Downtown Homestead

Do you think you just don’t have the space or time for a vegetable garden? Is the idea of vegetables in neatly spaced rows the only way you can imagine growing them? Think again. There are vegetables that are so beautiful that they are right at home in any garden bed. Some kinds of flowers taste marvelous in a salad or served up with melted butter along with the vegetables. Grow a cucumber vine on that arbor for the delicate yellow flowers, interesting tendrils and of course cucumbers for your salad. A row of raspberry or blueberry bushes can make a lovely, and tasty hedge. A vegetable garden does not need to be hidden in the back yard. Plant these lovely edible plants in plain sight and create an edible landscape. 6 Plants for a great edible landscape Rhubarb makes an outstanding plant for low maintenance borders and herb gardens as well as a dramatic landscape element planted singly or in groups. Choose a brightly colored variety that grows well in your part of the country. Both r

Many parents believe that it is necessary to have a teaching credential to be qualified for teaching their child what they need to learn to become productive and successful adults. Although it is a tremendous responsibility to teach your own child the rewards can be priceless.   The pros and cons of homeschooling are many, but do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? With total control over your child’s homeschooling needs you have the flexibility to teach your child values that cannot be taught in a public classroom. On the other hand your time will not be as free as it used to be.   The education a child can gain from a loving and concerned parent will be much greater than is possible to receive in a public school system. You don’t need a teaching credential or even a college degree, just the desire to give your child a quality education. If there are subjects that you don’t feel comfortable teaching it is possible to hire a tutor for those classes. And on the positive side

Gardening doesn’t have to be time intensive, especially when you have the right tools and materials for the job. Having a busy schedule means you want to make the most out of your gardening experience, even if that garden is housed in just containers. However, did you know that the container you choose to plant in as well as what you put in it can make a world of difference in the success of your container garden ? It’s All about the Pots There are a number of different plant containers to choose from, so how do you know which one is best? What you don’t want to do is choose unglazed clay or terra cotta pots. The primary reason is that unglazed terra cotta or clay pots are very permeable. This means moisture leaches out of the container rather quickly leaving the plant starving for moisture. When you use the unglazed terra cotta or clay pots, you could water the plants in them in the morning and by evening time; the plants will feel a bit dry, not moist as they should be. The extrem

So you want to help the planet but swimming in the ocean after an oil spill just isn’t your thing? Well, start saving the planet one less carbon footprint at a time. There are very simple, easy, cost effective ways to reduce your personal impact on the world. You can also help force others to reduce theirs by changing your habits. Here are some Green tips that will help you reduce your carbon footprint. 1. Go solar in every way you can and you will reduce your energy based carbon footprint in an amazing ways. It may cost a bit more in start up costs but over all you will be saving money as well. The sun’s energy is free and does not hurt the environment when used. If you do a massive system, you may even earn money from the utility company in your area. There are many types of solar products, from path lights and pool covers to whole house electrical systems. However, if you are on a budget and want to slowly make changes that make big impacts there are some neat, cost saving, Gree

In these present times, getting the best education for your children is of the utmost importance. The topic of student education is a controversial one as there are more than a few options available for the parent to plan the educational development of their children. It does not help that the public educational setting is often full of issue and debate over allocation of school funding, curricula choices and external influences. These things and others end up affecting a student’s education, personal development and belief system. As time has past, it has been taken for granted that getting a good education and nurturing the academic and interest path of many children is successfully accomplished by the institutionalized school systems of our states and cities. For many, the public school systems have not met the needs of many parents and their children with respect to the academic educational standards expected by the proactive parent. This has resulted in a growing movement of par

You probably have temperature-controlling appliances within your home. Such equipment are like investments that ensure that you will be comfortable within your home whether the temperature is scorching outside during summer or extremely freezing during winter. But you must also have an idea of how much electricity is being consumed by such temperature controlling appliances. Homeowners who have and use them at home will readily attest that their monthly electric bills are way too high because of the usage of such appliances. While it is true that you can live at home without cooling and heating system, it would make your stay inside your own home extremely miserable. Homes are built to serve as your place of refuge where you can rest and relax after a long day’s work. How can you do so if the temperature inside is unbearable? It is estimated that your cooling and heating system used at home can take up a bulk of your monthly electricity bill. While it is true that using such applian

Are you the parent of a preschooler or an elementary school aged child?  If you are, there will likely come a point in time when your child develops head lice.  As frustrating as head lice can be, it is actually a common occurrence for most children between the ages of three to ten.  This is because children are often close to each other during daycare or school. When it comes to treating head lice, many parents head right on down to their local drug stores to stock up on lice killing supplies, such as head lice combs, lice killing shampoo, and other sprays.  Unfortunately, some of these products may not only be ineffective for your child, but they may also put them at risk.  Parents are always encouraged to avoid exposing their children to unnatural chemicals whenever possible.  The good news, however, for parents of children with head lice is that there are a number of natural remedies and home remedies that can prove successful. One remedy for head lice involves saturating the hai

Rhubarb is commonly eaten as though it is a fruit, although in fact it is a perennial vegetable. It is simple to grow, produces a good crop, and if tended with care, can last for up to twenty years. It prefers either full sunlight, or partially shaded areas. Varieties of rhubarb include ‘Victoria’, ‘Cawood Delight’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Champagne’, and Timperley Early’. Planting Out Your Rhubarb Rhubarb can be planted out in sets/crowns anytime between November and early April, and can survive temperatures as low as minus fifteen degrees centigrade, as it is virtually frost resistant. The sets are usually around 10cm in diameter. Before planting, ensure that you have a clear, well-weeded, open patch of well-drained soil, and that the soil is well fertilized. Dig down between two and three ft deep, place the set into the hole, cover with soil, gently firm out the surrounding soil, and ensure that the rhubarb is watered well. If you are planting more than one plant, you must space them approxima

The Future of Solar PV (Photovoltaic) Energy 1. The Problem 2. The Solution 3. The Results 4. The Benefits 5. An Investment in the Future 1. The Problem: Traditional sources of electrical power generation are running out as production will peak in the next decade but demand will continue to rise. Energy prices will continue to rise at a higher rate as well as the number of outages during peak hours.  There is the obvious problem of the pollution we are causing to our environment. From my perspective, the world’s energy needs vary greatly; there is no clear single solution to the problem of supplying the world’s energy. All forms of energy production have issues associated with them, i. e. – 1. Coal – Pollution/Strip Mining 2. Natural Gas – Cost and Lack of Infrastructure 3. Hydro – Limited Availability/Environmental Concerns 4. Wind – Limited Site and Resource Availability 5. Solar PV – Higher Cost 6. Nuclear – Waste disposal 2. The Solution: Solar PV (Photovoltaic) sy

As a home gardener, fall should be a very special time for you. Fall is the best season of the year for plant propagation, especially for home gardeners who do not have the luxury of intermittent mist. The technique that I am going to describe here can be equally effective for evergreens as well as many deciduous plants. The old rule of thumb was to start doing hardwood cuttings of evergreens after you have experienced at least two hard freezes. After two hard freezes the plants are completely dormant. However, based on my experience it is beneficial to start doing your evergreen cuttings earlier than that. So instead of doing “by the book” hardwood cuttings you’re actually working with semi-hardwood cuttings. The down side to starting your cuttings early is that they will have to be watered daily unless you experience rain showers. The up side is that they will start rooting sooner, and therefore are better rooted when you pull them out to transplant them. To prepare an area in whi

Who doesn’t love sitting around a fire on a cool fall night, or a crackling fireplace? But what if you needed to start a fire for survival? Do you have the firemaking skills required for your survival? First thing is to know the basics of fire safety and fire starting: Always light your fire from the upwind side. Make sure to lay your tinder, kindling, and fuel so that your fire will burn as long as you need it. Igniters provide the initial heat required to start the tinder burning.   Firemaking skills fall into two categories: modern methods and primitive methods. Modern Methods for Firemaking Modem igniters use modem devices–items we normally think of to start a fire. Matches: Make sure these matches are waterproof. Also, store them in a waterproof container along with a dependable striker pad. Convex Lens: Use this method only on bright, sunny days. The lens can come from binoculars, camera, telescopic sights, or magnifying glasses. Angle the lens to concentrate the s

Here’s a cool weather soup that hits the spot. I grew up with pork and beans, and split pea soup, so I created my own recipe using a combination of both flavors to make this soup. It’s thick, delicious and filling and will serve 4-6 bowls of soup, depending on the size of your soup bowl. Even better it reheats wonderfully and like most soups or stews, the flavors will infuse overnight making the next day’s serving better than the first! I like this alone, with just some bread. There are a couple of variations that I’ve tried depending on my cravings that day. When you find a basic combination that you like, enjoy experimenting with the dish by adding in different flavors that change the texture and enhance the flavors. This soup is one of those dishes,I’ve added butterbeans for another texture and flavor. I’ve also creamed up some horseradish and added it into the broth for a spicy bite to this lazy day soup. Take a look in your kitchen and see what flavors you have waiting to be ad