Growing plants in South Florida is very easy. When I first moved here, I remember someone telling me, “plant once and cut it forever” . Well, after successfully growing tomatoes, jalapenos, and a variety of peppers by simply throwing seeds from my kitchen into assorted pots, I am convinced that growing just about anything is pretty easy. The quality of what is grown, however, requires a little more effort. I threw papaya seeds in the yard and grew massive papayas, which were disgustingly mealy, and my frangipanis, though flowering, could use a little more something.
Composting is an easy way to improve the quality of your plants while reducing waste. A friend and neighbor of mine who swears by her composter and my sister, who lives in Italy and thinks composting is a no-brainer, have convinced me that composting is the way to go. So, after years of procrastinating, I have decided to go more “formal” with my garden and will start composting. Since the University of Florida has an amazing agricultural extension and an extremely informative website, I will be building vs buying my first compost pile. I will post my progress on this blog and, hopefully, will be producing compost that looks as good as this person’s.
Governor Charlie Crist signed a bill into law today that will give rebates on energy-efficient appliances. The details are still to be worked out, but according to the Governor’s office consumers could save an average of up to
Chinese drywall could be present in your home if it was built or extensively remodeled between 2004 and 2008. Due to the building boom and major hurricane damage during those years, drywall had to be imported for the first time. Unfortunately, Chinese drywall has high levels of chemicals that we do not find in drywall made in the United States.
lower cooling costs. Using plants that don’t require a lot of water can minimize water usage while still allowing you to have a beautiful yard.
of a several-year drought and we all need to do our part to save water. In addition to complying with