Friday, February 13, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Finding the right tree for your space
Planting a tree can be fun and rewarding but you need to make sure you plant the right tree in the right place so that 10 to 15 years down the road the tree is not causing damage. We are very lucky in South Florida that we have a wide range of tree species that grow in a multitude of sizes. You should be able to find at least one tree species that will fit the space that you have. Watch this blog over the next year for information on selecting the right tree for your planting space. Here’s some basic information to consider when selecting a tree. -- Gene
Growing space both above and below ground should be considered when selecting a tree to plant. Too often allowances are not made for the increased size of the tree when it matures. Some of the problems that can be avoided by selecting the proper tree for the available planting space are:
•Damage to houses through cracked foundations, leaves in gutters or abrasion of tree limbs hitting the house;
•Cracked pavement of sidewalks, driveways, porches and patios;
•Sewer lines or septic tanks clogged by roots;
•Dangerous screening by obscuring traffic signs, pedestrians or vehicles;
•Storm damage and electrical problems from trees or limbs affecting utility lines; and
•Blocking scenic views or windows.
One objective for planting trees in a residential setting is to provide shade to cool homes during the summer months. For morning shade, plant trees on the southeast exposure of the house. For afternoon shade, trees should be planted on the southwest exposure. Deciduous trees (those that lose leaves during the winter) allow the sun to warm the house during winter and shade it during the summer months. Evergreen trees planted on a northern exposure will screen or block cold winter winds.
Remember that trees will become larger with age. Your evaluation of the site before planting will allow you to choose the correct size of tree for the site, avoid crowding before it occurs and save time and money at some future date.
Neighbor Support Night Tonight, 6 p.m.
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Wednesday, February 4, 2015
6 Wildlife Facts for World Wetlands Day
from Wildlife Promise
2/2/2015 // By Maggie Yancey
Forty-four years ago on February 2, 1971, on the Caspian Sea, a group of forward-thinking world leaders gathered to set-forth a framework for international cooperation to conserve the world’s wetlands. This day, World Wetlands Day, is a significant reminder of the boundless value of wetlands. In fact, globally, wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse ecosystems. Despite these unique features, the Clean Water Act, which is the chief defense for wetland conservation, has had many of its most critical protections for wetlands dismantled since the law’s inception.
An egret in flight over the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge — a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. Photo donated by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Kim Taylor.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed protections to restore laws making wetlands less vulnerable to destruction and pollution. However, the proposed rule must survive the new congress to be implemented. Support for wetland protection is essential for ensuring these ecosystems are protected today and for future generations.
These six facts about wildlife and wetlands will hopefully reinvigorate passion for the habitat that provides us with so many benefits. Protections are a cheap and easy gift after learning about the many presents that wetlands provide all of us throughout the country.
1. Up to 1/2 of North American bird species nest or feed in wetlands.
Wetlands provide a valuable habitat for birds. Like the American avocet featured here on the Sand Lake Wetland Management, wetlands are essential for the prosperity of birds.
Avocet at Bolsa Chica Wetlands in California. Photo donated by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Randall Ward.
2. More than 1/3 of endangered species rely directly, or indirectly, on wetlands for survival.
The Florida manatee is one of the many endangered species reliant on the protection of wetlands. Manatee populations have plummeted primarily due to the destruction of wetland habitats for residential developments, because the spring-fed rivers that provide their habitats depend on healthy rivers.
A manatee nurses her calf in the warm waters of the Three Sister’s Spring. Photo by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant John Muhilly.
3. An acre of wetland can store 1–1.5 million gallons of floodwater.
Protecting wetlands is essential as their support is the first line of defense for flood control. Unfortunately, communities prone to floods that depend on wetlands have to regularly fight to ensure the wetland’s preservation. The swamp rabbit featured above is a wetland species that resides on the Missouri flood plain currently threatened by a project proposed by the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) that the EPA should immediately veto. The Corps is pushing the St. Johns/New Madrid Levee Project to construct a 60-foot tall levee that would ultimately sever the last remaining connection between the Mississippi and its precious Missouri flood plain.
A Swamp Rabbit browsing on tender green shoots in the water. H.A.S. Boy Scout Woods, High Island, TX. Photo by Lindell Dillon.
4. Over 75% of commercially harvested fish are wetland-dependent. That number is 95% when we add shellfish species.
Not only are wetlands important for recreational fishing and hunting, strong wetlands are a huge driver of the commercial fishing industry, like Carp – which the below Blue Heron is having for dinner. Shellfish and mollusks also benefit, so as oyster season picks-up note that healthy wetlands are a contributor to a successful season.
Cheryl Molennor snapped a shot of this great blue heron with its catch by Anclote Pier in Florida. She later noticed the fish’s alarmed expression.
5. Wetlands filter, clean and store water—acting like kidneys for other ecosystems!
The filtering capabilities of wetlands is essential for runoff carrying excess nutrients and harmful pollutants. A study determined that the filtering capabilities of the Congaree Bottomland Hardwood Swamp in South Carolina is equivalent to over $5 million in costs if the water was treated at a waste water treatment plant. As local budgets face surmounting challenges, wetlands provides an affordable and effective means for filtering water.
Sunrise over the Orlando Wetlands Park in Florida. Photo donated by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Jonathan Burket.
6. Ecosystem balance depends on wetlands.
The Great Horned Owls are found all over North America, but one of the owl’s favorite spaces are open habitats like wetlands. While wetlands are known for being a host to invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles, the diverse habitat also provides a home to many different types of mammals like the owl. Also, permanent residents are commonly the river otter and muskrats.
A great horned owl watches over its chick in a nest near Golden, Colorado. Photo donated by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant John Vess.
Tricolored heron at Wetlands Stone Harbor in New Jersey. Photo donated by National Wildlife Photo Contest entrant Patricia Aspinwall.
City News: Neighbor Support Night Feb. 12, 2015
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Tuesday, February 3, 2015
READY TO RE-WEAR
A couple of great websites to help you with your spring cleaning! -Gene
Ready to Re-Wear
Start-ups are making it easier to nab secondhand style
ThredUp sends you this bag—you fill it and send it back for free. When your clothes sell, you make money.
In 2009, James Reinhart was standing in his closet. It was full of clothes, but he didn't feel like wearing any of them.
That moment was the beginning of ThredUp, a fashion-consignment website with almost 1 million customers and more than $48 million in backing from financiers, including Trinity Ventures, which helped Starbucks get going. Basically, it's a middleman for people looking to buy or sell high-quality used clothes—and one of a range of start-ups catering to the swelling wave of people taking to the cloud to buy, sell, give, get, or rent secondhand apparel.
Considering that the average American throws away 68 pounds of textiles each year, and that a single cotton T-shirt takes 700 gallons of water to produce, and that 80 percent of items Americans own get used less than once a month, these types of sites are looking increasingly attractive to families concerned about both their environmental impact and their finances.
To get started on ThredUp, you order a free polka-dot plastic bag, fill it with clothes you're tired of, and send it back (also for free). ThredUp's employees sift through your castoffs, post what's good—you get part of the proceeds when one of your pieces sells—and send the rest to a fabric recycler. Though Reinhart started ThredUp primarily to make money, his burgeoning business has diverted more than 1.5 million pounds of textiles from landfills since 2012.
Yerdle works a bit differently: It helps people give away things—clothes, mostly—that they no longer want. It's free to claim a "Yerdled" item, except that you have to pay a nominal shipping fee (usually $2), and credits get deducted from your account—credits you earn by listing your own stuff to give. Items posted on Yerdle are often gone within 30 minutes.
"People have gotten super-good at buying things: It's so easy to go to Amazon and order, or to go to Walmart and see what's on sale," says Rachel Barge, a Yerdle spokesperson. "But there's not a good way to get value from those items after you've bought them—you can't sell them for much on Craigslist or eBay."
Yerdle was cofounded by Adam Werbach, a former Sierra Club president. Its mission is to put the $5 trillion worth of durable goods gathering dust in closets and garages to use. At 150,000 users, the Yerdle community is still relatively small. But it's catching on.
"People tell us, 'I used to shop at Target seven days a week, but now I use Yerdle and I'm addicted,'" says Barge. "They're also really excited about giving things away. And you're rewarded for this behavior. We call it a 'currency of generosity.'"
You don't have to be an altruist to use Rent the Runway, a company whose more than 50,000 designer dresses are available to rent for a fraction of what they'd cost to purchase.
Buying a new Badgley Mischka sheath, for example, will strip you of $940, even though you might wear it only once or twice. Via Rent the Runway, you can have it for four days for $45, plus modest shipping and insurance fees.
"We've entered a world of fast fashion where you buy a lot of clothes and they don't last all that long," Barge says. "If we can share our fashion, it's great for the planet. If you want a new outfit, new-to-you is almost as good as brand-new."
Photo courtesy of ThredUp
Monday, February 2, 2015
Less is More: Gardening on a Budget
A beginning gardener's ingenuity turns $75 into 6 months of fresh vegetables.
By Sharon Tregaskis
Photography by Matthew Benson
Last year, my partner and I became new homeowners, buying a house and a few acres of farmland in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. We had ambition and creativity, but since we were also transitioning from two paychecks to one, cash was tight. So in early February, we set a goal of spending no more than $75 to grow, buy, or barter an entire season of fresh, local, organic vegetables. Could it be done? Yes, and then some. Ultimately, our scheme yielded as much in new friendships, hardened muscles, and lessons learned as it did in the produce we harvested. In our season of (admittedly, self-imposed) limits, we discovered that abundance comes in many guises.
(If you are gardening in South Florida, you will need to plant on different dates than described in this article. – Gene )
February 12
It's rained all week, pooling atop a sheet of ice in the back yard. The snowdrops are budding. I've already arranged my first freebie, courtesy of Craigslist. A woman too pregnant to dig seeks help dividing her iris and strawberry beds. I will supply the labor and in turn help myself to unlimited rhizomes and runners. We'll arrange the details in April. Meanwhile, I'm inspired to inventory our perennials and post a barter offer of my own.
The beds of the neglected vegetable garden are in rough shape: The rich soil has been overrun by weeds and saplings, some taller than I am, while the borders around the raised beds have decomposed. We have our work cut out for us.
I've alerted friends to our budget scheme; they're already sharing information. One who took the Cooperative Extension beginning-gardener class last year reports a free seed cabinet stocked with donations from the big companies and local seed savers. Any county resident may take up to 12 packets. And an ecoboutique downtown has posted flyers for monthly gardening classes; I've inquired whether they'll host a seed swap. I hope to expand our seed inventory and meet some like-minded gardeners.
March 14
Today was beautiful: a clear, blue sky, bright sunshine, and temperatures warm enough to shed our winter layers here in Zone 5. A pair of hawks, hoping we might flush a rodent, wheeled overhead. We borrowed a truck and trailer this morning, and retrieved--free--15 cubic yards of mostly composted horse manure. This was the week for online offers from people cleaning out their barns, so I made a deal with the one right for us: herbicide-free feed, a farm both near our house and that of the friends lending us their truck and trailer, even help loading from the generous horsewoman sharing her wealth.
This afternoon, we placed the trunks of quaking aspens thinned from an overgrown corner of the yard as borders for the raised beds. The result fits our rustic-chic aesthetic and spares the hassle and costs of store-bought lumber. To suppress weeds, we've sheet-mulched the footpaths with cardboard salvaged from the grocery store, topped with several inches of wood mulch from the town pile. Mounds of emerging daffodils, daylilies, poppies, and tulips abound, including in spots we plan to double-dig for vegetables. I'll offer those to the people who responded to my online perennial barter offer. It's starting to look like a garden! Next weekend, we'll repay the trailer loan by helping our friends plant trees at their place.
Penny Pinching Tips
- Go online. Visit OrganicGardening. com's seed-swap forum. Craigslist has free, barter, and farm-garden categories where anything from mulch to seedlings, even lawn tools, finds a new home fast. On Freecycle.org, everything is free.
- Or check the local Cooperative Extension for free seed. Host an exchange.
- Barter and trade with friends and coworkers. Get creative: bake a cake or babysit in exchange for help planting a tree or for the loan of a truck.
- Scavenge your land or neighborhood. Tree trunks can become the sides of a raised bed; branches and brush can be turned into trellises and plant supports.
- The supermarket usually has boxes and containers available for the asking.
- Split the cost of expensive tools or large seed orders with friends and neighbors.
- Offer your labor or skills to a local CSA or market farmer for seedlings or produce. Many CSAs off er free or discounted subscriptions in exchange for a certain number of hours of work.
- Keep the giving cycle going. Donate leftover seeds and materials to local schools, community gardens, or the Cooperative Extension, and your excess harvest to a food bank.
April 3
The seed swap was a grand success. Two dozen participants traded seeds and garden talk for about 2 hours. Also fun: crafting my seed packets, and delivering leftovers from the event to the Cooperative Extension seed cabinet. Next year, I'll schedule the exchange for late winter, before everyone orders by mail. The local native-plant society holds its exchange on the winter solstice--great idea. Some of the catalogs offer bulk discounts; next year, we'll save cash with a group order.
April 19
Friends starting an organic farm invited us to a work party to plant 20,000 crowns of asparagus. We helped out for a few hours and came home with a dozen crowns to plant in our own garden. They're interspersed with the strawberries, and now we have a beautiful bed of perennial vegetables that we'll begin harvesting next year. Later this week, I'll help another farmer transplant her tomato seedlings from trays to pots; she's promised me gooseberries and my choice of mature seedlings, instead of cash.
The rest of the article is at http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/less-more-gardening-budget?page=0,1
What We Bought
Seeds $35.45
Row cover $12.00
Cover-crop seed $10.00
Rooting medium $7.55
Seed inoculant $5.49
Plastic pickle barrel $3.00
Hollyhock seedlings $1.25
Total $74.74
What We Grew
Here's what we harvested on our property:
Beans 4 pounds and remainder to seed for 2010
Beets 25 pounds
Cabbages 64 pounds
Carrots 10 pounds
Cherry tomatoes 5 pounds
Corn 10 pounds dry seed, 12 ears fresh
Cucumbers 25 pounds
Daikon 5 pounds
Eggplants 10 pounds
Flowers 1 or 2 bouquets cut every week
Green tomatoes 9 pounds
Horseradish A few leaves for sushi; harvest in 2010
Hot peppers 3 pounds
Kohlrabi 30 pounds
Leeks 20 pounds
Lettuce 10 pounds
Podding radish 1 pound, plus seed
Potatoes 350 pounds
Purple-top turnips 30 pounds
Rhubarb 2 pies
Scallions 1 pound
Soybeans 1 pound as edamame
Spinach 3 pounds
Sunflowers 100 pounds to feed chickens, wild birds
Tomatillos 10 pounds
Winter squash 40 pounds
Total About 796 pounds, plus our CSA share
For the article from the beginning - http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/less-more-gardening-budget?page=0,0
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