Growing organic foods while recycling at the same time!

So today I was going to tell you all about my new fashion find, but the companies website is down and teasing you all just doesn't seem fair. Instead I'm bringing you a crafty Monday post (inspired by my new fashion find actually… you'll see how tomorrow). 

I came home from work to find not only my bridesmaids dress for Ashlee's wedding, but also this little gem: 

Thank you so, so, SO much Bear!! I can't tell you how happy this made me =) 

Last week on instagram I asked my friends if anyone knew where to get organic seeds, and Danielle delivered! Literally. She has her own amazing garden that produces amazing veggies! Check out her instagram @daniellesalt to see images of the wonderful plant children she has grown. 

Danielle is also a master seed packer… and how cute is that card?

As you can see she gave me plenty of organic and non-gmo seeds to use! The only things I needed after that were a place to plant them and some more soil. 

To make your own recycled garden you need gallon size jugs, seeds, soil, some water, and left over coffee, mmmmm. 

That's right! Plants love coffee too =) 

I happen to keep five gallons of water on me at all times (drink your H2O!), so I already had a stock pile of old jugs ready to go. I also stopped drinking coffee lately for a detox before my big run, but had some left over from friends visiting. Time to toss that temptation in the urban garden!

These gallon jugs are perfect for root crops (which is mainly what Danielle sent me). Root crops usually only need enough soil to fit the length of their body (depth wise).  Each jug can handle about five carrots, four radishes,  or three onions. Obviously if your trying to grow more veggies, you can use another jug or create a planted for your veggies. 

Old coffee can help your plants by giving them nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, potassium etc. They help regulate the PH balance of your soil (some plants require a higher PH balance) and they can also be used to keep unwanted pests at bay (leave the pest killer on the shelf!). You can use old coffee by diluting it in A LOT of water (1/4 coffee, 3/4 water) and giving small doses to your plants once or twice a week. You can also take some of the coffee grounds left over from each pot and gently place them on the top soil. 

Since my plants are just starting, I'm going to make the mixture but wait until the plants are strong enough. I don't want to mess them up with too much acidity early on. 

I used sharpies to label and decorate my recycled jugs

Here's my coffee mixture. This was just a bit of left over coffee that I mixed with a ton of water. Coffee is also great to throw into a compost mixture if you have one going (or want to start one). 

The finished products =) I have nine new "planters" growing outside now! I'm so excited to see them grow! By mid May I should have tons of lettuce, spinach, arugula, carrots and more ready to eat. MMMmmmmmMMMmmmmm

Organic veggies for the win. 

Do you have your own "urban garden" or organic garden growing?? How do you start your seeds and keep your plant "children" growing? Leave comments below =) 

Ciao ciao, 

Kk 

Wellness Wednesday: saving the honey bees

Wellness Wednesday's are all about doing something good for the body, mind, and soul. 

Today I started off wellness Wednesday by heading to Target after work. I had a long, long day and needed something that I could do without needing to think as much. I decided to plant some more plants! I don't have a backyard so they're going on my balcony of my apartment. This meant I needed them all to be in pots. 

I chose plants that I could either eat or that were listed in the image above. The image shows different plants that can help restore the honey bee population. If you haven't heard (because mainstream news seems to be ignoring it) the honey bee population has been steadily decreasing since 2006 and no one seems to know why. Worker bees seem to just vanish into thin air. No dead bees are found near the colonies or in the surrounding farm areas, but worker bees are disappearing at a rapid rate. When a bee colony looses most of it's workers, it's unable to survive. 

One theory is that the bees have been exposed to too many pesticides (again… BUY ORGANIC!) but the exact reason still hasn't been pinpointed. I'm proud to say my alma mater UC Davis has played a huge role in researching the cause behind the decline of the honey bee population AND one of my favorite brands Annie's donates part of their profits towards UC Davis' research project (on the bees). 

When I posted a picture today with #savethebees on instagram, someone quickly commented "I hate bees! #killthebees".  I get it, bees sting. Stings hurt. Many humans are also extremely allergic to bee stings. I'm not trying to get more of us stung! I'm trying to help save a population of insects that not only makes the only food that can sustain life on its own (honey) but also a population of insects that are responsible for the pollination of most of our food!

"Honeybees are one of the world's leading pollinators, for they are responsible for $30 billion a year in crops, and we depend on them and other pollinators for one-third of our food supply. Without bees, our produce sections in supermarkets would look bare- with up to 50%less fruit and vegetables- and our favorite foods, such as apples, carrots, lemons, onions, broccoli, and not to mention honey, would become a luxury of the past." - Samantha Jakuboski 

I choose to grow cilantro, lavender, poppies, and sunflowers to help the honey bee population.  

As you can see, only two of my seed types were certified organic. I was really upset to see that Target had a very small selection of organic seeds and am on the hunt for more. Being in the zombie like state of mind I was in I just kept grabbing other seeds even if they weren't organic. Which I now realize is counter productive in saving the honey bees if they are dying because of pesticides… ug.

I tried. 

Here are my two organic seeds: Watermelons and cilantro. Target DID have an amazing seed starting kit that is made of 100% natural fiber cells. This means that as soon as the seeds have sprouted, I can just tear off that square from the rest and plant it directly into a bigger pot! Perfect!

I got most of the seeds above in the dollar section of Target. They (strawberry, poppy, and basil set) actually come with a tiny pot, a plant starter disc, and seeds. All by the company "Grow". The lavender and sunflower seeds were planted in the seed starter. 

I now have a small and a large basil pot, three strawberry pots, one poppy pot, and one large sunflower pot going: 

I had already gotten one of those "Grow" kits from the dollar section a few weeks ago. It was a sunflower set and the sprouts now have two leaves each so I decided it was time to replant them into this larger pot. I added more sunflower seeds to the rest of the pot (they're two different types so it should be a beautiful mix of sunflowers when it's fully grown!). 

After a relaxing gardening break I went for a five mile run. It's not as far as most of my runs lately because I have a 20 mile run coming up on Sunday. The schedule I follow lessens the milage during the week before long weekend runs to prevent injuries. 

The Santa Anna winds were against me but on the bright side the sky was full of beautiful storm clouds that were reflecting the sunset. I love Southern California. 

I thought this little palm tree was hilarious =) It looks like an oasis in the middle of a lush meadow. 

To wrap up wellness Wednesday I made a healthy dinner: Quinoa and spinach!

All you need is quinoa, water, and a rice cooker for easy cooking! Take 1/2 cup of quinoa, a cup of water, and dump into the rice cooker. Switch it to "cook". 

You'll know your quinoa is done when these little "tails" start to come out. 

I layer my spinach first, then put some quinoa in, layer more spinach etc. I personally love to add some soy sauce to the quinoa layers to give it some extra taste. 

For the rest of the night I've been doing more work, homework, and planning Ashlee's bachelorette party ;) I can not wait for May to finally roll around. 

Ciao Ciao, 

Kk