Spring has somewhat sprung here in central Ohio. The sun is shining and the birds are singing. Yesterday a beautiful Cardinal was sitting in an evergreen tree right outside my bedroom window. I also have some rather ugly plastic flower arrangements hanging on my back porch that were there when we moved in. I don’t have a heart to remove them though because every spring a few finch families build nests in them. I have seen a lot of nesting activity this week.

I believe I am rethinking my thought that fall is the best season. I just didn’t appreciate spring until I lived in an area with harsh and dreary winters. I am ready for spring and for planting season. My dining room is overrun with seedlings just waiting to make their debut outdoors so I have gardening on the brain.

I am not the only one because the local gardening centers and nurseries are getting new life too. I saw a gal drop a huge chunk of change on gardening stuff the other day and it got me thinking about how gardening doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are a few ideas for frugal gardeners:

1. Grow Your Own Plants from Seed – Seeds are cheaper than nursery grown seedlings so growing your own will save you some green. Local seed exchange programs and community gardens might also provide you with free seeds.

2. Don’t buy peat pots when you can use your leftover toilet paper rolls, eggshells, or newspapers for free.

3. Instead of buying containers for container gardening why not recycle household stuff like old boots, buckets, baskets, metal tins, old toys, apple barrels, wheel barrels, broken plastic tubs, etc. A few years back (in Arizona) I took two old wheel barrels and stacked them on top of each other in my front yard and planted in them. The result was so gorgeous that a picture of it ended up in a small local newspaper.

4. Make your own pinwheels. I use pinwheels in my garden to detract critters and while they are not that expensive (usually only 1.00 a piece at the store) I can save $10.00 bucks or so and have a nice time crafting with my kids by making my own…and they aren’t plastic…which is a plus. I just love the look of pinwheels blowing around in the garden, it is lovely. Ribbon attached to a stake works good too.

5. Look for open bags of soil at your local gardening center and seedlings that are past their prime. You can usually get some steep discounts on those items. Ask the cashier if they can cut you a deal.

6. Re-purpose broken watering cans by using them as planters or by cutting off the spout and using them as refill containers for bird feeders.

7. Do you or any of your neighbors have fish tanks? When it comes time to clean the tanks use the water to give your plants a tonic they will love.

8. Use a plastic garbage can to collect rain water by putting it under a drainage pipe. Then just scoop out water as needed instead of reaching for the hose to water plants.

9. Use kitchen scraps to make your own compost and put banana peels under your roses to give them a potassium boost.

10. Cut down on fanciful flowers and plant some drought tolerant plants instead like one of my personal favorites, hens-and-chicks.

11. Grow food and you won’t to buy as much at the grocery store! You can even grow your beauty products.

12. Put old saucer or plates under your pots to collect water run-off.

13. Line your pots or containers with 6-8 sheets of newspaper to help them retain moisture so they won’t need to be watered as much.

14. When it rains scoop up your indoor plants and set them outside for a little while to get a drink.

15. Shop for gardening tools, containers, and lawn and patio furniture at yard sales,  garage sales, and barn sales.

Do you have any frugal gardener ideas to share? I would love to hear your ideas!

So did you end up with any plastic Easter eggs this past weekend? If so, here are a couple ideas for repurposing them.

1. Store them to reuse next year. Round them up and put them in a box or an egg carton and then next year you will be all set.

2. Put them inside an egg carton and add them to your kids play kitchen.

3. Use them to make an Easter egg wreath for Easter decorating next year. Use thread to wrap around the branches and close the eggs over the thread. Trim the thread and you have made a gorgeous looking wreath. Here is a picture of an Easter egg wreath my kids and I made a couple years ago:

I was SUPER excited to get this book. I have been a big fan of the Healthy Child Healthy World organization for many years so when they published a book I knew it would be good. The title is Healthy Child, Healthy World and it is written by Christopher Gavigan, the CEO of the organization with the same name. The forward is written by Meryl Streep and it has contributions from Gwtneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields, Tom Hanks, Tobey Maguire, Kate Hudson, and Erin Brockovich…just to name a few.

Basically it addresses all of the environmental toxins that our children are exposed to, why we need to be concerned, and where they may be lurking. Just as we attempt to child proof our home and cover electric sockets we also need to be concerned with less tangible things….things we can’t see but that still prove to be a serious risk to our children. No parent wants to even imagine that they are allowing their child to come to harm but unknowingly that is what many parents may be allowing to happen and that is why this book was written, to help parents create a cleaner, greener, and safer home. This is a book that EVERY single parent needs to read…before they read the What to Expect Books or even Dr. Sears books. More parents NEED to know about the dangers their children are being exposed to every day. Parents concerned about the issues covered in this book are not alarmists or extremists…the danger is there and it is real. This book is my new #1 baby shower gift. :)

It just covers so much good information I am in awe…like a collection of the “best of the best” that parents need to know. It has also many cut out cheat sheets for green cleaners, fruits and veggies best eaten organic, and a list detailing each plastic and which ones are the most toxic.

The first chapter discusses raising a healthy baby while pregnant and all the potential dangers that are present before a child even enters the world. It covers a lot of things that pregnant moms need to consider from synthetic fragrances to nail polish and all the ways you can ensure a healthier pregnancy.

Chapter 2 discusses household cleaners and why they are so dangerous. After highlighting what specific ingredients do the most harm and why it goes on to explain that green cleaners are the way to go…buying more natural ones or making your own. It has several recipes for homemade cleaners too.

Chapter 3 is one of my favorites. It discusses food and all the nasty preservatives, additives, and chemicals in our food and all the reasons why organic and whole foods are better. It shows how much of the stuff at the grocery store is not real food…you know…like that techni-color blue, cotton candy flavored yogurt for kids. It really covered all the basics…nitrites, food coloring, RBGH, pesticides, high fructose corn syrup, etc. In this section Gwyneth Paltrow shares some of her childhood experiences and provides few recipes her kids love. This summer I will be trying her daughter Apple’s favorite Organic Roast Veggie Sticks with fresh carrots and parsnips from the garden. Mmmm…

It also good info on what to cook your food in and what not to (Teflon) and what the safest food storage options are. In this chapter you also get educated about BPA in plastic baby bottles. This is the first book I have read that had this important info in it.

Chapter 4 was another good one. It addresses beauty products….toothpaste, deodorant, perfumes, lotions, shampoos…all the chemical laden stuff we use to beautify ourselves. It had two essays I loved from Kate Hudson and Vanessa Williams. It is hard to imagine Vanessa Williams reading the Environmental Working Group reports and Kate Hudson making her own homeopathic remedies just like I do.

Chapter 5 takes on the topic of toxic toys and children’s gear that is on the market with nasty chemicals. It mentions all the toys with PVC, pacifiers with BPA, cloth diapers with chemicals, toxic crib mattresses, and our petroleum based crayons. It was a nice refresher but the part I most enjoyed was reading about Noah Wyle and his natural parenting style and background. What can I say…I do kind of like celebrity gossip…and I really enjoy reading about celebrities that have a natural, granola, attached style of parenting.

Chapters 6 & 7 are green gardening and yard maintenance and clean water. Chapter 8 is about green and healthy pet care…something I haven’t really delved into before.

Chapter 9 is all about a safe home from the mattresses to the carpet and then the last chapter talks about where to start your home makeover with all the information you just read. It has a cutout chart with 5 easy steps to a cleaner, greener, safer home. It also has a large resources section at the back of the book that I LOVED. I sat for a long time and looked up all the online stores and resources it mentioned  for everything from clothes to a backyard playset. I was also stoked to see some blogs I read mentioned in it.

This book covered all the major issues that any green/healthy child book should cover and that is no easy task. Of course it doesn’t go into all the topics very deeply but it gives a brief overview of each danger zone so that parents can do their own supplimental research and conclude to do something about each. I highly recommend this book for all parents.

Buy Healthy Child Healthy World

Now is your chance to tell me exactly what you want to read about on this blog. I have set up several choices for you to choose from (as many as you like) and the most important part is the text box at the end…tell me specifically what YOU want to read about. Thx!!!

I just came across the trailer for a new movie that will be released soon on the web…Food Matters. It appears to discuss how what we eat is what is making us so sick. It looks like it will be pretty awesome. I was especially excited to see David Wolfe in it.

Check it out!