Gardening is often promoted as an inexpensive activity, but in truth it’s not always easy to garden on the cheap. That said there are some areas where you can cut gardening costs big time.

Save your old seeds (check to see if they still work).
Compost for homemade soil – even if your yard is small you can compost. In fact, you can compost indoors if you want.
Don’t buy new – garden tools, gardening books, pots, and so on. Most gardening supplies can be easily found at thrift stores. You can also borrow from or share garden tools with friends. It’s also …read more

Visitors and residents of New York have a few more weeks to check out The Edible Garden, an exhibition and celebration of cooking and gardening at the New York Botanical Gardens.  The exhibit is a celebration of growing and eating delicious food, and includes displays, demonstrations, education, and lots of special events designed to help you understand how to grow, prepare, and enjoy garden-fresh produce.  Whether you have space to grow it yourself, or must enjoy it from the labor of others, this tribute to our edible gardens is sure to inspire you.
What will you see?  For details consult the …read more

When planning your autumn garden, one awesome plant to get started now is the Pumpkin On A Stick, also known as the Pumpkin Tree or Hmong Eggplant (among other names). Not a true pumpkin, but still so adorable for fall decor and vases.

Pumpkin on a stick grows fast but has thorns to watch out for. The leaves are huge compared to the tiny fruits and plants can be started from seed or cuttings. Normally early summer is a good time to start this plant, but if you’ve got a lot of sun you can still plant some now and you …read more

Journey North is a year-long, free nature adventure event for youth. The major activity season for Journey North actually kicks off in February but kids can join up at any time. Through May (and beyond) there’s plenty of learning and fun to be had.

WHAT IS JOURNEY NORTH?
A North American adventure for kids that allows them to log-in online (for free) and participate in a “Global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change.” Students K-12, chat and post about their personal nature field observations with other students across the country. Homeschoolers or unschoolers will like this project as well.
The site …read more

Houseplants are a simple, inexpensive way to help boost indoor air quality. They help clear pollutants and toxins from the air and moderate humidity indoors. Here’s a list of the most effective plants for removing indoor air pollutants, from a study by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA):