From the time I moved into my first apartment, I have always enjoyed having a variety of houseplants.  They are a great way to decorate and add life to indoor spaces and fit into almost any decor.  Like most of us, I always knew that trees were important in improving air quality, however I never thought much about my indoor plants doing the same for my home.  It turns out that houseplants can indeed improve the indoor air quality in a home.  In fact, NASA did a study on common houseplants and came up with a list of the top common houseplants to improve indoor air quality.

How do houseplants improve air quality?  In the same way that trees are important in improving air quality outdoors.  These houseplants originate from tropical climates, where they grew under the shelter of tree canopies.  Because of this, these plants are able to survive on fairly low levels of natural light.  This makes them very efficient at photosynthesis, which allows them to absorb more gasses out of the air.  It is also why they grow so well in an indoor environment.

Here are some of my favorite houseplants from NASA’s list:

1.  Peace Lilly - The peace lilly tops the list of my favorite houseplants for a few reasons.  First, it is very easy to grow.  It handles most reasonable indoor light situations, and recovers relatively easily if it misses a regular watering.  The other reason it is one of my favorites is because it produces attractive white flowers very regularly when taken care of properly.

2. Snake Plant - The snake plant is a fantastic plant choice for someone who is not particularly good with plants because it requires only low levels of light and minimal watering.  In fact, my snake plant needs watering less than half as often as my other houseplants.  The snake plants long, spiky leaves also provide an interesting decorative look.

3. Spider Plant - The spider plant is another plant that is easy to grow and requires fairly low levels of light.  My favorite thing about mature spider plants are the shoots of “baby” spider plants that extend off of the main plant.  They are very neat to look at, and work well in hanging baskets.

4.  English Ivy - English Ivy is a very fast growing plant that trails beautifully.  It is very easy to grow, but does require more watering. 

5.  Ficus - Ficus trees are one of the neatest plants on the list.  They can grow very large and make a very pretty indoor tree.  They are not as easy going as the other plants mentioned.  They like more specific light conditions and watering, but do very well if put in the right area and watered regularly.

6.  Gerbera Daisy and Potted Mums - Two different species of plants altogether, however they have many of the same features.  They both provide beautiful flowers and are more of a “temporary” or seasonal plant, as they never seem to flourish past their flowering period.  If you want color, or don’t want a permanant houseplant, these are fantastic choices.  Both of these plants are also popular gift choices and very easy to find in a variety of stores.

NASA recommends having at least 15 houseplants in a 2000 square foot space in order to help improve air quality.  Also, it is important not to overwater houseplants, which can lead to fungal growth in the soil.

» Clean Air Gardening

Today, many urbanites are getting into a new way of gardening, the Greener way.  Many municipalities are reducing the number and type of pesticides available for domestic use.  This is an Earth Friendly concept, but what about neighborhood relationships when your yard, or your next door neighbor’s yard is infested with the brilliant yellow blooms of the infamous dandelion?

Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is an herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae family (Compositae).  Dandelions are broadleaf perennial plants that have been lauded to have many beneficial uses but in the urban gardener’s landscape they are mostly considered weeds.  T. officinale has been used as a medical herb and is eaten with many healthful benefits.  Dandelions were also cultivated during World War II, the latex produced in the root was used to make rubber.  However, letting the dandelion take over your yard in the city likely will get you in trouble with your closest residing neighbors.

Most yards in towns and cities across the Country are predominantly turf lawns.  As communities age our grass lawn’s vigor can decrease/fade leaving room for the unwanted species such as dandelion that will out-compete the weak turf.  The key to avoiding dandelions is having a strong stand of grass to compete with the dandelion.

Promote Healthy Grass to demote dandelions
Encouraging strong turf growth requires aeration, top dressing, watering and fertilizing.  If your lawn is not growing but the weeds are, consider the reasons why the turf is lacking.  If you can determine the reasons your lawn is weak you can create a management plan to discourage and eventually eliminate the weed problem.  Start looking at the age of your lawn, the fertility of your soil, your location (under a conifer tree, hot and dry) and other soil conditions like compaction, or water holding capacity.

Some locations are not suited for turf.  Dry sites, shaded by conifer trees are a difficult space to foster a healthy lawn.  The acid forest floor is not a place lawn turf will thrive.  Neutralizing lime fertilizer can buffer the acid soil, and top dressing with a rich loam will also help offset the problem.  Organic fertilizer, such as compost, worm castings or manure tea will keep the soil healthy and alive with insects and microbes but can also decrease your pH. Yearly top dressing your lawn in any location will promote a healthy environment for the grass to grow into.

Healthy lawns can be achieved by leaving your grass cuttings on the lawn, or mulching instead of bagging and disposing the clippings as waste.  The grass decomposing will return nutrients back to the turf slowly.  When mowing set your blade height on the mower higher, leaving two thirds of the blade of grass uncut will encourage a healthier root system.

Soil that is slightly acidic can also discourage dandelion establishment as they prefer a slightly alkaline environment, pH 7.5.  Acidifying fertilizer such as ammonium or sulfur fertilizers will promote lush green growth and combat some turf disease.  Do consider your lawns grass species, soil type and current pH prior to using acidifying fertilizers as most grass species will not thrive below a pH of 6.  To avoid burning the grass, apply acidifying fertilizer in the spring under cool conditions (or fall) at low rates.

Manually removing dandelions
Dig Physically digging out dandelions then filling the hole and re-seeding the area with grass is the best non-chemical method to eliminate the hardy perennial.  Preventing the plants from flowering and going to seed will reduce future infestations.  Mow or pull off the flower and dispose of it, eat it or feed it to livestock and pets rather than leaving it on the lawn.

Corn Gluten dandelion control
Corn gluten meal can be used as a pre-emergent dandelion control method.  It is available in two forms, powder or pellet.  Application is similar to using fertilizer; simply broadcast it on to your lawn then water.  The corn gluten will discourage dandelion seedlings from producing roots causing their demise shortly after germination.  Another benefit related to using corn gluten is it contains nitrogen and as it decomposes it will fertilize your grass.  However, do not top seed grass on to a lawn treated with corn gluten as these seedlings will be controlled for a six-week period.

Vinegar dandelion control
Vinegar is another popular organic weed management tool and will kill the vegetation growing above ground.  However, it will not effectively control dandelion as you must kill the tap root to eliminate this plant.  Boiling vinegar or boiling water is an effective strategy for top-growth control only, leaving the root system to regenerate.

Smothering the weed problem is another strategy but takes time and space.  This strategy likely will not work well in a lawn as you will kill the remaining grass plants surrounding the weeds.  To eliminate weeds using this method the weeds must be completely covered so they cannot photosynthesize and new seedlings will not germinate as sunlight is eliminated.

Integrated pest management always is the best strategy when combating an undesired plant or animal.  Utilizing all available methods will ensure you have a healthy lawn that is a source of pride rather than embarrassment. 

» ligrows

It hardly feels like it should already be time to harvest a garden, but the mister recently pointed out that our Swiss chard was about execute a plan for total garden domination and overtake the entire thing (what a crafty leafy vegetable it is!). Our carrots remained shy and decided not to make an appearance at all this year, however as you'll see from the photo above, we still ended up with beans, dill, beets, cilantro, peas, and of course, the infamous chard.

So what does one do with all the treasures bestowed upon them by their garden? Here are a few ideas...

Swiss chard - You can use yours in salad, but chard's slightly bitter taste may not appeal to everyone's taste buds. To eliminate that bitter taste, cook it using this Melted Chard recipe, courtesy of the Carrboro Farmers' Market. Bonus: the recipe allows you to use the whole chard including the stem, rather than just the leaves!

Beets - You don't have to peel beets before cooking them - in fact, they're much easier to peel if boiled in their skin for 10-15 minutes first. Once boiled, rinse them with cold water until they are no longer hot to the touch, then rub the peel off. If you have difficulty removing the peel, boil them for a few more minutes. After that, you can grate them into a salad or pour some vinegar over them and eat them. To prepare them with a sweeter taste, rub some olive oil into the skin, then roast the beets 400 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour.

Beans - You can eat these raw, boil them or turn them into a lovely Summer Green Bean Salad, complete with chives, thyme, shallots, honey (local if you've got it!) and some hazelnuts.

Dill - If you didn't make pickles this year, make use of the 16 pounds of tomatoes you recently purchased at the Farmers' Market (ahem) with this recipe for Roasted Tomato Dill Soup.

Peas - There's no two ways about it: these are best when washed and eaten fresh or used in a salad. They're crunchy, sweet and far better than anything you could pick up at the supermarket, end of story.

Cilantro - My love affair with cilantro prompted me to plant it this year. I'll use it in anything, from tossing a handful into canned black bean soup to perking up boring old jarred salsa (not homemade). However, my hands-down favorite use for cilantro in the summer is to take some of the aforementioned 16 pounds of tomatos and chop both up with some sweet onions, garlic, a jalepeno and adding salt and pepper for a huge batch of fresh salsa. The salsa only keeps for a couple of days, so use it for everything, whether you just dip chips or put it on tacos or eggs in the morning.

» Ecollo

Last summer CeeBee introduced us to some tips to get started herb gardening, and there are numerous kits available that make herb gardening super-easy.

Growing an herb garden in your kitchen makes green sense in a lot of ways:

1. It's a great way to try your hand at a little gardening without making a big commitment.  The green thumb requirement is pretty low and it makes a great project for kids!

2. With a nice planter they make a great decoration to beautify your kitchen.

3. You can grow one little pot or parsley or a fantastic multi-tiered herb garden like the one pictured.  So regardless of the size of your kitchen you can create an herb garden to suit.

4. The aroma of fresh herbs in your home is fantastic, especially first thing on a lazy Sunday morning.

5. It's so convenient you'll find yourself adding fresh herbs to all of your cooking.  A sprig of parsley here, a little mint there... it's a fun way to jazz up your meals.

6. Herbs aren't just for cooking.  You can also grow your own medicinal herbs or even your own tea garden.

I could go on, but you get the idea.  Now I'll be the first to admit that I would have a hard time keeping a chia pet going, so I'm the type of novice gardener that's looking for some kind of starter set to help me get going.  If you hit the jump you can check out this great site I found called HerbKits.com which carries kits for culinary herbs, tea, medicinal herbs, even kits so you can grow your own salsa veggies or strawberries.

So don't just sit there, get growing!  (oh, haha I crack myself up)

» HerbKits.com

If you find the idea of growing your own food fascinating, but intimidating, growing your own herbs is a great way to get your feet wet in the whole gardening game. Houston-based garden retailer Olive Barn even has the perfect product to get you started, with their recently-launched Organic Herb Garden Trio Kit.

Unlike other gardening kits, this eco-friendly offering from Olive Barn allows consumers to pick and choose exactly which herbs they want included in the kit. The company has also specifically designed the kit to reduce packaging, save transportation fuel and provide better quality seed. The biodegradable and compostable pots are made from rice hulls and even the instructions included in the kit were printed on 100 per cent post-consumer recycled paper. Olive Barn also offsets the shipping of products to customers who place orders via the Internet.

Olive Barn Founder, Jacqueline D'Elia says "Customers wanted an eco-friendly trio without all the Styrofoam packing found in most other kits. They also wanted a choice of herbs. Most other kits on the market are packaged in Styrofoam with specific herbs and do not give you the option of customizing it."

"We've created an eco-friendly windowsill herb garden that is simple, elegant and is easier on the environment," says D'Elia.

Customers can choose between such herbs as cilantro, lemon basil, Greek oregano, English thyme, garden chives and Italian flat leaf parsley. Visit Olive Barn online to begin customizing your new herb garden!

» Olive Barn (Official Site)

If you've been using slug pellets in your garden, the Wildlife Gardener has a good reason you should stop. For one thing, hedgehogs can naturally eliminate the slug problem without the use of a toxic product. This also ties in to the second major problem with the pellets, which is that they can kill hedgehogs by poisoning the creatures. Even if the hedgehogs don't eat the pellets directly, they will still be affected when they feed on slugs who have been poisoned.

With fall approaching, hedgehogs will especially need to pack on the extra fat for a long winter of hibernation (depressing to think of right now, isn't it?). Help aid the animals in achieving the diet they require and in turn, watch them rid your green space of slugs - naturally.

What to Feed Hedgehogs
Tinned cat or dog food and even dry dog food is a useful addition to a hedgehog’s diet. They’ll also eat things like bacon rind. You should also ensure that you put out fresh water with any food you leave but you shouldn’t feed a hedgehog milk or bread in large amounts as they can cause diarrhoea.

Providing Nesting Sites
Although some gardeners choose to build hedgehog houses, they are very resourceful creatures and will make nest sites under sheds, amongst piles of wood and under mounds of leaves so it’s useful to keep a part of your garden a little bit ‘wild’ if you want to attract hedgehogs to it.

Making a Careful Check
Always check carefully before carrying out any routine gardening duties. If you’ve been gathering wood and other material which you intend burning on a bonfire, for example, check underneath it first before lighting as this is an obvious place for a hedgehog to build its nest. Likewise, when using spades, forks, mowers and strimmers etc., be sure that you are not operating your equipment in a location where a hedgehog might be seeking refuge or hibernating. Netting can also cause problems with hedgehogs getting trapped within it. You should keep an eye on any netting which you are using to cover plants off the ground – the same goes for similar material such as barbed wire.

Contact With Hedgehogs
Whilst having a hedgehog in your garden can seem very similar to keeping a pet (especially to children), it’s important to remember that these are wild animals and their spines are also sharp, so you should avoid picking one up unless you suspect that it’s injured. They can also harbour hedgehog fleas so personal contact should be avoided where possible. If you do have to pick up a hedgehog, make sure you wear suitable gardening gloves.

You can see more hedgehog advice by hitting the jump. Also be sure to check out the full Wildlife Gardener site. They cover a wide range of gardening topics from how to bird-watch in your garden to how to attract birds there in the first place. The site is also a great resource for learning how to handle other garden pests (slugs don't even scratch the surface - literally) and even tell you how to educate your kids about wildlife, as well as some activities to pique their interest.

» Wildlife Gardener