2011 January | Little Bit of Green

Archives for January 2011

Winter Means Composting

by MPK January 28th, 2011 | Gardening

Looking out your kitchen window, you can see the composter located in the depths of your backyard. With the ground covered in a foot of snow and the temperature hovering below freezing, the thought of taking the potato peels to the composter is less than desirable. However, composting is an all year project.

Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti is the editor of Fast, Cheap, and Good, a blog about sustainable living offers the following advice:

Let me suggest the best thing a gardener do in winter is to continue composting! Lots of folks think composting is a summer job, because you have

Winter Light and Seed Starting

by TK January 25th, 2011 | Flowers, Gardening, Seeds, Vegetables

Every gardener knows that the two biggest components of getting seeds to start in the winter are temperature and light.

In this article, we are going to discuss the second issue: correct lighting for getting your seeds going.

To get some outside opinions, we went over to Idea Offer and did a posting.

The answers we received were amazingly insightful and full of fresh thoughts:

Lacey Thompson wrote:

I've tried without much luck to use natural sunlight from a window and have changed to artificial light for my plants. I have a table set up in my basement with small

January Gardening Hints

by MPK January 21st, 2011 | Gardening

Put down the cup of coffee, there are things to be done in and for your garden. Renowned outdoor living expert P. Allen Smith has teamed with STIHL to offer these ideas:

As weather permits, cut back liriope ground cover and ornamental grasses before new growth begins. Liriope can be cut back with a line trimmer like the STIHL FS 56 RC-E. Use sharp shears for ornamental grasses.

Get out your catalogs and visit your favorite online garden stores because it's time to start placing plant and seed orders for spring. Or visit IndependentWeStand to find a locally

Winter Gardening Tips- Part 2

by MPK January 18th, 2011 | Gardening

Continuing with tips for gardening during the winter, we have advice from Michael Tavano, home fashion stylist and creator of At Michael's Table.

1. If you've saved your seed pods in the fall, by winter they will be dried and you can collect the seeds, separating out the good from the bad, and sort them into paper envelopes with labels. (I use the unused return envelopes from utility bills, since everything is paid online). The seeds are now ready and waiting to be started in the spring.

2. In my garden, I plant seeds early outdoors, protecting them under pretty

Winter Gardening Tips- Part 1

by MPK January 14th, 2011 | Gardening

With chilly temperatures and the possibility of snow on the ground, it isn't a time that many people think about tending to their gardens. However, there are many things that can be done to prepare for the coming spring and summer. In the first part of this series, we have excellent advice from Barbara Hegman, founder of Plantjotter, an online gardening journal.

1. Research and attend gardening related classes offered over the next couple of months. I reference the local horticulture societies, Arboretum, master gardener websites and local publications.

2. Schedule an appointment with an arborist to prune trees before

Page 1 of 212 »

Beautifying Your Yard and Home

Follow Us: