Last year I had discovered Square Foot Gardening one of the best selling garden books on Amazon and at the time had noticed a follow up book aptly named All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook. Now, I am a complete cookbook geek especially when they have good pictures (why a cookbook wouldn't have enticing pictures is beyond me) and this Square Foot Gardening cookbook is a beauty.

Mel Bartholomew Speaks about his Gardening Cookbook

Plenty of nice large colorful pictures of not only the dishes, but also of the vegetables and herbs - even if you aren't a gardener you'll have fun with this gardening cookbook. (But after reading this cookbook I'm sure you'll be at least a little bit inspired to try your own garden)

The author, Mel Bartholomew is a whiz in the garden (how beautiful are those plants in his garden by the way? I wanted to eat right off my monitor but it zapped my tongue) he often says eat fresh, eat healthy and eat what you grow and with a garden like that I'm sure you could make fantastic salads right out of the garden.

Not only does the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook have more than 135 recipes to enjoy the harvest from your square foot garden (or farmers market, or store if you haven't braved the garden gnomes) Mel adds harvesting techniques and yield information for each of the seventeen vegetables, fruits, and herbs and adds money saving tips, square foot garden tips, and even a kid's gardening corner for lots of family fun.

If you didn't catch my last post on EarthBoxes vs Square Foot Gardening take a peek and try one of these easy methods for yourself then have fun with some fresh from the garden recipes.

Other Gardening Tips in the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook

• Planting schedule for continuous crop harvesting
• When to harvest plants
• How to harvest
• Tips for storage
• Plant spacing
• Kids corner for family fun

Default By Relevance Bestselling Average customer review: high to low Price: low to high Price: high to low Publication date: newer to older Alphabetical: A to Z Alphabetical: Z to A

All New Square Foot Gardening List Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $9.49 You save: $10.50 (53%)   Eligible for free shipping!

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to Garden in Less Space with Less Work List Price: $19.99 Sale Price: $5.50 You save: $14.49 (72%)   Eligible for free shipping!

This Post on the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook Shared on Real Food Wednesday

Vegetable Garden Tips and a Gardening Cookbook to Boot is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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]]> http://earthfriendlygoodies.com/320/vegetable-garden-tips-and-tasty-cookbook-to-boot/feed 11 http://earthfriendlygoodies.com/302/earthbox-vs-square-foot-gardening http://earthfriendlygoodies.com/302/earthbox-vs-square-foot-gardening#comments Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:00:27 +0000 Chris http://earthfriendlygoodies.com/?p=302 Continue Reading »

EarthBox VS Square Foot Gardening – And the Winner Is? is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

]]> Ok it's official EarthBoxes beat out Square Foot Gardening in a tag team cage match, okay I don't know where that came from I don't even watch wrestling but if I did the EarthBox container gardening method would be the Hulk Hogan of small space gardening.

EarthBox vs Square Foot Gardening, and the Winner Is?

When you compare EarthBoxes vs Square Foot Gardening you have to take into consideration what you are looking to get out of gardening and how much space you have. With Square Foot Gardening you need more space but you also get a more traditional gardening feel - you get to play in more dirt and maybe pull a few weeds (although if done right you won't really have that many weeds to contend with - Square Foot Gardening really is a rock solid method)

What I like about EarthBoxes and what you'll like as well is the ease with which you keep the plants watered - just fill the reservoir with water when needed and the plants do all the work - they just grow.

Last spring I had planted basil in my square foot garden (well I skimped a bit so it is more like my rectangle foot garden but the concept is the same) and they finally decided to grow at the end of the season so I had to bring them indoors - at which point they took off like a green thumbed rocket - why? I put them in a pot that has one of those easy fill reservoir bottoms - just add water when needed and the plants do all the work. That is the beauty of the Earthbox - whether you find a manual on how to make your own earthbox or you find a great EarthBox sale online I think you'll love your results. Plus you can use them indoors so if you live "up norte" like we do you can grow your favorite vegetables and herbs all year long!

Square Foot Gardening miniaturized with an EarthBox

If you aren't the do-it-your-self type or don't think you'll have the time to make a homemade earthbox there are always sales on Amazon for the EarthBox Garden Kit (Model number RB-EB-TRC-PBB although that isn't really a number and what in the heck do all those extra letters stand for? Really Boss Earth Box Terra-cotta Peanut Butter and Banana I think) At the time of this posting the EarthBox was on sale for 29% off list price - and is the hottest selling container gardening product - the word is out on how easy to use the EarthBox is. (if you are in doubt just check out the great earthbox reviews - you'll love 'em too)

Enjoy your earthbox or square foot gardening this year - and let me know whacha growin' I'll stop by for supper when it's ready. And while you are in the mood for garden goodies check out our post on the Square Foot Gardening Cookbook.

Default Bestselling Price: low to high Price: high to low Alphabetical: A to Z Alphabetical: Z to A

EarthBox 1010002 Garden Kit, Terra Cotta List Price: $69.99 Sale Price: $32.25 You save: $37.74 (54%)   Eligible for free shipping!

EarthBox 1010135 Garden Veneer, White List Price: $129.99 Sale Price: $84.87 You save: $45.12 (35%)   Eligible for free shipping!

This Post on the Earthbox vs Square Foot Gardening Shared on Real Food Wednesday

EarthBox VS Square Foot Gardening – And the Winner Is? is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

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]]> http://earthfriendlygoodies.com/302/earthbox-vs-square-foot-gardening/feed 2 http://earthfriendlygoodies.com/273/indoor-worm-composting-in-small-spaces-with-the-worm-factory http://earthfriendlygoodies.com/273/indoor-worm-composting-in-small-spaces-with-the-worm-factory#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:27:52 +0000 Sandra Long http://earthfriendlygoodies.com/?p=273 Continue Reading »

Indoor Worm Composting in Small Spaces with the Worm Factory is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

]]> My adventures in Worm Composting in a small apartment begin today!

Are you tired of throwing perfectly good food scraps, junk mail, cardboard, and coffee grounds into the trash? I certainly am, but for a long time being wasteful just seemed like one of the unavoidable evils of living in a small apartment and having no yard to speak of. Despite this setback, I've been researching different compost options all summer long, hoping to find something that will work anywhere-even a small apartment-without creating offensive odors or taking up large quantities of precious space, or being overly time consuming (hey, I'm a busy girl, I've got a life you know!)

Some small scale homemade operations sounded promising-like one website that suggested taking a plastic container, drilling some holes (I don't own a drill, but maybe I could have bought one...and then learned how to use it...someday....), adding a few dried lawn clippings (never mind that I live in an apartment and don't have any dried lawn clippings), and found a spot for it outside (did I mention we don't have a yard?) Although this "do it yourself" compost idea gave me something to feel hopeful about-really it just made me want to keep looking. I wanted something tried and true-something easy-something that wouldn't take all summer to learn how to do. So my next big idea was to buy a big plastic drum with the little holes for aeration already drilled in. You just roll it over every so often to redistribute the nutrients-I could have bought a huge 55 gallon drum for around $150. This might have worked fine for someone with a yard to roll it around in, but my significant other was quick to point out our small patio had no room for "rolling around." It was with some difficulty that I had to scratch out yet another good plan (for someone else). No, facing up to facts, what I really needed was something that could go inside...an indoor composter that was pre-made, small, practical, odorless, and not some major eye sore.

Remember grandma's compost pile--the one that stunk every time she opened it to add a few new food scraps? That's called anaerobic composting. Anaerobic composting is smelly because that kind of bacteria operates without airflow. That's not what I wanted. I wanted aerobic composting-it sounds similar, but these air-loving bacteria thankfully can get the job of composting done without the stink. Good air circulation is key. If your compost smells bad, I have it on good authority that you are doing something wrong.
Over the weekend, I finally discovered the composting solution I've been searching for - worms. Worm are great, really. Worm castings are full of nutrients that plants just love. They are quiet, well mannered, polite, shy, and they're hard workers who will work for food, helping to give my food scraps a second life. I found this amazing invention on Amazon and it's called the Worm Factory. (I got the Worm Factory DS3GT 3-Tray Worm Composter).

If this doesn't work I don't know what will, but I'll keep you updated. So far I really like my Worm Factory worm composting bin. It was simple to set up and didn't require any tools-although I did make it a little easier on myself by using a screwdriver to ease the 2 bolts into place. The directions and pictures in the 16 page booklet were very helpful and actually interesting to read. I learned that citrus and some types of plants should not be added to the compost pile as they can harm the worms. Oh, and I learned that there are over 7,000 types of worms, but the kind you want to use in your composting worm farm are called red wigglers, also known as Eisenia fetida. They weigh next to nothing and they recommend you start with half a pound (500 red wigglers.) Amazon has worms for sale, but I did a search on Craigslist and found a local seller of composting worms. I decided to start out small and just bought 5 dozen (60 worms) because he was charging $1.50/dozen and I didn't see the point in going broke when red wigglers are supposed to reproduce quickly, doubling in number every three months. They are organic worms...I guess that implies there are other worms that are not organic? I'll see how it goes and I can always buy more worms later if needed. Otherwise, a pound of red composting worms on amazon was around $30.

I think it's also great that this worm composter is designed to direct the worms to migrate upwards toward the new food sources. Because worm composting worms climb to the top of the bin your composted material on the bottom is ready to be added to your garden - you don't have to worry about throwing all your worms out or having to sort them out first.

I also learned other helpful tips about freezing food scraps, microwaving, or chopping into small pieces to speed their decomposition. The composting worms do best between 60-80 degrees, so inside the apartment should be pretty comfortable. Pretty much everything I needed to get started with worm composting, including coir brick and shredded filling were included in the purchase price. You'll just need red wiggler worms, about a cup of compost or soil, and a few food scraps to get started.
Other product features of the worm factory include:

• Made with post-consumer recycled plastic, Dimensions 16-inch x 16-inch x 13-inch
• Built in "worm tea" collector tray and spigot for easy draining
• Year Round Production
• Odor Free Operation
• Expandable up to 7 trays (You can buy an extra tray for around $10 on Amazon)

Do you have any worm composting wisdom or experiences to share?
We would love to hear from you! Good luck and happy composting!

Indoor Worm Composting in Small Spaces with the Worm Factory is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

Teak is such a beautiful wood with such a soft whirling grain and smooth warm feel. These teak window boxes are even better because they are crafted from teak grown from reforested areas throughout Costa Rica by a producer that adheres to the principles of the Forestry Stewardship Council. Diamond Teak has 12 plantations that protect more than 1000 acres of jungle and provide safe haven to diverse flora, fauna and 70 species of trees, including mahogany, purpleheart and cocobolo rosewood. These hardwoods make wonderful furniture but have a bad reputation because these rare forests are being logged to extinction, not to mention logging contributes to habitat destruction, water pollution, and the displacement of indigenous peoples. The Forestry Stewardship Council strives to make sure these forests are maintained in a sustainable and safe way for the environment.

What this all means is by supporting companies who follow these strict guidelines you can feel proud to know you are getting a beautiful product in the most environmentally friendly way. I also love to hear companies going one step further... Goods For The Garden is committed to preserving America's historical gardens, landscapes, green spaces and mother earth! They contribute 5 percent of the purchase price of every product to an organization of your choosing or to their 1 Percent For The Planet Fund.

Now that's an Earth Friendly wood window box that will keep on giving year after year - plus you can get an early start on that Spring planting. As for me, I'm going to go kick some more snow into the driveway and think about what I want to plant first!

Below you'll find teak window boxes for sale from Goods for the Garden

Fair Trade Teak Window Boxes: Beautiful and Sustainable is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

"14.2% of rural households are food insecure,
an estimated 2.8 million households"

Tis the season for family fun and when our family gets together for the holidays it means good food and lots of it. But what is easy to forget when our kids are nestled all snug in their beds, visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, and we, all snuggled up in our warm winter caps watching a bit of TV or reading a good book by the fire with a bowl of fresh popped popcorn, is that some people don't have that luxury, or the festive holiday food celebrations.

I was reminded of this fact by a mass email of all things, one of those chain letters you get and either forward to all your friends or more than likely just delete. But this one caught my attention "Kare 11 TV & Land O'Lakes are donating $1 to a food shelf for every person who clicks on their web site." I figured I could take a second of my time for a dollar so I took a look.

Land O'Lakes has started a program called Feeding Our Communities - the focus is to help feed those in rural America who don't have enough to eat. It is an unfortunate twist of fate that the regions of this country that supply us with the good food we eat often don't have enough to eat themselves.

"Food shelf visits increased by 30 percent in 2008, and visits to local food shelves are up 40 percent this year over last, while donations are up only about 23 percent."

The Land O'Lakes Foundation wants to help. In partnership with farmer-owners and cooperative partners, they will make available up to $1 million to alleviate rural hunger. To up the anti they will even match dollar for dollar, up to $400,000, the cash donations of member cooperatives who can then use that grant money to fund their own hunger relief programs. Sounds like a nice circle of helping hands there doesn't it - someone has their thinking caps on.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program... you might be wistfully pondering if you were a pondering sort "wouldn't it be nice if we could just press a button to end world hunger?" Well thanks to KARE 11 and the Land O'Lakes Foundation you can press a button to at least help. With "Operation Co-operation" they will automatically donate a dollar to hunger relief programs for every click - you can even come back every 24 hours to do so again - so we'll see you back here tomorrow and the next day and the next day....

Have a wonderful Earth Friendly day from the gang at Earth Friendly Goodies.

Feeding Our Communities One Click at a Time is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

Anyway, I was researching eco-friendly Amazon Kindle e-books for a project and I came across Ed Begley Jr's book "Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life". While I don't own a Kindle as of yet (I'm still mixed on whether it is really more eco-friendly than books - not to mention cost friendly) I was very intrigued to read the book. So in my effort to one up the debate of Kindle downloads vs buying books I opted for the debatable most green option of reserving it from the library. While I wait, and eagerly anticipate writing my eco-friendly book review I appeased myself with tantalizing tid-bits from other satisfied readers. (Currently five stars with 25 reviews from Amazon)

Within the book you'll find suggestions to green your life in six areas including home, transportation, recycling, energy use, garden and kitchen, and clothing and skin care. Many items are common sense like turning off the lights when you leave a room, others may be a bit expensive for the everyday family like buying solar panels to get you off the grid, but other green tips are very helpful and easy to do like disconnecting unused gadgets, chargers and appliances which can save up to 10% on your electrical use.

I'll give a more in-depth review once I settle down to a warm winters night with Mr Begley, um well his book at least, until then please share your comments below or join me in reading Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life in your preferred method of reading enjoyment - book form or Kindle form.

Warm Winter Night with Ed Begley Jr’s Eco-Friendly Life is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies

If you aren't familiar with eBay's new eco-friendly endeavor World of Good be sure to have your laundry basket handy because this place will knock your socks off. I'm sure if you hang around here at Earth Friendly Goodies you'll be seeing a lot of featured eco-friendly products from World of Good.

For example I was in the mood for a few nice aromatic basil leaves to toss into a bit of pesto for my world famous pesto turkey burger recipe (well it would be world famous if the world knew about it) and I happened upon this eco-goody from Michigan Ceramics.

This Basil Amazons Home Grow Kit is one of 5 different herb kits for sale - Cactus blend, Pink Poppy, Italian Basil, Lemon Grass, or Catnip (for gourmet pesto turkey burgers for cats). These little herb planters are hand-painted terracotta pots with a wood finish.  These little herby delights also come with a 100% Growing Guarantee - if your seeds die or don't grow for some reason (like your cat decided to play catch in the middle of the night with the catnip Amazon), e-mail them and they will send you new seeds for FREE! All of us black thumbed gardeners have gotta love that right?

Michigan Ceramics was founded is 2008 with the mission to provide high quality terracotta planters, at the lowest possible price, and to keep its carbon footprint to a minimum. Michigan Ceramics is highly involved with charities and gives a large portion of profits to help those in need, such as sponsoring children from third world countries through Christian Children's Fund, as well as purchasing livestock and helpful products for poverty stricken villages around the world.

Eco-Friendly Basil Grow Kit is a post from: Earth Friendly Goodies