No $ for Remodeling Kitchen; Reorganize Instead

A friend really wants to remodel his kitchen, however he doesn’t have the budget at the moment. Instead he is considering moving things around to spice it up a bit without a capital outlay. Over a mint tea we discussed ways to reorganize the kitchen, and make it more energy efficient at the same time.

On his countertop we noticed his toaster. He told me he uses it a lot since it is fast and convenient. I told him it also uses less energy than a conventional oven. I suggested moving it to an area on his counter top with more room. Allowing air to circulate around the appliance will enable it to operate more (energy) efficiently.

With the layout of his kitchen, I wondered if there was a different location for the refrigerator. His was next to his oven, which may seem practical when cooking, but wasn’t optimal for energy efficiency. Keeping the refrigerator at an efficient temperature (around 38 degrees Fahrenheit) takes energy. Thus, keeping the fridge away from heating vents and the oven, and out of direct sunlight is optimal.

While we were at it, we also double-checked to make sure the refrigerator and freezer doors closed properly and the door seals were tight to avoid air leakage. Keeping the doors securely closed and the temperature of the both the refrigerator and freezer (3 degrees Fahrenheit) at energy efficient levels will allow him to not waste electricity. This is important since nearly 15% of a typical household’s energy use comes from refrigerators.

We discussed other energy saving tips including running his dishwasher on the economy setting. This stops the heated dry cycle and would allow him to reduce electricity usage. Also avoiding the "rinse/hold" cycle for most washes is recommended to avoid using 3 to 7 gallons of hot water.

Moving things around will not only save my friend some energy, but money as well.

Tread Lighter with friends in the kitchen,

-Phyllis, Green Expert

Waiting for Apples

Apple picking time is just beginning here in Vermont. It's a time I look forward to with great anticipation every year, when I can sample delicious, locally-grown varieties that are rarely available at supermarkets. In this area, the first ones to ripen are 'Paula Red's, not the most memorable, but certainly a big improvement over the grocery store 'Red Delicious' that have been kept in storage for months. I also look for 'Duchess' apples, an early ripening antique variety with pale yellow skin and tender yellow flesh that is excellent in pies and crisps. Both of these ripen around the end of August.

A little bit later in the season I also bring home some 'Wealthy' apples, another antique variety with excellent flavor and fragrance that is great for fresh eating and, to make my pie-loving family happy, more pastries. A relatively new discovery for me is 'Fameuse' apples, ripening in mid to late September, with a spicy, cider-like flavor.

But really I've just been marking time, waiting for my absolute favorite eating apple to ripen in late September- the 'Macoun'. A cross between 'MacIntosh' and 'Jersey Black' apples, 'Macoun' is firm, crisp, juicy, aromatic and just plain wonderful. I pick bushels at my local orchard each fall and eat 'til I can hold no more. Because I've found that when this variety is stored later in the season, it goes from being ambrosial to merely very good- and I'm after ambrosial! Just as we need to wait until June for truly sweet strawberries and midsummer for an absolutely ripe tomato, so, too, do apples have their seasonal peak. And part of what makes their taste so special is the fleeting nature of the experience.

Being able to enjoy a diverse bounty of fruits and vegetables at the peak of ripeness is one of the best reasons I know for gardening. And even if, like me, you don't have the space to grow things like tree fruits, it's worth seeking out the farmers and orchardists who do grow unusual, locally adapted  varieties to expand you taste horizons and eating pleasure.

Susan-Lawn & Garden

 

Leaping into the Great Unknown

I was at my son’s tennis tournament today. He’s only a freshman, but he’s been practicing with the varsity team all season. After a series of big wins against the top JV players over the past few weeks, he played varsity today…and he got absolutely annihilated.

 

Watching his slow spiral into complete frustration, which led to more unforced errors and more frustration, which led to more unforced…you get the idea here…I was suddenly whisked back to my freshman year. I certainly did not play sports, but I was already well into my acting career. I was cast in the fall play, in a major role, as a freshman. I so clearly remember that phone call with the cast list and hearing my name and not hearing the names of upperclass actors whom I had watched perform during my junior high years. The thrill of getting to play with the “big kids.” The fear of getting to play with the “big kids.” It was a lot of pressure.

 

My son struggled through today’s game, but I know that he will never lose like that again. I’m not saying he won’t ever get totally taken by a better player than he is, but he will never again be the “new kid” who has to prove himself—both to his teammates and to himself. Now that he has taken the spot of some of the older players, he will find a way to comfortably fit into the niche and move forward.

 

Getting cast in that play was the beginning of my path to becoming a professional actor. It was a British comedy, and the sexual innuendos were not only rife but also totally over my head. It didn’t matter—I had made the leap into the “grown-up” world, and I never looked back. My son won’t either.

 

Baptism by fire is not always easy and often not pretty—mistakes are made, inadequacies are exposed, and endurance is tested. But if you can survive, they are also enormous turning points. I saw that in my son today. He entered that court not really knowing what to expect. He may not have thrived, but he did survive, and that’s one of the first major steps to really growing up.

 

 

That Old Mattress

The average life span of a mattress is 10 years. 

Buying a new mattress is as easy as picking up the phone, but getting rid of the old one. That isn’t so easy. 

Mattresses take up large parts of our already crowded landfills. The Ohio Mattress Recovering and Recycling organization reports that since mattresses are 400% less compactable than normal garbage, they take up a great deal of space. How much space? By recycling mattresses, Ohio Mattress Recovery and Recycling reports that we can save 28 cubic feet of landfill space. 

In addition, most mattresses are made with toxic chemicals that can leach into groundwater from the landfill. To avoid flame retardants and other poisons seeping into our drinking water, consider renewing and recycling that mattress instead. 

How? 

If they are in good condition, pass it on to someone who needs it. Share the news with friends and relatives that you have a good condition mattress available. You can also post a photo and description of the mattress you want to give away on Craigslist.org or Freecycle.org. 

Unfortunately, it is challenging for many charitable organizations to take a used mattress or box spring donations because by law mattresses must be sanitized and wrapped in order to be resold. It still might be worth a call to your local Goodwill, shelters, community organizations, Salvation Army and other agencies to see their criteria for mattress donations. 

Ones that have seen better days should be recycled. Companies like the Ohio Mattress Recovering and Recycling deconstructs the mattresses and then donates the byproducts to charitable organizations or recycles them. For example, the wood is used as a biomass fuel product to make recycled furniture, shredded for landscape use, and grinded to be donated to local zoos to be used for animal bedding. The steel is sent to a metals recycler, and the cotton goes to a textile recycler. 

Responsibly recycling or renewing an old mattress is worth the effort. 

Tread Lighter recycling or reusing your mattress, 

-Phyllis, Green Expert

 

Fall Tree and Shrub Planting

As the weather begins to cool with the coming of fall, plants in the garden often start to perk up as the stress of hot temperatures eases. Early blooming flowers may put out a second flush of blossoms, lawns begin to make some new growth and fall lettuces and greens fill out in the vegetable garden. Gardeners themselves also get a second wind in the pleasant weather and often their thoughts turn to planting trees and shrubs. It can be a good time to pick up end-of-the-season bargains at nurseries and garden centers. Good for your pocketbook, perhaps- but is it a good time for these plants to go in the ground?

In most cases, the answer is yes. In many parts of the country, the moderating air temperatures and increased rainfall make the autumn months a good time for newly-planted trees and shrubs to get established. And unlike in spring, the soil in late summer and early fall is nice and warm, encouraging good root growth. Even as the soil temperature cools and the top growth of trees and shrubs slows or stops, the roots of most woody plants will continue to put out new growth far into fall.

For the most successful fall tree planting, here are a few things to keep in mind. First, look over plants carefully before you buy or plant. Trees and shrubs on sale in the fall may have sat in the sales yard for many weeks- or more- so check to see that the root system still looks healthy. If the rootball of a container or balled-and-burlapped plant is a mass of encircling roots, be sure to tease out these roots with your fingers or a hand garden fork so that they'll grow out into the soil, not continue to circle around. You may need to make some inch deep cuts vertically in the sides of container rootballs and in an X-shape on the bottom to encourage matted roots to make new growth out into the soil.

Many kinds of trees will do well when planted in the fall, including maple, linden, ash, honeylocust, crabapple, pine and spruce; most deciduous shrubs are good candidates as well. Conifers such as spruce and pine do best if they are planted early in the fall, when soil temperatures are higher, giving them a little more time to get established before cold weather comes. A few species, especially those with fleshy root systems that are slow to establish, do better with spring planting. These include magnolia and tulip trees, along with firs, birches and oaks. Evergreen shrubs such as rhododendron and yew also prefer spring planting. That said, I've seen many of the plants that are recommended for spring planting do fine when planted in early fall, as long as they receive good care afterwards. So if the price is right, you may decide to give them a try.

How to help your fall planted trees and shrubs get off to a good start? Keeping them watered until the ground freezes or the weather is really cold is key. Although fall weather is often wetter in many parts of the country, you can't always rely on Mother Nature alone. So give your newly planted trees and shrubs regular drinks throughout the fall. In fact, especially for evergreen trees and shrubs, it's a good idea to give even established plants a good soaking in late fall so they are well-hydrated going into winter.

The thin bark of young trees is susceptible to winter injury from sunscald and frost cracking, so it's a good idea to enclose the trunk with tree wrap tape or spiral plastic protectors for the first few winters after planting. Put the protection in place in late fall, then remove it in the spring. Young trees, especially crabapples and fruit trees, make tasty winter snacking for field mice, voles and rabbits. Enclose the trunks in cylindrical cages made of wire hardware cloth; insert the bottoms a few inches into the soil and extend them high enough to keep rabbits from feeding above snow level if these animals are pests in your area.

Susan- Lawn & Garden

Energy Savings – What Matters?

Homeowners looking to save energy have many options.  Between state energy agencies, non-profit groups, and utilities, many people can identify quite a few energy saving actions without much trouble. But can we identify the most important actions or separate nice ideas from real energy savings?  Not really, according to a New York Times report on a study examining citizens’ perceptions of energy savings in and around the home. 

The study found that many people prioritized “curtailment” activities, such as turning off lights or taking shorter showers, over purchasing efficient appliances or replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents or light emitting diodes.  Equipment replacement saves more energy (and money) over the long run but does require some up front investment. 

The authors of the study speculated that people might favor small behavior changes over replacing appliances because new equipment requires money and time for research.  I think that is true but awareness campaigns aimed at the public may also be at fault.  In an effort to help people take actions within their control, many of these well-intentioned efforts may focus too much on small activities. 

There are resources out there for us when we need to replace our appliances with new, efficient models.  The US Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and Manage My Life, among others, can all point us toward better performing equipment that will save us energy and money in the long run.

-Chris, Green

Bulbs for Fall Blooms

 

I often get caught up in thinking of autumn only as bulb planting time, not bulb blooming time. But, even as I'm seduced by all the lovely catalog photos of tulips and daffodils, I try to remember to put some of the fall flowering bulbs on my shopping list as well.

Where I garden in Vermont, colchicums (pictured) are a good choice. Sometimes called meadow saffron or, mistakenly, autumn crocuses, these hardy (Zones 4-9) corms are actually members of the lily family.Their leaves, which look somewhat like hosta leaves, emerge in the spring, then die back. In late August and September, the cup-shaped flowers pop up on naked stems, gracing the garden with their blossoms in shades of pink, purple and white. Unlike spring-flowering crocuses that seem to grow, in my garden at any rate, only to feed the rabbits, these plants are poisonous, so critters avoid them. Some folks are sensitive to the compounds in the corms, so it's a good idea to wear gloves when you handle them. 

There are several different species available. Colchicum autumnale 'Pleniflorum' has striking, double, rosy-pink flowers on 4 to 6 inch high plants in late fall, C. byzantinum blooms a little earlier with lilac flowers and C. speciosum bears 8 to 10 inch tall, tulip-shaped reddish-violet flowers in mid-fall. Plant corms with their tops 2 to 3 inches below the soil surface, 6 to 9 inches apart as soon as you purchase them, in full sun to part shade and well-drained soil. The most difficult part of growing colchicums is selecting a spot where their spring foliage won't be an eyesore as it dies back and the flowers will be visible in the fall. My solution is to plant them among the hardy geranium 'Rozanne,' which fills in to hide the fading colchicum foliage in late spring, but which is itself ready for a hard cutting back to its clump of new basal foliage by late summer, letting the colchicums take the spotlight.

I also like to plant some true fall crocuses. The lovely white Crocus specious 'Alba' is one of the hardiest and sports white flowers with a yellow heart in early fall on 2 to 5 inch tall plants. I plant mine in a bed of variegated periwinkle, whose white-edged leaves echo the color of the crocus blossoms. There are a number of other crocus species that bloom in fall; many do best in Zone 5 or warmer. Like the colchicums, fall crocuses should go in the ground as soon as you buy them.

Susan- Lawn & Garden

Another Home Energy Management Pilot

GE is working with the US Department of Energy to outfit selected home in Arizona and California with energy efficiency appliances, solar panels, and GE’s “Nucleus” home energy tracking system.  The pilot project will assess reductions in electricity use.  GE believes participants can realize a 70% reduction in electricity purchased from their utility - 30% from better management and 40% from on-site solar generation – saving the average homeowner $850 per year. 

I think there is real potential for environmental improvement and saving money in Smart Grid pilot projects but I wonder if consumers will be as responsive to additional information on their energy use as some proponents speculate.  The cumulative savings are great and even individual families can save hundreds of dollars per year, particularly if states implement time-of-use pricing programs, but those savings require daily attention in the absence of smart meters and appliances. 

As with any change to pricing and rates, there will be some individual winners and losers even if we all collectively win.  At the state level, Public Utility Commissions, whose primary responsibility is keeping electric rates low for consumers, are hesitant to move toward smart meters and real-time pricing if it means real increases for some consumers.  Or even perceived consumer cost increases.

People are quiet around here but I’d like to hear what you think.  Without a strong price signal, would a cool home dashboard and related apps for your smart phone compel you to better manage your energy?  Would you be open to electricity price changes if you may end up paying more, based on your usage?

-Chris, Green

City Folks Repurposing Their Organic Waste

We visited with some friends in the city last week and had some good laughs on their terrace. While standing around chatting outside, we got a ‘tour’ of their urban garden. They were growing herbs and tomatoes outside on the terrace and it was extra special amongst the concrete around them. They took the urban gardening one step further to become urban composters.

While pruning and picking they realized there was a fair amount of wasted leaves, stems, etc. so our friends started a compost pile right there on their tiny terrace. Once they started on the terrace, they realized the ease and benefits and started composting kitchen scraps and other compostable matter from around their apartment as well.

They were a bit concerned about the small animals and critters that might want to get their hands on all of this delicacy known as garbage.  So they decided to store their food waste compost in a sealed plastic container (take out food container) in their refrigerator. They combine the food waste and the terrace garden waste once a week and bring it to a community compost collection center near their apartment.

New Yorkers try the Lower East Side Ecology Center. For the rest of us, look for a community compost center near you by checking with www.Earth911.com.

Not sure of what to compost? Think green and brown. For example, kitchen greens such as fruit and vegi scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, egg shells, rice and pasta as well as clippings from plants. Kitchen browns include dryer lint (finally a use for this), hair, paper napkins or towels, stale bread, and coffee filters.  Garden greens such as flowers, plant trimmings work as well.

Keep all animal by products such as meat, dairy products, fish or bones, sauces, pet waste, diseased plants, oils or fats, coals and ashes out of the compost.

 Tread lighter Urban Composters,

-Phyllis, Green Expert

 

Fall Soil Building

Want to make your gardening efforts next spring more successful? Spend a little time improving your soil this fall and you'll reap the rewards in next year's gardens. The best place to start is with a soil test. Most state Cooperative Extension Services offer testing at a reasonable price. There are also private labs to which you can send samples or home soil test kits available at garden stores. I always like to test the soil if I am starting a new garden; after that, I usually test every 3 to 5 years unless the growth of plants in a particular garden or lawn indicates something is amiss.

A soil test tells me the pH, or acidity or alkalinity, of the soil. Most vegetables do fine if the pH is between 6.0 and 7.0, lawn grasses between 6.0 and 7.5. Where I live in Vermont with its plentiful rainfall, soils tend to be on the acid side. So if my soil test shows the pH beginning to get low or more acid, I add lime to boost the pH up to the levels that the plants I'm growing prefer. Lime works rather slowly in the soil, so adding it now gives it time to take effect in the soil over the fall and winter moths, changing pH levels by spring planting and growing time. Gardeners whose soils are too alkaline, more common in arid Western states, can add garden sulfur to the soil to bring the soil pH down to appropriate levels.

Testing will also let you know if there are fertility problems you should address. A soil test will tell you if your soil is deficient in the nutrients phosphorous or potassium. To bolster levels of these nutrients in my gardens, I prefer to use natural sources such as rock phosphate and greensand. Like lime, these act slowly, so incorporating them in the fall gives them time to work in the soil.

And finally, fall is a great time to add organic matter to your soil. Amendments such as compost, manure and chopped leaves will all have time to break down into soil-enriching humus over the winter. And it's easy to spread a 2 to 3 inch thick layer over the entire garden after plants have been harvested or are dormant. You can even spread a thin layer of compost over your lawn, raking it in lightly. A lush lawn the following spring will be evidence of the healthy soil this will encourage.

Susan- Lawn & Garden