Now that you’ve prepared your spring beds there are some easy, economical ways to attract birds to your garden. Food, water and shelter is all you’ll need to provide to make our fine feathered friends feel welcome and safe so they’ll keep coming back. In addition to seed-filled feeders, you can also provide fresh, environmentally-friendly meals by recycling kitchen scraps into tasty treats. Here are some of our favorite avian snacks and ways to prepare them:

• Apples – For a sweet snack birds love, simply slice an apple into bits and serve, ensuring all seeds have been removed.

• Bananas – Peel and slice lengthwise into two or more strips for cardinals, catbirds, jays and other fans to munch on.

• Cheese – Brown thrashers and Carolina wrens especially enjoy hard cheeses that are free of any mold and diced into chunks. Do not use soft cheeses.

• Eggshells – Baked eggshells are a great source of calcium that birds love, particularly swallows and purple martins. Clean off all the egg white residue and bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes, then crush well and serve on a dish or mix with seed.

• Pasta - Blue jays and red-bellied woodpeckers, among others, are big fans of bite-sized bits of plain cooked pasta.

• Peanut butter – A dollop of peanut butter is a feathered favorite, which can be spread over a pine cone for easy consumption.

• Squash and melon seeds – Roasted pumpkin and other seeds make a great meal that is particularly enjoyed by cardinals and tufted titmice.

• Raisins - Mockingbirds, orioles, bluebirds and many others love raisins, which can be softened by soaking in warm water.

• Rice – Cook and serve plain for a snack blue jays, thrashers and others will love.  –Holly Young

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 Eco Friendly Gardening

As the weather continues to warm and days grow longer, there’s no better time to get outside and create your most eco friendly garden ever. Growing your own vegetables and herbs can be fun, healthy and economical, and planting ornamentals is a great way to attract wildlife and add aesthetic value to any yard or deck. When preparing and maintaining your plants, keep these green gardening tips in mind for a garden that stays healthy and beautiful all summer long.

PLANNING 

•  As you prep your garden for the hot months to come, consider choosing native plants and those that attract wildlife. Not only are native plants low-maintenance, hardy and naturally grow well in your environment, but they are also well-suited for local wildlife.

•  Choose brightly-colored flowers such as red or purple petunias to attract birds and wildlife, as those attracted early in the season are likely to stick around all summer. Plant a row of mauve or yellow flowers to attract butterflies and simultaneously provide them with a wind barrier and safe place to perch.

•  Flowers such as sunflower, blazing star, coneflower and zinnia make great sources of bird seed. Sunflower and zinnia are also great for attracting honeybees. Don’t forget to provide wildlife with a clean source of drinking water.

SEEDING

•  Recycled containers such as yogurt cups and egg cartons are great for starting seeds. Use a nail to poke drainage holes in the bottom, and ensure the containers are thoroughly cleaned before planting.

PLANTING

•  Prepare raised beds early in the season, as they warm up faster than the surrounding soil. Vegetables and leafy greens are best for raised beds, while herbs grow well in containers. Add compost early, as it’s much easier when plants are only inches tall.

•  If you are using new nursery plants in your garden, make sure to harden them off before moving outside as they often need time to adjust to your climate.

•  Maximize space by companion planting. Corn, beans and squash work well together, as corn grows tall and provides a structure for the beans to grow up, while squash shades the roots. Using these easy tips, you can be sure your green garden will grow to be the envy of the neighborhood!   –Holly Young

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Yeah, but what does the label really mean?

 FDA Labeling

With an overwhelming variety of health and beauty products to choose from, it’s not always easy to tell which are the best for you and the environment. As good as they may seem, many terms such as “natural” and “hypoallergenic” aren’t subject to substantiation by the Food and Drug Administration. With no set standards, companies may define and use them freely. Deceptive marketing intended to make a product seem more environmentally friendly is known as greenwashing, which can make shopping both difficult and confusing. Here’s how FDA labeling defines some common terms:

Natural or Naturally Derived- There is no definition to use for “natural” and other similar terms. Both naturally occurring and synthetically derived chemicals can be harmful, so labeling as such says nothing of a product’s safeness to humans or the environment.

Hypoallergenic- There are no standards or requirements for a product to be labeled “hypoallergenic.” Free to define the term as they wish, companies may (and do) use the label even if the product contains known allergens.

Organic- The FDA has no legal definition of the term and does not enforce its use. However, any cosmetic or body care product that contains agricultural ingredients must be certified by the National Organic Program to use the term. Products that do not contain agricultural ingredients may use the term without regulation, though they may be certified under private standards.

Earth-Friendly or Eco-Safe- These terms are unregulated by the FDA and USDA, and have no legal basis. Beware of products making these claims without certification under known standards.

Fair Trade- Products that have been certified by Fair Trade USA ensure the producer has been compensated fairly, allowing them to invest in more sustainable practices or purchase higher quality inputs.

So, what should you look for on body product labels? Be wary of goods that make unsubstantiated claims. In fact, many with private certifications meet higher standards than those without. Cosmetics are also commonly tested on animals, so look for labels that state the product was not tested under such conditions, and, in general, avoid ingredients you can’t pronounce. Oil-based soaps are often gentler than those with glycerin, but beware of preservatives in both cases. Parabens, in particular, have been known to be carcinogenic.  –Holly Young

 How To Compost At Home

Compost is the black gold of home gardening. Farmers have used manure and other decomposing organic material to nourish crops since ancient Mesopotamian times, and for good reason. Not only does it fertilize and condition the soil with high levels of nutrients, but it also aids with erosion control and pest management. By reducing the need for chemical fertilizer inputs and recycling household waste, you’ll also be saving money and benefiting the environment.

When food scraps, plant debris and other organic material are moistened and heaped together, bacteria and other naturally-occurring microorganisms break down the matter into humus rich in readily-available minerals and nutrients. It also has an ideal structure to supplement the soil, as its high porosity means lots of air pockets and good water-retention, and its looseness contributes to wider and deeper root growth, beneficial to both the soil and plants.

With a little help from some hungry microbes, composting for your home garden can be as easy as watching a plant grow… except in this case you’ll be watching them break down. To compost successfully, there are three important factors that may require some practice to properly balance: moisture, heat and aeration.

Begin by collecting food waste and plant debris outside in a bin. If you choose to build your bin from wood or scraps, ensure the pieces are untreated, as chemicals can leech into the compost. A lid can be helpful to keep out excess snow or rain, but is not necessary. Keep in mind that better aeration can be achieved by using a slatted or caged bin with a lot of air exposure. Some larger-scale compost heaps use no bin at all, instead gathering it on concrete and covering with a tarp.

Use equal parts yard debris and food scraps for the best blend of “brown” and “green” materials (such as dried leaves and fresh vegetables, respectively) and pour water over it whenever it appears dry. Damp, but not wet, is ideal. Using a good mix of materials will aid with drainage and speedier decomposition. Turning the pile regularly will also aid with decomposition, and water that drains from the heap can be collected and used as liquid fertilizer. Any temperature above freezing will allow the material to break down, though higher temperatures speed up the process. Finding a good location for the bin with direct sunlight and wind protection can be very helpful for keeping temperatures high.

The compost will be ready to use when it appears dark and crumbly, which can take several months to achieve. If the decomposition process isn’t going as planned, don’t worry: moistening, draining, insulating or rotating the mix can quickly put it right back on track.  –Holly Young

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 How To Conserve Gas – Facts & Myths

Yesterday we made our monthly visit to Costco (where fuel is usually 10¢ a gallon cheaper than it is at normal gas stations), and decided to go ahead and fill Mary’s car up even though we still had 1/4 of a tank left. Even at their deeply discounted price, the cost around 13 gallons of gas was over $50! Compared to other states, Georgia’s gas prices are actually surprisingly low, but even here they’re expected to rise to $4.50/gallon this summer!

In our current economic times, everyone is looking for ways to save money, but it seems that there are a lot of misconceptions out there about fuel economy.  Fortunately, the American government has a website called FuelEconomy.gov, which offers a great overview of the various facts and myths about conserving gas:

• Using Premium Fuel Improves Fuel Economy-  Totally false. If you believe this, I know some BP executives who have a story about the Gulf oil spill not impacting wildlife to sell you.

• Vehicles Must Be Warmed Up In Cold Months Before Being Driven-  Also not true. The only reason to warm your car up is so you’ll be warm and the windows will defrost. If you really want to conserve energy, use a jacket for the former and a pitcher of hot water on the latter.

• It Takes More Gas To Start A Car Than To Let It Idle- This is one of the biggest misconceptions about fuel economy. Idling uses 1/4 to 1/2 a gallon of gas in an hour, costing a couple of cents per minute. So if you’re stuck in stop-and-go traffic, it’s probably not worth it to stop and restart your car, but if you’re going to be idling for more than a few minutes you probably want to shut it off.

• Aftermarket Additives Can Improve Fuel Economy- There are tons of “miracle products” that make bold claims about improving gas mileage, but both Consumer Reports and the Federal Trade Commission have refuted such claims. The only thing these products do is lighten the load on your wallet.

• Tips That Can Actually Save You Money On Gas- Drive sensibly (aggressive driving lowers gas mileage by 33%), maintain a steady speed via cruise control, remove excess weight (an extra 100 pounds in your trunk reduces your mpg by 2%), use overdrive gears, keep your engine properly tuned, keep tires properly inflated, use your car’s recommended grade of motor oil, and consider upgrading to a hybrid vehicle such as a Prius. If we had a fleet of 50 mpg cars on the road today, we’d save more oil annually than there is in the entire Gulf of Mexico!   –Bret Love

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