Tag: garden
How to Celebrate Earth Day at Home
It may be cold out and we may be advised to stay at home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate our Earth! Here are 5 ways you can safely celebrate Earth Day while social distancing and staying safe.
1 – Plant something. Remember our post last week about starting an indoor garden? If you haven’t already, today would be a great day to do so.
2 – Setup a recycling system in your home. You probably already have recycling bins but now is a great time to teach your kids about the importance of recycling and have them help you setup a system for recycling plastic and paper in your home.
3 – Receive a lot of catalogs in the mail? You’ve probably thought about cancelling those subscribtions but never had the time. Do it today! 100 million trees are cut down each year to produce catalogs and the majority are tossed in the trash.
4 – Teach your kids about Earth Day and do a fun Earth Day project with them. Have them draw a picture of what Earth Day means to them. You can frame their art work and hang it in your home (maybe above your new recycling center).
5 – Get outside (safely) and enjoy. It is cold today so bundle up! Whether you sit quietly on your porch/balcony or go for a quick walk it’s a great day to get some fresh air and appreciate our Earth.
Starting an Indoor Vegetable Garden – At Home With Princeton
The warm weather will (hopefully) be here before we know it! Now is a great time to get a head start on your summer garden while staying indoors at home. Have kids? They’ll love helping you create the garden and take care of it until it’s time to plant outside.
1 – Choose what kind of vegetables you want to grow (make sure they are ones that you’ll have space to replant outdoors once summer arrives). You can order seeds online and have them delivered. You can also call your local garden/home improvement stores and request a curbside pickup for some items.
2 – Pot your seeds with seed-starting mix. You can also order this online or pick it up from the local store. You can plant your seeds in small containers or cups to start with.
3 – Label your plants. You can use Popsicle sticks and write what vegetables you’ve planted. Stick the Popsicle sticks in the edge of the soil. Don’t have sticks? Write the names directly on the cups you’ve planted in.
4 – Find a proper location for your seed cups. Sun isn’t necessary quite yet. Find a table that you can setup inside to store your garden. Put a tray down first to make sure your surface stays dry.
5 – Water and start watching for plant sprouts. Once you see sprouts it’s time to move your plants to a sunny location like a windowsill or a table near the window. Keep watering daily and when summer arrives you can move your plants to bigger pots outdoors or plant directly in the ground if you have garden space.
5 Garden Plants that Keep Mosquitoes Away
Summer brings longer days and evenings outdoors. There’s nothing that can ruin a summer cookout more than the itching and scratching of mosquito bites! If you’re planning to spend time outside after dusk, try putting these plants in your garden to keep the bugs away…
1 – Lavender – Not only does it look beautiful, it smells great too! Another thing that lavender does is hinder a mosquito’s ability to smell. The leaves of this plant have natural oils that will keep your garden smelling fresh and the pesky bugs away.
2 – Marigolds – These annuals add beautiful color to your garden and they also deter mosquitoes, aphids, white flies, and squash bugs.
3 – Citronella Grass – Most people have heard of citronella candles but did you know that you can plant citronella grass directly in your garden? This plant is known as the most effective at repelling pests and is low maintenance. A must-have for your outdoor space!
4 – Rosemary – Rosemary is an herb that many of us are very familiar with, especially with cooking. Rosemary’s woody scent is what keeps mosquitoes as well as some moths and flies away.
5 – Basil – Another herb we use in our cooking, basil is also great at keeping mosquitoes and other bugs away. The pungent smell of any type of basil is powerful to keep mosquitoes from entering your space. Try planting some in pots on your patio and you can also use some for preparing dinner!