By Cindy Naas

I think that gardeners have a special responsibility to take care of the land we work on, and finding new ways to preserve resources is one way to care for our earth.

Using an old idea, a rain barrel, is one new way to preserve the local water supply and grow a healthier garden.

Many gardeners find that their plants thrive when watered with the collected rain water which is free of chlorine and unfluoridated.

There are several approaches to saving rain water. You can buy a large rain barrel at many retailers both online and in garden centers.

These have the advantage of being easy to use- simply take home and run a drainpipe directly into the reservoir. However, many rain barrels can be expensive, and some aren’t Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

In this installment, we’re going to take a look at a few creative ways to use what you already have instead of buying expensive pots for your container garden.

Egg Cartons
My partner always looks at me funny when I rinse and save my empty egg cartons. When it comes time to start the seeds for a new gardening season, I pull them out, fill them with some nutrient-rich compost and voila!

I’ve got seed starters that didn’t cost me a penny. I did start buying eggs that come in cardboard cartons so that I can simply cut them apart and drop them right in place in my garden.

Toilet Paper & Paper Tower Rolls
Those sturdy paperboard rolls can easily Read the rest of this entry »