Growing Culinary Herbs In Containers - Healthy & Delicious!!

~ eBook Review

Gardening With Little Miss Greenfingers

Growing Culinary Herbs In Containers - Healthy & Delicious!!
by Anja Koch
$14.95
85 pages, great for Adults & Kids!

Would you like to have a great supply of FRESH herbs with no pesticides or additives growing outside your kitchen door, on your window sill, on the steps leading up to your apartment ~ somewhere easy to access when you are cooking?




Anja has put together a 85 page eBook with detailed instructions to grow, cultivate and preserve your herbs year round. You can grow Basil, Chervil, Coriander, Cress, Dill, Nasturtiums, Parsley, Bay Leaf, Chives, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Marjoram and Oregano, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon and Thyme. I loved how her eBook teaches you what kind of pots to use, when to water it, feed it, pick it, how to tell if it's not getting enough light and how to preserve it for the winter. Another thing I really liked was that she lists which herbs do well facing which direction. My apartment is a walk out basement and faces West. I have a driveway that also faces west and I am planning on moving my veggies out during the day - but it was really nice to know if I put Basil and Rosemary on the South side of the house they will do better than if I put them on the West side. I'm planning on printing off this eBook to make it easier to read and refer to when I have questions ~ and as soon as she has a book on Container Gardening for Veggies & Fruit I plan on adding that one to my notebook.

Anja has a great website for expert gardeners as well as those who need a little (or a lot) of help! Be sure to sign up for her newsletter, follow her on Facebook and Twitter and take some time to look around her website where she'll teach you how to grow veggies & potatoes in containers, roses, hydroponics, indoor plants and more.

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A little gardening fun....

Every year I plan on starting some kind of little garden where I can grow some peas, lettuce and green beans and I have actually done it in the past at another apartment I used to live in.

click here for details

I used a 5 gallon bucket (like a paint bucket), punched several holes in the bottom with a hammer & screwdriver, filled it with soil and seeds and kept it on our back patio. That year I planted those beans and peas and those did pretty well. I also planted some cherry tomatoes since I wasn't sure how the larger type of tomatoes would do. I think I got 1 lonely tomato! We got a couple of gallon type bags of each of the peas and beans. I did that 2 years in a row.

This year, I'm thinking about doing something like this:

click here for instructions

I love all the flowers and herbs - but what I'd really like to do is grow lettuce down one side (or at least in 2-3 of the slats) as well as herbs in 2-3 of them. Or maybe even some strawberries (possibly in the bottom half) with the lettuce (in top couple of rows) & herbs along the top..

Any ideas of what kinds of veggies - other than onions, lettuce and herbs - could be grown in this thing?

I'm thinking if you took and made 2 pouches from the top (on each side) using the landscape fabric on the inside and looping it down 2-3 rows you could even grown some tomatoes and or other bigger type veggies like carrots, cukes, maybe even potatoes - but I think I would do at least a double layer of fabric for the pouch for the heavier veggies for sturdiness since the veggies & dirt will be quite heavy.

Watch for a little photo diary of it this summer - just gotta find a pallet or two first - and then figure out if it's warm enough to plant lettuce & strawberries first.

Seeds For Pups - Organic Grow Kits in Biodegradale Pots

 

I was at Earl May's last night and picked up some seeds for my little "garden" outside my apartment and came across these neat little bamboo pots that are completely biodegradable and can be used indoors or outdoors. When you are replanting your plant there's no reason to remove it from the pot - all you have to do is just put the plant AND the pot right into the ground or into a larger pot.

• Indoors the pots last for 3 years, outdoors they last for 2 years before you need to replant and again you just plant it pot and all.
• Affordable - I purchased 2 of the medium size pots for $2.99 each in dark green and orange.
• Eco Friendly - No chemicals are used and the pots are made mainly from bamboo (along with some grass fibers, rice, wheat and corn componants). Yes, they are made in China but Bamboo is abundant there and grown in natural forests and plantations. No petroleum based products are used to make them. Vegetable Dyes are used to color the pots.
• Long lasting & supports the environment - when you start to notice cracks in the pot you'll want to repot the plant or you can plant it outside pot and all. The pot will completely break down in the soil and provide nutrients for the soil.
• Great for ANY type of vegetable or flower plants.

Family Activity - Making a Difference Starting at Home!

This summer why not grow a Pizza garden with your kids? You can purchase a Seed for Pups kit (1 per kid) and have them be responsible for their own ingredient. You'll want Basil, Parsley and Oregano for the seasonings. You'll also want to plant Tomatoes and Peppers that your kids can take turns taking care of. They'll need to water them and you can encourage math and journaling skills by having them measure the plants each week (say on Saturday) and then chart them on a poster board. They can journal their results and recipes in a notebook or on a poster board that you have posted in the kitchen, family room or even the mud room. Be sure to provide throwaway cameras or a digital camera that they can use to document their experience.

"Seeds For Pups"

“Seeds For Pups” was developed by Rosso’s International with the purpose of donating 100% of the proceeds to NEADS. NEADS is a non-profit organization that trains service dogs for Iraq & Afghanistan veterans who return with devastating injuries. We offer the most popular assortment of herbal seeds. Each organic grow kit is packaged in a biodegradable bamboo fiber pot & saucer and it contains seeds, peat pellets, along with great tips on how to grow an abundant herbal plant.

  

  

Earth Day

Earth Day is April 22nd this year and I haven't really been concerned about the effect I've had on the earth and what kind of "footprint" I am leaving until this last year.  Blogging has really opened my eyes.  Seeing other bloggers and their concern for how they clean and keep their homes and how they are teaching their families to do the same has been very interesting.

Last year (or maybe 18 months ago) I started buying the new light bulbs because I overheard someone saying that they last longer.  As much as 5 years or more.  I live in a very old apartment and seem to go through the older lightbulbs constantly.  I think I was changing the ones in the kitchen and the bedroom every 2-3 months (if even that).  They just kept burning out.  So anyway, I bought a 4 pack of the regular sized lightbulbs in the new style and I have been replacing the old ones as soon as they burn out.

One thing I have noticed though in the kitchen is that they don't fit the little light fixture over the sink so for now I haven't put the fixture cover back up.  I've heard that you can get them in a smaller size and eventually I'll get one but for now everyone can see that ugly spiral light bulb in all it's glory!

Montessoriforone.com has a wonderful little article to help families teaching their kids 10 Tips for Going Green and a few have caught my eye.  While I don't have kids, I can use the tips as a sort of checklist to make sure I look at all the areas I need to.  Here is my checklist:




I've already started these, but there is definitely more that I can do.  I had already planned on planting some kind of garden.  My apartment is a walk in and my driveway leads straight to the front of my home.  I can use some of that driveway for container gardening.  In the past I've grown beans and sweet peas in 5 gallon buckets and I can do that again.  This side of the house faces West so I get a lot of sun in the AM and quite a lot of shade in the afternoon - so I may need to move my containers out into the sun when I leave in the morning.

I'd love to grow some tomatoes but I'd have to share them with my neighbors.  There's no way I'd eat 'em all.  I'm hungry for some good beefsteak tomatoes.

I'd love to hear what your plans are for "going green" and what you're already doing.

WHAT am I eating?

  

Do you know what your kids are eating when they sit down at school for lunch?  Here's a pop quiz:


What is? 
A. Enriched corn meal (Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Thiamin MonoNitrate, Riboflavin and Folic Acid), Corn and/or Sunflower Oil, Whey, Salt, Cheddar Cheese (Cultured Milk, Salt and Enzymes), and less than 2% of the following: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil or Canola Oil, Maltodextrin, Disodium Phosphate, Artificial Flavor, 


How about?
B.  ”whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, contains less than 2% of citric acid, sodium phosphate, lactic acid, milk, calcium phosphate, yellow 5, yellow 6, cheese culture, enzymes.


Or? 
C.  Enriched Wheat Flour - enriched with ferrous sulphate (iron), B vitamins (niacin, thiamine mononitrate [B1], ribofavin [B12] and folic acid). Sugar, Corn syrup, Water, High fructose corn syrup, Vegetable and/or animal shortening - containing one or more of partially hydrogenated soybean, cottonseed or canola oil, and beef fat. Dextrose, Whole eggs.  2% of less of: Modified corn starch, Cellulose gum, Whey, Leavenings (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), Salt, Cornstarch, Corn flour, Corn syrup solids, Mono and diglycerides, Soy lecithin, Polysorbate 60, Dextrin, Calcium caseinate, Sodium stearol lactylate, Wheat gluten, Calcium sulphate, Natural and artificial flavours, Caramel colour, Sorbic acid (to retain freshness), Colour added (yellow 5, red 40).


Why do parents bring this kind of food into the house?  I'm sure a lot of it's easy, convenient, the kid's like it or because it reminds us of when WE were kids and it NEVER hurt us!  I know I have a tendency to buy something that I'm craving and WANT just because my taste buds & mind is saying that it will taste SO good.  Of course after I have it I always think "that just didn't taste like I thought it would".

I know that what I put in my mouth and therefore my body affects me with how I'm feeling throughout the day.  If I eat the type of stuff above I'm more achy, tired, irritable and get easily frustrated.  But if I eat High Quality food (veggies, fruit, meat) and less empty nutrition type foods I will feel so much better.  Have you noticed that?


The foods that you and your family eat directly affect your health. A fruit and vegetable home garden provides assurance that your food has been grown and handled without toxic chemical input. When you grow your own organic fruits and vegetables, you'll be making a positive change that can reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. 

Cultivating Healthy Lifestyles

The key advantage of eating organically is having the peace of mind that the food you're preparing for your family is pure, no artificial flavors or colors, no hydrogenated fats, and no sweeteners or preservatives. Organic foods can be more nutritious and tasty. They are richer in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids than non-organic foods. 

In about a week or so I will be posting a review of a new website called GroOrganic which enables anyone, young and old, new or experienced, to grow an organic garden. You can grow your garden whether you are a family or a single person like me who only has a small balcony, patio or plot - you too can grow High Quality Nutritious food with a minimum of work.

GroOrganic provides an economical way for you to grow organic vegetables and fruit.  They can help you install and maintain your garden, show you how and when to plant your seeds or plants, and provide emails to tell you what to do and how to do it.  They also have a wonderful online software program for you to plan your garden.  You can print it out, lay out which veggies and fruits you want, it'll tell you what and how many plants you need and even print out a list for you to take to your nursery.

I'm really looking forward to this review as I want to do either a square foot garden in a raised bed (maybe 4' x 2'?).  With Fibromyalgia setting into my back I have trouble standing for long so I'm going to be working with GroOrganic to get suggestions and ideas for this to be beneficial and comfortable for me.  Did I mention that they will help me with consulting and helping me set it up?  Stay tuned for my review. 

Answer Key:  A (Cheetos), B (Oreos), C (Twinkie)