Free Bleeding Hearts Plant from Michigan Bulb

You can get a free bleeding hearts plant from Michigan Bulb: http://www.michiganbulb.com/ if you claim it by Sunday.  You only have to pay for shipping.  You can estimate shipping before checkout.  For my zip code, shipping was estimated at $8.75.  If you sign-up for their emails, you can also get a $20 instant coupon.

Reduce Your Water Bill By Using This Watering Schedule

According to this website, most landscapes are over-watered by as much as 50%.  You may be able to reduce your water bill by following this watering schedule: http://www.contracosta.watersavingplants.com/WateringTips/HTML/index.html.

Please Note: This irrigation guide is tailored to clay and loam soil, and weather conditions in Contra Costa County, California.

Reduce Your Water Bill by Using These Drought Tolerant Plants

The Contra Costa Water District has compiled a list (and photos) of drought tolerant plants that are tailored to Contra Costa County conditions.  They also identify drought tolerant plants with additional characteristics.  For example, some drought tolerant plants attract hummingbirds or butterflies.  Some plants are good for screening, and other plants are deer-resistant, etc.

To view the drought tolerant plant web resource, click here: http://www.contracosta.watersavingplants.com/

To view a guide on how to use this web resource, click here: http://www.screencast.com/t/Ljllta3uB7t

Whiten Tile Grout The Cheap and Easy Way

Before

After

Give your place a facelift by whitening your tile grout.  Sick of the years of dirt and grime on our tile grout, I decided to try a very inexpensive, but very effective solution.  All I used was an old toothbrush, baking soda and bleach.

Materials

• old tooth brush (manual or electric)
• baking soda
• bleach
• hot water
• old container (to hold bleach and baking soda solution)
• gloves (to protect your hands from bleach)
• protective eyewear (to protect your eyes from bleach)
• mask 
• old clothes (that you do not mind accidentally getting bleached)

Directions

1. Put on your old clothes and protective gear.  Then open some windows for ventilation.  
2. Pour some bleach in the container and then slowly stir in baking soda until a liquidy-paste forms.    
3. Use the toothbrush to apply the bleach-baking soda mixture on the grout.  Allow the mixture to sit for a while.  I waited about an hour.
4. Fill the container with hot water, dip the toothbrush in the water, and then use the toothbrush to start scrubbing the grout.  The dirt and grime should come off effortlessly.  If not, you can repeat this process until it does.  I only had to do one treatment.

Note: I only used a manual toothbrush, but if you are taking on a large area you might want to consider getting a cheap electric toothbrush (i.e., the kind that costs less than $20).

Although I am sure most of you already know, do not get creative with bleach.  Mixing bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners is extremely dangerous.

Order Cheap Photos: 99 Prints for 99 Cents + Tax & Shipping

It's scrapbooking time!  This was too good of a deal not to pass on.  For a limited time only, you can get 99 prints for $0.01 each at Snapfish.com when you use the coupon code PRINTSFOR99 at checkout.  The promotion ends on 09/12/2012.  Make your purchase via ebates.com, and you will get an additional 10% cash back on your purchase.

I just paid $8.52 for 119 prints because I was also able to use the "20 Free Prints Credit" on my account in addition to the 99 prints for $0.99 coupon code.  That breaks down to about $0.07 per 4x6 photo not including any cash back reward.

Free Ficus Burgundy Plant by Mail

Photo: Ficus Burgundy, Free Plant of the Month by freeplantsbymail.org

Free Plants By Mail (freeplantsbymail.org) was started by local growers as a way to use the surplus plants from nurseries and also as a way to support The Nature Conservancy.  Free Plants By Mail offers a new free plant each month.  This month they are offering a Ficus Burgundy.  

Although the plant itself is free, you do have to pay a small shipping and handling fee of $6.95.

This organization also has over 100 plants available for sale on their site.  100% of the proceeds from the sale will go to The Nature Conservancy.

Click here to view Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Final Hours - $1 Shipping on Michigan Bulb Orders, No Minimum Purchase

Double Anenome
20 bulbs for $3.99 + $1 Shipping
Sale Tax (Only for Certain States)

To celebrate their anniversary, Michigan Bulb is offering $1 flat rate shipping with no minimum order!  Just enter Key Code 0827194 when you check out.  Offer expires tonight (08/22/2012)!


There are bulbs as low as $0.20!

Make Your Own Freshly Ground Sage in Minutes

Freshly Ground Organic Sage from the Garden

Nothing beats turning high-quality, sage from the organic garden into freshly, ground sage for cooking.  The flavors and the aroma of the freshly ground sage are strong and wonderful for cooking.  I especially love using ground sage in rubs and herb-butter spreads.

If you are growing sage in the garden and own a food processor, you can easily make your own freshly ground sage spice in no time at all.  

Freshly Ground Sage

Comparative Savings Analysis

Source	Money	Time	Other Considerations
Grocery Store	~$5 + Gas	Trip to/from Grocery Store	Shelf life - Unknown* Quality - Unknown
Our Garden	~$0	Less than 5 minutes Active Time	Freshly ground Quality - Known

*Ground herbs are normally "good" for six to nine months, and when I say "good," I mean having a strong flavor and aroma. 

How to Make Freshly Ground Sage

Step 1 

Cut a bunch of stems from your sage plant and tie them into a bundle using a rubber band (See Photo Below).  Then hang the bundle upside down in a cool and dark place to allow the sage leaves to completely dry out.  How much time it will take for the leaves to dry out depends on how many stems are in a bundle, airflow, temperature and humidity.  Allow the bundle to dry until the leaves are crunchy.

Organic Sage, Dried

Step 2 

After your sage is brittle to the touch, strip the sage leaves from the stems of the plant and place the leaves into a bowl or directly into the food processor.

Organic Sage Leaves

Step 3

Place the leaves into a food processor (if you haven't already).  I am using a small Ninja food processor.

Dried Sage leaves in Ninja food processor

Step 4

Give the food processor a few pulses until the dried sage is finely ground.  Then pour the sage into your clean container.

Freshly ground organic sage

As you can see, grinding up your spices can take less than five minutes of your time, and is well worth the effort.  Not only will you be getting high, quality herbs from your organic garden, but you will also be saving money and saving yourself a trip to the grocery stores.

Michigan Bulb $1 Shipping Coupon Code, No Minimum Purchase

To celebrate their anniversary, Michigan Bulb is offering $1 flat rate shipping with any minimum order!  Just enter Key Code 0827194 when you check out.  Offer expires this Wednesday (08/22/2012).

Fennel Seeds Ripening

Photo: Fennel Seeds Ripening

The fennel seeds are ripening.  Hopefully, this time I can harvest a good amount of fennel seeds before the birds make a snack out of them.  I am going to use the seeds to flavor meats and possibly make fennel tea.

Chervil

Photo: Chervil Seedlings

My chervil plant produced a bunch of seeds.  I just stripped them right into this area in the garden, and now I have a whole bunch of chervil seedlings.

Compost Surprise

Photo: Strawberry Plant

Photo: Mystery Plant

I fertilize my plants weekly with compost tea (i.e., water mixed with finished compost).  I allow certain seeds to enter my compost bin, and as you can see some of these seeds have made a home in my garden.  

I identified the first one as a strawberry plant, which I will happily keep.  I am also going to keep the second set of plants just to see what it is.

Harvesting Scallion or Green Onion Seeds

Photo: Last Season's Scallion Seeds Sprouting

Photo: Scallion or "Green Onion" Seed Head

Turn left over green onion stalks into a whole bed of scallions.  All you have to do is plant the unused scallions in the soil, and allow at least one stalk to thicken and flower.  The flower will eventually form seeds, which you will use to plant a new bed of green onions.  You can continue to take cuttings from the other scallions for cooking.  

You will know when the seeds are ready to be harvested when the stem of the plant turns yellow, and you may even see some of the black seeds ready to spill out.  

Cut the stem under the seed head during a dry time of the day.  To save the seeds all you need to do is shake the black seeds into a bag or shake the seeds directly into your garden bed.  The seeds should sprout within a week as long as you provide adequate water.  

Free Hawaiian Wedding Flower by Mail

Photo: Hawaiian Wedding Flower, Free Plant of the Month by freeplantsbymail.org

Free Plants By Mail (freeplantsbymail.org) was started by local growers as a way to use the surplus plants from nurseries and also as a way to support The Nature Conservancy.  Free Plants By Mail offers a new free plant each month.  This month they are offering a Hawaiian Wedding Flower.  The Hawaiian Wedding Flower is also known as the Stephanotis Flower, which are small, star shaped and sweet-scented white flowers used commonly in weddings.


Although the plant itself is free, you do have to pay a small shipping and handling fee of $6.95.

This organization also has over 100 plants available for sale on their site.  100% of the proceeds from the sale will go to The Nature Conservancy.

Click here to view Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Sunflowers Emerging

Sunflowers Emerging 2012

Last year I harvested a lot of sunflower seeds.  This year I planted the seeds along the fence to create a wall of sunflowers.  I still have about a half of gallon-size Ziploc bag full of seeds from last year's harvest!

DIY Apple Carton Seedling Starter

Apple Carton Seedling Starter

This empty apple carton looked like it could be a great seedling starter.  Keeping the soil evenly moist is critical in getting seeds to germinate, and as you can see in the photo above, this container traps moisture well.  This is my first time using this type of container, but I have high hopes.

DIY Apple Carton Seedling Starter

Materials:

• Empty apple container or similar container.  We got this one from Costco.
• Permanent Marker
• Potting soil
• Seeds
• Water (use a hose with a mister nozzle, a spray bottle, or gently pour water from a cup)
• Pen and Paper (to track what seeds you planted)

Directions: 

1. Close the container, and number each dome.  This makes recording what you planted in each dome easier. 
2. Open the container, and fill each space with soil.  
3. Then plant your seeds in each pod, and make sure you write down which seeds were planted in each pod.
4. Then gently water the soil in a way that does not disturb the seeds.  Water until the soil is moist, but not soggy.  
5. Close the container and place it on a level surface in a shady area.  Then wait!  You should not have to water the plant for several days.  Only water the soil if it looks or feels dry to the touch.

Empty Carton

Planting Seeds in Empty Apple Carton

DIY Plant Supports for Less than a Quarter

Are you looking for cheap plant supports?  I picked up some fence stays for only 18 cents each at Home Depot.  Then I unravelled them and shaped them to create plant supports for my peas.  When shaped into arches, they are sturdy enough to support light, trailing plants like peas.

I created several arches out of fence stays.  The whole project cost less than $2, and took less than 20 minutes of my time.  The peas will grow along the archway, and red giant mustard greens and spinach will grow beneath the archway.

Fence stays transformed into plant supports

Fence Stays

Peas growing on fence stay support

Free Bird of Paradise by Mail

Photo: Free Bird of Paradise", Free Plant of the Month by freeplantsbymail.org

Free Plants By Mail (freeplantsbymail.org) was started by local growers as a way to use the surplus plants from nurseries and also as a way to support The Nature Conservancy.  Free Plants By Mail offers a new free plant each month.  This month they are offering Bird of Paradise plant.  The Bird of Paradise flower resembles a bird that is poking out of the leaves.  Although the plant itself is free, you do have to pay a small shipping and handling fee of $6.95.

This organization also has over 100 plants available for sale on their site.  100% of the proceeds from the sale will go to The Nature Conservancy.

Click here to view Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Track Down Lost Money

You may have unclaimed property waiting to be returned to you!  Below are some sources to help you start your search:

State-held Money.  State treasuries hold unclaimed property from uncashed dividend checks, returned utility deposits, uncollected insurance benefits and more.  Visit the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) at http://unclaimed.org/ and click on your state to start tracking down possible unclaimed money.

Old U.S. Savings Bonds.  Visit www.treasuryhunt.gov to start searching for old U.S. Savings bonds.  There are billions of dollars in old savings bonds that have stopped earning interest, but have not been cashed.

Missing IRS Tax Refunds.  If you have not received a tax refund check, you can search for it by using the IRS's Where's My Refund? tool at www.irs.gov.

Other.  For some other possible sources of unclaimed money, please check http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Government-Unclaimed-Money.shtml.

Michigan Bulb - Free Shipping Code, No Minimum Order

As you probably already know, I am a huge fan of Michigan Bulb Company.  They have great prices and a lifetime guarantee on their plants.  I received a couple of great coupon codes in my inbox, and I wanted to share them with you.


Free Shipping on Any Michigan Bulb Order - No Minimum  (Expires 12/31/2011)
Enter Coupon Code: 0820062 


Save $20 off your purchase of $40+ or Save $40 off your purchase of $80+ (Expires 12/31/2011)
Enter Coupon Code: 0820063


Note: To take advantage of any future coupon codes, you can always sign-up for free email alerts on their website.