Author Archive: Ruth Collins

Things That Can Help You With Organic Gardening

September 12, 2019

Growing your own organic fruits and vegetables is a great way to save money and adopt a healthier diet, but it also requires efforts from you. You also have a large variety of seeds you can choose from as well. With the following steps, you can make sure that you get exactly what you need for your organic garden to grow properly.

Let your children be involved in your organic gardening efforts. Growing a garden is a great way to teach your children about nature while allowing you to have time to bond with them.

Using aspirin water will help your plants fight diseases. You will need 2 gallons of water and one and one half aspirin mixed together for a wonderful add-on to your plants. You simply have to spray the solution on your plants to assist them in warding off diseases. Try to apply the mixture to the plants at least once in each three week period.

Having a garden of perennials can be an easy and quick process. Use a spade to dig up some soil, flip the soil over, and finally, sprinkle around 3-4 inches of wood chips on the soil. Let the area have about two weeks, then dig it and plan the new perennials.

After your seeds sprout, the containers do not need to stay as warm as they once did. As your baby plants grow, you can move them from their heat source. You must also take away plastic films from your containers in order to keep the warmth and humidity out. Check on your seeds periodically to make sure you know when to remove the films.

Have plastic bags on hand so that you may cover your muddy gardening shoes. This keeps your flow going, so you can get back out to the garden quickly and finish your work.

Organic Garden

You should now realize how important an organic garden is for your health. You need to know what vegetables are essential for your overall health and how to grow them properly. Applying the advice of this article will hopefully help you cultivate a successful organic garden to fortify the healthy diet of your family.

Community Development

Landscaping Tips For The Perfect Outdoor Oasis

September 11, 2019

Proper landscaping can have a dramatic effect on the appearance of your home. Not every landscaping plan suits every space, though. It is vital you research different landscaping techniques as well as different strategies. The following article offers landscaping tips and suggestions that will help you have a more beautiful home than you thought was possible.

Before you take on your next landscaping idea, think about sketching out just how you envision the final product. This drawing can help you figure out what the final result will look like and start listing what kind of materials you need. It is a lot easier to fix your sketch than it would be to adjust the yard.

It is very difficult to landscape your whole residence all at once. Instead, try to divide the job into smaller projects, which will be easier for you and a bit less expensive as well. It can also assist you in changing your design while carrying out in the process of landscaping.

Choose plants wisely since they can affect the outcome of your landscape project. You want to avoid things like putting plants that need lots of sunlight in a shady area. Don’t plant a tree in an area that offers little room for it to grow. Take the time to ensure your plants can thrive in their new home.

Landscaping is more than just planting flowers, grasses and trees. Including wood, iron or cement structures in your landscaping design can add both substance and texture. Archways, birdbaths, decks and pergolas create complex and attractive looks. These elements can be in various price ranges that can suit most budgets.

Save on materials by buying them at the right times. Winter can be the best time to purchase lumber while mulch, trees and plants may be cheaper at the end of the season. When new plants are introduced to the market, wait a year or two for their prices to fall before purchasing them.

As previously mentioned, landscaping is critical when it comes to your home’s appearance. Landscaping your yard property may not be easy, but it can be done with some knowledge and effort on your part. Pay close attention to the tips found here in order to be the best landscaper possible.

Community Development

SBA Resources for Women-Owned Businesses

September 10, 2019

The Small Business Administration has a variety of offerings to assist woman entrepreneurs start and grow and their business endeavors. This latest video provides an in introduction to how the SBA can help you.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.

Community Development

Shopping for a Mortgage

September 10, 2019

Shopping for a mortgage can be a very daunting task. Because of this many people will skip this step entirely. That could end up being a big mistake though.

This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.

Community Development

Great Tips For Having A Beautiful Landscape At Your Home

September 10, 2019

Creating the yard or garden of your dreams is not all that difficult. To start, gather information regarding landscaping basics. The information in this article will help you get that much needed knowledge for you to begin creating a beautiful yard.

Native Plants

When planning your landscape incorporate native plants and shrubs into your design. When you landscape your garden, try using trees flowers and shrubs that you would find locally. Native plants are designed to withstand, and even thrive, in the soil and weather conditions of the region.

A drip style irrigation system is a great addition for your yard. These highly-efficient systems are easily installed by the layman, and provide a continuous drip of water. You also save money on water as it’s all being used by the plants, none will run off or be evaporated by the sun.

Do not sacrifice quality for the sake of savings. In most home-improvement stores, you will usually find reduced and low-quality products. For the best products and advice, shop at a garden or landscaping store. You may pay slightly more at these stores, but in the long run the products and help you get will be worth it.

Many people don’t think about online shopping regarding landscaping. Not only is it more convenient to shop online, but you can often find rare and unique plants for your landscaping designs that are not available locally.

Take the time to talk with fellow gardeners or professions before you embark on a landscaping project. Although they need not take part in the whole project, paying a little money up front for their advice may mean the difference between a stress free project and one that is fraught with mistakes. Especially if you are inexperienced, you should consider this step.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to pay a landscaper or designer to do your landscaping projects. This will result in you investing a lot of money. However, it might be a good idea to consult with a professional so you can figure out what is wrong and right about your plan.

Before going to the local lawn and garden store to pick up landscaping materials, you should get the correct measurements of the area you plan on working in. This makes it much easier to determine how much of each item you actually need. Making the effort up front to note these details can save you money and time in the long run.

If you have always wanted to get started on landscaping your yard, this article can help you get started. Choose a few tips from this article to begin the transformation of your current yard to the one you dream of.

Community Development

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Historically Underutilized Business Zones

September 9, 2019

The Small Business Administration has established the Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) Empowerment Contracting Program wherein they aim to provide federal contracting assistance to eligible small business corporations which are located in underutilized business zones so as to improve their employment opportunities, investments, and their area’s economic development. The Small Business Administration will identify which businesses are eligible to receive HUBZone contracts and will then maintain a list of qualified HUBZone small businesses which federal agencies can then use to locate them.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.

Community Development

Different Green Energy Sources And Their Benefits To You And Mother Earth

September 9, 2019

While it might seem difficult to incorporate green energy into your everyday life, it’s really not that hard. No matter how small the changes you make are, they will quickly add up to something big to help the environment. In the following paragraphs, you’ll find tips that will help you switch to sources of green energy.

Energy Efficient

Solar water heaters are a great option and can significantly decrease the cost involved with heating all of the water in your home. Using natural gas and electricity is certainly the norm, but it’s not very energy efficient. By contrast, solar energy is very efficient, and it keeps water temperatures steady just as well as traditional heating methods. In the United States there are many tax deductions for energy efficient green products.

Are you a farmer? If you do, or if you are aware of someone that does, you may be able to rent some of the property to a local energy company that will install a type of wind turbine. This installation will provide energy while taking little space and it will provide energy to you and perhaps your neighbors.

Whenever possible, you should use cold water to wash your clothes. Almost 90% of energy used for doing laundry is due to heating the water. Good detergents wash clothes even in cold water. Additionally, always wash with a full load of laundry, as this helps to lower the amount of energy you use.

During the summer months, think about using the heat from the sun to dry your clothes instead of utilizing a dryer. As well as drying your clothes, the sun can also help your clothes smell nice. Laundry will smell fresher and cleaner, much more so than when they were in the dryer. You will also have lower utility bills.

Do maintenance on your fridge to save money. Your fridge consumes a ton of energy, so make sure it’s in good shape. Use your duster to clean around your heating coils on a regular basis. In addition, be sure your door seal is tight and clean.

Green Energy

Embracing green energy isn’t as hard as you might think. As you have read in the article above, there are many, easy ways to change your life and become a greener person. Start with of few of these simple tips today. It often does not take a great deal of work to incorporate green energy tips into your life. The results can be surprising.

Community Development

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Why Home Gardening For Your Family Is A Healthy Choice

September 8, 2019

Anyone can enjoy the relaxing activity of organic gardening. A beginning organic gardener may find the prospect of getting started to be rather daunting. The question is, what can a beginner do to become knowledgeable on organic gardening? Well, read the following tips.

Choose the varieties of plants that will produce a higher yield. Normally, hybrid plants that are disease-resistant and cold-tolerant have a greater yield than traditional varieties.

If you want to keep your garden free of pests, start with healthy soil! Healthy and well-nourished plants will be hardier and therefore better able to prevent pests from taking hold. Use a high-quality organic soil and as few chemicals as possible.

Kill Weeds

Pull all the weeds in your garden. Weeds can truly ruin a good garden. White vinegar has been known to kill weeds quickly. Use it instead of chemical solutions to kill weeds. Spray white vinegar onto those troubling weeds.

Use fertilizer for maximum planting success. Choose commercial compost instead of homegrown manure to keep toxins out of your plants. Choosing a specific type of fertilizer is not particularly critical; as long as you’re using fertilizer, you’re improving your soil.

When deciding on which plants to include in your landscaping projects, consider evergreens which produce colorful berries. These plants will look good year-round, even during the winter, when your other plants have lost their bloom. These plants can help you get some color during the winter months: Winterberry, Common Snowberry, American Holly, and American Cranberrybush.

There is always a best time to pick your garden’s vegetables, and you should know them. Every vegetable has a proper time to be picked in order to capture the perfect flavor. For instance, zucchini and baby peas have the best taste when you pick them early. Tomatoes, though, are tastiest when they have been allowed to ripen on the vine as long as possible. Remember that the vegetables will taste best if you harvest them at the proper time.

Now you should be able to see why organic horticulture can be such an enjoyable activity to participate in. Having a properly grown garden can be fun and relaxing. Remember these tips to grow the perfect organic garden.

Community Development

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From Idea to Business – SCORE Success Story

September 7, 2019

Learn how with the assistance of a SCORE mentor, this woman turned her wall art idea into a viable business.

This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.

Community Development