The Garden Shedde

When choosing your paint colors one of the best ways to go about getting what you like is to look at your favorite colors produced by nature itself. If you love blue, is it the blue of blueberry’s that make you shiver or the color of a clear blue sky? Do you love the yellow of the sunflower or is it the daisy that makes you smile? Picking colors from nature has a keen affect on our senses so it’s important to choose those that give you energy if you are painting an office or help you rest if you are painting a bedroom.

This also holds true when choosing colors for offices and conference rooms in commercial spaces. You don’t want to paint a conference room with colors that put everyone to sleep nor do you want colors that cause your staff and clients to bounce off  the walls during an important meeting! This is why it is very important to get your colors right and there are many interior designers who specialize in color theory that can help you choose the perfect colors for your home and office.

Every summer when we get together with friends this topic comes up. It’s because we all have a different way of preparing Bruchetta as well as have slightly different ingredients. No one ever complains about the other we just can’t figure out if there is a right or wrong way to make this wonderful dish.

If you are not familiar with Bruchetta it is made of tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese at its core. Of course some add salt and pepper, onions and garlic and a host of other things from time to time to make it even more interesting. All this is normally served over good hearty toasted bread in slices or diced up and scoped out on the bread slices. The main thing you need to know is you can’t ruin this dish as it is flipping fantastic if you use fresh ingredients and that includes homegrown organic tomatoes. There are so many recipes online you can have a blast just looking at them all. Experiment and let me know what you think is the best. In the end, that’s all that matters anyway!

People often forget do not look at all of the wonderful options for lighting up outdoor spaces before making a decision and that could lead to some expensive and time consuming installments. This is simply because lights take some sort of electrical current to make them work and most of us think about running electrical lines out to the outdoor areas we want to add lighting to. Sometimes it’s as easy a tapping into an outdoor outlet. Other times it’s much more complicated. That’s why solar post caps are a unique and wonderful option these days.

Solar take the energy of the sun and charges tiny batteries within the light during the day that keep the light lit up in the night. These lights are not as bright as the ones that tap into the electric lines but they are very good and good for energy savings as well. You should compare solar with other types of post cap lights to see which one will work best for your area before you buy. Either way, you will love having light on the posts outside for the safety it brings as well as the fun!

This time of year always tries my patience. It is hard for me not to run out to my tomato plants on a daily basis and try to find the first ripe one to eat; after all these are the heirloom tomatoes that are so good! I know it sounds a little crazy and I just might be but there is nothing like a freshly ripened tomato out of the garden. They just taste better than the store bought variety.

Though we are getting many things out of the garden that you could say the same thing about there is something different about the tomato. Maybe it’s the potential flavor of tomatoes that makes them a different kind of fruit (yes, they are a fruit). Some of them can be tart while others are as sweet as berries. Some beckon you to eat them like an apple while others are perfect for slicing and eating on sandwiches or with your breakfast eggs. All I know is once they start to come in I will be eating them with every meal as long as they last and I can hardly wait!

After using pesticides for many years on our lawn and in our garden, we have completely changed our approach to lawn and garden care over the last few years and now do not use anything but natural substances. I will admit it is not near as easy as going out and spraying or spreading but after learning what these pesticides are doing to our environment, we felt there was really no choice.

We also don’t know why others have not joined us because the use of these materials are killing thousands of insects and birds every year and polluting the water we drink. I am amazed how many people don’t realize that the ground water that we end up drinking can easily be toxic and full of all kinds of chemicals we are using on our lawns and gardens because they are absorbed into the ground. What is not absorbed is found in the runoff that ends up in our rivers and streams. This water kills butterflies, bees, birds and other small animals and it drank by livestock that ends up in our food system. Living with a few bugs becoames easy once you learn the high cost of pesticides.

The big buzz word these days is “green” but what does that really mean? In some circles it’s everything that is “earthy”, back to nature. In other circles it’s anything that is environmentally friendly like electric cars that have to have batteries, which are not earthy at all but help save energy. What green means to me is anything that brings more life to your world and to the world around you and that includes a robust inner life as well.

If you are doing everything you can for the earth and energy savings yet are neglecting yourself, then what you are doing, though wonderful, is not meeting your basic needs. If your basic needs are not met then you will eventually give out, give up or die. I see this in people who have gotten older and have just given up on changing the way they world works because they’re “tired” or because “nothing ever changes anyway”. These people have let the fire inside them go out because they have taken care of everything and everyone else but themselves. Don’t end up spent and tired. Take the time out today to recharge your internal batteries as this is the ultimate “greening” of the world.

Before the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, many of our friends and family have felt that becoming environmentally active was a little bit over the top. However, since this disaster has now come “home to roost”, so to speak, all of a sudden these same individuals who have given us a hard time in the past are stark raving mad! As much as I like the fact that they are finally seeing the light of day it’s too bad it took an actual disaster to make so many see that this has been a possibility for years.

It seems it’s much more popular in America to react to what is happening as opposed to anticipate what might happen and have some things planned out just in case. The environment is not the only place we seem to have a short sided view because we also do this in healthcare, military action, politics, taxes, business and finance, just to name a few. Is it not time we got involved with the environment as well as with every other thing that touches our lives? If not now, then when?

While you might think that it is easy to plant a tree there are a few things that you need to think about before you start. The first one is about the type of tree you would like to plant; is the tree a native tree to your area? If not, you will want to talk to a gardener at your local nursery to make sure the type of tree you have chosen will do well in the region or area you live in. The next thing is to find out how big the tree will be once it has reached its full growth potential and make sure the place you have chosen will accommodate the future growth. There’s nothing like having to cut down a tree that is now interfering with your house, shed or fence after a few years.

Once you have determined everything is good to go dig a hole that’s about a inch shallower than the distance from the bottom of the root ball to where the trunk starts to flare and about three to four times the width of the root ball. Place a water hose in the bottom of the hole and place the root ball on top of it in the hole. Make sure someone is there to tell you if the tree is straight or not and fill in the hole with good dirt. Turn the water on very low and watch for it to come back out of the hole (it could be a few minutes). Pull the hose out and you are done!

Many of us think we need a lot of space in order to garden but that is no longer true. There are many old and new ways to grow some, if not all of,  your own food. One of the newer items that comes to mind are the AeroGardens that use hydroponic or water to grow many different types of produce on a year round basis.  You can have a herb garden that is full or your favorite herbs for cooking or on salads or a  salad garden that is lettuces and cherry tomatoes. They have several different kinds and combination’s for you to chose from.

One of the oldest methods are the use of wooden raised beds. The new twist on these beds are the tiered versions that take up very little space, are free standing and can grow 50 plus plants in a 4 ft x 4 ft space. Some of these gardens have up to 6 tiers and they make wonderful ways for the elderly or handicapped to be able to reach the dirt and plants and have the experience of gardening or just continue to enjoy the gardening experience. You truly can garden wherever you are!

We all know that the best cure for a sore throat is a cup of tea with lemon and honey.  But, recently honey has been stepping into the spotlight as a natural, miracle cure-all.  From honey, to bee pollen, to beeswax – the buzz is all about the bees.  So, how can honey help you?

Skin Care – Honey is a great natural way to moisturize your skin.  Just mix a couple tablespoons of honey with a tablespoon of sugar, stir, and apply generously to your face.  Lightly exfoliate with circular motions, then let it sit for about 20 minutes.  Rinse with warm water, and viola!  You’re skin with be smooth and soft, with a radiant healthy glow.

Allergies – adding honey to your diet has been proven to boost your immune system, and help relieve allergies.  But, make sure it’s local honey, as the bees who made it pollinated the local plants and flowers you’re probably allergic to!  Take a spoonful before bed, add it to your favorite hot drink, or drizzle it on fruit.  It’s the easiest medicine you’ll ever take.

Energy – It started as a Hollywood fad, but there are thousands who now swear that taking bee pollen gives you that quick burst of energy we all need at the end of a long day.  It’s available in pill or powder form at your local natural grocery.

There are hundreds of ways these little guys can make your healthier – just avoid the stings!