Prepare To Grow Your Own Fruit And Vegetables for Green Living

Julie Starr • October 31, 2020



Are you thinking about growing your own fruit and veg in your backyard? There are numerous reasons why this could be beneficial. First, it’s worth noting that growing fruit and veg in your garden is actually going to provide tremendous benefits to the environment. To do this, you are going to need to greatly improve the quality of the soil and once this occurs, it will trap more carbon dioxide underneath the ground. This means that you will reduce your carbon footprint through this process. You’ll also be less reliant on public food resources and therefore will help to reduce the pressure on the limited number of farms around the country.

Furthermore, research does suggest that growing your own fruit and veg will provide products that are far better for you. You won’t have to worry that these have been treated with dangerous chemicals that could have unknown impacts on your health and wellbeing. You could even save money in your budget by growing your own produce. 

Now that the benefits of taking this step are abundantly clear, let’s explore some of the best ways to approach this challenge and the hurdles that you will face. 

Composting Is Key

The first step that you need to get to grips with if you’re going to grow your own products is composting . You must think about how to compost the right way as this is going to greatly improve the quality of your soil. That’s going to help ensure that your plants do grow big and strong, providing you with solid produce that you will be able to rely on and sample. Composting is quite simple when you get down to the basics. You just need to use your food waste such as vegetable skins and newspaper to create mulch which can then be condensed before being added to the soil. This is going to help your plants grow. If you want to take things one step further, you can also think about using earthworms. Research suggests that earthworms can provide tremendous benefits in terms of composting and help provide an even richer soil. This is always going to be fantastic news for farmers. 

Buying The Seeds

You do need to make sure that you are choosing where you buy your seeds from carefully. It’s important that you do invest in quality seeds for your garden. If in doubt, make sure that you check the reviews of different suppliers and perhaps speak to some fellow gardeners. Usually, you’ll find that there are suppliers that gardeners do favor more because of the quality of the seeds that they offer. This also goes for a supplier of any materials or tools you need for farming your products effectively. You need to make sure that you don’t end up with a low-quality product that will impact the final results of your produce.

Cooking And Preparing The Food 

One of the fun parts of growing your own fruit and veg is that you are also going to be able to cook and prepare the food too. One of the first things that you’ll notice is that the food tastes considerably different compared to the items that you have bought on the market. It won’t even be the same as veg that has been labeled organic. That’s because this produce is authentically organic and it can take a little time to get used to this. Don’t forget that if you are doing this to be more sustainable, this should carry through to your cooking practices too. For instance, you might want to make sure that you research the proper way to dispose of used cooking oil . 

Choosing The Right Fruit And Veg

Finally, you need to choose the fruit and veg that you are growing carefully. It’s important that you are selecting produce that does match your environment and is going to grow in particular weather conditions. You’ll also need to know the type of care and attention that different plants, fruits, and veg need. There is going to be a little trial and error here but that’s all part of the experience and before long you’ll have lots of produce to enjoy. 

We hope this helps you understand how to prepare to grow your own veg the right way. If you take the right steps here, then you will be able to guarantee that you do see tremendous results and have plenty of delicious products to cook in your family meals or even sell on at a local market.

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.