The Outdoors is a Great Place to Teach Kids

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that children today spend an average of seven and a half hours a day consuming electronic media.  Shockingly, less than four minutes a day is spent in unstructured outdoor play.  The Nielsen Company says that preschoolers log in excess of 32 hours of TV per week and has seen more than 5,000 hours of television by the time they reach kindergarten.  That’s equivalent to the amount of time it takes to earn a college degree.

Some people argue that one of the key disconnects of modern society is that many people no longer have a direct connection to where their food and fiber come from.  Do your kids know how their supper grows, or where their cotton t-shirt comes from?

As society becomes more urbanized, many people do lose touch with agricultural production.  This causes those individuals to undermine agriculture’s role as a staple in our society.

Vegetable gardening—whether in small, backyard containers or larger spreads—is a great way to introduce kids to the food production process.  Watching plants grow from a seed to food you can eat is instructive and opens up opportunities for all kinds of ecological lessons throughout the growing season.

Children are used to eating things like chicken nuggets or hamburgers but have no idea where the food actually comes from.  If we are going to use animals for food, we need to realize it came from something other than a box in the refrigerator.  If people understand their connections to an animal, we will have more respect.  Spoilage and waste will decrease.

Our hope is simple.  As we raise our kids to be a part of rural Texas, we hope that the love and longing for the outdoors is planted deep within them.  Those memories they are making each time they head outdoors are eternal.  One day, they’ll pass on these lessons to their own children.

Wagon Wheel Herb Garden

WAGON WHEEL HERB GARDEN

Wagon Wheel

I found these pictures online once upon a time and it's something I've always wanted to do, hoped to do it in the city, but with no grass, I don't think it wouldn't quite work out. 

You simply start with an old wagon wheel.  I know, where DO you find one of THOSE?  Craigslist maybe? 

Lay it down on the ground where you want your herb garden.  If necessary, you can remove spokes to create bigger spaces. 

Wagon Wheel Herb Garden up close

Then you dig out the grass, if you are laying it on grass of course.  Or dig out dirt or whatever is under the planting area.

Lay the wheel down, and you're done!  Simple as that. 

Wagon Wheel Herb Garden

Just plant your favorite herbs in each "section" and you've got not only a perfectly laid out herb garden, but a great conversation piece as well.  It's hard to tell in this picture, but it really does look pretty cool when you're done.  It's a bit more "formal" than just a free form garden, but for a courtyard or small space, it's a great solution to keep your herbs in one spot, contained, and organized.  I can't wait until we can do one ourselves.

Thanks and good luck!

Walking on Water

Container Gardening in Winter

Everybody knows that trying to grow plants in winter is a waste of time. The ground is frozen and the temperature is not fit for man nor beast, let alone your pretty snap dragons. But is it really? Truth be known, there are some plants which actually thrive in cold weather! Of course, not much will grow in frozen soil or temperatures below freezing. But, there are alternatives!

A perfect solution to the frigid temperatures that stifle so many plants is container gardening. Potted plants have a greater potential for growth. Flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit can all be successfully grown during the winter months. Some special care may be needed depending on the type of plant and its location. One of the major advantages of containers is that they can be moved. So, when Mother Nature sends a cold wind your way, simply pick up your plants and move them to a warmer location.

Those who grow vegetables, fruits or herbs see some additional benefits to growing in the winter. Stores typically raise the price of these products during the winter following the law of supply and demand and the high cost of transporting cross country. If you grow your own favorite vegetables or herbs, you'll not only save money but you'll, most likely, eat better, too.

When planning your winter garden, try to throw in a variety of different plants. Ornamental grasses and small green shrubs provide a wonderful contrast.  There's nothing wrong with mixing vegetables with flowers.

For those containers that you might prefer to leave outside for the duration of the cold season, there are some additional measures that will help protect them from the weather. A small greenhouse can help retain heat. Some hobby greenhouses can be equipped with passive solar systems which can boost heat retention significantly.

For those who are new to gardening, winter gardening may seem a bit unusual but don't let that stop you. Start with a few herbs grown indoors. Herbs are relatively easy to grow and will help develop the habit of monitoring temperature and lighting.

So, as the temperature outside drops and the days become shorter, don't give up on your garden. Check on some plants that are native to the area and that hold up well in cold weather. Gather some containers and get started planting. You'll be pleased you did.

 

How to Get Your Toddler to Enjoy Gardening

It's gardening time again and, with the increase in gas and grocery prices, what better time to introduce your family to the aspect of growing their own foods? Toddlers in particular are very open to the new experience of gardening. Toddlers are always intrigued by new things. They love to play in the dirt, water plants, and watch their favorite foods growing right before their little amazed eyes. If you're lost as to how you should start introducing your toddler to gardening, here are some tips to help!

Choose Foods They Like - One of the best ways to get your toddler involved in raising a garden is to choose foods, plants, and flowers that your child likes. If you toddler loves tomatoes, then pick up a packet of tomato seeds and go from there. When it's something that they can look forward to enjoying, then you'll pique their interest every time.

Child-size Gardening Tools - Another way to introduce your toddler to gardening is to make sure that they have their own child-sized gardening tools to enjoy. If you purchase them their own set of tools they will be more likely to enjoy their time with you in the garden. Toddlers and small children thoroughly enjoy doing things that they see their parents doing. So hand over a gardening set of their own and you'll be on the road to creating a gardening lover for life.

Start Your Garden with Seeds - A lot of people will just jump right to buying small plants to go into their gardens. But when you're getting your children involved, it's a lot more fun for both you and them if you start out with seeds. Let them poke holes in the dirt with their little fingers, drop in seeds one by one, and then cover them up and await the arrival of the first sprouts. When those sprouts begin pushing their way through the surface, you'll be amazed at the utter astonishment that your toddler will express. This is the perfect time to talk about baby plants and to show your toddler each new leaf that sprouts from their new hobby. If it's still too early to plant seeds outside, then just start them inside. You can use starter trays, or even just paper cups and dirt (make sure you mark what plant is what).

Garden Care & Upkeep - When introducing and involving your toddler in the hobby of gardening, it is a wonderful idea to let them help you in the care and upkeep of the garden. You can let them water the plants that they are quickly becoming obsessed with. You can point out the weeds and let them pull for you. You can even have your toddler hold stakes for you as you tie up the tomato vines that they've been watching grow from seeds. The every day care and upkeep of your garden is just as exciting to your toddler as any of the other parts of raising a garden.

Time for Pickin' - You and your toddler have planted, watered, nurtured, and cared for these plants from seeds to full maturity. What better way to celebrate all of the work that you've put into these last few weeks or months than to let your excited toddler pick the very first fruits and vegetable? How excited your toddler will be when you inform them that they can finally eat a tomato off of their very own plant!

You have now planted the seeds of a gardener into the young mind of your toddler. As long as you make it fun and exciting they will love helping you out in the garden. Remind them that they'll get to eat the fruits of their labor. They will be so happy when it's harvest time and you'll be happy to have taught them about this simple part of life.

Trees and the Environment

Trees and the Environment

• Trees renew our air supply by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.


• The amount of oxygen produced by an acre of trees per year equals the amount consumed by 18 people annually. One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year.


• One acre of trees removes up to 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide each year.


• Shade trees can make buildings up to 20 degrees cooler in the summer.


• Trees lower air temperature by evaporating water in their leaves.


• Tree roots stabilize soil and prevent erosion.


• Trees improve water quality by slowing and filtering rain water, as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds.
• The cottonwood tree seed is the seed that stays in flight the longest. The tiny seed is surrounded by ultra-light, white fluff hairs that can carry it on the air for several days.

Keep Grocery Bags Clean

The trend of swapping disposable grocery bags for cloth and plastic-lined reusable bags has become an increasingly popular “green” alternative. Reusable bags reduce waste, but how safe are they for our health?
The fabric or materials in reusable grocery bags can get contaminated with germs like Salmonella or E. coli from food or other items. These germs could then cross-contaminate other food or items we carry in the reusable bag and make us sick.

If you use reusable grocery bags, here are some simple steps that you can follow to reduce cross-contamination and keep yourself and your family safe from germs.

Wash reusable grocery bags often.

• Cloth reusable bags should be washed in a washing machine using laundry detergent and dried in the dryer or air-dried.
• Plastic-lined reusable bags should be scrubbed using hot water and soap and air-dried.
• Check that both cloth and plastic-lined reusable bags are completely dry before storing them.

Always put raw meats into a disposable plastic bag before putting them in a reusable bag.

• A disposable plastic bag helps contain any juices that drip off of raw meat packages, which can touch other foods and contaminate them. Disposable plastic bags are usually available in the raw meat or produce areas of your store.
• Throw away disposable plastic bags used for raw meat immediately after use. Never reuse bags that contained raw meat or poultry.

Keep meats, fresh produce, and ready-to-eat foods separated.

• Use separate bags dedicated for meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and ready-to-eat foods. It’s also a good idea to keep these foods separated in your shopping cart, at the checkout line on the conveyor belt, and at home. This will help reduce cross-contamination.
• Remember that cold food needs to be refrigerated within two hours of leaving the store or market. Cold food should be refrigerated within one hour when temperatures outside are above 90 degrees.

Store reusable bags at home in a cool, dry place, not in the car.

• Store reusable bags in a cool, dry place, such as in your home or in the garage. Higher temperatures, like those inside of a car or a car’s trunk, can cause germs like Salmonella bacteria to grow faster.

Do not use reusable grocery bags for other purposes. 

• Bags used for groceries should be used only for food. Don’t carry items such as baby bottles, toys, gym clothes, and other items in the same reusable bags that you take to the grocery store.

These simple steps will help you to reduce cross-contamination, and help keep you and your family safe from harmful bacteria.