Garden for Girls in Need

  Campers at North Shore Holiday House

Dear Friends & Family,
I'm on a mission:
North Shore Holiday House is an amazing organization and it's right here in Huntington.
"The purpose of Holiday House is to provide young girls in need with an enriching and healthy respite at a critical time in their developing lives.  One of our main objectives is to foster self-esteem and empower girls to make appropriate choices in the difficult years ahead.  Our camp serves girls ages 7-11 from families whose incomes meet the USDA guidelines for free or reduced lunch.  During four, two-week sessions, over 200 girls from Long Island (100% of our campers are from Long Island) make new friends, learn new skills, and have fun, free from stressful or unstable family situations. "

My mission is this:
Holiday House has asked me to build them a veggie garden, they currently do not have the funds to pay for this. SO, I'm asking for your help. Would you consider making a donation to Holiday House's Garden fund. Our goal is small $1200 will get the four garden beds built and planted. I'm asking everyone to write a check of $25 or more made out to Holiday House and in the memo write "garden". Please mail the checks to North Shore Holiday House and when we have reached our goal we will build 4 new beds, plant and maintain the gardens along side these young girls. The contribution is tax deductible and all who donate will receive a receipt in the mail.

If you'd like to learn more about Holiday House please click this link http://www.nshh.org/index.htm or copy and paste this link into your browser.
 
Thank you,
 
Elizabeth Rexer Leonard
EARL's Kitchen Gardens
earlskitchengardens.com
earlskitchengardens@gmail.com 

Please make checks out to: North Shore Holiday House in the memo include "garden"

Mail checks to: North Shore Holiday House

74 Huntington Rd

Huntington, NY 11743

Lawn Care

Lawn care comes up as a topic often when I am meeting with new clients. They express concerns about growing food in box beds on top of a lawn that they fertilize. Often we give our lawn too little credit, it can grow healthy and lush with very little help from us. Over watering and over fertilizing are not only wasteful but can also be damaging to the environment and ourselves. If your concerned that your yard may be unsafe to eat from let me ask you this, why is your yard unsafe?

Maybe the answer to this dilema is, give your grass some credit. It knows how to grow and even reseed itself.

Here's a few tips for healthy nontoxic lawn care.

1. Water only in the early morning, before 10 a.m. Water only if needed. Did you know your lawn most likely only needs 1" of rain a week.
2. Let your grass grow at least 3" before mowing. It will establish a healthy root system and will be much more lush. Grass clippings if left on the lawn and not bagged become a natural fertilizer for your yard so leave them, and let them do their job.
3. If fertilizing is a must then do it sparingly and in early fall. Fertilizing is best done after a rain, not before it. You don't want all the fertilizer to end up as run off in a heavy rain and end up straight in your water supply and harbors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=who0nxEL5b4&feature=related