When I started gardening, I ransacked the seed displays and catalogs in search of new tomato varieties to try. Over the years, though, I’ve settled in to a few reliable favorites, and with life catching up to me and a book to write, I have less time to be experimental with the veggie patch. Sure, maybe one day I’ll give those white cherry tomatoes a shot, but for now, I have my snacking tomato, my dehydrating tomato, my salad tomato, my paste tomato, my yellow tomato and my all-purpose slicer and vegetable soup tomato. No need to mess with what works.

Now that I know what tomatoes grow well in my garden and that my family will eat, I save the seeds from one year to plant the next, sparing me the temptation of the seed catalogs and garden center displays. Seed saving is as old as agriculture. While most seed saving is as easy as letting a plant produce mature seeds and collecting them, tomatoes are a bit trickier. Although I’ve grown tomato plants from seeds that I saved by simply spreading the seed glop out to dry, rinsing and fermenting the seeds using the process detailed below produces a much higher germination rate with just a little bit of work. (continue reading…)

Check out these great tips and tricks for a greener college experience!

More after the break… (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - bunnylady

We’re well into August, but summer’s not done yet! Depending on where you live, high temperatures and hot weather can still stick around for quite some time. For many people, taking in a dip in a swimming pool is a favorite way to beat the heat and cool down. But have you ever considered the environmental impact of swimming pools? Obviously, they require lots of water, as well as chemicals and energy to run the pumps and filters that keep them clean. The following tips can help you reduce water loss, minimize the use of potentially-harmful chemicals and lower the energy needed to maintain your pool.

Choose Eco-Friendly Materials to Build Your Pool

If you’re building a new pool, opt for recycled, re-purposed materials. Doing so will keep these materials from winding up in a landfill and can also slash your energy output. An eco-friendly option for a pool foundation is ICF (Insulating Concrete Foam), which is “made of concrete mixed with other materials,” such as “Styrofoam coffee cups, wood waste, shavings and chips,” to help minimize heat loss, explains the Web site, GreenYour.com (1). Old recycled glass can be formed into new pool tiles, creating mosaics or patterns on the pool floor or around the pool. Water-based, low-VOC paints are great choices, too (1). (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Dave Gentry/ US Fish and Wildlife Service

Zoos are a fun way to get young children excited about exotic wildlife and natural conservation, with convenient amenities. In July, Wildlife Wednesday thinks outside the zoo for other venues to teach kids about wildlife. This week, forget the exotic zoo creatures and check out native wildlife with wildlife refuges.

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service operates 552 National Wildlife Refuges, with at least one in each state, which you can find with the handy zip code search on the Fish and Wildlife Service website. Though the primary purpose of wildlife refuges is habitat restoration and preservation, National Wildlife Refuges provide educational and special programs, as well as opportunities for birdwatching and nature photography, and, if one is so inclined, hunting and fishing. Walking trails and driving tours are available at some refuges. (continue reading…)

Photo Credit: Joe Martin/US Fish and Wildlife Service

Throughout June, Wildlife Wednesday has discussed how to develop a wildlife-friendly landscape to encourage birds and other animals to share nature. Watching animals up close can be a fun hobby and a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about the critters around them. Even young children can learn to identify some of the brightly colored birds that frequent the birdbath, like cardinals or goldfinches.

However, wild animals are not great at respecting boundaries, so they can occasionally get too close for comfort. A couple of summers ago, I was pleased to observe squirrel scampering about on the deck outside my kitchen. I was less pleased a few minutes later when a commotion I heard from the kitchen turned out to be the squirrel launching itself off my coffeemaker, hitting the closed kitchen window, falling into the sink and climbing back onto the coffeemaker to try again. If you plan to attract wildlife, you also need to take measures to keep them safely out in nature.

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ⓒ iStockPhoto - gewitterkind

It’s officially summer! Sure, that means sun and fun, but also soaring temps and sweltering humidity. So, when you’re sticky and sweaty, what can you do to keep cool? Air conditioning isn’t the only way to go – plenty of other options use less energy and have lower costs. Check out these tips to beat the heat:

Become a Fan of Fans

Fans are a great way to create a breeze and move around stale air. In particular, attic fans are ideal because hot air rises, and a lot of heat comes into your home through the roof (1). Also, having a ceiling fan in your bedroom will circulate and cool the air, making your sleeping environment cool and comfortable (2). (continue reading…)

ⓒ iStockPhoto - bgmiller

Food and water supplies will attract wildlife, but to keep animals around for regular viewing, shelter is key. Nesting and denning sites make a habitat a home. Each species of backyard wildlife has its own habitat preferences, and the more varied habitat in a landscaping, the more varied the resident wildlife will be.

Some birds prefer to nest among tree and shrub branches, while others look for cavities. An assortment of large trees, medium-sized bushes and sheltered areas near ground level provide nesting options for many types of birds. Many common landscaping shrubs provide excellent cover for songbirds. The winged euonymus that are ubiquitous foundation plants in my neighborhood seem to attract at least one nest apiece every spring and summer. (continue reading…)