Eco Gardeners

September 20, 2011 issue of Family Circle magazine features an article “How Moms Made Money from Direct Sales” and included The Happy Gardener’s business opportunity as a reader home business.

“Millions of women are weathering the still-tough economy by earning extra cash through direct sales: supplementing a salary that just doesn’t cover everything or replacing one that vanished. Innovative options include power tools, home decor items, even professionally fitted bras. These moms are all making a home-party business work for them.”

Read the entire article at www.familycircle.com.

Diets in Review.com has compiled a nice list of alternative fundraising programs that are designed to eliminate the sweet treats and expensive giftwrap.

Included are The Happy Gardener’s Eco-Fundraising Programs which allow schools, groups and organizations to raise necessary funds while educating families and communities on healthy living methods.  Products include flowering bulbs, organic bug repellent, chemical-free cut flower/holiday tree preservatives and “Just Add Dirt” Eco-Grow Kits for veggies and herbs!

Read the entire article by visiting http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/09/guilt-free-school-fundraisers-are-replacing-candy-pushers/

Shopping for fresh veggies at the Charlottesville, VA Market

Choosing to support and eat local food ensures that the family farms within our communities will continue to thrive, and that healthy, flavorful, plentiful food will be available for future generations.

Though “buying local’ has been gaining exposure and trust with ‘conscious consumers’, we must not neglect the importance of consumer education. As farmer’s markets and CSA’s become more widespread, remember that just because its “local” doesn’t mean its necessarily healthier.  It is our responsibility to ask questions of our local suppliers:

Is the farm certified organic and/or working towards an organic certification?

If the farm is not certified organic, what pesticides/herbicides/fertilizers are used to maintain crop production? How often are they applied? Do they use animal by-products/manure to fertilize?

Asking questions will inform you, the consumer, of the quality of produce you are buying and will provide you with the trust to continue working with your local farmers.

FoodRoutes.org provides a list of benefits to supporting local farmers:

• Exceptional taste & freshness:  Local food is fresher and tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties bred for taste rather than from shipping and long shelf life;
• Strengthen your local economy:  Buying local food keeps your dollars circulating in your community. Getting to know the farmers who grow your food builds relationships based on understanding and trust;
• Support endangered farms:  There’s never been a more critical time to support your farming neighbors. With each local food purchase, you ensure that more of your $$ spent on food goes tot he farmer;
• Safeguard your family’s health:  Knowing where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised enables you to choose safe food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified seed in their operations.
• Protect the environment:  Local food doesn’t have to travel far. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials. Buying local food also helps to make farming profitable and selling farmland for development less attractive.

-published on econewsnetwork.com

Instead of sending Dad on yet another grocery store trip, send him out to the garden to grow and pick his own organic fruits, herbs and veggies with the help of The Happy Gardener’s “Just Add Dirt” Eco-Grow kits!

June is the perfect month for growing vegetables, and these kits are a great gift idea for dads who love to play in the dirt, garden and grow their own produce. The “Just Add Dirt” kits include everything needed for growing organic, nutritious edibles in 100 percent compostable pots. With simple instructions and containers that allow for small-space gardening, even Dads with little experience and little space can reap the benefits of gardening in their own backyard.

The kit also includes organic seeds, SeaResults ™ Organic Plant Food, soil conditioner and water retaining mats, so all Dad really has to do is add dirt!

“Our focus is to help families grow nutritious food while saving money,” says The Happy Gardener’s founder and product developer, Annette Pelliccio. “Growing our own berries, salad mix and a variety of vegetables saves my family of three an average of $380 during the summer months alone,” she says.

With the current economic state, the number of edible gardening projects is expected to rise this year to supplement household food supplies. But saving money isn’t the only reason Dad should start growing his own organic produce. Organically grown fruits and veggies have been shown to retain an increased number of nutrients than those grown commercially.

For more information about the “Just Add Dirt” Eco-Grow kits visit www.thehappygardener.info.

Written by:  Christa Hines

Transform an ordinary backyard into a captivating, natural wonderland and you’ll harness the curiosity and imagination of your children in a whole new way. With a little ingenuity, you can create a multisensory landscape that provides your children with an enriching, year-round fresh-air retreat.

Annette Pelliccio, founder and chief executive of The Happy Gardener Inc., which provides earth-friendly products to gardeners, says that when her daughters were toddlers she integrated storybook elements in their “play garden,” including a Charlotte’s Web wire in a tree….

To read the whole article go to http://www.carolinaparent.com/articlemain.php?Transform-Your-Backyard-into-a-Natural-Wonderland-for-Kids-2872

Japanese beetle season is right around the corner and for those of us who love our roses, crepe myrtles, and ornamental fruit trees, we can only wait to see the detrimental effects made from these disgusting pests.

The key to controlling the quantity and continuous visitation from Japanese beetles is to stop the cycle early. Japanese beetles start out in small quantity- you may see just a bunch of 5-10 on a rose bush. Don’t ignore them! Japanese beetles emit a scent that will keep attracting more and more beetles. Ever wonder why your beetle bags fill up so quickly? The scent draws more and more in from all over your neighborhood.

Organic Japanese beetle control is not as hard as you may think. Here are a few suggestions to help you stop the Japanese beetle cycle so you can enjoy the summer blooming months:

• As soon as you see the first signs of Japanese beetles on your plants, get rid of them immediately so they cannot attract more.
• Work on your Japanese beetles early in the morning so they do not attract more throughout the day.

Ways to get rid of Japanese beetles organically:

• Pick the beetles off of the plants and drop them into a pail of soapy water;
• Choose a non-toxic, natural and safe beetle control. Spray beetles daily for a week until the cycle has been broken. We recommend The Happy Gardener’s Outdoor Foliar Feed- it is 100% vegetable based and will get rid of the beetles on contact, plus it is an effective foliar fertilizer.
• Use a Japanese beetle bag- if you choose this method, place the bag as far away from your gardens as possible since the bags do attract more beetles.
• Use Companion Planting- adding chives and/or lavender to your rose garden will repel the beetles;
• Don’t plant too many Japanese beetle tasty plants together- having 1 or 2 rose bushes or crepe myrtles amongst other plant varieties will help control infestation.
• You may choose to apply a grub control to your lawn such as Milky Spore to stop the grubs before they emerge as beetles.