While some people may think cotton and hemp are the ultimate in sustainable organic clothing, in fact there’s a plant that grows as much as two feet a day and regenerates on its own after harvest, without replanting: bamboo.

Photo courtesy of Padmakara at flikr.com.

It’s good for more than panda food: its fibers can be woven into a silky, soft cloth with natural wicking and anti-bacterial properties. Not only that, growing bamboo for cloth prevents deforestation, since it grows well in wooded areas and there’s no need to clear land for cultivation. It also requires little if any pesticides and insecticides.

Photo courtesy of *reesie at flikr.com.

Be aware, however, that few major retailers offer it yet: you’ll have to buy it online. Check our our supply of bamboo sheets to get your bamboo fashions started!

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If you’re just shifting over to organic gardening, or if you suspect your new garden plot has a history of excessive herbicide use, try the oats test before you plant your broadleaf organic crops.

Photo courtesy of Caaaait at flikr.com.

Put some of the topsoil in a four-inch pot and sow it with plain oats, which are sensitive to previous herbicide use. If nothing grows in a week, or if the seedlings come up stunted or burned-looking, you’ve got a problem.

You’ll need to grow several crops of an herbicide-compatible cover crop like Sudax, a sorghum/sudan grass hybrid, in order to cleanse the soil before you can plant your first successful crop of veggies.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Photo courtesy of iva_01 at flikr.com.

If there’s one thing that modern Americans absolutely require, it’s toilet paper — but whole forests are being destroyed to provide this and similar products, including facial tissues and paper towels. Not only that, they’re often bleached white using dangerous processes that can negatively impact the environment.

Aside from demanding that manufacturers stop using virgin forests to make throwaway products, you can get around the problem by looking for paper products made of post-consumer (recycled) materials. No we’re not talking about someone else’s used toilet paper, that’s just gross!

Replacing just one roll of virgin-fiber toilet paper with 100% recycled toilet paper in every American household could save almost 424,000 trees a year. For more statistics and lists of available recycled paper products by brand name, click here.

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A “catch crop” is something you plant to catch the attention of an agricultural pest; it operates on the principal of sacrificing part of your harvest to safeguard the rest.

Photo courtesy of Zixii
at flikr.com.

This method is most often used for insects, but it works well for deer, too. Try installing some trellises along the edges of your garden, and plant them with fast-growing, climbing species like cucumbers, peas, and pole beans.

Photo courtesy of Green Wellies at flikr.com.

The deer will take advantage of the free meal they can reach and leave the tasty stuff in the interior of the garden alone — assuming you set things up so that they can’t get inside easily.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Photo courtesy of mightycud at flikr.com.

Most of us would be happy to “go green” and do things to make our environment more sustainable, if only it weren’t so expensive and time-consuming.

Well, get this: it doesn’t have to be. For example, instead of using standard incandescent bulbs for your lighting, use efficient compact fluorescent bulbs instead. They may be more expensive in the short run, but in the long run they’ll save you money, because they last up to 15 times longer than incandescents and use far less energy. What that means is that you’ll save about $100 in electricity costs over the lifetime of each bulb.

Photo courtesy of ChaseKR at flikr.com.

Now multiply that by all the bulbs in your light fixtures and lamps, and you’ll quickly see why it’s worth the initial cost and effort.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Photo courtesy of Homegrown Evolution at Flickr.com.

The economy is pretty rough these days, and people are looking for ways to earn money on the side. The number of people working second or third jobs is on the rise due to the declining value of the US dollar and rising costs (health care, gas, and organic food prices have all gone up sharply).

Well, one way to find new ways to make money is to look at your hobbies and see if you can cash in on any of them. If you have a green thumb, have you considered starting an urban farm?

Before trading Bermuda grass for rows of Swiss Chard, there are a few things you might want to consider. First, find out what your neighbors and any local authorities have to say about the idea. Zoning rules and Home Owner Associations can be serious roadblocks.

Second, find out what grows well in your area. Check with local gardening clubs and test your soil to determine what you could produce with the least effort.

Then, go to your local market to research sale prices. LocalHarvest.org is a good place to find out what other farmers are growing, and you may be able to join the supplier network.

Finally, talk with your neighbors and other potential customers to find out which fruits and veggies are in demand. When you compare that list to the list of things that grow well and estimate your profit margins, you have the start of a business plan. If you can make money doing what you love, then do it!

Photo courtesy of donnee at Flickr.com.

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If you’ve got a minor infestation of lice on your plants, one way to get rid of it is with a foliar solution made from stinging nettles.

Photo courtesy of p212121 at flikr.com.

Wearing rubber gloves, gather a three-gallon bucket full of nettles that have yet to set seed, and steep them, covered, in water for 12-24 hours (rainwater works best). The solution then has to be used immediately, or it will lose its effectiveness.

Carefully transfer the solution into a spray bottle and apply it directly to the affected plants. Repeat the application for several days, and the problem should go away.

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First of all, Happy Earth Day! We hope you have done a little something to help the Earth today!

When we told you yesterday that we were giving away compost bins today, we weren’t kidding! We also weren’t kidding when we said that we would match every dollar donated to Trees for the Future, and we’re glad people here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area took us seriously!

Here are a few pics from today’s giveaway.

We started out with a little more than 60 compost bins!

There was a line of eager people ready to start composting before 11 a.m.

They put them in their cars anyway they could fit them! Luckily, these guys had a truck!

The compost bin is as big as she is!!

By noon, we were down to our last compost bin! Thanks to our blog and Craigslist, lots of people were ready for a great Earth Day!
Thanks to everyone who came out and supported our Earth Day giveaway. As promised, we matched every dollar that was donated. We also donated one tree per person that receives our e-mail newsletter. With donations alone, 4,800 trees will be planted, and with the newsletter 5,182 will be planted for a combined total of 9,982 trees!. We went ahead and rounded up our donation to get to an even 10,000 trees, since we were already so close. We called in the donation and made it over the phone this afternoon.

We are thrilled that people donated to such a great cause at the event. If you still want to donate money to Trees for the Future, you can visit their website or you can donate $1, $5, or $10 when you check out on our web site when you purchase something from Clean Air Gardening. And don’t forget, if you donate through us at checkout, we match that dollar amount, effectively doubling your impact.

Have a Happy Earth Day.

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Photo courtesy of woodleywonderworks at flickr.com

What are you doing for Earth Day?

If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, you should come by Clean Air Gardening for a real treat. We are so excited about Earth Day that we are giving away compost bins here at our warehouse!

We will be giving away 60 compost bins tomorrow to promote composting in our local North Texas area.

The compost bin we are giving away is a really great Gedye compost bin. These bins typically sell for $89, but for tomorrow only, they are free!

When do we start giving them away? Glad you asked.

We are giving them away from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. tomorrow. Only one bin per person. When we run out, unfortunately, the party’s over!

Want one? Better get there right at 11 a.m!

Free composters are great, but we want to make an even bigger impact for Earth Day than just getting 60 people to compost.

So here’s what else we’re doing:

Also on Earth Day, we will be accepting voluntary donations to Trees for the Future, a highly efficient non-profit organization that plants 10 trees for every $1 it receives.

For every dollar that we collect for Trees for the Future during the event, we will MATCH that amount, up to $5,000. That means that if someone gives $5, which typically plants 50 trees, they will be planting 100 trees after our match!

Trees for the Future is an agroforestry resource center helping people in developing countries improve their rural livelihoods through the introduction of environmentally sustainable land management projects focused on beneficial tree planting.

Most communities around the world recognize that they need to plant trees on their degraded lands if they are to improve their lives. Trees for the Future provides technical knowledge on agroforestry and sustainable development, along with planting materials so that communitites can return their degraded lands and struggling farms back to sustainable production.

We are thrilled about Earth Day, and hope you are, too. Even if you don’t live in our area, find something going on in your community and have a Happy Earth Day!

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Photo courtesy of Scramberlee at flikr.com.

While most of the gardening industry would have you think that the only good weed is a dead weed, don’t let yourself fall into that mindset — there are situations in which it’s best to leave unwanted plants alone rather than pull them or otherwise kill them.

Keep in mind, first of all, that some of the plants we call weeds aren’t necessarily harmful. In fact, some (like sow thistle and mallow) can draw nutrients to the surface, while others can serve as a catch crop for harmful insects; wild radish is a good example.

Photo courtesy of tigerweet at flikr.com.

Most importantly, don’t denude the soil just because it’s full of weeds, or otherwise you’ll suffer your own miniature version of the Dust Bowl and lose your topsoil the next time the wind blows.

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