It’s amazing how many organic foods you can grow in your basement. What? True story. Every January the mister starts his organic garden in our basement. It is easy to do and we get to enjoy delicious organic vegetables all winter and spring. To start your own garden in the basement, try easy growing organic vegetables such as bush beans, cabbage, lettuce, spinach and small cucumbers. Read on to get started in a few short steps.
What you will need:
tables
hanging shop lights
T-8 fluorescent light bulbs
chain
pots
organic seeds
organic potting soil
organic fertilizer
watering can
light timer
Directions:
Step 1: Start the Seeds Start by planting organic seeds in organic potting soil and biodegradable peat pots. Then, place the peat pots in small reusable greenhouses in south facing windowsills throughout your home.
Step 2: Transfer the Seeds Once the seeds sprout and are an inch tall, transplant them into 4-6″ pots and place them on a table in your basement.
Step 3: Hang the Lights Hang directly above the tables fluorescent T-8 light bulbs, suspended from the ceiling on a shop light.(The mister suspends the shop lights with an adjustable chain, which is adjusted to always be 2″ above the plants.) Then, plug the lights into a timer, we use a holiday light timer. The plants get 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness to rest each day.
Step 4: Water the Plants Waters the plants once a week – once the plants are 4″ tall, start to fertilize them with organic fertilizer. (See the instructions that come with the organic fertilizer that you purchase.)
Step 5: Replant At six weeks transplant the beans and cucumbers into 8-12″ pots. All of the other plants can stay in the 4-6″ pots.
Step 6: Add more Water At 2.5 months, start to water the plants twice a week.
Step 7: Harvest and Enjoy After 3 months you will have amazing vegetables that you can harvest and enjoy all winter and spring long.
Becoming a mom has a way of helping you focus on what’s important, what’s necessary, and what’s brings the most happiness. Motherhood can bring out the worst in us—when we are sleep deprived and clutching at the last vestiges of our former identity as we slip into a whole new life—but mostly it brings out the best in us. As a mom, you don’t have time to waste, and what’s really important in life becomes clear: health, happiness, family, and supporting all three financially and communally. This new-found focus pairs well with a mother’s innate intuition and real-world skills, and the result is that a lot of moms come up with great business ideas! Whether it’s an idea for a baby product, a community organization serving families, charitable cause, or all-around innovative new idea, as a mom your experience, wisdom, and huge heart give you insider information about what’s really helpful to others—especially other moms.
Our guess is that if you’ve read this far then the above description sounds a lot like you. I can almost hear the voice in your head saying, “Yes! Exactly! My idea would make millions! If only I had the time/money/support/my old 9-5 back/networking skills/a new haircut and clothes free of baby puke stains.” Working independently is a dream career for many moms who don’t want to return to their 9-5 job, or who have already had to return but crave a better work-life balance—making more money in less hours worked doing something enjoyable and energizing.
Moms are some of the greatest innovators and entrepreneurs out there and are the perfect people to start small businesses, but many moms lack the necessary resources to turn our business visions into a reality. Generating a business plan, prototype, or any other logistical piece of an emerging business idea is tough enough without having to worry about soliciting the idea to investors and banks, especially when many moms don’t have any “credible” backing for their idea aside from their insight as a parent (something we think is priceless!).
If this sounds like you, you are in the right place! At Mumzy.com, they believe in you! Mumzy was created for moms like you, and is a place where Moms bring ideas in search of funding, help, and support in turning those ideas into a reality. Whether you dream of patenting a new invention, starting a small business or nonprofit, or any other idea that has momentum but lacks capital backing to take it to the next level, Mumzy is there to provide solutions to get you to the next level. Can you image the possibilities for your big, eco-friendly business idea?
As a crowd-funded site, Mumzy gives you a platform to pitch your business to other moms and small business supporters, including how much you need to get running. You are in the company of moms like yourself who understand the visionary power and sheer strength unique to hard-working moms like yourself and who want to support fellow mom-preneurs. Mumzy is also a place where you can peruse the baby businesses of other moms and offer funding and support to the ones you really believe in.
Like your business idea, Mumzy is a new company in its infancy. MUMZY is the first and right now only viable crowdfunding platform for moms. Their goal is to support and serve the entrepreneurial mom community to the best of their ability! They welcome your wisdom and feedback, and if you would like to provide input or ask questions, please contact them at info@mumzy.com. Take a few minutes to explore their site and see what other moms like you are working on, and how they’ve been supported so far. The first 100 people who post a project for funding on Mumzy will have a chance to win $1000 back towards their project’s funding goal.
Happy launching!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I hope 2015 brings you much happiness, love, fun, adventure and much more! With a new year comes new beginnings – I hope all of your dreams come true this year!
Hello, Friends! I have been off this week celebrating the 8 beautiful nights of Hanukkah! I plan to spend the next few days soaking up as much of my family’s goodness as possible.
I hope you have an amazing Christmas with everyone you love!
The big day is almost here, are your children’s so excited that they can’t stop talking about Christmas? I love every-single-thing-about-it! From decorating our home and selecting the perfect gifts to sipping hot cocoa with peppermint sticks and listening to holiday music. This time of year is perfection! One of my favorite part’s of the holiday is picking out stocking stuffers for Eben. When I was little, the stocking was always my favorite part – I remember taking my sweet time opening each and every tiny gift that my mom found to pack inside it. If I had only received a holiday stocking full of goodies each year, it would have been enough! This year, I plan to stuff Eben’s stocking with art supplies, a new smile squared toothbrush, magic tricks, card games and of course organic and natural sweet treats! Here are a few of my favorite sweets that he will find in the stocking this year!
1. I first discovered Hammond’s Candies when we lived in Colorado (they are located in Denver and do factory tours!) and they have been a stocking stuffer staples ever since. These handmade, natural, shiny candy canes come in super fun flavors – this year, Eben will find a blood orange one in his stocking!
2. Eben is a little crazy for truffles, so Alter Eco’s new decadent Salted Caramel organic chocolate truffles made with nutrient-rich coconut oil, and speckled with French sea salt will delight him! These organic, Fair Trade, gluten-free goodies are perfect.
3. The adorably packaged ginnybakesChocolate Chip Oatmeal Bliss ginnyminis are one of my personal favorites. They are small cookies that contain rolled oats with organic dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and hints of cinnamon and vanilla. They are a little crunchy, making them perfect to enjoy with tea! They are organic, gluten free too!
4. Eben loves all gummy candies, they are probably his favorite sweet! Yummy Earth has a great assortment of organic, gluten-free treats that all kids will love and they make an amazing stocking stuffer.
What sweet treats are you stuffing in the stocking this year?
