Author Archive: Ruth Collins

Growing Your Garden In Many Types Of Areas

May 21, 2019

With a push to eat healthier and to save money at the grocery store, many people are turning to organic horticulture to meet their needs. By using the right tips for the job, anyone can go from knowing little about organic horticulture to developing a reliable green thumb. Use what you read and get down to work!

Having healthy soil in your garden will help your plants avoid insect pests. 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.

Baking Soda

If you start to notice some powdery mildew growing on your plants, there is no need to waste money on expensive chemicals. Instead, combine baking soda with water and liquid soap. Once every week, you should spray the mixture on your plants; the mildew will disappear shortly thereafter. Do not worry about your plants; the baking soda cannot harm them.

Cover any wall or fence with climbers. Climbing plants are extremely versatile, helping to hide an ugly fence or wall, often within one growing season. It is possible to get them to grow in conjunction with trees and bushes already on the premises, or train them to drape over arbors. Some types of climbers support themselves naturally through twining stems or tendrils, but others will have to be attached to something. Trusted variations of climbers are honeysuckle, jasmine, clematis, wisteria and climbing roses.

Vegetables should be planted in an area where they will get a minimum of six hours of daily sunlight. Many of the vegetables need a lot of sun, so they can grow right and at a faster pace. This is true of some flowers.

Try dividing the irises. Take clumps that have become overgrown and divvy them up into separate plants. When the foliage dies, take the bulbous irises and lift them. The bulbs should split naturally, and the replanted bulbs will usually flower within a year. Split rhizomes with a knife. Discard the center and cut pieces from the exterior. Each piece must have a minimum of one strong offshoot. Immediately replant all your selected cuttings.

As you have learned before, getting your organic garden perfected just takes a little bit of time and patience. The next time your are working in your garden, see if there may be an opportunity to test a few of these tips. Regardless of what specific insights you choose to apply, they’ll help you successfully grow whatever you choose to plant.

Community Development

,

Small Business – Doing Business with HUD

May 21, 2019

This Outreach session will provide guidance on how to do business with HUD, best ways for marketing your business to HUD, and the type of services and products HUD buys.

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.

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

Community Development

SCORE Services to Small Business – An Introduction

May 21, 2019

In an excerpt from a 2010 interview the SCORE CEO discusses its counseling and workshops offerings to small businesses.

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

Taking Out A Home Mortgage? Read These Tips First!

May 20, 2019

Are you afraid you can’t afford a mortgage? Are you unfamiliar with home mortgages? Whatever the reason you found this article, everyone can use these tips to increase their understanding of home mortgages.

Prepare for a new home mortgage well in advance. Get your financial business in order. This means you should save a bit of money while getting debts under control. If these things are something you wait on, you might not get approved for your home.

If you find that your home’s value has sunk below the amount you still have left on the mortgage, and have unsuccessfully tried to refinance in the past, give it another try. New programs (HARP) are in place to help homeowners out in this exact situation, no matter how imbalanced their mortgage and home value seems to be. Talk to your lender since they are now more open to a HARP refinance. If your lender won’t help you, move on to one who will.

When you are waiting to close on your mortgage, don’t decide you want to take a shopping trip. Lenders recheck your credit in the days prior to finalizing your mortgage, and could change their mind if too much activity is noticed. Any furniture buying, as well as any other expensive item or project, needs to wait until your mortgage contract is signed and a done deal.

You will more than likely have to cover a down payment on your mortgage. Some banks used to allow no down payments, but now they typically require it. You should find out exactly how much you’ll need.

If you are denied for a mortgage, do not lose hope. Instead, talk with another potential lender and apply if it looks decent. Each lender is quite different on the criteria for loan approval. This is the reason why you should shop around to many different lenders to better your chances of getting a more favorable loan term.

Consider investing in the services of a professional when you’re about to take out a mortgage. There is much information to learn before you get a home mortgage, and the consultant can guide you to getting the best deal. They can make sure the terms you are getting are fair, and the company you are looking at is dependable.

If home loans are something that interest you, this piece included lots of tips to help illuminate the process. Everyone can get the home they want, with the proper mortgage. Remember these tips as use them wisely as you search for your dream home.

Community Development

How The Government Can Help Your Small Business

May 20, 2019

The Small Business Administration is largely responsible for providing indirect financial assistance to entrepreneurs and small business establishments. In most cases, the primary role of the SBA is to provide several financial assistance program to small business that have been specially designed to meet essential financing needs.

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.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

Community Development

Small Business Administration HUBZone Program

May 19, 2019

The Historically Underutilized Business Zones Empowerment Contracting Program provides federal contracting assistance to eligible small businesses located in underutilized business zones to improve their employment opportunities, investments, and their area’s economic development.

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

Tips For Growing Plants The Organic Way

May 19, 2019

If you use these principles of organic gardening, you will produce notably positive effects for your plants and your planet. It shows that you care about taking care of your plants and that you want them to grow up healthy. This is a great thing. Like any other skills you may have, these are able to be improved. The following tips are given to help you with this.

A good way to ensure that your seeds sprout effectively is to start them in smaller pots and then transplant them once they reach the seedling stage. Your plants will be more likely to survive if you do this. This method also reduces the waiting time between plantings. Once the fully matured plants are removed, the seedlings can be planted.

Choose perennials that slugs are not attracted to. Snails and slugs can do irreparable damage to your garden in a single night. These garden vermin prefer plants with tender, herbaceous stems and leaves, particularly seedlings and young plants. Some perennials, however, leave a bad taste in slugs’ mouths or are difficult to chew through because their leaves aren’t tender. Examples of these slug-proof plant varieties include achillea, euphorbia, and helleborus, to name a few.

Plants need CO2 grow well. In general, higher amounts of CO2 are related to better plant growth. The best way to get a lot of it is through a greenhouse. For the best growing conditions you should keep the CO2 levels high.

Don’t cut your grass down by the soil when you run the mower. If you leave some of the grass when you mow, the roots grow further into the ground, which makes the grass less prone to drying and other hazards. When grass is cut too low the roots will not grow as deep, and your lawn may suffer from brown patches.

If your garden includes vegetables, make sure you plant them in a location whether they are exposed to sunlight for a minimum of six hours each day. Most vegetables require this amount of sun in order to grow properly and at a quicker pace. Some flowers need the same thing.

Organic Horticulture

You possess the products, tools and skills to use these tips to better your garden. That is all well and good, however, you must put them to use. As with most things, organic horticulture requires that you never stop learning to improve your craft. Take the tips from above to boost your knowledge arsenal about organic horticulture. Try new things, and keep looking for more resources as you progress with your garden.

Community Development

Introduction to the Small Business Administration

May 19, 2019

If you’re looking for a way to help your business grow, now would be a good time to understand how the government can help you with your small business needs.

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

Local Assistance from the Small Business Administration

May 19, 2019

The Small Business Administration has many local offices and resource partners that counsel, mentor and train small business owners and entrepreneurs.

These nearby offices and online assistance can help your business start up, succeed and grow. This short video provides a good introduction to services near you.

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

Small Business Administration HUBZone Program

May 18, 2019

The Historically Underutilized Business Zones Empowerment Contracting Program provides federal contracting assistance to eligible small businesses located in underutilized business zones to improve their employment opportunities, investments, and their area’s economic development.

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.

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

Community Development