Author Archive: Ruth Collins

SBA Celebrates Woman-Owned Veteran Small Businesses

April 10, 2019

Woman Business Owners from around the country join U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet for this special Veteran’s Day Google Hangout-On-Air.

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

Boring Garden? Make It A Thing Of The Past With This Handy Information.

April 9, 2019

If you have visions of a healthy, lush, green garden, there are things you should consider on your way to that goal. While gardening is a lot of hard work, it’s a fun way to spend your free time. This advice will assist with increasing the fun and decreasing the work.

Think about starting plants in pots, and then placing the seedlings in the garden later. By allowing them to sprout first, you are increasing the odds of a seedling reaching maturity. This also helps tighten time between plantings. Your seedlings will be ready to go in as soon as you remove the previous set of mature plants.

Before you even start planting the garden, check the soil. You can actually get an analysis of soil for a little fee, and with the report you get back you can figure out how to create a vibrant garden by enriching it properly. Before you ruin any crops, make sure you do this. Soil can be analyzed at a lot of cooperative extension offices, so make sure you plan accordingly.

When horticulture, be watchful of stink bugs, particularly in the fall. They like fruits, as well as peppers, beans and tomatoes. If left unattended, your garden could be ravaged by these bugs, so you need to proactively keep their population under control.

You should be cognizant of the peak time for harvesting your vegetables. Each variety of vegetable has a specific time to be harvested so that you may enjoy its fullest flavor. Veggies such as zucchini or baby peas, for instance, taste their best if they get picked young. The opposite is true of tomatoes. They taste their best if you allow them to ripen on the vine as long as possible. You should know the proper time to pick vegetables.

For visual interest, make one plant a focal point of your garden. In a well designed garden you should have a focal point so that your eyes will stay there. The best focal points are those plants that really stand out from those that are adjacent.

With these tips, you’re better equipped to grow the most beautiful garden you can imagine. In learning how to create your dream garden, you’ll also be growing as a person. That’s because learning how to nurture your plants will not only help you reach the goal of having a great garden, but it will help you learn to nurture yourself.

Community Development

California Downpayment Assistance Program

April 9, 2019

The California Homebuyer’s Downpayment Assistance Program is a deferred payment junior loan that can be used in conjunction with other CalHFA housing programs.

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

Interested In Organic Gardening? Read These Tips!

April 8, 2019

People who start doing organic gardening do so because they don’t like toxic effects of pesticides and fertilizers. Another benefit is that organic gardening techniques are often cost little-to-nothing. In the following paragraphs, you’ll find some suggestions that will help you make the most of your garden.

Many times when digging in clay soil the clay will adhere to the shovel, which will make it much harder to dig. To make the clay soft so you aren’t working as hard, take floor or car wax and rub a light coat on the surface of the shovel using a clean cloth, then buff the surface. The clay will slide off of its surface and it will prevent rust.

You can use the wooden handles of your tools as measurement sticks. Tools with long handles, such as rakes, hoes, and shovels can be converted into handy measuring sticks. On the floor, simply lay out the handles, then take a tape measure and run it next to them. Then, transfer the measurements to the handle using a permanent marker. When you are horticulture next, you’ll have a ruler beside you at all times.

Try to plan a variety of perennials that are slug-proof. Snails and slugs can destroy plants in just one night. They tend to enjoy perennials that have thin, smooth, tender leaves, especially those of young plants. Some perennials are not preferred meals for snails and slugs, especially if their foliage is hairy and tough, or tastes bad. Selecting an unappetizing perennial, such as campanula or heuchera, will help stop them from being eaten.

Cover fences and walls with lots of climbers. Climbing plants can cover a wall after one growing season only. 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. Sometimes the plants will require being tied to supports, but some climbers will attach themselves naturally. You can be sure that varieties such as climbing roses, wisteria, jasmine, clematis and honeysuckle will grow very well.

By following some of the tips we include in this article, you’ll be up and running in no time and will soon have a good supply of produce grown in your own garden. A flourishing organic garden will also be an open invitation to some very interesting creatures of the wild that you can look forward to seeing.

Community Development

What You Need To Know About Grants.Gov

April 8, 2019

Grants.gov features over 1,000 grant programs from 26 different federal grant-making agencies in the United States. Most of the grants that are found on Grants.gov are mainly for organizations and institutions, only a few of them are for individuals.

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

Follow This Advice To Learn More About Organic Gardening

April 7, 2019

Many people are discovering just how wonderful having an organic garden can be. Just using the tips here will show you how you can get started now with an organic garden. Keep reading to learn some tricks of the trade that will help you get a great garden.

Prepare the ground for a perennial garden quickly and easily. You just need to use your garden spade for slicing underneath the turf, then flip it, and finally spread about three or four inch deep piles of wood chips. Wait for a few weeks and plant new perennials in this area.

For your flower beds, organic material should be used as mulch. Two or three inches should be enough. Doing this keeps weeds down, keeps the moisture in your plants, and gives more nutrients to the plants. It will also make your flower beds look more finished.

Pine can make for a great type of mulch. Some garden plants have a higher acidity, and prefer a more acidic soil. Pine needles to line the bed of your garden are easy to find for these kinds of plants. Cover the surface of the ground with a two-inch layer of the pine needles; as the needles break down, they will release acid into the soil and nourish your plants.

Spacing is one of the primary considerations when planning an organic garden. You can easily underestimate how much space the plants need until they begin to grow. Beyond just the physical space that the plants will need, you should also consider the airflow that the plants will require. Plant the plants appropriately when it comes to spacing the seeds.

Include both green and dry plant refuse in your compost. Green means plant cuttings including grass, produce and weeds. Dried plant materials are things like shredded newspaper, cardboard, sawdust, straw, and any cut up wood materials. Your compost pile should never contain meat, ashes or charcoal.

Don’t use pesticides – kill your weeds naturally! A layer of newspaper, several pages thick, placed over the ground will do the trick. The main thing that a weed needs to thrive is sunlight. When you put newspaper on top of weeds they will suffocate because they are not getting enough light. As an added benefit, the newspapers will decompose over time, becoming organic compost. If you want it to look better, just add a layer or two of much over top of the newspapers.

Organic Garden

You just have to be patient if you want to get your organic garden into tip top shape. Start utilizing the advice provided in this article today, and your organic garden will eventually become truly magnificent. Despite what you grow, use the above tips to succeed with them.

Community Development

,

Home Improvement Tips To Change Your Living Environment

April 6, 2019

Do you think you know everything about home improvement? Are you able to repair your own home? Take a look at the following tips to help you improve upon your home improvement knowledge.

Combo Unit

Consider getting a washer and dryer combo unit if you are limited on space. A combo unit will take up about the same amount of space that a dishwasher would. A combo unit washer and dryer do both jobs.

Recycle shoe boxes to add more storage to your different rooms. You can use fabric and wallpaper remnants to decorate the boxes. It is a nice way to add an interesting style to some of your rooms and will help you tackle your storage needs.

Use aluminum foil to cover your wall outlets before painting. You’ll find foil much simpler to use than any type of tape, and it covers just as well to protect from splatters. That makes cleanup much easier. Let the paint completely dry, then take the foil off and place it into recycling.

Be sure to protect your flooring when you paint. This will help ensure wet paint doesn’t ruin them. A few layers of old newspaper is an affordable means of protecting surfaces underfoot. Plastic sheeting or inexpensive paint cloths will work, too.

If you are in need of a screen for your window, consider making your own. After cutting the frame kit to fit a window size, all that’s needed is to simply attach the screen by using an affordable tool and cording. There are some windows that will need to have a special screen, though you can always add external screens using adapters that are easy to install.

Things like gutters and chimneys are forgotten about when most people are making home improvements. The safety of your home depends on the proper cleaning and repair of these essential items. If your chimney is not cleaned regularly it may catch fire, and downspouts and gutters may become obstructed with debris, this can result in water damage when not addressed.

While you may be decent at home improvement, it takes time and hard work to become knowledgeable about it. The more you learn, the better your skills will develop over time. With the previous tips in mind, you are well on your way to becoming great at it.

Community Development

What There Is To Know About Organic Gardening

April 5, 2019

Many people find inner peace by taking up the hobby of horticulture. Knowing which soil to purchase, which gardening equipment to buy and when to plant your seeds are some of the key questions gardeners are asking. Read this article for some great gardening tips.

In order not to shock your plants, you have to gradually accustom them to the change of temperature and conditions. Put them out in the sun for approximately one to two hours on the very first day. After a week, leave your plants outside for twice as long. After one week, the plants should be fully acclimated and ready to move outside.

A great horticulture tip to use is to always select types of plants that are more likely to produce a high yield. Normally, hybrid plants that are disease-resistant and cold-tolerant have a greater yield than traditional varieties.

A handy trick is to turn the handle on a tool that you use often into a makeshift ruler. Tools that have long handles such as rakes, hoes and shovels can be used in place of a measuring stick. Just lay your tool down on the floor then lay a yardstick beside the handle. Have a marker handy, and mark the distance with it. When you decide to work in the garden again, you will now have a ruler at your disposal.

If the soil in your garden has a high concentration of alkaline, try mixing some coffee grounds into your garden’s soil. This is a great and cheap way to increase the acid levels in your dirt. The plants will be healthier, leading to more delicious home-grown veggies.

If you want an organic way to weed your garden, try “boiling” them. Water is cheaper than chemical herbicides, and less hazardous to humans and soil. Just pour out the water on the weeds being careful to avoid any nearby plants. What this does it essentially kill the weeds by damaging their roots. The result is that those weeds are unlikely to regrow.

As you have learned from this article, gardening can seem like quite the task, yet is manageable if you know what you’re doing. If you use the advice laid out here and plan accordingly, your garden will bloom gloriously in no time. If you follow the advice given in this article, you will soon enjoy your own beautiful garden.

Community Development