Apartment Tips and Tricks

Make the most of your apartment, big or small, with these great tips from Joanna Smith at Better Homes and Gardens. We've pulled the top three here, but check out the full post here.

It's tough to maintain openness in a crowded apartment room, but choosing armless furniture helps create an airy, unfettered look, giving the illusion of more space.

 "Floating" furniture makes for a great floor plan, but it leaves a wide expanse of boring sofa-back in the open.

One thing apartments often have going for them is open wall space. Rework a pair of sturdy bookshelves into an attractive storage wall…Cover them with curtains that match or complement your window treatments

Read more »

DIY Project Tips That Are Affordable

Are you trying a new project in your college apartment?  New DIY projects can be expensive, but with these tips you can make sure any new project affordable.  Make sure to recycle, shop at sales, and refurbish old pieces to create your new piece for your apartment.

Choose CheaplyThe best DIYs are those which take trash and turn it into treasure. And by "trash" I mean hand-me-downs, flea market finds and ubiquitous big-box store pieces. Choosing affordable objects to makeover to begin with not only saves money, but gives you the freedom to take chances, change your mind, and mess up. If it doesn't work out the way you planned, at least you didn't invest too much in the process.

We have some great posts in our archives on budget DIY projects, so get searching and get inspired!

Beg, Borrow and Steal
Ok, so we can't really advocate stealing, but everything else is fair game. DIY can mean investing in a lot of equipment, some of it expensive, and some of it the kind of "affordable" extras that can really add up. Rather than shelling out for reusables like drop cloths, paintbrushes and tools, why not see if a friend or neighbor has any to spare?

When it comes to power tools or other expensive equipment, consider renting if you can't borrow. Your local hardware chain store probably offers this service, and for something you'll only use once or twice (say, a floor sander or tile cutter) it makes sense to cut down on cost, not to mention storage space. Bonus: renting tools often comes with support on how to use them properly, unlike a purchase, which can leave you reading the manual and scratching your head in confusion.

Know your Limits
One of the best ways to keep your DIY budget in check is to know when DIY isn't such a great idea. Online tutorials and crafty books are great, but they can only lead you so far in this game. Tackling a project beyond your skill level can lead to costly mistakes and professional re-dos, and spending more money than you ever planned. So think hard about where your DIY line is: wallpapering your bedroom? Adding shelves to your kitchen? Re-upolstering a beloved piece of furniture?

Before you entirely give up on that ambitious project, however, consider a few educational options to help it run smoothly: take a class at your local hardware store, or ask a handier friend to help you out.

For more information see Apartment Therapy.

Read more »

Cancer Fundraiser in Carlsbad

Lou Chanove of Carlsbad was diagnosed with a rare form of Eye Cancer at a young age.  His parents have been trying to raise awareness for the disease ever since.  The Stand Up Paddle Board event will start at 10am this Saturday.  Keep reading to learn more about the event below.

Soon after Lou Chanove’s 19-year-old son was diagnosed with a rare type of eye cancer in October, he and his family decided to raise awareness of the disease and help find a cure by organizing a fundraiser to benefit choroidal melanoma research.

After experiencing blurred vision and problems with balance, Hunter, known as Vegas by friends and family, was tested and diagnosed with choroidal melanoma, a tumor in the blood vessel layer at the back of his eye. Chanove said he and his wife, an ophthalmic surgical technician, weren’t aware of the signs and just thought his contacts were too tight.

“We were completely blindsided by it,” Chanove said. “We weren’t expecting this at all.”

At the time of his diagnosis, Hunter, a water polo player and avid surfer who graduated from Carlsbad High School in 2011, had been selected to enter Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in the summer of 2013. An Honors student with a 4.0 GPA, Hunter had to decline the offer and now spends much of his time today attending Cal State University San Marcos, where he is double majoring in communications and kinesiology, and minoring in Spanish.

“He had to give up the Marine Corps because of this disease but he’s still active in school,” Chanove said. “He knows what he has and he really doesn’t like talking about it. He’s focused on going forward with it.”

Hunter and his family have also focused much of their time organizing the first Stand Up Paddle Boarding Day for a Cure for Hunter Chanove on Feb. 16. Chanove said all of the funds raised at the fundraiser, which will take place at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon on Bayshore Drive in Carlsbad, will benefit Dr. Jonathan Kim and his colleagues at The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Kim's team is working with the physicians and research scientists in the hospital’s Saban Research Institute to examine new systematic treatment options for patients diagnosed with eye cancers. These will include the use of nanotechnology for treatment of ocular melanoma and the study of the genetics and progression of tumorigenesis in ocular melanoma cells.

“Right away we went from shock to let’s do something about it,” Chanove said. “We want to find a cure because there is no cure.”

In a letter to fundraiser supporters, Hunter explained Kim said this type of cancer is aggressive and may have a high risk of spreading to his liver and possibly different parts of his body.

“The moment I heard I had cancer was just mind blowing,” Hunter said in the letter. “Unfortunately, there is no cure, but there is hope.”

Chanove encouraged community members to come out to the fundraiser, where attendees can participate in stand up paddle boarding activities, learn the sport and even win a board. He also thanked the people of Carlsbad for the support the community has already shown his family.

“Carlsbad has been a family to us,” he said. “We’ve seen how closely knit this entire city is.”

The Stand Up Paddle Boarding Day fundraiser will begin 10 a.m. Saturday at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon on Bayshore Drive in Carlsbad. To donate online, visit the “Ways to Give” page at CHLA.org, click "Donate Today," select the donation amount desired, and specify you would like your donation directed to “Vision” and “Dr. Jonathan Kim.” 

For more information see the Carlsbad Patch.

Read more »

Kitchen Scraps to Plants

Did you know that you can grow plants from kitchen scraps?  Take those leftover onions or parsley and use to grow more right in your own home.  Anyone can do this easy task, and it can save you money in the long run.  Keep reading to learn how!

Kitchen Scraps & Growing Plants



I love composting all the kitchen scraps I can but when I fill up my compost bin or run low on some vegetables in the garden using kitchen scraps to grow plants is a great activity. I love using kitchen scraps to start new plants as a fun gardening activity with my son, everyday we check and see how the plants are progressing. It’s a great way to come full circle on produce we bout at the market together and cooked together. Starting your own plants from kitchen scraps is really easy and for a gardening nerd like me!

If You are going to attempt this I suggest making sure the scraps you start with are good quality, I like to use organic produce grown locally when I start plants from kitchen scraps.
Growing Leeks, Spring Onions, Scallions ,and Fennel

You could go out and buy some vegetable specifically for growing but I like to wait till I actually have a call for them in my cooking. With all 5 of these examples you will use the end of the vegetable with the white roots.


green onions from kitchen scraps

Take the left over white roots and place them in a container with a small amount of water in it. You want the roots to be wet but you don’t want the entire thing submerged. Take your container and place it in a sunny window sill. I’ve actually grown green onion scraps in a fairly shady window on the north side of our house, your success may vary. I like keeping some in a window in the kitchen for my morning eggs, and in my office for snacking on (the wife loves kissing me after that). Within 3-5 days you will begin to see new growth come up. Remove the produce as you need and just leave the roots in the water to continually harvest your kitchen scrap crops. You should refresh the water weekly to keep the plant healthy.
Growing Lemongrass


lemon grass from kitchen scraps

Lemongrass is similar to all other grasses and because of that you just need to place the roots you cut off into a container with water and put in a sunny window. In my experience the lemongrass is a little more dependent than green onions and leeks from above.

After about a week there should be some new growth from your lemongrass. Once you have new growth you will need to transplant the plant from the water into a pot with soil and put it back into the sunny windowsill. You want to wait till your lemongrass reaches a foot tall before you begin harvesting it. Just like before cut off what you plan to use in the kitchen and allow the roots to continue to sprout. It’s just like cutting your lawn, it will just keep coming on if you keep it healthy.

Growing Romaine Lettuce, Celery, Bok Choy & Cabbage

Just like the scallions, you will take the white roots of these vegetables to grow your produce. By cutting of the stalks or leafs with an inch or more and placing them into a bowl of water with the roots facing down you will be on your way. You want to make sure the roots are in water but you don’t want to submerge the entire plant. Make sure to place the bowl into a sunny window and spritz it with water weekly to keep the top of the plant moist.


grow bok choy from kitchen scraps

Several days later you will begin to see the roots and leaves sprouting. 7 to 10 days in remove the plant from the water and plant it into soil with only the leaves above the soil. Your plant will continue to grow and in several weeks you will have a new head ready to be harvested.

If you want a different way to go with your pant you can try planting directly into the soil, skipping the water staging step from before. Keeping the soil from drying out will be very important that first week.
Growing Ginger


growing ginger from kitchen scraps

If you’re looking for an easy plant to grow indoors Ginger is the one for you. Just take you’re a chunk of Ginger from your kitchen scraps and place it into the soil. Make sure the newest buds are facing up. Unlike the other plants we’ve talked about so far Ginger will enjoy filtered light rather than direct sunlight.

Soon enough you will begin to see new growth sprouting up out of the soil, and under the soil roots will begin to sprawl out into the soil. After the plant acclimates to its new home you will be ready to harvest the next time you need Ginger. Pull the entire plant out of the soil and cut off a the pieces you need, and just replant it like you did initially.

As an added bonus for you Ginger makes a great house-plant. Even if ginger isn’t your thing as far as cooking goes you can still get some aesthetic value out of the plant.
Growing Potatoes

Taking potatoes from produce back to growing is a great way to keep more waste out of the garbage. You can grow any variety of potato you like, it should just make sure the scrap has ‘eyes’ growing on it. With a potato that has a strong presence of eyes you can chop it up into 2 inch square pieces. Make sure each piece has 1 – 2 eyes. After you’ve cut your potato into pieces leave them out in room temperature for a couple of days. Leaving the pieces out allow the cut surface area to dry out and become callous which will prevent the pieces from rotting in the ground.


cut & dried potatoes from kitchen scraps

Potatoes need a very nutrient-rich soil, so if you have compost you should be sure to incorporate some into your soil before you plant it. When you are planting your potato cubes make sure they are in the 8 inch depth range with the eyes facing the sky. When you back fill your cube place 4 inches over the potato cube and leave the other 4 inches empty. Over time as your potato grows and roots begin to appear you will want to add more soil.
Growing Garlic


indoor container gardening garlic

You only need a single clove to regrow an entire garlic plant, just place the end with the root down into the soil. Place your container in a warm part of your home with direct sunlight and sit back and wait for the garlic to root itself and begin to send up new shoots. After the garlic becomes established in the soil cut back the shoots and the plant will begin to put all its resources into growing a big delicious garlic bulb. Just like the ginger above once you harvest your produce you can repeat this process and run through the cycle again.
Growing Onions

With onions your going to use the root end you cut off when prepping to cook your onions. Onions are great because of the ease to propagate. You want to try to keep half an inch of onion above the roots. You will want to take your cutting and place it into your soil in a sunny place and cover the top with topsoil. Keeping your soil moist will be very important while the onion begins to establish itself. If you’re in the North East like myself you will want to keep the onion indoors in a container during the winter.

If you repeat the cycle and keep planting the onion roots eventually you should have enough onion plants going that you’ve become onion self-sufficient!
Growing Sweet Potatoes


indoor container gardening garlic

When you plant sweet potatoes you want to use the ‘eyes’ just like you do with a regular potato. You can bury the entire potato or pieces like you did with regular potatoes under a thin layer of topsoil in a damp and sunny place. Soon you will have new shoots beginning to appear from the soil. When the shoots begin to reach a height of four inches you will replant your pieces giving them around 12 inches between one another. Generally it take somewhere around 4 months to grow sweet potatoes like this. Keep a watchful eye out for slugs, they will be trying to eat your crop before you can.

When your growing your own sweet potatoes you want to be sure and use an organic soil as most commercial growers use chemicals to keep them from shooting.
Growing Mushrooms

For the most part I’ve focused on plants that are pretty easy to grow, propagating mushrooms is not included in that. If you’re going to try to propagate mushrooms you’ll be competing with the other fungi space. Mushroom spores enjoy warm humidity and nutrient rich soil, cooler temperatures will give your mushrooms a higher likelihood of success against other fungi


Shiitake Mushrooms

You want to grow mushrooms in a pot, trying to grow them in your garden would have too much competition from other mushrooms. Growing mushrooms inside of a container also allow you to mow the container around and provide different conditions for the mushrooms, which will help them propagate faster. I’ve experience the greatest success by providing a warm filtered light during the day and cool temperatures at night.

To get your mushrooms to propagate take off the head and place the stalk into your topsoil, making sure to expose the top to the air. If you have the right conditions for your mushroom you will have a new head grow from your base. You should have some very clear feedback if your mushroom has taken or not very quickly.
Growing Pineapple


pineapple root buds

To start growing pineapple you will need to take the leafy green top and remove all the fruit (yellow parts). To harvest a starting piece form a pineapple take a good grip of the leaves and twist the crown off of the fruit. If the brut force tactic isn’t for you can take a good chef’s knife and slice of the top of the pineapple and scrap off the flesh of the fruit with a spoon. Take a sharp knife and begin to slice small horizontal pieces off of the bottom of the crown till you can see root buds (picture left). Peel off a few layers of the leaves from the base of your pineapple cutting.


growing pineapple from kitchen scraps

With your prepped pineapple cutting prepare a container of warm water and place it cut side into the container. When the cutting begins to root replant it into a container with soil and be sure to water once a week. This kitchen scrap recycle is a long game, you won’t have a pineapple worth harvesting for 2-3 years.
Avocados

Rather than tossing your avocado seed when you’re getting the fleshy fruit for your cooking use it to grow your own avocado plant. Warning this one is going to take even longer to fruit then the pineapple if ever. House grown avocado plants rarely fruit and if you can grow it outdoors it could be 5 to 13 years before your eating your own avocados. People who farm avocados grown them off grafts (maybe a good idea for another article?!).


growing avocados from kitchen scraps

Take your seed and wash in the sink, with your cleaned seed stick in three or four toothpicks and suspend it above a glass of water. You want to place the seed broad end down and cover the seed with around an inch of water. Place your container into a warm area in an area with filtered sunlight and add water as needed. Within 2 – 6 weeks you will see roots and a stem begin to sprout. Once your avocado has a stem that is 7 inches long cut it back to 3 inches, this will focus the seeds back in to growing a strong root system. When your roots are thick and the stem has re-leafed take out the toothpicks and place the plant into a rich humus soil. I suggest using a 10 inch diameter pot. Leave the seed half exposed when you plant it into the soil.


planting avocados from kitchen scraps

Now that your plant is in the soil you want to supply it with a continual supply of light watering with an occasional deep soak. Avocados prefer a soil kept moist but you want to avoid saturating it too much and drowning the roots. If your leaves begin to turn yellow you are watering it too much, give the plant a few days of from watering. Now that the plant is established you want to begin to give it as much sunlight as you can. If you notice that your leaves are beginning to brown at the tips you have a salt build up in your soil and you will need to water the soil thoroughly and let it drain. Once your stem reaches 12 inches in height you will want to cut it back to 6 inches to help new shoots grow.
Growing Carrot-tops | Fun For The Kids

Because carrots are a tap-root you can’t actually regrow the part we all eat. You can how ever grow a fun attractive flowering plant for your kitchen. Growing the carrots is a my son’s favorite from this list.

The next time you buy carrots for cooking cut off the tops leaving and inch or so of the vegetable attached. Just like the avocado take several toothpicks and stick them into the side of carrot. Place your carrot cutting into a container with water high enough to reach the bottom of your cutting. Place your container in an area that will receive filtered sunlight and make sure that as the water evaporates or is consumed by the carrot you replace it to keep the bottom of the carrot wet. Within a few days you should see the roots begin to sprout. When you see you roots sprouting you can transplant the plant into a bed of soil.

Depending on your conditions your success may vary from mine, God knows I’m not always successful with my attempts. These are great activities for black thumbs because you’re using kitchen scraps rather than spending money on saplings or seeds. Do you have any suggestions of plants we missed, share with us in the comments below!

 

If you need help growing herbs in your kitchen check out these herb growing kits from Amazon. I just bought one of them for my sister as a house warming gift. What a good brother I am.


For more information see Black Thumb Gardener.

Read more »