Years ago, my wise friend, Miss H warned me about drinking from a garden hose. I responded with a “huh?” Didn’t we all drink from a garden hose on a summer’s day? She replied that there is lead in some hoses. From that point on no one in my house drank from a hose. But […]
Heirloom Seeds Companies I Love
Generally May 15 is New Jersey’s frost date. (See here for your frost dates.) As I started to sift through my seed drawer, I noticed that I didn’t have enough beans to plant. Thank goodness weather is on my side since it is way too cold to plant right now. (Um, low of 37 […]
Dog Vomit Slime Mold on my Mulch! Here’s How to Prevent or Reduce it.
I love mulched beds. Although mulch suppresses the weeds and holds in moisture for our plants, it has its ugly side too. In the middle of summer, dog vomit slime mold (Fuligo septica.) shows up. You know what I am talking about. It look like your neighbor’s dog threw up in your garden beds. […]
Mulching Trees: Are You Smothering them to Death?
Mulching is a spring ritual to ward off the onslaught of weeds and conserve water. Trust me. No one likes to weed. Plus, there is nothing like fresh mulch to make a garden and tree beds look beautiful. Could too much mulch be a bad thing? Well, I pride myself on how well I tend […]
Frances Moore Lappe’s EcoMind: Thinking Differently Creates Change
A wise person once told me that sometimes all it takes is a simple shift on how you approach situations to become successful in any venture. Renown author, Frances Moore Lappé’s new book, EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want* illustrates this same point as it pertains to the environmental movement. Please join […]
Vegetarian Diet: Why I left.
It was great being a vegetarian for the first year. I had more energy and my skin cleared up. However, after that year, it was all down hill. I started to feel sluggish, tired, cold, and hungry all the time. My struggle continued for an additional year in a half until my body said “no […]
Mind the Store. Retailers, Sell Products Sans +100 Hazardous Chems
Many of you know me as the green building guru since I built an eco-friendly house in 2005. I am constantly emphasizing indoor air quality in our homes on Green Talk. So, when Safer Chemicals Healthy Family asked me to participate in the Mind the Store Campaign, I knew it was right down […]
Voles, Moles. How to Get Rid of Them.
Something is tearing up my garden. Worse yet, for five years. Every spring, I come out to a garden that has deep tunnels, which lead to nowhere. I am not kidding. So, why are they digging? For five years, I have been shaking my head. Well, last year was the mother of all […]
