I bet you thought you lost us!
Instead...we've moved! We're still in the suburbs of Atlanta, but we're about 35 miles away from where we were. We have a larger yard, and this house will be a true "greening" process. Built in 1995, the house has some great energy-saving items such as appliances; however, the rest of the house could use some green updating such as the windows.
The windows are single-pane windows. You know the ones....wooden frames that require force to open in the Summer? We will eventually replace these windows, but until we get fundage to do so, we'll be making them more energy efficient.
HOW TO MAKE SINGLE-PANE WINDOWS MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/energyefficientwindo
In the meantime, we won't be planting this year. Instead, we'll be composting, and we'll be preparing the grounds for planting next year. We will be venturing into container gardening as well for our herbs which can be transplanted into the ground next year.
We have two garden spots picked out. The first garden spot sits on top of a hill and has direct sunlight the entire day. The second garden spot (future butterfly garden) also sits in a sunny spot the entire day. We had thought about using the second garden spot as an herb garden; however, it's located near the front of the house near the sidewalk, and we were afraid people might step on our garden by accident.
Besides creating a compost area to prepare compost for next year, we will also be installing a rain barrel to collect rainwater to water our existing plants.
Stay tuned while we settle in!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Compost Edit.
We have opted against the pallet-created compost pile as there are small children who play in/around the yard, and to keep the smell down. Instead, we will be creating a compost pile out of an improvised 55 gallon plastic or metal drum. We will be placing it behind the shed at the top of the hill from the gardens.
Still looking at plans for it. We have some trees budding and some flowers peeking their way out of the soil as well. The backyard has remained raked and cleaned as well from the old leaves/muck that was there.
Still looking at plans for it. We have some trees budding and some flowers peeking their way out of the soil as well. The backyard has remained raked and cleaned as well from the old leaves/muck that was there.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Composting and our compost pile.
"Composting" is something that I've known about for over a decade; however, I've never exactly partaken in composting or creating a compost pile. We weren't really "green thumbs" at my parents' home in South Georgia as it was just too entirely hot in the Spring and Summer.
Because we've decided to plant fruits, vegetables, and more at our home, I've been looking at composting.
I think one main mistake people make is creating their own compost pile, or a unit to contain the compost. That's not really the mistake. It's the mistake of putting the compost pile right outside their back door, near a window, or close to their home.
Let's think about what compost is. Compost is decomposing matter: kitchen waste (carrot peels, egg shells, etc.) and composted material (in our case...manure). Would you want decomposing manure and egg shells near your house? No.
We are opting against forking out $300 for a composting unit. Instead, we will be constructing our composting unit out of 4 wooden pallets that I was able to get from work. For those of you not as lucky, you can buy them at pallet companies for about $2.50-$4.00 per pallet. Remember, they do not have to be brand spankin' new pallets. We are also opting to use chicken wire inside of our pallets to contain the compost. We have seen other units that don't have the chicken wire, but we'd like to keep everything nice and tidy while also providing oxygen to aid in the decomposing process.
Pictures and plans soon to come.
Because we've decided to plant fruits, vegetables, and more at our home, I've been looking at composting.
I think one main mistake people make is creating their own compost pile, or a unit to contain the compost. That's not really the mistake. It's the mistake of putting the compost pile right outside their back door, near a window, or close to their home.
Let's think about what compost is. Compost is decomposing matter: kitchen waste (carrot peels, egg shells, etc.) and composted material (in our case...manure). Would you want decomposing manure and egg shells near your house? No.
We are opting against forking out $300 for a composting unit. Instead, we will be constructing our composting unit out of 4 wooden pallets that I was able to get from work. For those of you not as lucky, you can buy them at pallet companies for about $2.50-$4.00 per pallet. Remember, they do not have to be brand spankin' new pallets. We are also opting to use chicken wire inside of our pallets to contain the compost. We have seen other units that don't have the chicken wire, but we'd like to keep everything nice and tidy while also providing oxygen to aid in the decomposing process.
Pictures and plans soon to come.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Welcome.
Welcome to Suburbia Green. We are just a young couple who resides in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. We started this blog to show others that just because you live in Suburbia or have a small piece of land, you can still "live green" as well as have a large enough garden to support vegetables and other plants for two people.
We will be composting, planting, and making our home as green as possible. Please feel free to visit our site, and we welcome tips and ideas from others as well.
Our home is a 800 sq foot (or thereabouts) apartment in the daylight basement of a friend's home. We live here with our 6 mths old bulldog mix.
We will be composting, planting, and making our home as green as possible. Please feel free to visit our site, and we welcome tips and ideas from others as well.
Our home is a 800 sq foot (or thereabouts) apartment in the daylight basement of a friend's home. We live here with our 6 mths old bulldog mix.
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