How a Rain Barrel Can Save You Money and Benefit the Environment?

Rain barrel is a very easy way to extend the benefits of a rainfall. A lot of water that is consumed goes for watering gardens and lawns. This potable water can be saved if one could use an alternate source for watering the gardens. A rain barrel is usually made from 50-gallon food drums. And an average rainfall of one fourth of an inch is sufficient to fill the 50- gallon drum using the roof and the gutter system.

If one is living in the country, main rain barrels can be installed at various places to collect rainwater and in a city, water collected from the roof can be used to water the plants and the lawn as well as reduce water bills. Apart from the monetary benefits, you will also be helping maintain the municipal water grid and hence help the environment. When you harvest the rain water you are not just saving water you are also reducing the amount of chemicals that run into the water bodies. When rainwater runs on the ground, it collects harmful chemicals like agricultural pesticides, herbicides, petro- chemicals like oil and gasoline, pollution, etc. This water then runs in the gutters and joins the rivers and lakes hence polluting them. When we harvest the rain water, we reduce the quantity of running water to some extent hence protecting the environment and erosion.

The rain water that gets into the water treatment plant is treated with chlorine and other chemicals before it is sent back to us. Therefore by using the rain barrel, we consume pure water, free of chemicals and we also reduce the work done on the water hence conserving energy. Healthy vegetables can be grown with this water. So your savings will not just be because of the reduced water bill.

Plastic, food grade rain barrels are the ones you should choose. The barrels that were used to hold chemicals or wax should be avoided as the chemicals found in the residue may harm the plants and the environment.

Some simple tips can be followed to make the best of the rain barrel.

• A hose can be connected to the bottom of the barrel to take out water.
• It should be kept on a flat surface to avoid it tipping over when full.
• It should be secured using a stick or a rope so that it doesn’t blow away when empty.

An estimate was done and it was reported that 1 inch of rain on a 1000 sq. ft. roof would yield 623 gallons of water. Imagine the amount of water you could collect over a rainy season.

The Benefits of Using Commercial Compost Starters and Accelerators

Many people can be interested in starting a compost pile but aren’t exactly sure how something like that would work, if they have enough compost material for the pile to give good results or even what it takes to get something like this started. As such, many give up on even trying to make their compost pile, even though in reality, there’s nothing to it. If you are worried that the ingredients you add to your compost pile won’t be enough, you can always rely on compost starter and accelerator to lend you a much needed hand.

Some sources say that compost starter and accelerators aren’t necessary and that everyone should have everything they need for a good compost pile around their household, but truth be told, for one thing, not all organic substances tend to decompose at the same rate, and for another, throwing all sorts of organic materials into the pile in hopes it will help with the decomposing process can give way to toxins or unwanted materials to show up in your pile.

The secret behind a good compost pile is the equilibrium between the carbon and nitrogen content. While carbon can be found in pretty much any organic residue, such as leaves, grass and other compost materials, nitrogen can make itself scarce, and as such, some help is needed in order to get things moving and the decomposing process under way. A compost starter will usually contain the necessary nitrogen the compost needs in order to start working.

Depending on the contents of your compost pile, you might find that while some of the things you’ve thrown in there have no problem decomposing, other things, such as pine needles or pine cones might take a lot longer. By adding a compost accelerator you can get everything to decompose at a quicker rate and as such, you wouldn’t have different ingredients in various stages of decomposition floating around your compost pile, but rather a balanced, homogenous mass that is ready for use.

By using commercial compost accelerator and starters you are making sure that the ingredients you put into the compost pile are pure and of high quality. Any sort of replacements for the substances commercial accelerators contain, that you might find around the house are likely to contain other ingredients which would bring toxins or unwanted substances into your compost pile. Some are even likely to use food leftovers or animal litter as compost material, something that is extremely unsanitary as well as damaging for your compost pile.

Commercial compost starters and accelerators can help you create and maintain your compost pile in optimal conditions, making your work easier and the end result much better.

Earth Friendly Pet Care

Drama, our Composters Office Dog

You love your pet and you want to do the right thing for the planet, but sometimes, the pet care product manufacturers don’t lend you a hand in this department. Some of the pet care products contain chemicals or environmentally damaging products and you would like a solution to appease your conscience and do the right thing for the planet. Fortunately, eco-friendly pet products, in the form of biodegradable waste bags or eco-friendly collars and leashes, not to mention the option of composting pet waste.

Biodegradable waste bags come as a solution to a very popular problem: using a non-biodegradable plastic bag for a biodegradable product such as pet waste. Whether it’s the waste bag people use to pick up after their dogs or the one used to line cats’ litter box, the use of biodegradable waste bags can open the door to the new age of environmental pet care. The biodegradable waste bags are made of celluloid or other biodegradable materials, mostly corn-extracts, which makes it very easy for them to decompose either in a compost pile or after being buried.

Eco-friendly pet collars and leashes have become more and more popular because of the many fun designs they can

Indoor Outdoor Portable Doggie Potty

have, the ease of use and the ease with which they can be cleaned, not to mention the growing eco-awareness of pet owners. Eco-friendly collars and leashes can be made from a variety of green materials, ranging from hemp and other natural textiles to recycled, petroleum-free plastic. Some pet care companies have even developed eco-friendly collars and leashes made out of bamboo, for the renewable material savvy pet or pet owner.

Composting pet waste is a somewhat debated practice because

Pet Pee Converter

of the potential germs or bacteria that can be contained in animal feces, however, while the composting of cat waste is not entirely recommendable, dog waste has a relatively green light for such things. Cat waste can also be composted if you take certain precautions and if you keep in mind that in order for cat waste to be composted, a minimal 18 months is required. Where dog waste is concerned, things are a little easier because dog waste, while still prone to carry parasite eggs and other pathogens is not as toxic as cat litter. Composting dog waste is a responsible way of getting rid of pet waste without having to resort to petroleum based plastic bags or other eco-dangerous methods. Adding enzyme-active biological compounds into the compost bin in order to speed up the composting process and to get rid of unwanted bacteria is recommended. It’s not recommended that you use the compost resulted from pet waste on food crops, only on ornamental plants, to keep things as safe as possible.

Barney, beagle extraordinaire.

Seven Reasons An Electric Lawn Mower is Better Than Using a Gas Mower

If you peep into any normal American household during the weekend, you would find over 50 millions of them are attacking their lawns with their gasoline mowers. But they are not aware of the effect which the greenhouse gases emitted from these mowers cause.

· The gasoline products are exhaustible resources and thus, as the supply of the resources are getting thinner and thinner, the cost of the gasoline products are getting higher by the day.

· When most of the American households get out to attack their lawns at the same time with their gas mowers, it is quite disturbing for the neighbors. But on the other hand, the electric lawn mower produces less sound, thus cutting down on the noise pollution.

· As an alternative, we are resorting to inexhaustible resources such as electricity etc. These are restorable and are not limited, and this is what is used by the electric lawn mowers. Many companies and firms are developing these electric yard devices instead of gas mowers. Electric weed removers have been here for quite some time and now the electric lawn mower has started to prove its value to the people.

· The cost of the electric lawn mowers might scare you at first but if you give it a thought and do some calculations, you would understand the benefit of an electric mower over the gas mowers. The cost of running an electric lawn mower is less than half the cost of running one gas mower. The gas mowers can hold just around one gallon of gas. And when the rising price of gas is reaching two dollars per gallon mark, it is quite easy to calculate the cost of mowing the garden for just one summer. On the other hand, running the electric grass mower just takes a few cents of power for one battery charge. So, it can be easily seen how much you can save in the long run with the electric grass mower or electric lawn sweeper.

· We should also keep the environment aspect in mind especially when we are facing severe hazards due to global warming. The gas mowers emit harmful greenhouse gases and are quite a cause for the small particle pollution.

· Gas mowers are also harmful to the person who uses it, causing serious health implications like asthma, heart disease and other serious respiratory infections. But the electric lawn mowers emit less than a percent of the harmful gases like carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, etc, thus resulting in a great difference in the environment.

· Some of the electric mowers offer extra features like handling, trimming and edging, etc apart from the regular features like mulching, height-adjustment, grass collecting bags and such, for easy transfer to your compost bin.

So use the electric green mowers and feel the difference.

INSTANT CURB APPEAL

INSTANT CURB APPEAL. Increase the value of your home without hiring a landscape designer. Let’s face it, in these challenging economic times we need to use this time wisely to maximize value of your home.

Multiple studies have shown the increasing importance of curb appeal in selling a home, especially in a competitive market.

According to the Real Estate Agent Community Trends survey, commissioned by JELD-WEN Windows & Doors. Out of about 500 realtors polled, 82 percent agreed that buyers unimpressed with a home's exterior will not want to look inside. The results also found that 90 percent of respondents agree that a sale depends on first impressions of the front entry, while 91 percent said that the home's exterior is just as important as what is inside.

Another study by The Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association compiled the following property value statistics:

• Landscaping can increase the resale value of a property by as much as 14%
• The sale of a property can increase by as much as six weeks
• A landscaped patio can raise property values by 12.4%
• A landscaped curb can increase property value by 4.4% and hedges can add 3.6%

As our economy starts to improve and home sales increase, you will be ahead of the game!

Create a stunning DIY lighted, landscape design using pre-fab, curved raised garden bed kits, which contains everything you need to transform your empty yard into a stunning garden oasis, in less than an hour. You can have your landscape done before your realtor comes over to appraise your home.

A great choice for raised garden bed kits are called Landscape In-A-Box. They are beautifully designed all-inclusive, eco-friendly, curved raised garden bed kits. They come in different sizes and shapes to add variety to your yard or garden. They appeal to the “green” buyer as well. Unlike pressure treated wood, these composite wood timbers do not leach toxins into the soil. They are easy to install with just a screwdriver and a mallet, and even include an optional solar lighting kit.

Talk about curb appeal!

Earth-Friendly Raised Garden Beds

Earth-Friendly

Raised Garden Beds

By: Lauren J. Heimberg

Eco-friendly Raised Garden Beds are the hot ticket item for this year’s spring planting season. Raised garden beds and planters are multi-functional and can be used for planting flower beds, vegetable gardens or shrubbery, landscape edging, playground borders and splinter-free sandboxes for kids.

These modular raised garden beds can be stacked on top of each other, to adjust the height as your garden blooms. Typically, raised beds are sold in 6” high increments, and can be purchased in heights of 6”, 12”, and 24”. The width of raised beds should be limited to 2’ or 4’ widths, so they will be easy to maintain, without having to climb into beds.

The best elevated garden beds look like real wood grain but are made from earth-friendly recycled, composite plastic timbers. They are durable and long lasting, non-toxic (like arsenic-containing, pressure treated lumber), termite-free, and do not rot, warp, splinter or lose their wood grain finish like traditional timber.

There are a multitude of benefits to raised planters or raised garden beds including:

· Provides a beautiful frame for your garden

· Longer lengths may be used as landscape edging or playground borders

· Can be used as a, or sandboxes

· Improves drainage

· Improves poor soil conditions by providing a deeper topsoil layer

· Adjusts in height, size & shape to accommodate plant growth

· Lawn mower and edger proof plant and flower beds

· Easy to install

When purchasing elevated or raised beds and planters, make sure they are made from eco-friendly recycled materials and include anchor joints for connecting plastic timbers. You may also need finishing sleeves for landscape edging kits.

After constructing your raised garden bed, and securing it into place, place a liner made from gardening plastic or weed mat in the bottom of bed; this greatly reduces the growth of weeds.

Next fill the liner 1/3 full with nutrient-rich compost (from your compost bin, we’ll talk about this later) then fill the rest with potting soil (store-bought or from another area of your landscape) and some dry organic fertilizer. Finally, you are ready to create your garden by sowing seeds or planting flowers, vegetable and plants starts.

Lastly, water your raised bed and don’t forget to water these beds frequently since there are above ground, and do not retain water as well.

If you are using the raised garden bed for a sandbox, it is best to place a gardening plastic liner in the bottom before filling with sand. Some raised garden beds are sold as sandboxes and come with covers for protection from the elements and from animals who think it’s a giant kitty litter box.

After you’ve created your very own eco-friendly, raised garden oasis, you can begin work on the composting and vermiculture.

Composting In Small Spaces

One thing I’ve noticed on the Composting forums and elsewhere, are people saying they have a hard time composting due to space restraints because they have a small backyard or live in an apartment. There are actually products out there specifically for this, so that you can recycle those costly food wastes into something less destructive to our landfills, and therefore that much better for the environment (and your houseplants!).

The Pro Automatic Indoor Compost Bin is a fully functional, indoor composting system. It efficiently recycles your food wastes, coffee grounds, newspaper, pet waste and plant clippings, conveniently in your kitchen, without smell.

It is a powerful compost bin that can fit inside one of your cabinets and handles up to 120 lbs of food waste a month, 70% of which will vanish into thin air. You don’t even have to worry about stirring or aerating it and it has a vacation mode to reduce the energy it uses during periods of non-use.