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Grow an Indoor Organic Apothecary Herb Garden

September 5, 2020 2

Did you know that herbs have special healing powers? It’s true. Herbs are great for ailments including headaches, stress, sore throats, and digestion. Growing your own apothecary garden is one of the most rewarding garden projects. Herbs are easy to grow, great for beginners, and the perfect project for a family. They grow well in pots, so these would also be great for someone who has limited space or lives in a home without an outdoor space.

Choose an organic potting soil and fertilizer and a sunny place to place your pots or grow your herbs is key. Water the herbs daily until the water drains out of the bottom of the pot. You can use anything for a pot, my favorite pots are old items that you give new life to, such as; vintage milk pails or galvanized bins.

I currently have basil, thyme, and mint in my apothecary herbal garden and plan to add lemon balm, peppermint, and lavender soon.

How does your herb garden grow?

You can upload your garden pics to Sweet Greens Facebook Page for everyone to see.

Green Health: What Are Your Essentials?

September 5, 2020 4
Do you use essential oils? Do you know how to use essential oils?
 

Essential oils are natural compounds found in bark, seeds, flowers, stems, roots, and plants. Essential oils are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumoral, and anti-fungal naturally. Amazing, right? They are also lipophilic which allows them to destroy viruses that antibiotics may not be able to. You can use essential oils to clean your home and heal your body. My favorite uses for essential oils are:

* Peppermint: Apply to temples for a great headache reliever.
 
* Lemon: Rub into your hands for an amazing alcohol-free sanitizer.
 
* Tangerine: Add to your homemade house cleaner as a disinfectant.
 
* Grapefruit: Inhale for 60 seconds for the perfect appetite suppressant.
 
* Lavender: Inhale for 60 seconds to alleviate depression. and stress.
 
Do you feel better? What do you use essential oils for?

Go Ahead… Eat Your Straw

September 3, 2020 9
Disposable straws are such a waste, as billions of them are tossed after a single use to sit in the landfill for years and years to come.
 
Paper straws are becoming more and more popular but still aren’t the best option since they are a single-use product.
 
Here is a fun alternative for the kids or for yourself. Licorice. Yes, licorice makes the perfect straw, all you have to do is snip off or bite off the ends.
Jayson sometimes slips one into my cocktail before he serves it. Haha.
 
This is also a super fun straw for birthday parties! We serve red and rainbow colors licorice sticks with Izzy’s at parties and Eben loves chocolate licorice in his milkshakes. 
 
Would you eat your straw?

Green Tip: Unlucky #7

September 2, 2020 0

Bisphenol A (a.k.a BPA) was created in the 1930s as synthetic estrogen and is found in Plastic #7, in items such items as microwaveable containers and baby bottles. It stimulates the action of estrogen and disrupts the production of hormones. I check the bottom of items that I purchase to make sure it isn’t plastic #7. You can find BPA free items now, they are easy to find! 

Do you avoid BPA?

How to Plant a Bee Garden

August 31, 2020 8
Bees are amazing. Bees are responsible for pollinating our natural foods, beverages, and ingredients in medicines. 1/3 of everything that we consume comes from pollinated plants. What’s horrifying is that bees are disappearing at an astonishing rate. Bees are disappearing because of pesticides, loss of habitat, and food supply.
 
What can you do to help save the bees?
 
Plant a bee garden. Bees need flowers that provide nectar, their food. You don’t need a lot of space to make bees happy. Choose native flowers and plants that produce nectar and pollen such as Sunflowers, Daisies, Foxgloves, Asters, Cosmos, and Zinnias. Select a colorful rainbow of flowers (blues, purples, oranges, and yellows) that bloom throughout the seasons, and never use pesticides.

There are other ways that you can encourage bees (and other pollinators) into your garden too:

  • Leave-it-alone gardening works best – so dedicate a patch to let nature and the wild do what it does best.
  • Since there has been a loss of milkweed, there has been a decline in the number of monarch butterflies, which plant plenty (it is the only place they lay eggs and they eat the plant too).
  • Have shallow pools of water – bees are often assumed dead but really just need a rest and some water. Change the water regularly, and put little pebbles into the water so little bees have somewhere to stand. 
  • Get a bee house! You don’t need to have a big beekeeper setup, but little roost modules are perfect. 
Position your favorite chair so that you can watch them but not disturb them; you can even put little water dishes and potted herbs on the edge of the tabletop of your poly furniture too.
 
Do you have a bee garden?
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