5 Things You Need For a Successful Garden

I received products to review. No other compensation was given. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

It is Spring! That means it is time to get those gardens growing. Here in Minnesota we have to wait a few more weeks to really feel safe about it not frosting overnight, but we have already started our planting indoors. If you are on the fence about whether you want to put the effort in, here are five benefits of gardening you may not know!

This is our 5th year having a home garden, and we have learned a lot along the way. Let me share with you a few tips and a few products that will help you to have your best garden yet!

1. First of all, you need somewhere to plant. Maybe you do not have a big backyard. That is okay. You can still garden. I love using the Big Bag Bed when I run out of room in my garden space or if I just want raised beds. The Big Bag Beds make raised bed gardening so easy! Just unfold the bed, fill it with soil and plant—no construction is necessary. 

They are made of a porous fabric which is great for keeping your plants at the perfect temperature - warming in spring and releasing excess heat in summer. They are durable and weatherproof, lasting for years and providing many seasons of delicious produce, herbs, or beautiful flowers. We are currently using our Big Bag Beds for herbs: cilantro, chives, basil. One more tip: these are also great to put any place where you want to mat down your grass and not have to cut it.

The circular Big Bag Bed is available in three sizes: Original, Junior and Mini. We keep our smallest one right on our deck, so I can go pick fresh herbs anytime of the day to use in my cooking. Everyone can garden with Big Bag Beds. You will love them! Prices for the award-winning Big Bag Beds range from $14.95 to $48.95 depending on size and color. For more information got to www.bigbagbed.com.

2. Next, it is time to start planting your seeds. Like I said before, we have to wait until the end of May to get our outdoor garden all planted, because of the chance of frost. But, you can always start plants growing inside. I love using Botanical Interests’ Recycled Paperboard Pots to plant early inside. They are made from 100% recycled, food‑grade paperboard, using low-water and low‑energy methods. 

Simply “pop” open the small paperboard pot, fill it with soil and plant your favorite seed variety. We planted our tomatoes and squash early in these, since they take a longer time to grow. I love that the pots have a perforated bottom that tears away easily, allowing you to place the entire pot in the ground, minimizing root disturbance when transplanting seedlings. Then, the remaining paperboard breaks down in the garden soil or compost pile. Genius, right? Find these awesome paperboard pots in packs of six for $2.99 at local garden centers and on their website.

3. It is time to fertilize! Most of the time our backyard soil is not the best to grow a successful garden with. We have dealt with really sandy soil, dry, with not enough nutrients. We have used our compost over the years to try to make our soil healthier. It has made a difference, but if you want really healthy plants, sometimes you need more. This year, we are trying Worm Power, a premium-quality organic fertilizer made by millions of earthworms. Worm Power Organic Plant Food increases soil fertility and improves plant vigor, root growth and nutrient availability. We have been having trouble with our tomatoes the last couple of years, and I have high hopes that this is going to help!

You can add Worm Power fertilizer to your outdoor garden, and I think it works especially well added to old potting soils to revitalize the tired, depleted soil. It works naturally and effectively on vegetables, flowers, fruit trees, grape vines and house plants. We are even adding it to our rhubarb, little apple tree, and blackberry bush. It is safe, easy to use, and will make a difference in your soil. In fact, Worm Power delivers a guaranteed NPK analysis of 1.5 - 0.7 - 1.5, plus abundant micronutrients and a robust community of beneficial soil microorganisms. To give you an idea of how much you need - one pound of Worm Power fertilizes up to 16 transplants and can be mixed with potting mix at a 10-15% ratio. Find it in 1-pound, 3-pound and 15-pound packages for $6.95 to $29.95 from Harris Seeds.

4. Garden without all the hassle. I cannot tell you how many times I go out to garden in my sandals, only to find, when I am done, that my feet are now black with dirt. Instead of having to use a hose and clean my feet off outside, it is so much easier to have garden-friendly shoes to wear for gardening or playing outside with my kids. Sloggers are the perfect waterproof shoes and boots, and they are super cute too!

I love how easy these are to slip on, and yet they still keep your whole foot clean. They have deep treads to help you move around without slipping on mud or wet grass. I also love the tall boots, which are perfect for puddle-jumping with the kids, walks in the rain, or slogging around your muddy garden.

They are both very comfortable! The best part is that cleaning them is super easy - just hose them off! I also love that the sole contains up to 50% recycled material. When you’re finished with your shoes or boots you can send them back to Sloggers and the company will recycle them in the making of a new pair. I only wish all shoe companies offered this!

Women’s shoes and boots are available in full sizes 6-10. (Half sizes should round up and order a pair of “Half-Sizer Cut-to-Fit Insoles” to make any Sloggers^® boot or shoe ½ size smaller.) You will love all the fun styles and patterns you can choose from. I personally love the polka dots, zebra print, and houndstooth patterns. These awesome Garden Shoes sell for $34.99 and boots sell for $39.99 in garden stores and on their website.  

5. When you have your awesome garden planted and growing, you need to be prepared for pests! Our biggest pests are bunnies and hungry deer. While I love the wildlife coming to visit us, I do not like how they destroy my garden. Last year, they ate my cucumbers, squash, apple tree blossoms, and peas. Not this year!! I am ready. I have Summit Deer Ban repellent capsules to keep those deer, and maybe even the rabbits, away!

No worries! These are very simple to use. Just set out the capsules on the ground every 10 to 20 feet around the plants you want to protect. Then water the capsules to release the active ingredient for up to 90 days of protection. When activated by water, the polymer gel releases the scent of predator urine, which keeps deer away. The scent is odorless to humans, and your hands never touch the active ingredient. There’s no messy spraying, and no mixing or measuring. Since the active ingredient is activated by water, you do not have to worry about it washing away in the water. Find Summit Deer Ban in packages of 20, 50 and 150 capsules at fine garden centers and on their website.

Now that you have some great gardening tips and products that will help your garden succeed, it is time to get outside and grow your own food and flowers. There is nothing like working hard in your garden and then reaping the benefits!

7 Ways To Celebrate Earth Day Every Day!

I was provided with product to try out. I am an independent Shaklee distributor who loves their products and cannot help but recommend them to others. No other compensation was given. All opinions are 100% my own.

Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd, but I think we should all get started celebrating today and keep celebrating all year round! After all, keeping the Earth healthy and clean has to start with each of us making habits that preserve this great planet we live on!

Here are 7 very easy ways to do just that (and save yourself quite a bit of money):

1. Start replacing plastic with other things! Get a few cloth bags to use instead of wasting grocery bag after grocery bag. Use a BPA-free reusable water bottle instead of buying bottle after bottle of water. Money saved! Happy Earth!

2. Start using concentrated, naturally safe cleaning products in your home. Did you know you are not supposed to throw conventional cleaning products away in your garbage? You need to find a TOXIC WASTE site! Why would you want to use something so dangerous in your home? About 7 years ago, we switched out all of our cleaning products for Shaklee's Get Clean products. These products are not only safe and natural, but they are going to save you tons of money!

For instance, Shaklee's Basic H2 organic super concentrated cleaner, which my family has been using for over 4 generations, will literally save your family THOUSANDS of dollars over traditional cleaners AND any other “Green” cleaners available. For instance, one bottle of Basic H2 equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz. Windex, and its not as dangerous to your health as Windex is. It works as well and even better than the other cleaners on the market (traditional and “green”). And yes, there are clinical studies to prove this.

Here are a few of the ways you can use the Basic H2:
I use it to wash my fruits and vegetables (it is that safe) but I also use it to clean my hardwood floors,
clean my tile floors, clean my vinyl floors, use it on my garden as a safe alternative to pesticide, use it to run moles/voles out of my yard, my husband uses it to shave, clean my wood cabinets, dust all my furniture, clean my kitchen counters, remove spots from our carpet, clean my bathroom, use as a mosquito repellant, use it to soothe and treat burns and many other uses!

3. Think about where your fish comes from. I am a huge advocate for eating healthy fish, like Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies, even responsibly caught tuna. While a great source of lean protein, Omega 3 and other vitamins and minerals, some fish also have high mercury levels, and if eaten often enough can cause a mercury build up in the body leading to unwanted side effects. One type of fish with potentially high mercury levels that has been an American favorite for generations is canned tuna. We love tuna in our house, but have cut it out for so long, because I wanted to stay away from mercury, BPA laden cans, and did not approve of the fishing methods that are often used.

Now, for the first time, Safe Catch is a new company that is the only 100% mercury tested tuna on the market and it is also cooked using a unique method that seals in more Omega 3s than other brands. Their tuna is traceable from sea to table, and they buy from captains whose catch methods minimize environmental impact. They are very passionate about keeping oceans pure and protecting our Earth. You can pre-order your Safe Catch tuna today!

4. Reduce your disposable tableware use or replace it with sustainable products. Although I do not use disposable plates and cups often, I know there is a time and place when they save you a LOT of time and hassle. You will save a lot of waste if you only use them during those occasions. Plus, what if you could use guilt-free tableware made from plants? I love the whole Repurpose line of innovative, green, single-serve tableware made exclusively from plants.

Their cups, bowls, plates, forks, spoons and knives are made from corn, sugar and bamboo, all of which are annually-renewable resources. They are also BPA-free, chlorine-free, petroleum-free and use only soy-based inks. And unlike traditional plastic or even paper items, all Repurpose products are 100% compostable in an industrial composter. Yay! Plus, Repurpose products are not flimsy or easy breakable. They are high quality products that get the job done!

5. Lower your electricity bill. Turn down your heat in the winter just a few degrees and add a layer of clothing. No, you will not die a frozen Popsicle. In the summer, open the windows and try to save the air conditioning for when it is really, really hot. Turn off all lights in the rooms you are not using. These are all great habits to get started today!

6. Pick up trash that you see on neighborhood walks. Too gross for you? If you can pick up your pets poo, then you can pick up an empty bottle, can and other trash that is polluting our world and could be causing harm to the animals. It just takes a second, but has a great impact.

7. Make a difference with your purchases. When you are shopping at the store, the choices you make and how you spend your money makes a difference! The more healthy, sustainable food and products you buy, the more will be made. We can transform what companies make by what we buy! One company that walks a green walk is Annie’s. In fact, they have purchased 42 Million pounds of organic ingredients, have reforested 296 Acres of degraded land with NativeEnergy via the Oka Trees of Hope Project. Plus, more than 90% of Annie’s packaging (by weight) is recyclable and $459K will be donated this year to organizations supporting a sustainable food system. My favorite organic product is their Annie’s Organic Grass Fed Mac & Cheese - which is made with 100% real cheese from grass fed cows. Awesome!

Enjoy your Earth day, making small changes that will have a BIG impact on our planet!

Earth Day Tip #9

There are some seriously disturbing statistics out there when it comes to plastic bag waste. Here are just a few:

• About 1 million plastic bags are used every minute.
• A single plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
• More than 3.5 million tons of plastic bags, sacks and wraps were discarded in 2008.
• The U.S. goes through 100 billion single-use plastic bags. This costs retailers about $4 billion a year.
• Plastic bags are the second-most common type of ocean refuse, after cigarette butts (2008)
• Plastic bags remain toxic even after they break down.
• Every square mile of ocean has about 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in it.

 
 Super Icky!!

I don't know about you, but when I heard those statistics, I knew that this was one area I could easily help with. You can too!

Use reusable bags when you are shopping. I don't just mean grocery shopping either, although that is a great first step. But, how about bringing your own bag when shopping for school supplies, clothes, and other fun stuff?

Take it one step further and refuse to use those little plastic baggies for your veggies and fruit. I haven't used one in years! If you can't quite let go of that habit yet, at least reuse your little baggies for produce.

Have fun finding cute and fashionable reusable bags! There are tons of great ones out there or decorate your own with your family.  Make a difference today!