Eco Backyard

Palmer Amaranth, also known as Pigweed, or Careless Weed, is one of the most common weeds in Arizona and New Mexico. Both the leaves and the seeds are edible. We get Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) in a small patch in our yard in late summer and early fall.

Rather than dig it up, we harvest the leaves, cook them up, and eat them in a stir fry. They are a little bitter, but make a good green for salads.

The website the The Firefly Forest warns:

“This plant can concentrate nitrates in the leaves when grown in soils high in nitrogen, such as those polluted by agricultural runoff or where nitrogen fertilizers have been used. Such high nitrates are unhealthy, so the leaves should only be used when the plants are found growing in low nitrogen soils and in nitrogen fertilizer-free areas.”

Lots of great pictures on their website as well.

More info on edible weeds to come!

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Another benefit to adding a wildlife pond is that the toads and frogs that show up will likely do some natural pest control for you. To keep them around, though, make sure not to use harsh chemicals in your yard that could affect them.

Check out this article with more information about how toads and frogs can munch pests.

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Ebird.org is the Audubon’s Society’s online birding checklist that you can use to record your observations and compare them with other people across the continent and in other parts of the world. Why would you want to do this? Here’s some info from their website:

“eBird’s goal is to maximize the utility and accessibility of the vast numbers of bird observations made each year by recreational and professional bird watchers. It is amassing one of the largest and fastest growing biodiversity data resources in existence.”

And furthermore:

“The observations of each participant join those of others in an international network of eBird users. eBird then shares these observations with a global community of educators, land managers, ornithologists, and conservation biologists. In time these data will become the foundation for a better understanding of bird distribution across the western hemisphere and beyond.”

I learned about the program at a recent organic gardening coference. Farms and backyard habitat are some of the best remaining habitat for a variety of birds. Knowing what kinds of birds live in and visit your area is a great way to help us understand their behavior and protect them.

Plus, eBird is pretty cool to play around with! It’s got interactive maps, charts, and more. And it takes about 2 minutes to sign up and start using.

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Hi all. If you haven’t noticed, this blog has been inactive for a little while. I’ve been pretty busy with family and career commitments, so writing has been put on the back burner for a while. I appreciate your visit and will continue to write as time allows!

Cheers!

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Fall is here and that means lots and lots of leaves to pick up. What are you going to do with all that organic waste? I recommend composting if your municipality doesn’t offer a green waste pick up service. Read this excellent article about leaf collecting tools and compost bins, it has some great suggestions and gadgets.

Also, you can check out the Compost Guide for lots of tips.

You can also build you own compost bin with this website that has lots of easy compost bin designs and plans, including large capacity bins appropriate for leaves and fall garden waste.

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This summer I’m testing out a water saving gadget called a tomato grow bag. It works with an environmentally friendly soil substitute (polymer crystals) that absorb water and slowly release it to the roots of the tomato plant. Another nice thing about this system is that you hang your tomato plant on a wall or fence, and move it around in your garden as the weather changes.

I’m getting a pretty late start on my tomatoes, but with this system, I’ll be able to move them into a green house as fall approaches for a late harvest. I’ll let you know how things go!

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If you have an interest in supporting local farmers, eating foods more locally produced, and growing your own food, Barbara Kingsolver’s new book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.” has lots of wonderful information and is a good way to get inspired to change your lifestyle. You can see Kingsolver reading the first chapter of her new book about eating local on this fascinating video. It’s almost 10 minutes long so sit back and enjoy!

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The New York Times recently published an artilce quite critical of “buying green.” That is, thinking that we can save the environment simply by buying some eco-friendly gadgets for our homes.

You can read two very interesting critiques of the article at TreeHugger.com and Clean Air Gardening.

The author says,

Critics question the notion that we can avert global warming by buying so-called earth-friendly products, from clothing and cars to homes and vacations, when the cumulative effect of our consumption remains enormous and hazardous.

“There is a very common mind-set right now which holds that all that we’re going to need to do to avert the large-scale planetary catastrophes upon us is make slightly different shopping decisions,” said Alex Steffen, the executive editor of Worldchanging.com, a Web site devoted to sustainability issues.

The genuine solution, he and other critics say, is to significantly reduce one’s consumption of goods and resources. It’s not enough to build a vacation home of recycled lumber; the real way to reduce one’s carbon footprint is to only own one home.

I totally agree with Mr. Steffen on this one. Many people in the world buy a lot of useless crap, eco-friendly or not, and have way too much stuff.

However, I am encouraged that there are more and more eco-friendly products out there to buy, and that they are becoming more affordable for the average citizen. I am disappointed by the article in general for not recognizing that green consumerism is making a difference, and many companies are becoming much more responsible environmentally based on the demands of consumers.

This sort of pessimism is very depressing. Just when you think things are looking up and there are more eco-friendly products on the market than ever (Energy Star certified appliances, organic and Fair Trade groceries, natural fertilizers and pesticides, etc.), we get this kind of report. Of course, reducing our consumption is essential, so at least that’s in the article.

However, I don’t mean to imply that there aren’t products and companies that are being dishonest with the public. Always do your research when you think you’re buying “green!” The hype is getting a little out of hand, so we need to be very informed about our purchases.

The point is, we can always do more to help the environment, but making informed decisions about what we purchase is a key part of the solution. And now, there are more ways than ever to purchase products that will do less harm. That’s at least a step in the right direction!

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I’ve heard that mint is a natural repellent for ants, so I tried out Dr. Bronner’s Organic Peppermint & Mentha Arvensis Soap to get rid of an ant problem we’re having. It works great (diluted) and actually kills them on contact. So, I tried it out on cockroaches and it works the same. We dumped it directly on the cockroaches after they crawled up the drain, and within seconds they were dead. Awesome! Natural, and deadly! MAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!

Dr. Bronner is my hero.

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Our worm composting journal and vermiculture guide is now up. I still have to go through it for spelling errors, so lets call it the Beta version.

Still I hope it will be a great resource for those interested in composting with Worms.

Heck, even Martha Stewart is doing it!

We’ll try to update the journal regularly with new information.

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