I'm on a journey to find health and happiness through a more holistic and green lifestyle.

I find the world to be abrasive. =) That is to say, I feel the need to armor myself, physically and emotionally, in order to face life. Don't we all? Maybe. For whatever reason, it has become a priority in my life to rid my immediate environment of irritating things. And I'm sensitive! So there is much work to be done. But. I have thought for a long time that the things I come in contact with every day, and the stuff used to clean and maintain these things, need to be gentle and non-toxic. I have had eczema my entire life. For a long time I just dealt with it, and accepted that sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's not, and that it will fluctuate a lot. Gradually over time I have come to find that certain things, fabrics, cleansers, materials, are more irritating to my skin than others. Stress can exacerbate it. In more recent times, I have realized that every aspect of my life improves when I improve conditions for my skin. Hah! What a concept! Thus my (long time) interest in going green, and my more recent desire to live a more holistic lifestyle. (I think I've felt a desire for a long time to live in a harmonious way with myself, my surroundings, and nature, but didn't have a name for it.) Anyhow, this blog is a journal of my trials and errors, and basic crooked path to find a balanced and peaceful existence for myself and my family. Thanks for your interest! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Recycling: Container Gardening


With spring trying really hard to arrive around here, my thoughts have turned to the yard and garden. I want very much to grow some of our food this year, but with little garden space, I am thinking of how to arrange planters around the deck. With a big private school tuition bill coming due at the end of the summer, I am always trying to think of ways to cut costs. What can I do instead of spending a fortune on new planters? I took a look around the kitchen, and the first thing I found was a recently emptied plastic popcorn bottle.  What can  I do with this?









First I took a serrated knife and cut the top off. Then I used my corkscrew to make four holes on the bottom of the bottle, and four on the sides close to the bottom. (It worked great for this!!)













 I filled the container with potting soil, leaving a little room at the top.

We use a lot of fresh herbs in our cooking, so I planted some basil. Basil makes a great container plant. I taped the top flap of the seed packet to the side of the container with the date.

Voila! We should see some sprouts in about a week! No expensive containers, I've reused something that was headed for the trash, and my children can see how easy it is to grow your own (organic!) food and one way to reuse, rethink and recycle! Now... what else can I use...?

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