses</span><span style="color: #555555;"> have gone past gathering the manure for the garden. Its looks a bit odd to the teenagers on the street but the dung is worth it!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555;">If you have space for a few pots, or a small space in the garden or even an </span><span style="color: #333333;">allotment</span><span style="color: #555555;">, it is a wise decision to grow your own organic vegetable garden. To better care for your health, grow your own organic vegetables -and a few pots is all you need at a minimum.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-weight: normal;">If you have a surplus you can sell these and you will be contributing to the ‘go local’ food movement which is flourishing – over 15% of people buy organic food locally and this number continues to rise as the number of farmer’s markets, box schemes, cafes and </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;">restaurants</span><span style="color: #555555; font-weight: normal;"> serving organic food increase. There are guides which can help you to find locally produced foods which are fresher, healthier and more economical. It cuts down on transport costs and ‘food miles’ where an average shopping basket can include fruit and vegetables transported from all over the world. In the USA food is transported from the farm, to the packing center, then to distribution center before arriving at the supermarket to be bought which is then transported by car home!</span><br />
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-2665132109369645822013-08-03T01:08:00.000-05:002013-08-15T01:08:53.717-05:00Global Warming Is REAL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Global warming is happening because of Carbon dioxide being released into our atmosphere.</b> </div>
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This is like the city smogs that we used to see in the 1900′s, retaining or trapping the infrared heat from the sun in the atmosphere. Global mean temperature rises can be directly correlated to the mean increase in Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere.</div>
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There is significant evidence that our planet’s weather and climate patterns are changing rapidly as a direct result of Global Warming. Droughts, receding glaciers and ice caps, extreme storms, rises in ocean temperatures and sea levels, shifts in distribution of organisms and diseases. Many think human activities are a significant contributing cause. As of this year, compelling scientific evidence has come to light to quantify this issue (Oct 2007). The rate at which Carbon Dioxide is being absorbed by the world’s oceans has now depreciated significantly. This is because oceans are now overloaded with Carbon Dioxide. From this point forward, more and more of our CO2 output will go straight into the atmosphere, adding to global warming.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">“A warming atmosphere and seas make for loads of extra energy</span><span style="color: #333333;"> available for the creation of abnormal weather patterns. Around the world, recent data shows</span><span style="color: #333333;"> an increase in severity of storms, droughts, rainfall, and floods. The disastrous hurricane season of 2005 was just one indication of how synergistic weather is with sea level rise, resulting in loss of wetlands, social issues, and the ability of governments</span><span style="color: #333333;"> to respond. Three storms strengthened to category 5 in the Atlantic Basin for the first time</span><span style="color: #333333;"> in a single season (Katrina, Rita, and Wilma). An unprecedented 27 named tropical storms formed, according to NOAA, and more than half of them became hurricanes.</span></div>
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“The Arctic is receding very quickly (as a direct result of Global Warming) according to reports from scientists and arctic natives. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment was released in late 2004, and shows changes from the ice at the North Pole to animals and human settlements. More recent reports from Greenland reveal glaciers moving meters per hour and rapidly thinning. The Arctic ice cap is shrinking in summer to the smallest it has ever been in modern measurements, and even winter cold has not been refreezing it as much as before. Basically, there’s a rise in overall sea level going on, coupled with an increase in violent weather, so coastal areas will get hit very hard from now on.</div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">In effect, we can now expect all previous climate change models to be obsolete. Rather like a movie straight out of Hollywood</span><span style="color: #333333;">, you can imagine a scientist trying to explain to the president how a slowing in the rate of CO2 absorption by the world’s oceans translates directly into increased CO2 in the atmosphere and that “we are now expecting a 2 degree </span><span style="color: #333333;">rise in global temperatures in the next 10 years rather than the 50 years previously estimated Mr President.” Or for you gas guzzling Americans: Forget any major coastal cities Mr President. I would also suggest that New Orleans will not need re-development or more capital expense. I foresee that a further category 4 or above hurricane will destroy any Levy’s around the coastal areas. Substantial sea rises will prevent any attempts to protect</span><span style="color: #333333;"> these areas.</span></div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-32115619540178183162013-08-01T03:52:00.001-05:002013-08-01T03:52:32.682-05:00Visit A Landfill Then Recycle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Have you ever been someone who never really finished the thought; when I throw something away it goes….....</b></div>
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I have given myself a great gift this year; call it a field trip, if you like, but I took myself to my town’s landfill and had my eyes opened for the first time. Maybe the concept of someone reaching their 40s and still not being contentious of recycling is one that sounds far-fetched, well, it’s the truth. I didn’t grow up imagining the Earth covered in over-flowing landfills, piles and piles of garbage as high as the tallest building that was not my experience. But because the idea of leaving too much waste for the Earth to handle is a bitter reality today, I’ve begun to educate myself.</div>
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I guess I’ve always thought of using credit cards as not being real money, that’s the same way I viewed trash. I know I’ve read about landfills becoming, well, full and how that will cause a problem but until I took myself out to the site itself, I still had this childish idea that once I put something into the trash can, it just went – away.</div>
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Seeing, with my own eyes, the area designated for my community’s left overs was like a big slap of reality. I was finally able to comprehend the thought; “if I’m not the only one throwing things away carelessly, and if others are doing it too, this space will not last too long.” I was surprised at some of the items I saw at the town’s landfill, too. There were pieces of furniture that, being someone creative, I could see would make nice trash-to-treasures pieces.</div>
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Maybe these refurbished items could be the one piece that brought the feel of a room together, that completed what the room is to feel like and express. Instead, someone tossed them out and they were taking up (a whole lot) of space in a limited area and would cause stress, not happiness.</div>
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I’m fortunate because my children, who are early teens, have been taught about the importance of recycling and the importance of what we need to do to keep the world from being buried in useless trash. They have been paying attention to the lessons that have come their way, where as, I had to see it for myself before I could be motivated to change the way I do things.</div>
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The good news is, it only took one quick trip to the landfill, for me to come to my senses and make changes about the way I do things and about the way I think. If we are not thinking globally when it comes to waste, and what we’re leaving behind, we’re not being smart.</div>
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<b>Grab some kids, or some forty-somethings and take yourself on a field trip that may very well, do for you what it did for me; make the changes necessary for me to see what the reality of our situation is and change the way I do things.</b></div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-90960320394389280792013-07-01T03:58:00.000-05:002013-08-01T04:13:28.984-05:00Rotation Of Vegetable Crops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Rotation of crops</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">There is another thing to be considered in making each vegetable do its best, and </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">that is crop rotation, or the following of </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">any </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">vegetable with a different sort at the </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">next planting. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">With some vegetables, such as cabbage, this is almost imperative, </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">practically </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">all are helped by it. Even onions, which </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">are popularly supposed to </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">be the proving exception to the rule, are healthier, and </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">do as well after some </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">other crop, provided </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">the soil is as finely pulverized and rich as a previous crop of </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">onions would leave it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here are the fundamental rules of crop rotation:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(1)</b> Crops of the same vegetable, or vegetables of the same family (such as </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">turnips and cabbage) should not follow each </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">other.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(2)</b> Vegetables that feed near the surface, like corn, should follow deep-rooting </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">crops.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(3)</b> Vines or leaf crops should follow root crops.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>(4)</b> Quick-growing crops should follow those occupying the land all season.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">These are the principles which should determine the rotations to be followed in </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">individual cases. The proper way to attend to </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">this matter is when making the </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">planting plan. You will then have time to do it </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">properly, and will need to give it no </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">further </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">thought for a year.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>With the above suggestions in mind, and put to use , it will not be difficult </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>to give </b></span></span><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">the crops those special attentions which </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">are needed to make them </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">do their very </span></b><b style="font-size: small;">best.</b></div>
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-21987829274277960042013-06-30T14:30:00.000-05:002013-07-01T14:44:25.891-05:00Be An Eco Consumer<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;">
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<a href="http://www.culpeperschools.org/GoGreen/Images/logoGoGreen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://www.culpeperschools.org/GoGreen/Images/logoGoGreen.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 20px;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">Now is the time for people to stop and think about how they can do their part to help the environment.</b></b><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;">According to Environmental Defense</span><span style="color: #333333;">, a leading nonprofit organization committed to protecting </span><span style="color: #333333;">the environment, the United States is ranked the No. 1 global warming polluter. What can you do to help change that? Here are some small steps</span><span style="color: #333333;"> that you can take every day toward becoming a more conscious consumer:</span></div>
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* Buy in bulk. It’s cheaper in the long run, and you buy more of the product and less of the packaging.</div>
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* Look at the businesses you buy from. Does your coffee shop recycle? Does your retail car agency have hybrids? Businesses take note of consumers’ questions; your inquiry could be the one to tip the scale and make a change.</div>
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* Make an appointment for the Earth. At participating Aveda salons, a minimum of $1 will be directed to Aveda’s Earth Month partners when consumers make appointments for a haircut, style, massage or facial.</div>
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* Support your local farmers. Farmers’ markets are where some of the healthiest and freshest food can be found. By supporting farmers in your own community, you’re doing your own body good and cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions of food transportation.</div>
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* Recycle! Plastic comes from crude oil and paper comes from trees. By recycling just these two items in your household, you’re helping to save two of the Earth’s valuable resources and reducing your home’s carbon dioxide emissions.</div>
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*Pay your bill online. It saves stamps, paper, fuel for mail transported and ultimately saves you money.</div>
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* Purchase thoughtful gifts. Aveda’s limited edition Light the Way candle, for example, is made with certified organic rose geranium and helps support organic farms in South Africa. All proceeds from the candle will go to organizations working to save threatened and endangered species.</div>
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* Think “Eco-fashion.” A number of designers are now using clothing materials that go beyond organic cotton, such as biodegradable fabrics and fibers made of recycled plastics.</div>
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* Spread the word. If you find a “green” product or company that you like, tell your friends. Consumers can use their collective purchasing power to spearhead change.</div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-9105872129425375682013-06-13T20:25:00.000-05:002013-06-17T21:39:03.138-05:00Protecting The Environment - With Your Water<br />
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<a href="http://www.sjbparish.com/pics/contpics/Water_Conservation_Tips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://www.sjbparish.com/pics/contpics/Water_Conservation_Tips.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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While water is not strictly energy, it is a finite resource that we need to preserve and take care of. Here are some tips on how to cut down on your water usage:</div>
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* Always use the shower instead of the bath.<br /></div>
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* Never leave the tap running while brushing your teeth.<br /></div>
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* Only use the dishwasher or washing machine with a full load.<br /></div>
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* Try to install a system to use your waste water run-off to keep your garden watered. This will also encourage you to use non-harmful soaps and washing powders.<br /></div>
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* Water your garden early in the morning or just before sunset. This allows the water to be absorbed into the ground instead of evaporating in the hot sun if you water during the day.<br /></div>
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* Water butts or large water containers are a good idea for the garden. Situate them under the edges of your roof so they receive run-off when it rains.</div>
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<br />adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-41626556852636281072013-06-11T20:20:00.000-05:002013-06-17T20:25:25.882-05:00Protecting The Environment - With Your Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ashevillencrealty.com/ezstatic/data/re2/images/a/4138/Hands%20Around%20Green%20House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://www.ashevillencrealty.com/ezstatic/data/re2/images/a/4138/Hands%20Around%20Green%20House.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">* Switch to energy-saving light bulbs. They cost slightly more, but save up to ten times their price over their lifetime.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">* When you are boiling water, or heating anything, only boil the amount you need. You do not need a kettle full of boiling water for one cup of tea.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">* Switch off </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">appliances</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"> when you are not using them to save money and energy. TVs, videos, stereos and computers left on standby can use use a lot of energy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">* Recycle everything that you can. We throw away our own weight in rubbish every month, but bottles, cans, paper, card, plastic and aluminium can all be reused or recycled which saves energy. For example, it takes the same amount of energy to make 20 cans from recycled material as it takes to make one can from scratch. Recycling will also save you money on refuse charges.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">* If you live in a sunny area you could potentially meet all your energy means using solar panels.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">* Turning down your thermostat by just three degrees will save you 10 per cent in energy costs. Also, make sure that your home is well insulated so that it keeps the heat in.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">* When washing clothes and dishes make sure the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">appliances</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"> are full. Also, try using lukewarm water.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.99715805053711px;">* Keep the lid on pots and pans when you are cooking.</span>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-21189311505884716192013-06-10T13:27:00.000-05:002013-06-13T13:29:01.389-05:00Reasons To Be Vegetarian<br />
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Many nonvegetarians wonder what drives vegetarians to give up meat and adopt an entirely different lifestyle. There is no single answer to this question. Nonvegetarians become vegetarians for a number of different reasons – some even for multiple reasons.</div>
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Most vegetarians claim that they became a vegetarian for one of three reasons.</div>
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<a href="http://rlv.zcache.com/vegetarian_flag_posters-ref586e5549344824aa6de14c73d4740b_rx3_8byvr_512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/vegetarian_flag_posters-ref586e5549344824aa6de14c73d4740b_rx3_8byvr_512.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first reason, which most vegetarians claim, is that they have ethical problems with eating meat. Most disagree with how chickens are debeaked, forced to live in small cages, and are then slaughtered when they do not produce eggs fast enough.</div>
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Most vegetarians also disagree with the crowded and stressful environments animals are forced into; and the hormone-laden feed used to make them grow faster and produce more.</div>
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People who become vegetarians for this purpose often draw ethical boundaries in different spots, depending on their personal beliefs. For instance, some staunch vegans wont consume yeast, wear wool, or even eat certain vegetables, such as carrots, that require killing the plant to harvest.</div>
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On the opposite side of the spectrum, some vegetarians–sometimes referred to as pseudo-vegetarians–will actually eat fishand chicken on a regular basis.</div>
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The second biggest reason vegetarians claim for not eating meat is that it conflicts with their dietary preferences. Some of these vegetarians simply do not like the texture and taste of meat; others do not eat it because it is high in cholesterol and often contains high concentrations of hormones and preservatives.</div>
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The third and smallest group of vegetarians cite environmental reasons for not consuming meat. They complain that consumption of meat causes farmers to continually deforest land to create grazing land for cattle.</div>
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In addition to these three major groups, there are a number of other smaller groups of vegetarians who stopped eating meat for entirely different reasons.</div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-85794751509029118382013-05-31T17:44:00.001-05:002013-05-31T17:44:55.307-05:00Tips to Reduce, Recycle, Reuse<br />
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<img alt="reduce-reuse-recycle.jpg (424×283)" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGDbzAFpS7WhBf-g1oGl20EZ-qHVJz0V608iyITnXX-QMaM9fSW5La5aITX2YLv5W-gLOiL2gqCTbAK2c9IJh0MCm5OdZwxBaiD6RTDz1VlhG_FDqpO9EYm7ImDoy9bvKml3CUv334cUb/s320/reduce-reuse-recycle.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #333333;">Americans dispose of more than 700 billion pounds of paper, glass,</span><span style="color: #333333;"> plastic, wood, food, metal, clothing, electronics and other refuse annually.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">The problem of managing mountains of waste may seem overwhelming, but experts note there are easy ways for consumers to make a difference every day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">“Old habits might die hard, like forgetting to recycle a soda can or newspaper, but the good news is, there are many simple ways to cut down on waste, from buying concentrated household products to buying in bulk,” says environmental expert Kim Carlson.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Carlson offers the following tips to help consumers reduce, recycle and reuse waste:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">* Keep it loose. Buy screwdrivers, nails and other hardware items in loose bins. At the grocery store, choose produce that is not in prepackaged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">* Bring your own bag. Reuse bags and containers. Keep a supply of bags on hand for future shopping trips, or take your own canvas tote bag to the grocery store.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">* Consider concentrated detergent. Concentrated products often require less packaging, resulting in less energy to transport to the store and less plastic to recycle. All small & mighty is a new concentrated laundry detergent (one 32-ounce bottle cleans as many loads as the regular 100-ounce bottle). In addition to less packaging, the formula contains 74 percent less water than regular detergent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">* Choose to reuse. Reach for reusable products such as cloth napkins, sponges or dishcloths instead of paper towels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">* Recharge and renew. Use rechargeable batteries and recycle old batteries to help reduce garbage and keep toxic metals out of the environment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">* Buy smart. Look for long-lasting, energy-saving appliances with the Energy Star label and electronic equipment with good warranties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">* Get crafty. Reuse scrap paper and envelopes. Save and reuse ribbons, tissue paper, gift boxes and even wrapping paper. Save cardboard boxes, colored paper, egg cartons and other items for arts and crafts projects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">* Think thrifty. Donate clothing to charity organizations or sell the items in consignment shops, fairs, bazaars or tag sales. Also, share</span><span style="background-color: white;"> hand-me-down clothes with family members and neighbors.</span></span></div>
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-41171490629526155342013-05-29T17:50:00.000-05:002013-05-31T17:56:36.497-05:00Conserving Water In Your Home<br />
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<img alt="water.jpg (451×246)" height="175" src="http://38ccda.medialib.glogster.com/media/aa55885bb49780bc702de6da7e2517f14f6e03231ecb22de7ab00aadc27ea9f3/water.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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Of course, some of us live in areas where we get plenty of rain all year around, maybe even too much. However, in other areas water supplies can run low quickly, especially in summer.</div>
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So, it is all of our responsibilities to conserve this essential natural resource when we can. And even if we are a little careful with our water usage habits, we can make a big difference. Here is some advice on how you can conserve water around the home.</div>
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In the kitchen</div>
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* See if you can redirect waste water from the kitchen sink to the garden. Also, use a bowl when washing dishes so you don’t just leave the tap running.</div>
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* If you have a dishwasher wait until you have a full load and use the economy cycle, again reducing the amount of water used. Also before putting the dirty plates etc. into the dishwasher, scrape the leftovers into the bin rather than rinsing under the running tap. </div>
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* Wait until there is a full load before washing your dirty clothes and front loaders use less water than top loaders.<br />
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In the garden</div>
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* Water your garden early in the morning or just before sunset. This allows the water to be absorbed into the ground instead of evaporating in the hot sun if you water during the day. Also the water droplets left on the leaves from the watering can damage your plants if the sun is too hot, so better wait until it cools down.</div>
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* If you have directed your bathroom and kitchen water to the garden and connected to garden hoses around the garden, puncture the hoses with holes which will allow the water to filter out from various places instead of from one end only. This lets the water to penetrate to a deeper level and encourages the plant roots to grow longer and stronger, and therefore enhances the plants’ own search for water.</div>
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* Water sprinklers are time-savers but do use huge quantities of water if left on for long periods of time. It is said they use 300 – 650 liters of water an hour. If left on over night, that’s a minimum of 2,400 litres! So, if you have to use them, please try only to use them for shorter periods of time and look for alternatives if possible.</div>
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* Rain water is a free, natural and easy source of water. Get a large tank or water butt and place it where the roof water from your home runs off. This will fill quickly in a big rain and provide a great source of water for the garden, or even for washing.</div>
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In the bathroom</div>
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* Flushing a toilet can use between 12 – 20 liters of water, so put a brick or a plastic bottle filled with water into the toilet cistern and this will reduce the water you use. Or you can install dual flush toilets where you can opt for a small or a large flush.</div>
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* Up to 4.5 liters of water is wasted when we brush our teeth because most people leave the tap running. Turn the tap off when cleaning your teeth or, even better, have a bottle of water and a glass near the basin and use these to rinse instead of running the tap every time you brush.</div>
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* Showers are much more environmentally friendly than baths. Even if you use the shower, you may still be able to reduce the amount of water you use. Install a low-flow shower head if you can get one. Also, spray taps release smaller amounts of water but do the same job as a normal tap and these can be fitted to your bathroom and kitchen sinks.</div>
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* Throw your rubbish in the bin and not down the toilet.</div>
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* Consider ways to get water from the shower to the garden and use this water for your plants.<br />
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These tips are not only directed at private households but to businesses as well. If you own or manage a business, or even if you feel your employer could do better when it comes to conserving water, try to use some of these methods at work. It is in all our interests that we have a plentiful and reliable supply of water.</div>
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If you introduce these habits and measures slowly into your routine you will find that it really will have no impact on your day-to-day life, but you will save a lot of water.</div>
<br />adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-70576981197070588852013-05-02T09:04:00.000-05:002013-05-02T14:10:30.790-05:00VegNation Race Car - Petition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/leilani/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYnf_NbBT8BshpuRXqrdkjXYei_jPAJ922bpXsyyOY8v1RAOUfRFuKFL06dZ3wBwk51FnOwWziZaQJ0mBwi73U-oaYjiSMFPLX5WykjMs7athetl-omzikobsZB4uLoCBvT9Nm7oMTb0k/s400/VegNation_header8_580px.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h1>
MESSAGE</h1>
We want to show Americas 75 million race fans that adopting a more plant-centric diet is a win for everyone - the animals, the planet and ourselves - via the VegNation race car and meat-free food giveaway.<br />
<span class="btn_donate"><a href="http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/leilani/donate-to-vegnation-racecar-team.php" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/leilani/Donate_Now3.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" /></a></span><br />
<h1>
THREE GOALS OF THE VEGNATION RACE CAR</h1>
<ol>
<li><strong>Human Health</strong> - show that healthy, strong individuals and athletes eat plant based diets - even race car drivers!</li>
<li><strong>Animal Cruelty and Pollution</strong> - show that factory farming is not only cruel to animals, but is also polluting our planet</li>
<li><strong>Vegan Food is Tasty</strong> - show that eating a plant based diet does not mean you are eating salad for the rest of your life, give race fans tasty vegan food to eat and taste for themselves!</li>
</ol>
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WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?</h1>
Most people associate their carbon footprint with their car, although the United Nations found that 40% more greenhouse gas emissions come from animal agriculture than from all the world's planes, trains, ships, cars and trucks combined. By adopting a more plant-centered diet, we can each help curb climate change while also doing something good for our health, for animals and for our taste buds.<br />
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FUNDRAISING GOALS</h1>
We need to raise $100,000 to get the race car and team on track. There are 10 televised races in the ARCA series between February and October for us to choose from. The races air live on SPEED, which is available in 80 million homes in North America. It will cost an additional $100,000 to have a trackside display with a vegan chef giving away food to the race fans so our total fundraising goal is $200,000. Note: If our fundraising goals fall short, we will consider having a VegNation race car without the trackside display and vegan food give away. <br />
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BENEFITS FOR "PLANT-INUM" DONORS</h1>
We are offering donors who give $20,000 or more a sticker space on the car, behind the drivers window (a prime space). Example of sticker location and size can be seen in this photo of Leilani's "The Cove" race car at Daytona with sticker for Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS), Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project, and pair Networks. Four VIP garage passes for the race will also be included for "Plant-inum" Donors.<br />
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<img alt="" src="http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/leilani/PlantinumSponsorSticker_576px.jpg" /></div>
<span class="btn_donate"><a href="http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/leilani/donate-to-vegnation-racecar-team.php" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/leilani/Donate_Now3.jpg" /></a></span>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-57643282589133422622013-05-01T14:18:00.000-05:002013-05-02T14:30:24.118-05:00Ideal Location for your Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi309Wg7cUezH7spMZ1v4gTj84yAW0JkL8qLrlb7itZl5jftoJKFQA05-8OhkSLNzw10W58HSVoD-g-Cm1xCWXsgAulsJ9k4cdepgStIwrOPniu5lFVAf0nj9uJ8w_PVoHFMfdUMl4pDe7l/s1600/garden-diagram-proposal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi309Wg7cUezH7spMZ1v4gTj84yAW0JkL8qLrlb7itZl5jftoJKFQA05-8OhkSLNzw10W58HSVoD-g-Cm1xCWXsgAulsJ9k4cdepgStIwrOPniu5lFVAf0nj9uJ8w_PVoHFMfdUMl4pDe7l/s320/garden-diagram-proposal.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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Once you have picked what garden you want, there are many other factors you need to decide before you actually get to work with your gardening tools. Mainly you need to choose its location. This is usually decided by several factors: How you will water it, how much shade it needs, etc. Some of these questions can be very important in deciding whether your garden lives or dies, so don't take them lightly. You need to take each one into special consideration.<br />
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Choosing the garden's location within your yard is one of the more important things to decide. You want to choose a location that will provide an ideal climate for the plants in your garden. I don't know what type of garden you're dealing with so I can't give you specific advice, but if you do a Google search for the plant you're dealing with then you'll find a plethora of sites informing you about the perfect conditions for its growing. After this, it's just a matter of finding the most shaded<br />
or most sunny spot in your yard. Another deciding factor is how you plan on watering your garden. If you have a sprinkler system already installed for your grass, then it could be a good idea to put your garden in the middle of your yard. Then it will get watered at the same time, and require no extra work from your part. But if this doesn't provide for a good location for your garden, then you might end up watering it by hose or dragging a sprinkler out there. In this case, just make sure your garden is within the ideal distance for a hose to reach. While this might not seem like a good thing to base the entire location of your garden on, you'll be surprised at how nice it is to plan out in advanced.<br />
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Getting the perfect amount of shade for your garden can be a difficult endeavor. Once you have a basic idea for where you want your garden, you might want to watch it and record how many hours it spends in sunlight and how many it spends in shade. Compare your findings to an online web site, and you should be able to determine whether the spot you chose is ideal or not for planting and starting your garden in. Of course the amount will change as the seasons change, but this should give you a good idea of what to basically expect for the rest of the year. If necessary, later you can put up some kind of shade to protect your garden from getting too much sun.<br />
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After you've determined the ideal place for your garden and whether it has the right amount of sunlight, and whether you will be able to conveniently water it, you're one step closer to actually starting your garden. Of course there are other factors that I have overlooked here, but mostly you should be able to decide whether your location is good or not based on common sense. Just think: If I were a plant, would I be able to flourish here? If you can honestly answer yes, then I think its time for you to head out to your local gardening store and buy the necessary soil andfertilizer to get started! <br />
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<strong>Have fun!</strong>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3429190512204943729.post-29617371319140769642013-04-22T14:10:00.000-05:002013-05-02T14:16:44.487-05:00Home Remedy - Kidney Stones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_gLxAZJic39DE72CJj6BIchkecfmXooAtbaFCHUz0fxtRxfm7401T7dp_XOeczw_nXBfXGKhUGtE_Hffx56VM1l-Q945tWbQYqOadJCcoMqdJI50qKRcScr2zvCQfpHoUWyEZObQ71Se/s1600/KidneyStones1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_gLxAZJic39DE72CJj6BIchkecfmXooAtbaFCHUz0fxtRxfm7401T7dp_XOeczw_nXBfXGKhUGtE_Hffx56VM1l-Q945tWbQYqOadJCcoMqdJI50qKRcScr2zvCQfpHoUWyEZObQ71Se/s320/KidneyStones1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you are suffering from the excruciating pain that kidney stones or renal calculi can cause and your doctor has advised waiting to see if the stone will pass by itself, you could certainly benefit from finding a natural remedy for kidney stones.<br />
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Kidney stones are formed by the body from unprocessed minerals in the renal system. Most of them consist of calcium oxalate. They occur in about 10% of the population but men are four times as likely to get them as women. They tend to recur, so that once you have had one, you have a 75% chance of having more in the next 20 years. It is possible to have them without noticing, because many will pass when very small. You might have a pain when urinating but you probably would not notice that you had passed something that could be as tiny as a grain of sand. Larger stones can block the urethra and that is when the severe pain is caused. You may also see blood in the urine. This comes from the lining of the organs being damaged by the uneven surface of the stone. If you have pus or pain during urination you should tell your doctor as this may be a sign of infection. Even in cases where the stone is large enough to cause pain, the majority of them do pass naturally. There are certain things you can do to help this happen, or make it happen faster.<br />
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Dealing With Kidney Stones<br />
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The best treatment to help a stone pass is simply to drink plenty of water. Aim for 2-3 liters spread through the day. Consuming more soup, fresh fruit and raw vegetables is another way to increase your intake of water, as they contain much more than dry cooked foods and grains. Be careful however to avoid over consumption of oxalate which contributes to the forming of the most common type of stone. Foods high in oxalate that should be avoided include chocolate, peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, beets and sweet potatoes. Also, cut down on salt and alcohol which have a dehydrating effect, and meat and dairy products which cause uric acid to form in the kidneys. Some people take diuretics to increase the water flow through the kidneys. Some herbal teas have a diuretic effect, for example dandelion and stinging nettle. Replacing two glasses of water with one of these teas may help the stone to pass more quickly. Unless you have other medical reasons for taking them, prescribed diuretics should not be necessary. <br />
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You should strain your urine so that you catch the stone when it passes. Your doctor can have it analyzed to see what minerals it is formed from. This will tell you how you need to alter your diet in future to give you the best chance of preventing a recurrence. For most people, a diet that is lower in protein and salt is recommended. It may be wise to not to take large doses of vitamins and minerals until you have had your stones or your urine analyzed. <br />
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<strong>A doctor should always be involved in treatment of renal calculi because of the possibility of infection and complications. A natural remedy for kidney stones should only be used in conjunction with medical advice.</strong>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14490961529896469307noreply@blogger.com