Happy Earth Day!

All right so at one point in our marriage, lets say for every year we were married until 2006, we did not recycle. For shame! How many tons of recyclable materials have we put in the landfill?

To give myself an idea of what would happen if we stopped recycling or went back in time and determined how much we were putting into the landfill, I did a little experiment. I collected everything that our family uses over a two week period and instead of putting it in the recycling bin, I collected the items for your viewing pleasure.

I know, I know. Who uses that much? Granted we had company in town for a few days out of the two week period but geez.

So where do we go from here?

I found some very interesting sites that provide resources about recycling. I had no idea you could recycle so many things.

There is actually a Center for Hard to Recycle Items where I live. Who knew? Some items they charge you to recycle and some are for free. Check out this website. It is quite possibly the coolest website ever. Did you know you can recycle wire hangers, batteries, foam padding, carpet and foil. http://www.ecocycle.org

Here is another fantastic resource that I am using. http://www.officiency.com/recycling.html#eyeglasses

So a plan is now in place to solve the top recycling excuse our family has (if we are not sure if it is recyclable its easier to just throw it away). I have created a system where all potentially recyclable or give away items are placed. Those items that can go out each Friday in the "little purple box" are placed in one area and the other harder to recycle items (plastic bags, batteries) and give away items are placed in another and I will collect them until I make a trip to the local recycling or donation center.

A couple of ways we have decided to positively impact our contributions to the landfill/recycling center:

1) Buy in bulk whenever possible.

2) Invest in rechargeable batteries.

3) Bring our own hangers to the dry cleaners or return the hangers to the dry cleaner for them to reuse.

4) Bring our cloth shopping bags with us to all stores and not just to the grocery store (Babies R Us, Target, ect.).

5) Make use of Craigslist (under the free section) for items that can not be donated or recycled but may be of use to someone.

Growing Tomatoes From Seed

So what is the best way to eat great organic veges all year long and slash the zeros on your grocery bill? Well growing your own food from seed is what I say. Have I ever tried it before? Well no. Do I know what I am doing? Certainly not! lol Here in lies the fabulous crux of the adventure. And here is where I begin.

It is week one and I have started off on my journey to grow these delicious antioxidant rich treats. I am using Burpee's Eco-friendly Seed Starting Kit. http://www.burpee.com Thanks Mom for the early Easter gift. I wasn't suppose to open it but I did, whoops. So whats great about this mini green house/seed starting kit is that the bamboo tray is 100% biodegradable after 6 months, the planting cells are compostable, the germination sheet (plastic doodad that you place on top until seeds germinate) is biodegradable and the fertilizer that comes with it is organic. Can you say rapture? Ok I will, rapture and pure bliss are all I can think of after opening this delightful Easter treasure. To boot she sent along the organic tomato seeds and marigolds so I can plant them next to the tomatoes and do a little companion planting.

Here is a link that gives examples of companion planting if you are interested in learning more. Just one small simple page of info put you will get the idea: http://www.ext.nodak.edu/county/cass/horticulture/vegetables/companion.htm

So enough about how excited I am. How is my progress and what have I learned?

Tip of the day:
So the little plastic doodad that I placed over top of my little precious almost germinating tomato seedlings to simulate a greenhouse effect as seen in the picture to the right.... Well, once you sow your seeds and thoroughly water them you are suppose to place this sheet over top and not remove it until you see the first signs of life. That means no watering.

So I watered once a day, did not leave the germination sheet on and I have quite a collection of a mold like substance all outside of the cells. I quickly removed the dangerous mold :) that is threatening to cause havoc on my yearly salsa supply, consulted my "Green Thumb Goddess" aka Mom, stopped my daily watering regimen and problem solved.

Aren't these little guys just adorable. More progress to follow but the steps to start your tomato plants from seeds using a seed starting kit are as follows:

1) Purchase your seed starting kit.

2) Add warm water to your "dirt balls".

3) Sow your seed into the dirt and water.

4) Cover with your germination sheet if one comes in your kit.

5) I placed mine in the window and under a desk lamp for about 16 hrs per day.

6) Once seeds have germinated water keep soil moist.

This is what has worked for me so far so we will see how it goes.