Should I Use The Twisty Lightbulbs?

It's a good question - the 'twisty light-bulbs' or 'CFL bulbs' or 'Compact Florescent Light-bulbs' are more expensive than your regular 'I've got an idea' bulbs. So why use them?




Borrowed straight from Wikipedia: "CFLs use less power (typically one fifth) and have a longer rated life (six to ten times average). In most countries, a CFL has a higher purchase price than an incandescent lamp, but can save over five times its purchase price in electricity costs over the lamp's lifetime."

Other perks relating to these bulbs are the fact that you can purchase them in several color temperatures -- they can supply you with the best "soft white" light that you can find. (No tinting everything yellow, unless you want to!)

But if those aren't good enough reasons -- if you have any lights that are an absolute pain in the butt to change; you know, the ones that require ladders or precariously balancing on the edge of chairs in order to be reached -- well these bulbs will last longer, which means you won't have to inconvenience yourself as often!




Now, as with most things, there is also a disadvantage that you should know about. All florescent light-bulbs contain mercury. Some, like the ones labelled eco-friendly, can contain as little as 1 mg -- but it's still in vapor form, and still not good for you! If you use these bulbs you should be extra careful not to break them, and of course, dispose of them properly when their extra-long lifespan is up!

Note: If you live in Canada, Home Depot has started a recycling program for these bulbs. There should be a bin in every Home Depot where you can drop off your burnt out CFL bulbs!

So should you use them? As long as you are mindful of what you are dealing with, and dispose of them properly; this bulb will not only save you money, but will have less of an impact on the environment than your regular bulbs.

The choice is completely yours!



Off-topic, but oh so cool:

Photos via gilliu00_, Anton Fomkin and Repoort

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Saving your Seed!

Just to clarify things, before we start; this blog post is all about plant seeds... just wanted to make sure you knew that.

It is an unfortunate truth that sometimes organic goods can cost more than your standard contaminated variety. It is important then, to minimize costs wherever you can!



If you plant your own garden, and tend to buy your plants and seeds new every year, then harvesting your own seeds can help save on the yearly start-up costs for your garden.

Harvesting seeds can be different for every plant - however a little bit of research will teach you when and how to harvest seeds for all your various plants.

What you will need to begin saving your seeds:

1. Knowledge about the life cycle of your plants.
2. If there are any specific ways you need to harvest the seed.
3. A place to safely dry your seeds.
4. A way to store your seeds until the following year. (Cool dry places are the best.)



If you would rather learn hands on without so much research, I have heard of a few workshops that will teach you how it is all done.

There are two; one in Ontario and one in Alberta. For more information on these workshops you can go here: Seeds of Diversity - Seedy Events

Another idea that I love is community seed saving. It is often the case that you will be able to harvest much more seed from your garden than you personally will be able to use the following year. However, you could organize a community project which allows members to swap extra seeds that they have harvested. There are many different ways you could go about this, but the key points would be to ensure that all seeds are properly harvested, stored and labeled; and of course ensure that everyone involved is organically inclined.



A few websites I have found that seem to include good and relevant information on seed-saving are the following:
Seed Sanctuary for Canada
How to Save Garden Seeds

I also came across this great video on the importance of saving seeds and tomato seed harvesting! (I didn't have a clue that this was how you found viable tomato seeds...)

Photos via LollyKnit, kirstyhall and net_efekt.

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