How does home composting help to reduce global warming?

When sent to landfill organic waste is compressed under tons of other waste types.  The organic waste therefore does not have enough access to air, which restricts the waste from being able to decompose properly.  Instead of decomposing, methane gas is produced which contributes to global warming.

The Compost Bin
The first step to start composting at home is to get a compost bin.  You can either purchase a compost bin or you can make your own.  Compost bins can be bought from the majority of garden centers.  The government funded Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign also sells discounted compost bins.

The next important step is to decide where to position the compost bin, which can affect the overall quality of the compost that is produced.  For best results place the bin in a well drained area which has good access to sunlight.  The drainage will enable excess water to drain out of the compost and placing the bin in a sunny spot helps to speed up the composting process.

What waste items can I put in my compost bin?

There are lots of everyday waste items from your garden and kitchen that can go into your compost bin.  These are broken down into Greens and Browns.  Greens are the type of items that provide moisture and nitrogen and are quick to rot.  Items classed as Greens include:

Grass cuttings
Vegetable peelings
Leaves
Fruit
Tea bags
Weeds

Browns are waste items that take longer to rot but provide pockets of air, along with fiber and carbon.  This includes items such as:

Cardboard boxes
Newspapers (scrunched up)
Toilet roll tubes
Egg shells (crushed)
Shredded paper
Twigs and hedge clippings

How do I make a good quality compost?
To make a good quality compost it is important to use a good mix of both ‘green’ and ‘brown’ wastes.  It is simply a case of monitoring the compost and adding more waste depending on the look of the compost.  For example, if it looks too dry add more green waste, and if it looks too wet add more brown waste.  Every so often it is also a good idea to mix or turn the contents of your compost bin to add air.

How long will it take for my compost to be ready to use?
This will vary depending on the mixture of waste that is placed into the compost bin, the surrounding conditions and the weather.  In general it should take between 6 and 9 months for your finished compost to be ready to use.

Please be sure to follow the important safety tips listed below.

Safety tips:
1. Propane and charcoal BBQ grills should only be used outdoors.
2. The grill should be placed well away from the home, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
3. Keep children and pets away from the grill area.
4. Keep your grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and in trays below the grill.
5. Never leave your grill unattended.

Stay Fire Safe!

Includes a double bin composter, worms, and bedding.
Saturday, July 9, 2011, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 pm
Location: SOUTH BAY BOTANIC GARDEN at SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910
WORKSHOP FEE: $40.00
Register by email at: SustainableWorkshops(at)yahoo.com
619-752-5922
Reserve early, seating is limited.

Worms consume up to 50 percent of their own body weight in food each day — that translates into a lot of fertilizer.

Vermicomposting food waste offers several advantages:
It reduces household garbage disposal costs;
It produces less odor and attracts fewer pests than putting food wastes into a garbage container;
It saves the water and electricity that kitchen sink garbage disposal units consume;
It produces a free, high-quality soil amendment (compost);
It requires little space, labor, or maintenance;
It spawns free worms for fishing or feeding to your chickens.

South Bay Botanic Garden @ Southwestern College, consists of 4 acres of trees, shrubs, flowers, ground covers, various turf grasses, plant collections, and water features all framed in a pleasant setting.  As part of the Landscape and Nursery Technology Program at Southwestern College, the garden continues to be a learning facility for students pursuing degrees in the horticultural fields.  Don’t be surprised to see a group of students working on the garden or learning a horticultural skill.
Visitors can see how to grow and prune productive fruit trees for small back yards, find out what plants are the best for water-conserving landscapes, get ideas for paving and hardscape features, and take a look at our tropical, cacti and succulent, and ground cover collections.

The garden is a National Wildlife Federation approved sanctuary!  Don’t be surprised to see some hawks or owls nesting in the trees.

As the only botanic garden in the South Bay, we host onsite workshops pertaining to horticulture (plants), aquaculture (fish), vermiculture (worms) and many more gardening interests.

However, there is no point in just killing the ants you can see, this is actually only about 1% of the entire colony and when they do not come home to the nest more ants are automatically sent out.

The ideal situation is to find the main nest where the queens and all the other ants are and eradicate the entire colony with liquid bait.

You can try following the ant trail back to the main colony but this is near impossible as the trail may go behind skirting boards, along the inside of the walls and out somewhere at the other end of the house

The most effective treatment for homeowners is to bait the ants that are inside the home. The advantage of using Baits is the ants will take the poison back to the nest, the queen and the rest of the colony will feed on the bait and the entire colony will be destroyed.

Place the bait at different points along the trail the ants have been using. You should see heaps of ants scurrying to the bait. Do not kill them, just let them feed and you will see them leaving to go back to the nest.

The ant activity should subside within a few days. Keep topping up the bait until no more ants are seen.

Okay, you have put down bait but the ants are ignoring it! Would you believe that ants are fussy eaters and can alter their eating habits at different times of the year. It does not mean the bait is no good, just that the ants are looking for another type of food source, so try another bait such as liquid bait.

The above baiting treatment will solve your indoor problem but if you have heaps of ants outside they will eventually come back indoor looking for food or water.
Therefore you should be treating both the home and yard for ants.

Foundation – For effective ant control, you should spray the outside foundation of the home with an Insecticide repellant. A guide for spraying would be two foot up by 1 foot out, all the way around the foundation. Also treat the Windowsills, Door trims, Pipes, Cables and Pathways.
This should be done regularly, probably every quarter.

Yard – Treating the yard. The best solution for treating the yard is to use both Granules and liquid bait. Granules will last approximately 2-3 months. Liquid baits evaporate and need to be topped up regularly, especially if you live in a hot dry climate. Check frequently to make sure they have not dried up..

To recap, Gel Bait for Indoors, Sprays for the Foundation, Granules and Liquid Bait for outdoors.  This will solve all your ant problems if repeated regularly.

However, planting roses cannot be done just anywhere or in just any climate. They need special care and treatment. Here are some tips that you need to consider in order to successfully grow roses:

1. Roses require about 4 to 6 hours of sunlight everyday. It would be best to plant your roses in a clear area where there are not too many trees or other types of plants. The reason behind this is that the rose may lack sunlight exposure and the roots are also likely to become intertwined with the rose and throttle its growth. If you wish to replace an old rose bush, you should remove about 1 ½ cubic feet of the old soil and replace it with new soil so that the newly planted rose will have fresh soil to start with.

2. When thinking about the position of your roses you must consider the type of rose you are planting. Place ramblers and climbers along trellises, fences and next to pergolas or arches. This is important to consider because they need space to grow freely and these positions are perfect for bigger blooming roses.

3. Roses will look good in island beds which can be mixed with perennials. Smaller roses make great edging plants, which are perfect for combining in front of taller species. Dig a hole large enough for the size of the root ball, but remember to loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole. You can also add bone meal which acts as a slow acting resource of phosphorus. This will help establish a healthy root growth for your roses.

4. You should be careful when considering the planting depth as this depends on your climate. If you live in a cooler climate, plant roses deeper, but if you wish to plant in a pot, you must dig about 1 inch deeper than the usual potted level.

5. Make sure that you place roses in the hole carefully. The hole should be refilled with soil so that the roots are covered completely. Before you make the final covering, water the rose. Then mound the soil about 8 inches high around the base of the plant. The earth will keep the stems from drying out until the plant is completely rooted. As the leaves open, you can remove the excess soil that surrounds the plant.

These some important tips you need to consider when planting roses.

By exchanging their traditional incandescent holiday lights for LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting strands, homeowners can reduce energy costs by up to 90%. Also, LEDs last more than 10 times longer than conventional lights, produce a brighter light, and have cooler operating temperatures—making them safe to touch and less likely to cause a fire.

LED technology is already used in digital clock displays, traffic lights, exit signs, and other everyday products and signage.
Chula Vista’s holiday lights and installation are fully funded through the City’s Local Government Partnership with San Diego Gas & Electric and the California Public Utilities Commission. The Partnership has allowed the City to upgrade its facilities with more energy-efficient lighting, heating, and air conditioning and provide no-cost energy services to the community. In addition, Best Buy is sponsoring the extra energy costs of the display estimated at $50 for the entire holiday season.

South Bay residents will also be able to exchange up to three incandescent holiday light strands for energy-efficient, multi-colored LED strands at two events in Chula Vista.   The exchanges will be held on Saturday, November 20 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Otay Ranch Town Center (2015 Birch Road) and on December 4 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Memorial Park (373 Park Way) before the Starlight Parade.

Shop Chula Vista for additional energy efficiency lighting and appliances at Best Buy and other retailers throughout the City.

Ranging between $2,500 and $20,000, the loans have a maximum payback period of 10 years, and are secured through a lien on the participant’s property. All improvements must also be performed by an eligible contractor. Loans are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For additional program requirements and the “Eligible Contractor List,” please visit www.chulavistaca.gov/clean or call (619) 409-3893. The Home Upgrade, Carbon Downgrade program is supported through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.

Not a lot, but enough that paint store owners, home designers and kitchen refinishers are hopeful that this year represents a turn away from the disastrous depths of the recession last year.

“We’re not taking as many vacations, so we’re stuck at home and we want it to look pretty,” said Debby Doyle as she looked at interior design displays during a home show Saturday at the San Diego Convention Center.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/may/23/homeowners-slowly-open-wallets-for-improvements/

The 1.4-acre site is near the Clubhouse at the Woods in Eastlake.

The habitat garden will serve as a model for residents to understand how healthy landscape choices can apply in their own yards.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/24/eastlake-hillside-gets-a-drought-resistant-look/