Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Garden Tools & Tips

How to Thrill the Thrifty and Excite the Environmentalist at Home

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photographs,puddles,raindrops,rains,weather

Thanks to a furry little friend, I happen to know that spring is coming a little early this year.  The coming of spring means the coming of rain…and lots of it, depending on your locale.  You don’t have to be a gardener or conservationist like me to see the benefits of capturing some of that impending rainfall in a rain barrel and using it for watering garden beds, container plants, and lawns.  You just have to like saving money.

Sure, using collected rain that falls from the sky to sprinkle our plants saves water, which is a resource thatGarden Rain Barrel - 60 Gallon is becoming more and more scarce.   For many people, though — like my thrifty spouse — the only real requirement for owning and using rain barrels is the desire to save money.  Saving money is a big motivator for many homeowners, especially for those of us who work harder than we’d care to in order make sure those monthly bills are paid on time.  Rain barrels are one of the easiest ways to save on those monthly bills.  Set up a rain barrel or two near your home’s downspouts, and let Mother Nature fill them up for free.

Home maintenance practices that combine money savings with conservation are my absolute favorite because they meet the needs of both my spouse and myself in one package.  Have you adopted other practices at home that save money and help the environment at the same time?

Innovative Solutions, Portable Fun, Shade Solutions, Videos

Portable Shade for Families on the Go!

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Umbrellas offer outstanding shade and protection to your family at home, but they are not exactly portable. Normally, the thought of dragging a heavy umbrella around on family outings does not seem possible. You also have the added dilemma of finding somewhere to support the umbrella. The perfect portable shade solution is here! Take the shade with you with the Auto-Mo-Brella. It is extremely easy to attach to your car, truck, or SUV’s hitch and will be covering you in seconds! The Auto-Mo-Brella is perfect for camping, tailgate parties, trips to the park or the beach, sporting events, or anywhere else that your adventures take you.

Garden Tools & Tips

Easy DIY Storage Shed Has Gardeners Seeing Green

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Storage Building with Cover

So many gardeners have yet to dabble in the exciting world of greenhouse gardening because the initial amount of labor and the cost of setting up a hobby greenhouse can feel daunting.  Without knowing for sure if greenhouse gardening is going to suit them, gardeners often choose not to take the risk.  Very little labor, money, or risk is involved with an Easy Up Storage Shed, though, which can function very well as a temporary greenhouse.

Easy Up Storage Shed products are ideal for novice do-it-yourself enthusiasts.  Each kit comes with special stud andEasy Up Frame Storage Sheds angle brackets that allow homeowners to put together the frame of the storage shed with nothing more than a screwdriver and saw.  Once assembled, the storage shed frame is covered with either a silver, multi-use cover or a clear cover — perfect for greenhouse gardening.

For a small amount of initial labor and a very small initial cost, gardeners wanting to give greenhouse gardening a try can do so with an Easy Up Storage Shed and its clear cover.  If the greenhouse experiment is a success, then gardeners can choose to upgrade to a more permanent structure over the next few years.  If greenhouse gardening is a bust, on the other hand, the Easy Up Storage Shed can still be useful for storing gardening supplies or other outdoor gear.

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Innovative Solutions, Insect Control, Outdoor Entertaining

Insect Control Keeps Pesky Bugs Away!

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Mosquito Eliminator

If you do lots of outdoor entertaining on your porch, patio, or backyard during the spring and summer months, you know that there are many factors you must consider to keep your guests comfortable. Providing temperature control and shaded areas are usually taken care of, but do you ever consider pest control? Mosquitoes, flies, and other insects can really put a damper on your party atmosphere. Here are two choices to rid your yard of these pesky party poopers.

The Mosquito Eliminator is a useful solution that will also add beauty to your backyard. No eyesore bug zappers for you! The Mosquito Eliminator uses ultraviolet black light technology combined with specially formulated attractants to cover an area of up to 1,000 square feet. Each cartridge holds up to 6,000 insects and will last for thirty days. They are perfect for patios and decks, outdoor eating areas, gardens, and even horse barns. Best of all, there are no harmful chemical pesticides and it meets environmentally friendly guidelines.Fly Patrol

If you are looking for something slightly smaller, the Fly Patrol Insect Catcher is perfect for you. Covering 300-400 square feet, it is a great fit for your porch or patio area! It looks like a decorative wall scone, but uses the same ultraviolet black light and attractant technology as the larger Mosquito Eliminator. It will trap up to 1,000 flies per cartridge to ensure that your guests are comfortable.

Your next warm weather, outdoor party will be a definite hit with good food, great friends, and outstanding insect control.

Environmentally Friendly Ideas, Innovative Solutions, Outdoor Lighting Ideas

Smart Solution: Burn the Midnight Oil with a Solar Shed Light

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Problem: You regularly work on projects in your storage shed, garden shed, or greenhouse, but once the sunlight begins to fade, you are forced to abandon your work until the next day.  Interrupting a productive work cycle can be immensely frustrating.  What if the train of thought you were riding the previous day doesn’t come chugging back into the station?  Many projects ultimately go unfinished for this very reason.

Solution #1: Hire an electrician to run an electrical line from your house to the storage shed.  Unfortunately, this means tearing up part of your yard in order to accommodate the wiring.  Oh, and another thing…electricians don’t come cheap.

Solution #2: Attach an LED solar shed light to your storage shed, garden shed, or greenhouse, and get back to work.Solar Shed Light  Solar lights require no special wiring since they get their power from the sun, and there are no set up costs or operating costs beyond the initial purchase of the light.  Simply mount the accompanying solar panel to the sunniest side of your storage shed, and it will soak up the sun’s rays during the day.  The solar shed light then uses that stored energy to properly illuminate your task inside the storage shed until you are ready to pack it in for the day.

Thanks to smart solutions like the solar shed light, you can be the one who decides when work is finished instead of living at the mercy of the setting sun.