Recycle, reuse, repurpose, and grow!

We have a new curbside recycling company and I needed a planter..........so the logical and "green" thing to do was...........you guessed it. I planted yellow crookneck squash and cucumbers in the recycle bin!! Genius!

100's show up for Global Warming Protest

Too cute not to share!!

Pimp this Bum - Help homeless

This guy has been living about 5 miles from me.

Check out his Website: Pimp This Bum

Dog waste composter pictures

Dog waste composter in progress:

The hole I dug. (not so easy in clay)
The 5 gallon bucket with lid I am using.

Septic tank treatment I am using.

Bucket with holes and bottom removed.

Bucket in ground.

All ready for composting.

Get rid of Dog Poo the green way

We have a large dog, small yard, and a two year old who loves to play outside. Problem: lots on large doggie mines around the yard.....nasty! What do you do with it?
You can bury the pet poo in an ornamental area of your garden. Do not put it in a food garden, pet feces contain harmful pathogens and should not be handled, especially by pregnant women.

So I remember hearing about dog waste composters and did a a little searching and they are expensive to buy. So I found out how to make one. I will refer to it as the "poo pot."

The poo pot is made using a garbage can with a lid (you may have an old one lying around). First you drill holes randomly around the sides of the can, making sure to leave a few inches around the top of the can with no holes. Then cut off the bottom of the can.


Choose a well-drained, out of the way spot, not too close to tree roots which might grow up into your "poo pot." Dig a hole large enough to fit the can and cover the holes that you made. Drop in the can, fill in around the sides of the can with dirt, and you can put some loose rocks on the bottom of the hole for drainage.

Collect the dog poo and drop it into the poo pot. Sprinkle two of the packets of septic tank starter (you can buy at hardware or grocery store for about $3, it is non-caustic, and promotes natural bacterial growth and it’s impossible to use too much — it only breaks down organic matter) on top of the dog poo. Add a 1/2 gallon or so of water. Cover with the lid. Within 48 hours, the septic tank starter will have begun to work and you can add more dog poo. You can then start to add it daily.

Give the poo pot a bucket of water a week and a packet of starter once or twice a month. The dog poo turns to liquid, most of which washes into the soil. What remains is a humus (not to be confused with hummus that you eat with pita chips) which should only need to be collected once every two or three years and this can be added to ornamental plants only and NOT edible plants. Best of all there is no smell even in the warmest weather and we have really hot weather here in the Houston, Texas area.


Note: You do not have to use a container. Just a hole with a lid will work, but you risk the sides caving in. You could also use wire mesh around the sides of the hole to prevent this. Remember to use a lid. You can use one of those large plastic paint containers with lid, or use a large plastic plant pot from a large shrub or tree and put the open end down and only partially cut the bottom leaving a small section attached (waalaa your lid).

(I will add pictures when I make mine ... really soon! I am going to use a small can myself)

Plants to clean the air in your home or office

Not only do plants use CO2 and produce oxygen, they also filter toxins from the air.

NASA did a study to find out which plants would best filter the air on the space station.
This is a chart of plants in the NASA study that most effectively removed pollutants from the air.

WIKI LIST:
* English Ivy (Hedera helix)
* Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
* Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)
* Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')
* Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
* Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
* Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')
* Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)
* Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)
* Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
* Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
* Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')
* Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')
* Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')
* Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
* Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
* Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
* Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)

The Foliage for Clean Air Council, a communications clearinghouse for information on the use of foliage to improve indoor air quality, recommends a minimum of two plants per 100 square feet of floor space in an average home with eight- to ten-foot ceilings.

Make a few changes and set some goals

I have been out of circulation for a few months but now I am back. This is the beginning of my new year.

It seems the new buzz word is "Carbon Offsets" and buying carbon offsets to compensate for the CO2 you can't control. One emission-reduction project is reforestation. First you calculate your carbon footprint...ouch, then you purchase carbon offsets to compensate for it. CARBON FOOTPRINT is a good place to start for more information.

I am taking baby steps, shame on me, but then again what are you doing? I am placing air-filtering house plants in my house, planting shrubs and plants in my yard, and growing some of my own herbs and vegetables.