Signs of an Early Spring as Prices Rise; Take Action Now

                                                                                                    

Signs of an Early Spring, Prices Rise; Take Action Now

There are many signs an early spring may actually happened this year. First, the groundhogs predicted an early arrival on Feb. 2^nd. Now, within the last two weeks, robins and other spring birds have been seen; the geese have returned, honking and flying and throughout the northwestern Pennsylvania region, maple trees have been tapped.

Maple syrup making is an old tradition. Native American taught the first settlers how to use the sap which has many uses. Jack Wax, or a primitive maple candy, is always popular at events like the March 19 and 20^th Taste and Tour Open House at many local sugar shacks. Other candies are also made, along with mustard, peanut butter, maple teas and other products.

It won't be long before the trilliums, mayapples and leeks make an appearance. Mayapples and trilliums both offer some possibilities for home landscaping in some of those tougher spots.

It has been a long winter with no real let up since Thanksgiving. So it's sort of nice to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Food Prices on the Rise; Plant a Vegetable Garden this Year. Save money.

Even before the turmoil began to shake the Middle East, gasoline prices were slowly on the rise. With the turmoil, they are seemingly rising even faster. It is all the more reason to plan a bigger and better backyard garden this growing season. Food prices are bound to rise because of the higher cost of transporting food produce.

At home, using organic, chemical-free garden practices, the food will be healthier to eat and have more flavor. Homegrown also means less gasoline money spent on trips to the supermarket. If land is hard to come by for a vegetable garden, many crops can be grown successfully in containers.

There are many options for an over-abundance of home produce. Certainly, it can be canned or frozen; donated to food banks or shelters, or in some instances, it can be sold at a roadside stand to earn a little extra cash.

Trees

Every spring, is yard clean-up time for many property owners. Instead of paying to have the broken branches and other debris hauled to a landfill, consider making a brush pile. A brush pile provides shelter for many small animals and insects and can be made more attractive than just a pile of dead stuff.

In many regions, conservation groups have seedling tree sales. The proceeds generally are used for other environmental projects throughout the year. Crawford County has one sponsored by the Crawford County Conservation District. It features native trees, bushes and shrubs at a reasonable price.

Two varieties which caught my eye, were the white flowering dogwood and the spicebush. Technically known as Lindera benzoin, it is a host plant for the larvae of the black swallowtail butterfly. The only other host plant is the sassafras bush/tree.

It is a thick shrub, can take partial sun to full sun and is a thick shrub which grows between six and 12 feet tall. It has yellow flowers in the early spring, followed by brilliant red berries in the fall. The berries are an excellent food sources for many small animals and birds. It is hardy through Zone 4.

It is on my A list, along with the dogwood, for planting this spring.

There are many reasons to plant trees. Trees are a renewable resource which enhance our environment, are beneficial for wildlife, and make the landscape more attractive. Trees can also help save money since they provide cooling shade, like the oaks,  and help to reduce heating costs. Trees also improve water and air quality and the leaves provide plenty of free compost material.

Marcellus

Increasingly, there has been more focus on the Marcellus “fracking” process. Recently, there has been serious concern about radioactivity in the waste water from the fracking process. Serious concerns have also been raised about polluted creeks and streams, even in some native trout streams.

Fracking uses a whole series of chemicals which remain secret to help break the underground rocks to release the gas. There is a lot of concern over the dangers of the waster water from the process. Blow-outs and explosions are also a growing concern as more wells are drilled.

While the Marcellus boom is somewhat new to Pennsylvania, which has plenty of Marcellus Gas deep underground, Wyoming is a state with more experience, some of it not very good.

Read about Louis Meeks; it is a little lengthy but well worth the time. The story, be warned, is sort of sad and depressing.

For more information about Marcellus Gas in Pennsylvania, click MarcellusGas.org and MarcellusMoney.org. There is some eye opening information which can be found at both Web sites. Both are excellent.

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