So, there I was at Home Depot looking for seed trays, and an enthusiastic, helpful employee started chatting about the different options for starting seeds, grow lights, systems, and a bunch of other issues that I have absolutely no experience with. The orange-aproned man eventually figured out that I was not, in fact, someone with a green thumb, when the phrase “hardening off” came up.

“Um, what?” I said.

“Hardening off. It’s how you adapt your indoor seedlings to life outside. You can’t just stick them in the ground from their indoor environments,” the employee said.

As soon as he mentioned that, it made perfect sense — the seedlings indoors have no stress like wind or rain. When I got home, I looked up how to harden off the seedlings, and this is what I found out:

• Indoor seedlings are spoiled. They have the perfect amount of water and warmth, so they grow up expecting these same optimal conditions.
• As a result, the plant is vulnerable. The cuticle (skin) is thin, which makes dehydration a greater danger when it gets outside. The stems are thinner because they don’t expect to have to stand up to wind. The leaves aren’t expecting the intensity of sunlight, so like pasty nerds on a summer’s day, they may just burn up without a little adaptation time. When the transplants get out in the cold, the shock will “set them back,” and the plants may be less productive as a result.
• The answer is to simulate the outdoor stressors. When the seedlings emerge, you just jiggle them. Then, when they’ve gotten a leaf or two, you can use a gentle fan inside to simulate wind, or fan or them with a paper fan a couple times a day. When they’re stronger, you can brush them softly with a feather duster. This will make the stems grow thicker so that they can stand up to the wind.
• A week or two before transplanting, start exposing them to more and more variations in temperature, and get them used to sunlight before sticking them in the ground. You start with a couple hours in the shade and gradually increase exposure time until they’re ready to be transplanted.

This just seems logical. After all, during the first park day both my son and I are a bit dizzy from all the direct sunlight… why would plants be so different? Living things adapt to their environment, and going from indoor paradise to outdoor conditions would be like moving from Florida to Alaska. Here’s hoping that my beginner plant-raising abilities will help them grow big and strong.

Here is the article, written in an effusive gardener’s style: http://www.gardenguides.com/3024-bracing-up-hardening-off-transplants.html.

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Every time I’ve looked up starting a vegetable garden, there always seemed like an excessive number of questions to answer. There were just too many variables to get my head around. Even growing a simple vegetable and herb garden seemed like nothing but a big mess of putting out fires, a constant adjustment of soil, moisture, and chemicals.

While I like the idea of working outdoors and getting sun, I’m mainly after the garden’s harvest, not the activity of gardening. Like a lot of people, I have a limited amount of time. I don’t want to do a lot of work for nothing, so I’m reluctant to try a major do-it-yourself project unless I have a reasonable chance of success. The complexity of setting up even a small garden seemed to outweigh the potential results, considering I’m a beginner and probably couldn’t identify a tomato worm until it was too late.

But this year, I’ve found some good advice and resources that have simplified the process enough for me to feel confident enough to do it. Here’s what I have learned:

Get a book, ebook, or guide specifically about what you want to do, specific for beginners.
A generic book about gardening can cover everything from ornamental plants to growing grapes. It’s not that helpful, and will probably give you a lot of information you don’t need, while skimping on the specific topics you do.

I recommend looking for a book or manual specifically for your situation, whether it’s growing herbs in containers, companion planting for pest reduction, planting tomatoes, or shade gardening. Gardening is a lot of common sense, but beginners need all the help and assurance they can get. The more specific to your situation, the more the author will cover the topics that will help you.

If possible, follow a specific plan.
How can you plan a good garden if you’re a beginner? You don’t know what you don’t know, and that leads to trouble. I advise using someone else’s plan. The gardening guide I have recommends ten easy, nutritious vegetables that grow pretty well in indirect sun. This is perfect! It’s like a recipe for a garden — all you have to do is follow the instructions.

Deciding what to plant is probably the biggest issue that causes stalling, and you can’t usually afford to stall, since you’re following nature’s timetable. Next year, when you know more, you can experiment with more exotic plants. This year, leverage someone else’s expertise and follow their plan and recommendations for a solid start.

Choose something easy.
Don’t get too ambitious in size of your plot or variety of vegetables. Keep it simple and easy, because if this is your first vegetable garden, you just don’t know what’s going to come up that needs your attention. Be realistic and do a manageable garden, one that is easy to oversee and tend. If it works out, you can always expand next year.

Research any predators and potential problems before you plant.
I’m in the city. I already know there are aggressive birds and squirrels who eat anything, and so it’s my responsibility to come up with a plan. I also know that I have terrible hard and nutrient-weak soil, but my gardening guide resolves that easily. Pay attention to the wildlife around you, examine at your soil, and be realistic about the amount of sun you get. You don’t want bad surprises, but you do want to get as much data as possible to incorporate into your garden strategy.

Do your research before you start. Though I’ve never planted a garden before, I have done a lot of other projects, and it always pays to arm yourself with knowledge before you go into battle.

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As a city dweller, it has taken me many years to make the decision to grow my own vegetables. I’ve thought about it every year, but only as a nice little dream. This year, though, the rewards are so clear that I’ve decided the effort is worth it.

Expense.

Healthy, chemical-free eating is getting more and more expensive, but it’s so important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. More and more, people are discovering the negative long-term consequences of eating a diet high in refined sugars and grains. If you have children, it’s vital to teach them to eat well when they’re young, just as our parents did (or should have done), but to buy nutrient-dense organic produce these days costs a lot of money.

As soon as I got off the college diet, I took an interest in good food. Over time, my diet has gone from mostly refined carbs to mostly whole plants, but the expense is rising, as a result. While my decision to grow vegetables isn’t based on money, it will be fantastic to reduce my house’s grocery bill from late spring to early winter (the productive season of my garden.)

The ultimate in ecological eating.

“Eating locally” is a growing trend, but it’s hard to do. As people’s awareness grows about the impact of mass conventional agriculture, getting locally-grown organic food is becoming more of a priority. Again, it’s more expensive to buy it, and availability is spotty because you have no control over which markets will stock local produce. Growing it yourself — can you get any more local and seasonal? You’re really reducing your footprint — no transportation-induced greenhouse gases, and optimally, replenishing the soil with your kitchen-scrap compost.

Variety.

Sometimes, you just can’t get the ingredients you want! When you have a vegetable garden, you can grow produce you can’t get in markets. Specialty vegetables with low demand and delicate old varieties that can’t stand the rigors of transport can be yours if you grow them yourself. Heirloom tomatoes at premium markets can be $8 per pound — that’s over $8 per tomato — if you can get them at all. Some of those fruits are so delicate that they’ll bruise in transport; modern produce is bred to be tougher, but often has less flavor.

Self reliance.

Being able to grow your own food gives you power. You aren’t as dependent on the grocery store — or anyone else at all. You can use what nature gives you and live more directly off the land. This, for me, is the coolest aspect of starting a vegetable garden this year. I’m excited to become a grower, not just an eater.

It will be great to provide fresh and delicious food for my family and friends — swiss chard, heirloom tomatoes, sweet peas, baby cucumber, ground cherries, picked right from the plant! My son, who will be three, is taking an interest in where things come from, and he’ll be able so see for himself how food comes from the earth, not from cans, bottles, and boxes.

For other city veggie gardeners

I’ve started a list of resources for urban gardeners interested in growing food plants. If you want to get updates on new articles, resources, and product reviews, and links about growing fruits and vegetables, just sign up for my gardening member’s list with the form below. (This list is only for garden stuff, not anything else on the site.)

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What I hope to yield in the summer!

Since I’m a nerd, I don’t feel right about doing anything new unless I read a manual or take a class about it. I like the security of having an expert or good instructions by my side, especially since I attempt a lot of projects and don’t have time to muddle around.

I’m committed to a vegetable garden.

Growing a real, thriving vegetable garden has always been a fantasy of mine, and now that I’m in a house co-op, I can finally do it! There’s plenty of space, mostly indirect light, but some good sunny spots — the hard part will be clearing my hijacking of the (admittedly pretty ugly) yard with the rest of the house.

Unfortunately, I don’t know the first thing about gardening. All my house plants die within months! I’m so citified that when I first moved to San Diego, I was amazed to see fruit actually growing on trees. So, there’s a bit of a knowledge and skill challenge.

Still, I really want to do it this year. I want to turn the crappy crabgrass lawns into productive land. I definitely want to cook and eat delicious stuff. And, my lack of self-reliance bothers me. Right now, I’d be up the creek without a paddle if I couldn’t go to the grocery store. So, this is an investment in my (and my kid’s) survival skills.

There are a ton of forums like Gardenweb and Pioneer Thinking, but those are good if you have specific questions or have a certain amount of knowledge already. But I need a lot of basic knowledge, so naturally, I started looking for good books. (Well, I usually buy ebooks to save space in my tiny abode.)

Enter Food4Wealth

There are a ton of “info products” to choose from, especially ebooks with cheesy, salesy websites. But I found someone — Jonathan White — with a good-feeling site, real credibility with a degree in Ecology and a consulting practice in garden and landscape planning, nice real photos of him in his garden. Plus, he answered my emailed question (about squirrels) honestly within hours.

The only thing I don’t like is the cheesy name — Food4Wealth sounds like a pyramid scheme, or something. I guess I just distrust any product with “wealth” in it, but that’s just me.

This is an eco-friendly, nearly hands-free method of gardening.

This will be us!

Plus, I was really intrigued by his style of gardening. I had visions of digging, hoeing, and planting rows — not that it’s bad, I like to work outside — but I was prepared for a lot of labor and battling of the elements. Gardening is all about trying to create order out of chaos, right?

Not so, says Jonathan White. Instead of fighting and trying to control the way things grow by planting everything in blocks or rows of sameness (aka ‘monoculture’), his “ecological gardening” method mimics a natural ecosystem. It requires a lot less weeding, digging, killing, and battling — it just works on its own, according to him. Plus, it’s a lot more “natural” than typical block-planting organic gardening, which, though it’s chemical-free, still engages in warfare with the land.

As he says in his FAQ:

“Humans like to see themselves as separate from Mother Nature. As a species we prospered when we learnt how to cultivate food, so it’s difficult to turn back to where we came from- nature. It might even feel like a step in the wrong direction. But if we can let go of our need to control every living thing on the planet, and start to work with nature, we actually gain more control by being able to grow food more efficiently than ever before. It’s a paradox- but it works!”

Sounds good to me!

So, I ordered the ebook/video, and it is every bit as friendly and knowledgeable as the man comes across on his website. For a beginner like me — interested in a low-labor, high-yield, and eco-friendly backyard (and frontyard) garden — I couldn’t imagine a better resource. There is even good-quality video footage of him doing each of the steps, which is awesome, since I’m a stranger to hoe and rake.

It’s not fancy — anyone can (and does) do it.

Even though it’s a modern method, this style of gardening is dead simple and easy to understand, thank goodness. There’s no pH balancing of soil, and no special ingredients or equipment, just a straightforward gardening plan, complete with exact dimensions and where to put your rows. He even recommends a “top 10″ for the first year’s planting based on several factors.

I have to say, the low effort of ecological gardening was a letdown, at first. I was prepared to go into battle and rather liked the idea of hard work in the dirt (burns calories!) But you know? I’d rather be the miracle grower of delicious food for the co-op!

Highly Recommended

I seriously recommend this manual to anyone who is a beginner at gardening, or who has tried it with mediocre results for tons of labor put in. I’m so glad I found this first — it’s going to save me a lot of work, and result in more eating (always a good thing.)
If you’d like to learn more about Jonathan White and his ecological gardening method, visit his site, “Food4Wealth,” here.

If you want to get updates on how my garden grows, you can just fill out this form here. This list is only for garden stuff, not anything else on the site.

Bath melts should be smaller, since a little goes a long way when it floats on top of the bath water. Most of Lush’s are 1 ounce, and that is too much for a lot of people, especially those with compact bath tubs.

I’ve also seen a combination of bath bomb and semi-solid butter also described as bath melts. They have the bonus effect of fizzing slightly while the oils and waxes melt. See “Le Bath Melt” on Snowdrift Farm’s page here.

Anyway, no need for me to reinvent the wheel, especially since I’ve never actually made any bath melt or massage bar like products. Here are some links to basic bath melt recipes — the majority use cocoa butter and sweet almond oil, which you can probably find at your local health food store if you don’t want to wait to order online (though it’ll cost you.) Massage bars often use beeswax to make them harder.

As with bath bombs, the fun in making bath melts is elaborating on the basic recipe and creating your own versions — especially the appearance! You can have a lot of fun with different mold shapes and packaging.

Cute! Tub toads wrapped in hoppin’ green foil.

Bath melt with milk powder.

Nice looking recipe for tub truffles.

Massage bar with beeswax.

PS
Does anyone have a nice photo I can use? I didn’t want to use anyone’s picture without permission, and it would be great to showcase a member’s handiwork!

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You see, he’s two, which is a naturally destructive age. And he lives for hitting and throwing games, even more than the average two year old. When he gets tired, he doesn’t get crabby, but crazy, and objects just fly out of his hands. These blocks are great for when he goes into crazy mode — he can’t hurt anyone or anything, and they are encased in vinyl, so they stand up to rough handling.

It’s a great way for us both to get exercise in the winter. He throws them as hard as he can, and I kick them or hit them with a foam bat. He will play this for hours, off and on, in a single day.

Here’s my 2 year old playing with them at the Y on Family Fun Gym day:

I give these large foam blocks the official ELG stamp of approval. Though they may seem a bit expensive, I always advise saving up for the good toys, and not getting the cheap junk. If you have active children, these blocks are an excellent investment. I recommend them on several points:

• Eco friendliness (low waste, lasts for years.)
• Creativity enhancing! Not a ready-made, branded toy, but one that exercises the imagination.
• Easy to store — just stack them up in a corner.
• Flexibility: build houses, play games, get out nervous energy.
• Good for siblings to have constructive, competitive play without fighting or hurting each other.
• Quiet and doesn’t require batteries.
• Safe fun for all ages! Even my 24 year old brother has fun with these. We still pelt each other with various objects as adults.
• Instant exercise and occupation for restless people — you can always find something to do with them, whether it’s stacking, hiding, throwing, or knocking them down.

There are a lot of people who make them, but the best seems to be the Children’s Factory brand. Their foam blocks are really durable — my local YMCA uses them for classes for 2 – 4 year olds, so those take a serious beating.

There are foam blocks not covered in vinyl, but those will get ruined fast. You need the tough coating because these blocks just beg to be thrown and hit. You can get Children’s Factory ones from Amazon. Here are some different sets:

Big 21-piece set. Expensive, but great for multiple kids to use at the same time, especially if you have a basement playroom.

Twelve 9″ blocks — ideal for throwing and kicking:

This set has four cubes and four bigger blocks, good for building:

5 1/2″ block set for babies and young toddlers. Also good missiles for pelting your brothers and sisters…

The Aromatherapy Angle
According to several sources, the purpose of shower steamers is aromatherapy. You make them with essential oils, get them a little wet, and put them out of direct range of the shower spray. The steamy heat from the shower helps the essential oils circulate, creating an aromatherapy steam-room environment.

I thought that was pretty cool. There are few products that enhance the shower atmosphere — just the bath — and leveraging the humid heat is clever. I’ve done shower sprays with mint and eucalyptus, but I never thought to repurpose the bath bomb in this way.

How To Make ‘Em
I checked the ingredients on several sites, and they are exactly the same as a bath bomb: citric acid, baking soda, essential oils. Some have borax, possibly to alter the pH balance or make the tub easier to clean. All of them have to have good essential oils, of course, and some knowledge of aromatherapy is required.

As far as I can tell, you can just make a basic bath bomb with essential oils and call it a shower steamer. If I’m wrong about this, be sure to email me and let me know, but my research supports this conclusion.

If you don’t know how to make bath bombs, you can start by downloading my free Fast Guide, a 48-page instruction manual on bath bomb making.

Packaging
I didn’t want to steal anyone’s product photos, but if you search Google images for “shower steamer,” it’ll give you a good idea what other people are doing.

The format is either a small bomb size, such as the 2 ounce size, or half a 4 or 6 ounce bath bomb. They are usually wrapped in colored foil, rather like a Valentine’s Day chocolate, with a sticker holding it together.

As the shower steamers contain essential oils, they need to be stored in an airtight environment. The foil must provide a good air block, but I don’t see why the right clear bag would do the trick as well. I suspect the foil is also to distinguish it from a normal bath bomb, if the sellers provide both products.

To find the foil, search google for “confectionery foil,” or start here at Sugarcraft, where there are all kinds of good things for the creative bath bomber.

As a marketer, I do not like the look of many of these shower steamers because of the confusion with candy. For bath bombs, it makes sense — it’s bath candy — but the cognitive dissonance of cheap candy packaging + semi-poisonous essential oils + luxury spa experience? Not so good, in my opinion. I’d prefer a more natural look to go with the aromatherapy angle.

Cautions
I do not recommend using corn starch. It will make the steamer softer and possibly provide food for mold. People will leave the shower steamer out, and heat + moisture + air = uninvited growths. The chemical salts may help deter spores, but don’t count on it… there are some very hardy strains of mold out there. It’s their job.

I also do not recommend using clay, since it will leave a slushy residue as the steamer melts down. Not that there’s any reason to use clay, but since some people do use it in bath bombs, I thought I’d mention it.

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As a result, I’m not a hard-core “no TV” parent — in fact, I don’t think anything should be vetoed, because that just makes kids want it more. The information I have on letting young kids watch TV implied that they shouldn’t watch commercials, both because of the advertising exposure and because it encourages shorter attention spans. So, regular network TV is out, but that’s ok with me — I still think it’s boring!

Signing Time buys you guilt-free time.

But Signing Time is another matter. I discovered ST videos at the local library. I was desperate for a break — any break — from my 14 month old “velcro baby,” but he simply couldn’t do anything by himself at that time. I tried Volume 3 of Signing Time, which was all about eating and drinking, and he was mesmerized by it all. The kids were either his age or a year or two older, the narration was all kids’ voices, and the music was surprisingly sophisticated.

Since I could only check out videos for 7 days, and it was pretty clear that he loved them, I decided to invest in some Signing Time DVDs (I have 10.) He watched them over and over… and he actually learned to sign. He’s pretty verbal, though, so he only signs for comedic effect these days; however, I think ST has encouraged him in the area he wanted to learn most: music! He learned all the songs, and each DVD has a mode where you can just play the songs without the other stuff.

It’s entertainment, not education.

As far as the educational value, I don’t care that he didn’t sign a lot. He definitely learned some signs, and the videos definitely helped him understand concepts, but these videos are entertainment. I’m not really into that “genius baby” stuff. At over 2 years old, he still watches them and sings along with the songs — just this morning, we did the colors of the rainbow one.

The music is the best part.

There are at least 2 songs in every episode, and they are not typical kiddie music stuff! Not the corny, cheesy Barney or Elephant Show songs, but much more sophisticated. They’re written by Rachel Coleman’s father, who is a film composer and DJ, and sound like adult contemporary music with good arrangements. Rachel herself is a good singer; I think she might have been a career musician before starting Signing Time.

It’s still children’s music, but definitely listenable and repeatable. Each song is short, only 1 – 3 minutes. For musical learners like my son, it really satisfies their craving for rhyme, rhythm, and melody without driving you insane.

Since I discovered this show, I started recommending it to everyone with children aged one or more — especially for first children, since they have no older sibs to interact with.

My son’s favorites.
Here are the “wideos” he requests the most. I’m now a ST affiliate, so if you do buy from them through my links, I get a small commission which helps support this site.

Signing Time Volume 3: Every Day Signs DVD. Apples, banana, cracker, cheese, ice cream, candy, day, night… what could be more interesting to a young toddler?

Signing Time Volume 7: Leah’s Farm DVD. Lots and lots of animals, with good songs!

Signing Time Volume 12: Time to Eat DVD. More cooking and eating, which is awesome since he’s really into making “goop” out of flour, water, food coloring, etc. Cute songs!

Signing Time Volume 11: My Neighborhood DVD. Songs about the park and things you do there, transportation like motorcycles and helicopters, and safety people (doctors, nurses, police, firetrucks!) Some of the best songs on this one.

Signing Time Volume 6: My Favorite Things DVD. Colors of the rainbow, fruit, veggies, and physical activities. Good for teaching about summer.

Signing Time Volume 4: Family, Feelings & Fun DVD. Aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers… and some seasonal clothing. Good for teaching about winter (hat, boots, coat, etc.)

If I’d known, I would have gotten the whole collection of Series 1, since it’s the same amount that I ended up spending, but more videos ($250.) I’m probably going to invest in all of Series 2 when he gets a little older — you can see by the subjects that some of the DVDs are for more 3′s and 4′s, not 1′s and 2′s.

They also have a DVD of the Month club for $20 / month, which I am considering joining.

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I happen to love the “green stuff,” but my brother had already claimed green beans. So I decided to branch out and make brussels sprouts. I’m one of those rare people who didn’t hate them as a kid; in fact, I love cooked greens and will take them over salad anytime. Since there are some haters in the crowd, I didn’t want to make just any old brussels sprouts… I chose a recipe that yielded delicious, buttery, creamy brussels sprouts.

Delicious and freakin’ easy: just cook ‘em in cream!
Basically, you take 1/2 stick of butter and brown your quartered sprouts in it for about 5 minutes. Then, you pour in a cup of cream and slowly simmer the sprouts in it — about 30 minutes.
I let it boil, of course, having a 2 year old getting in the way of culinary finesse, but it still turned out great. My dish was among the first to get eaten. I will certainly be making this again in the very near future, if only for my mom and I.

Here’s the link to the original recipe, with full instructions and guidelines.
And here’s an eHow video on how to prepare brussels sprouts — very, very useful!

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Even organic essential oils have an impact.

How can they not?  They’re still grown on farms.  Any human activity on the planet will have some kind of effect, and thinking that using organic and natural products don’t have an impact is not realistic.  It will still have an impact, but one that may not be as harmful.  “Wild crafted” essential oils are those made from non-farmed natural sources, but there are concerns that this practice will endanger plants, as no cultivation efforts will replace them.

I’m not an expert on aromatherapy or essential oils, other than using them for their scent properties, but here is a more in-depth look at this issue from someone more knowledgeable.

Synthetic musks.

One of the biggest questions is the effect of synthetic musks.  Natural musks, which have to be cruelly harvested from animals, have been banned since the 60′s, so the only other alternatives are expensive musk-like plants, which can get close but lack that animal quality, or lab-made fragrance.

Musks are used in just about everything scented, and there are a lot of synthetic musks in drinking water, lakes and streams, fish, human blood, breast milk, and other disquieting places.  No one knows if musks are carcinogenic in humans or not, or if they are a real threat to the environment, but it is well worth thinking about.

http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Synthetic-Musk-Risks24mar99.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_musk

Phthalates & Children

One of the recent concerns is children’s exposure to phthalates — present not just in fragrance, but many other products.  Children absorb more than adults, and the potential consequences are disturbind.  Phthalates may disrupt endocrine function, especially in boys, and lead to lower fertility in adulthood.  Phthalates in fragrance is the tip of the iceberg, but many baby products, such as powders, lotions, and shampoos, do contain it.

I have never advocated the use of any of these products, and when people ask me how to make them, I say, “Don’t.”  Scented products are fun to use, but you just never know when it comes to children.  Use plain, unscented products with minimal preservatives and no fragrance in leave-on products such as baby powder and lotion — not even essential oils.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/phthalates-47020418

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NEWSCIENCE/oncompounds/phthalates/phthalates.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate#Health_effects

I have a son (now 2) and, while I do take potential risks seriously, I cannot stand articles such as, “What’s Turning Our Boys Into Girls?”  Such pieces of “journalism” only make the problem seem ridiculous because of the unsoundness of the writing!  Please beware of people looking to turn this into sensational news pieces, but do look for reasonable information to help you make up your own mind.

Plus, plastic is not excellent!  Who likes to use cheap, disposable junk?  Most of the plastic I have is either recycled or vintage, like my son’s toys.

What threat do you pose as an individual “manufacturer?”

The worst offenders aren’t scented bath and body product and perfume, but the more common stuff used in greater quantities — laundry detergent, especially dryer sheets, cleaning products, hair care products, dish detergent, and things like that.  Those are always heavily scented, often to cover up the bad odors of other ingredients.

If you’re concerned about the environmental and health effects of making personal care products, but you don’t want to completely stop your hobby, consider changing to all-unscented household products, such as your kitchen and bathroom sprays, laundry products, and dish soaps.

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