Earthly Garden

Good afternoon!

I came across this interesting tidbit. It’s nice to see a big corporation doing something to help the environment!

OAKDALE, Minn. and NEBRASKA CITY, Neb., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Memorex, a portfolio brand of Imation Corp. (NYSE: IMN) and one of the most widely recognized names in the consumer electronics industry, has teamed with the Arbor Day Foundation to help replant our national forests through sales of the Memorex ReNew line of consumer electronics. Designed to minimize impact on the environment through responsible choices in product design, manufacturing and packaging, the new Memorex ReNew line blends patterns and textures inspired by nature with forms and features familiar to electronics. And each time one of its ReNew electronics products is purchased through Nov. 30, 2007, Memorex will make a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation, adding a minimum of 75,000 trees to our national forests, which have been damaged by wildfire, disease or insects. The Arbor Day Foundation will work closely with the U.S. Forest Service to determine which forests will receive the trees based on the areas that are in the greatest need of replanting.

“As a global company, Imation has long demonstrated sound environmental stewardship and a strong commitment to the communities in which we live and work. We are pleased to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation as we launch our new line of environmentally aware electronics. Our design decisions combined with the replanting of trees — each of which may remove more than one ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in its lifetime — help offset the carbon footprint of the products,” said Sergio Castillo, director, Imation Electronics Products Division. “In designing the ReNew line, our team was driven to make decisions that were more environmentally aware, including using recycled plastics in the products themselves, and substantially reducing the amount of packaging waste.

The ReNew line takes a full lifecycle approach to the design, manufacturing, packaging and use of its products. Each product:

— Is manufactured with partially recycled plastics;
— Meets RoHS Standards that restrict the use of hazardous materials such
as mercury and lead, which are harmful to the environment and to
health;
— Is packaged in recycled cardboard;
— Features package inserts that include interior product “egg carton”
trays made from 100 percent recycled paper;
— Includes inserts and a website information for consumer education about
reuse and recycling.

When consumers purchase ReNew products through the end of November, Memorex will fund the planting of three new trees for each ReNew digital picture frame (preloaded with nature images); two trees for each ReNew Alarm

Clock (preloaded with nature sounds) and ReNew Digital Music Player (preloaded with music); and one tree for each ReNew Boombox and ReNew iPod(TM) Speaker.

“By planting trees in our National Forests, Memorex is showing a true commitment to creating a greener, healthier planet,” said John Rosenow, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Memorex is also helping to reforest national treasures, many of which are in great need of trees because of wildfires and disease. Trees improve our quality of life by cleaning the air we breathe and drinking water for millions and the commitment by Memorex is making a difference.”

For more information on the Memorex ReNew product line and partnership with the Arbor Day foundation, visit: http://www.memorexelectronics.com/renew.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

The Arbor Day Foundation is a nonprofit environmental education organization of nearly one million members, with a mission to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. More information on the Foundation and its programs can be found at http://www.arborday.org.

Is it live or is it Memorex?(R)

Memorex, a portfolio brand of Imation Corp., is the U.S. market-share leader in optical media and media accessories at retail. Since the early 1970s, Memorex has been one of the most widely recognized and respected names in the consumer electronics industry. Today, it is an influential brand in CD and DVD media, optical drives and USB flash drives. For more information on Memorex products, please call 954-660-7000 or visit the Memorex Web site at http://www.memorex.com and http://www.memorexelectronics.com.

gardening, forests, environmental news, National Arbor Day Foundation

FREDERICK, Md., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ — Yard trimmings and food residuals together amount to 23% of the U.S. waste stream, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Jack Olive, Master Gardener and president of online retailer Mastergardening.com, recommends composting to ease the burden of yard and food wastes, promote green living and create a useful growing medium for lawns and gardens.

Olive explains, “In yard waste composting, bulking agents like wood chips are added to organic wastes to accelerate the breakdown of material. Then, the finished material is stabilized and matured through a curing process.”

He adds, “The preferred method for composting kitchen waste is worm composting, which uses red worms to create nutrient-rich organic material.”

In addition to promoting a greener lifestyle, composting provides mulch for landscaping and gardens, replaces costly fertilizers, provides erosion control, alleviates soil compaction, suppresses plant diseases and promotes higher yields of crops and plants.

When choosing a composting bin, Olive recommends considering the type and amount of waste you will be composting. “For table scraps, a worm composting bin is most efficient. Typically, you will need two square feet of surface area per person or one square foot of surface area per pound of food waste per week.”

If your goal is to compost yard waste, there are several options. According to Olive, “Large, open-air bins work best for long-term holding of yard wastes. If you're looking to hold leaves for several seasons, open-air bins are most practical. For active, hot composting of yard waste, choose a smaller, enclosed plastic bin.”

Olive adds, “Although composting is not a time-consuming project, it does require some regular maintenance. Aerating, adding bulking agents and maintaining proper storage conditions are essential.”

Mastergardening.com offers a complete line of composting bins and accessories. Visit the online Resource Center at http://www.mastergardening.com for additional information on composting, including lists of acceptable and unacceptable materials to compost.

SOURCE Mastergardening.com

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardening, fall composting, mulch, mastergardener.com, fall garden chores

As fall settles in and the days get a bit cooler, you may notice that your vegetables are suddenly full of blooms and fruit again. When the temps get over 90, blossom drop occurs, curtailing fruit production. Once the temps become more comfortable, the plant will put out new blossoms. Depending on the first frost date in your area, you may be able to get one last harvest. Peppers and beans are your best bet. Tomatoes probably won’t have enough time to fully ripen, but as discussed in a recent post, you can bring them inside to ripen or use them green. Fried green tomatoes anyone?

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardening, vegetables, blossom drop, peppers, beans

It the end of the road for most annuals and perennials, but you can still have color in your garden. Try pansies, mums and flowering kale for a touch of color all the way to winter!

annuals, perennials, pansies, mums, flowering kale, ornamental kale, fall gardening, gardening tips

Most of the time houseplants are pest free, but sometimes the worst happens and they end up with aphids, mealy bugs, white flies, and other insect pests. Fortunately there are a few natural ways to control them!

To prevent pests, try adding a clove of garlic to the pot. Bugs of all kinds hate the smell and will stay away. If it happens to sprout, move it to the vegetable garden.

If the bugs have already moved in, sometimes simply giving the plant a good rinse under the tap or shower is enough to send them packing. If not, you can whip up a homemade insect spray. Simply mix together a gallon of lukewarm water, a teaspoon of vegetable or mineral oil, and a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap(like Dawn). Another equally affective recipe subsitutes rubbing alcohol for the oil. (And here’s another quick hint-add a tablespoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol to a gallon of lukewarm water and you have a great homemade fungacide!) Mix well, and spray. Be sure to keep the plants out of direct sunlight until the leaves are dry.

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardening, houseplants, natural insect repellents, homemade fungacide, home made insecticide

Today is a somber and sad day here in New York City. 6 years ago life changed forever when the World Trade Center fell and thousands died. Please take a moment today, wherever you are and say a prayer for those who were killed and those left behind, and tonight give your loved ones a hug and count your blessings!

9/11, New York City, terrorist attacks, September 11, World Trade Center

Good afternoon!
Although fall is on its way, that doesn’t mean your gardening days are over. Now is the time to make sure your plants are properly muched and your last chance to plant cool weather crops such as broccoli, lettuce, and carrots. If you have roses, stop deadheading. This will signal them to slow down and head toward dormancy. For a bit of fall color, plant pansies! These beauties love cool weather and will boom profusely even after the first frost, and if your winters are mild enough they continue right through next spring.

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardening, fall gardening, mulch, cool weather vegetables, roses, pansies

Hello!
If the date of first frost in your area is approaching and you still have green tomatoes on the vine, pick them and bring them inside. Place them in well ventilated cardboard boxed and keep at room temperature. In about two weeks they’ll be red. Check every couple of days for any spoilage. This only works with mature, light green tomatoes. Smaller, dark green ones won’t ripen, but you can use them in pickles, relishes, and of course, for fried green tomatoes!

gardening, vegetables, ripening tomatoes, green tomatoes

Hello readers,
I apologize for the silence. I’ve been ill. I’m finally well enough to get back to my writing so stay tuned for all kinds of great gardening news and tips! Thank you for your patience!

gardening, news, tips, illness

I just came in from the garden. I have over a dozen tomatoes ripening on the vine! I’m hoping we’ll have a nice September so they’ll have time to get nice and big and red! I also have lots of peppers and beans. Before you know it we”ll be huddled indoors drooling over seed catalogs and dreaming of spring, so enjoy your gardens while you can!

tomatoes, peppers, beans, vegetable gardening, gardening, seed catalogs

Good Morning!
I went to Home Depot on Friday-something I rarely do because it’s a distance from my house, and splurged on a bunch of new plants! They have an absolutely amazing houseplant section. It’s large, airy, and well kept, and is housed in it’s own greenhouse. Our local Lowes on the other hand, has a houseplant section of a couple shelves in a dark corner near the pesticides and rodent deterrents, and most of their plants are either sopping wet and rotting or bone dry and dead. Ick! I prefer to give my business to local nurseries and garden centers, but they don’t usually have a good selection of houseplants. I added 8 plants to my collection. If you’re like me you can never have too many houseplants!

houseplants, Home Depot, gardening, buying plants

The peppers are really coming in now!

gardening, vegetable gardening, hot peppers, jalapenos, habeneros, chili peppers

Good evening!

I am the Roses Editor over at BellaOnline and I thought I’d share some of the questions my readers there have asked me in hopes that it might help some of you as well!

Q: I like the look of rosehips, so is deadheading really important?

A: It all depends on the rose. If you have one of the varieties that only blooms once, then you really don’t have to worry about it, but otherwise you’ll want to deadhead regularly until about 6 weeks before the first frost in your area to insure the most blooms!

Q: I think my roses might have black spot. Is there a non-chemical way to treat it?

A: Black spot is a fungal disease that attacks roses. It causes black spots with a fringed margin to appear on the leaves. Affected leaves eventually yellow and fall off. You can make a non toxic spray that is very effective by mixing the following and putting it in a spray bottle:

1 gallon of lukewarm water
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid (not the kind for dishwashers!)

Spray daily with this mixture in the early morning. You can prevent the fungus from spreading by removing diseased canes, and keeping the leaves dry between rainstorms. In the fall, clean away any fallen leaves as they give the fungus a place to spend the winter.

Q: Why won’t my roses bloom? I get lots of shiny green leaves but no flowers!

A: There are several reasons why a rose won’t produce flowers. The most obvious is that the plant is simply too young. Young roses need time to establish a healthy root system and plenty of strong canes and foliage before they are ready to produce flowers. Another common reason for not blooming is a lack of sunlight. Roses need at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Have you been giving them too much of a good thing? Overfeeding will cause vigorous growth of foliage but no blooms. Finally, take a good look at your plants. Are they dry? Showing signs of disease or insect damage? A plant has to be healthy and have plenty of water to thrive and produce flowers.

Q: How much water do my rose bushes need?

Roses like soil that remains moist but not wet. Obtaining that depends on the type of soil in your area. To determine how much your roses need, turn on your hose and let it run on your roses (try not to get the leaves wet) for 10 minutes, then turn it off and leave things for 30 minutes. After that, dig a hole next to them and see how far down the water has penetrated. Adjust as needed to make sure the root system is reached, and then wait a few days and dig again. The top layer of soil may be dry but it should be damp further down. If not you’ll have to plan on watering twice a week.

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardening, rose care, gardens, black spot, rose hips

gardening, rose care, gardens, black spot, rose hips

Good afternoon!
Lately I’ve come across several articles about urban farms. These farms are popping up all over the country. Some are in low income areas, some in middle class ones, but they all have the same goal, to provide fresh fruits and veggies to city dwellers. Some of these farms even donate some of their crops to the local food banks and soup kitchens. I think they are a wonderful idea and I hope to see one open up here in the NYC area! There is nothing better than fresh, organic produce!

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardening, urban farms, organic fruits and vegetables, food banks

Good morning!

Do you know where you got your love of gardening? I got mine from my grandparents and great grandparents, who always had a garden. They grew tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, squash, carrots, and more. My grandmother also had a great fondness for geraniums, lilacs, and roses. My great grandfather used to take his prize vegetables to church on Sundays (in a horse and wagon!) and sell them to his neighbors after Mass. I think the gardening gene skips over generations because my parents have next to no interest in gardening themselves! I caught the bug early on when I used to help pick my grandparent’s green beans at the age of 5. I’d love to know how you got your love of all things green and growing! Post a comment and let me know!

Gardening Pic of the Day:

gardening, gardens, love of gardening, green thumb, vegetable gardening