If you have a garden, you’ve probably already thought about planting asparagus. This article covers tips for growing asparagus at home.

While you can grow asparagus from seed, the easiest way is to purchase asparagus crowns. A crown is the root system of a one-year-old asparagus plant that is grown from seed. Each crown can produce 1/2 lb. of spears per year when fully established. Buy one-year-old, disease-free crowns from a reputable crown grower and be sure to select all-male hybrid asparagus varieties such as Jersey Giant, Jersey Prince, and Jersey Knight. These varieties produce spears only on male plants. Female plants produce seeds and yield less spears. Asparagus crowns/roots can be ordered online or through mail order catalogs for Spring planting.

After you purchase your asparagus crowns, your first step shouldl be to identify a spot where you will be planting your asparagus. You’ll need to find an out of the way, full sun spot where you feel comfortable leaving your plants for many years to come. Asparagus is a perenniel which means it will come back year after year. When happy, plants can live 15-20 years.

Asparagus will grow in most any soil as long as it has good drainage. Plants prefer a soil pH of 6.5-7.5., and will not do well if the pH is less than 6.0. Have the soil tested to determine phosphorus and potassium needs; or add 20 lbs of a 10-20-10 or similar analysis fertilizer per 1,000 square feet, tilled into the soil before planting.

Dig a five to six inch deep trench. Loosen the surrounding soil and remove any weeds. Apply about 1 lb. of 0-46-0 (triple superphosphate) or 2 lbs. of 0-20-0 (superphosphate) fertilizer per 50 feet of row in the bottom of the trench before planting. This will make phosphorus immediately available to the crowns.

Place crowns root side down in the trench 18 inches apart. Cover with soil but do not pack the soil down.

Restrain from picking any spears the first year. The spears that do come up will eventually fern out and provide food for the plant.

Asparagus emerges in the spring. You can pick your asparagus spears after the first year of planting for a about three weeks. After the three week period, let the remaining spears fern out. Each year following, you can increase the harvest time by a couple of weeks.

When the harvest is finished, snap all the spears off at ground level. Apply 1/2 lb. of ammonium nitrate fertilizer per 50 feet of row. Another flush of spears will emerge. Let these fern out to provide food for the plant for the following year. When the ferns turn brown, you can cut them back if necessary.

Planting Asparagus – Tips for Growing Asparagus is a post from: Green Peony

Planting Asparagus – Tips for Growing Asparagus

Green Peony is a website for those who are interested in organic gardening and green living. We offer projects, advice and tips for your home, garden, family and more.

Whether you are into vegetable gardening, “green” design, good food, or health and wellness; we have tips for you.

Visit the headings at the top of the page to be directed to your category of choice.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ruth LovettSmith
Founder and Editor

Welcome to Green Peony! is a post from: Green Peony

Welcome to Green Peony!

Fall is just around the corner, which means it’s time to make sure your home is ready for a cold winter. Your AC bill is finally starting to drop, but if you’re worried about the heat spiking it back up, here are some tips to ensure an energy-efficient home.

The better insulated your home is, the more cold/heat is retained. This is what’s really going to keep your bills at a manageable amount. There are even tax credits distributed for certain types. The best products for insulation are cellular shades and shutters because they create an airspace “barrier” between your window and the room. The more cells the shade has, the more energy efficient because it retains more. Also, the larger the cell size, the better the insulation since the cells “trap” air in the pockets, which helps prevent extreme temperature changes in your home.

Are there any other leaks in your home? Check for cracks and seal them up. This could save 10% on annual energy bills, according to Energy Star. Doors and windows are the biggest culprits for air to sneak in. Also check the baseboards and corners for any holes or cracks.

Automated thermostats are better at maintaining temperature in the home than manual ones. The amount spent on installation will even out when your energy bill lowers. There are also automated systems that can sync with your lights and time it so that your lights and thermostat are managed while away from the home. Home automation is expensive, but can effectively reduce the amount of energy you’re using.

Prepare Your Home For Winter and Save Money is a post from: Green Peony

Prepare Your Home For Winter and Save Money

Summer is in full swing and that means swimming and potentially swimmer’s ear.

Swimmer’s ear is an infection in the outer ear canal that is often brought on by water that remains in your ear after swimming. This water creates a moist environment that aids bacterial growth.

If you find you have a mild ear ache after swimming, it’s possible that you have swimmer’s ear. You can consult a physician for antibiotics, though he may suggest you wait 72 hours as some ear aches resolve on their own.

(A severe ear ache or any ear ache accompanied by a fever warrants a call to your physician.)

Following are some tips on how to avoid swimmer’s ear as well as some natural swimmer’s ear remedies.

After swimming, use a hair dryer to lightly blow air into your ear canal. This helps to dry up any leftover water.

Make a solution of 1 part rubbing alcohol and one part apple cider vinegar. Put a few drops into the ear and massage. The rubbing alcohol helps to dry out the ear and the vinegar help to create an environment resistant to bacteria.

Tea Tree Oil drops can also be used as Tea Tree Oil is a natural antiseptic and fungicidal agent.

If your each ache continues or worsens or is accompanied by other symptoms, call your physician.

Swimmer’s Ear Remedy is a post from: Green Peony

Swimmer’s Ear Remedy

If you are looking to be green and creative while still being beautiful – why not try making your own homemade lipstick.

If you are a lipstick wearer, you already know that when you get to the bottom of the lipstick tube there is still some left that you just can’t get at or use. Well with a few simple tips you can not only save that unused lipstick, but make your own homemade lipstick in the process.

What you need
Several tubes of lipstick that you have finished or do not like.
Small metal lip balm tin that can be purchased online or recycled.

Instructions
Scrape out the lipstick from the bottom or the tube and place in a small microwave safe bowl like a ramekin. (You can mix different tubes to get new colors.)
Microwave the lipstick for 20 seconds at a time until it melts.
Stir with a toothpick and pour into a small lip balm tin.
Place in the freezer to harden and use with your finger or a lipstick brush when ready.

This simple tip will save you tons of money. Three finished tubes of lipstick is about the equivalent of one brand new tube!

Homemade Lipstick is a post from: Green Peony

Homemade Lipstick

By Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s Home Expert
I have been professionally building, renovating and maintaining homes for more than 25 years and know firsthand that the industry is constantly evolving. None of these changes is more dramatic than the recent shift to green products or eco-friendly products for the home. Now more than ever, homeowners are specifically looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious; and manufacturers are responding with products that make a difference for our planet, are easy to use and are increasingly more affordable. Here are some eco-friendly home products you might want to consider when tackling your next to-do list.

• Quiet, easy to operate lawn mowers. Push reel lawn mowers have been around for more than 100 years without change. Fiskars, known for its orange handled scissors and gardening tools, has changed that with their new Momentum Reel Mower. It looks like a space age take on a traditional push mower and it moves through grass like a dream. Aptly named, the Momentum Reel Mower is easy to push, especially in taller grass, using its own momentum to turn the blades. No gas, no electricity, no noise, no danger, no effort–all for about $230.

• Earth-friendly cleaners. More and more options are coming to store shelves making smart cleaning supplies easier to find and more affordable. Seventh Generation has a glass and surface cleaner that is formulated with plant-derived cleaning agents. It’s non-toxic and biodegradable. Better yet, it works really well and sells for less than $4 a bottle.

• Old paint problem solver. Spring cleaning is upon us and if you have old cans of paint around, you need to know about Cob-Zorb. In order to be disposed of safely, paint needs to be solidified. Cob-Zorb is made from corn by-products and when poured into a paint can, it will remove all of the liquid so you can dispose of the can properly. Of course, the best choice is to find a recycling facility that will take your old paint, but if one is not available try Cob-Zorb. For $11.99 you’ll get a box that can treat three gallons of paint.

• Better dimmer switches. By now everyone knows the benefits of CFL and LED lights, but there are still kinks to work out. One of the biggest gripes has been the inability to adjust the lighting. Standard dimmers aren’t compatible with these new light bulbs. Thankfully, Lutron Electronics introduced a dimmer specifically for CFL and LED bulbs. It uses a different circuitry design that allows you to install and operate it in the same manner as traditional dimmers. At around $39.99 it’s a worthy investment in the eco-ambiance of your home!

• Container gardening. Now everyone has time and space to grow a garden. Fertile Earth container garden starter kits give you everything you need to grow plants either outside or indoors. For $29.99, you can start growing organic tomatoes – a great source of lycopene – and make your very own pasta sauce. No jars, no waste, just fresh, healthy food you grew yourself.

New eco-friendly products come to market every day making it increasingly easy to turn your “to-do” list into a “to-done” list while giving the earth a little TLC as well.

You can learn more about all of the above tips and products at your local Ace Hardware store and by visiting www.acehardware.com.

What’s New in Green Products for Your Home is a post from: Green Peony

What’s New in Green Products for Your Home

   Our annual plant sale is May 21 2011 . Located at the DPW building next door to the Fire departmet on Rt 1 in salisbury Ma 01952.  We offer a wide assortment of plants and shrubs.

By: Doug Morris

Sea Spray Garden Club Plant Sale is a post from: Green Peony

Sea Spray Garden Club Plant Sale

The ABC’s of Being Green is a post from: Green Peony

The ABC’s of Being Green

If you are remodeling, have an old door in the basement or garage, or come across one on the street – at the dump – or at a yard sale; we have some tips on how to recycle and reuse that door.

Table
The simplest way to reuse a door is to turn it into a table. It could be used as a work bench or artists table or even a coffee table or kitchen island. Depending on what type of door you have, you can fill in small lines or cracks with putty and then paint. For doors with larger depressions; you can cover with a large piece of glass, plastic or plywood if you need a flat surface. Make a simple 2 by 4 base for your table as high or as low as you need or place the door on top of an older recycled table.

Headboard
Another simple way to reuse a door is to turn it into a headboard for your bed. Simply cover the door with quilt batting and then fabric and staple on the back side. Hang behind your bed and you’re finished. If you are more creative, consider painting the door instead.

Room Divider
Attach several doors with hinges, paint or decorate otherwise and use as a room divider.

Art
Consider turning an old door into a work of art. Paint it, add photographs to the depressed areas of the door and then hang on a large wall.

Do you have any other ideas of how to reuse old doors? Share them with us in the comments section below.

DIY Recycle It: Old Doors is a post from: Green Peony

DIY Recycle It: Old Doors

5 Alternative Packing Ideas to Green Your Move

By KennethMcCall

Going green has become more than a trend. It’s now possible to lead a completely green lifestyle thanks to the recent explosion of green alternatives ranging from hybrid automobiles, to recycled clothing fabrics. The green revolution even extends to packing materials. Biodegradable peanuts, bamboo boxes and packaging made out of mushrooms are only a few of the options on the market! Moving can be one of the most wasteful processes when considering the excessive amount of packaging material consumed. But now making an eco conscious move is easier than ever! So this year, green your move with these five simple tips.

1. Reuse What You Already Have
   It’s not a revolutionary idea to reuse what you have, but you would be surprised many people insist on buying new cardboard boxes or yards of bubble wrap for the big move. Before purchasing an arsenal of brand new packaging supplies, try reusing packing items you already have lying around the house. Remember those old boxes that have been accumulating in the basement or the garage? Lug them out from storage and use them! Boxes of every size can be useful for a move – shoeboxes are great for packing long candlesticks, utensils or kitchen wear. Be sure to utilize all your old boxes before buying brand new ones. For padding, recycled newspaper, towels and old clothing are great options. To pack delicate glass wear, use the newspaper to fill the basins of wine glasses or tumblers then wrap them separately with the towels and clothing before packing them in a box. Reusing will not only help you save the environment, it will also help you save you money!
2. Biodegradable Peanuts
   It’s not likely that you have any extra of those annoying, loose packing peanuts lying around your home. So when you head out to buy your peanuts, make the eco conscious choice and go for the biodegradable or paper peanut brands! Biodegradable peanuts are primarily starch based and non-toxic. They are an environment friendly alternative and when you get to your new house, instead of throwing out the excess peanuts, put them to use! You can spread them on your compost pile or over your lawn, with a little water they will dissolve within ten minutes! Paper peanuts are made from 100% recycled materials and are also biodegradable and completely recyclable themselves, after use. Unlike the biodegradable, starch based alternative, they expand during shipment as opposed to settling. With either option you are greening your move. Biodegradable, starch based peanuts can be purchased at your shipping store, like U-Haul. Paper peanuts can be ordered online from papernuts.com – and after shipping you can reuse the box they come in for the move!
3. Hybrid Moving Vehicles
   Many local moving companies are making the switch to eco friendly. Just two years ago, Atlas Moving Company, made the switch to hybrid moving truck and some other companies have followed suit. Atlas’s new truck runs no 20 miles per gallon, compared to a normal moving truck that gets somewhere around 7 mile per gallon. Not only that, but the truck cuts emissions by some 30 percent. Other ways moving companies have been cutting their carbon footprint is by using biodiesel, offering digital invoices to avoid wasting paper, and by installing GPS devices instead of using paper maps. When choosing your moving company make a check list of green features and see how many checks they get before signing a contract.
4. Bamboo Boxes
   In 2009 Dell announced they would be shipping their products using new sustainable packaging: bamboo. Take a page out of Dell’s book and try using bamboo boxes for your move. Bamboo has been identified a highly sustainable resource because of its rapid growth rate. Where it takes trees some 20 years of growth before they are suitable for paper usage – bamboo completely regenerates within two to three years. Not only are bamboo boxes more sustainable than paper boxes, but they also last longer. Bamboo is much more durable than cardboard so there is a potential for reuse in your new home. The bamboo boxes, modeled by Dell, have even been certified compostable.
5. Mushroom Packing Materials
   Instead of lining your boxes with Styrofoam, use mushrooms! A brand new packing product made from agricultural waste and mushroom roots is sweeping the nation. The manufacturing process, of the mushroom packaging materials, is almost energy free and unlike synthetic packing materials made using petroleum, the price of renewable mushroom based packaging isn’t susceptible to sudden price fluctuations. Furthermore, like the biodegradable packing peanuts, mushroom packaging it a great addition to the compost pile! Although the new technology is being marketed to many of the top Fortune 500 companies now, it won’t be available commercially until 2013.

Kenneth McCall builds creative and innovative tools for customer seeking self storage units. Kenneth is the director of operations at storage.com which provides Boston self storage listings, and storage units in many locations across the country. In his spare time he likes to get outside, ideally with a boat and waterskis.

An Eco Conscious Move is a post from: Green Peony

An Eco Conscious Move