As promised, the second newsletter this month has lots of tips on organic gardening, local plant sales and farm market events, bunches of website links and more!

On March 10, 2010 I went to the Green Drinks International Meeting at the Coffee Underground. This was a great How-To session and I thought I would pass the info on to you as well as other things I have been picking up the last few weeks. The session was called "Everything you need to do is to your soil - NOT your plants" by Eliza Holocombe. Check out her link at http://www.appalachianfeet.com/ for her class notes from March 10th.

Here are some great gardening websites:

• http://www.squarefootgardening.com/
• http://www.lasagnagardening.com/
• http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/companion-planting.html
• http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/gardening-by-the-moon.html
• http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_55/companion_planting.aspx

Remember for every facial you experience in the month of April, $5 goes to plant Green in Greenville!

How can I grocery shop to help myself and the Earth?

This is from the Big Green Purse:

Eat Less Meat - Buy Local if you can - the farmers markets are starting so there are usually 2 or 3 meat suppliers there. http://www.nativemeats.com/

Choose Sustainable Seafood

Buy Organic - If you can't afford to buy organic for all your produce, then at the minimum buy organic for the Dirty Dozen - these are the foods that studies have shown to have the most pesticide residue:

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes, imported (Chili)
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach

Buy Local - the farmers markets will be starting soon and look at your local grocery store and see if they support their local farmers. See below for more info.

Bring your own bag - If you have to choose, get plastic and reuse and recycle but it's best to bring your own.

How to make organic affordable

According to The Big Green Purse, many people ask, "How do you afford to buy organic?" (I've heard this, too!) Here are a couple of suggestions from the book (and from me):

• Comparison Shop - many stores carry organic now, so you can compare prices to see who has the best deal.
• Buy the Store Brand - Whole Foods, Publix, Earthfare, even Costco have their own organic brands. You get the same quality as name brands for cheaper.
• Buy in Season! - in-season produce costs less and usually is grown closer to you. Asparagus in April is much cheaper than in November.
• Support Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) (http://www.localharvest.org/) One local CSA is Greenbrier Farms: http://www.greenbrierfarms.com/
• Buy in Bulk - you save money and packaging, too.
• Shop Sales - find organic coupons online or in the front of your grocery store, and check the weekly flyers for organic specials.
• Shift Money within your Budget - Exchange a heavily processed packaged food for something organic instead.
• Grow your own!

Eco-Friendly Gardening Ideas

According to the South Carolina Living Magazine March 2010 here are 5 smart moves to make now:

1. Let your grass grow longer - 2.5 to 4 inches is a good height for St. Augustine, tall fescue and Bahia. 1.5" is good for Bermuda, zoysia and centipede.

2. Buy a mulching blade - leave clippings on your lawn (or my note - add to your compost or lasagna garden)

3. Buy a Rain Gauge - 1" of water/week is plenty of water for your grass and established trees and shrubs only need water during droughts. So turn off those preset sprinklers if we have been getting rain.

4. Mulch beds - this cuts back on weeding and watering. 2-3" is ideal.

5. Create Self Mulching Areas - let the leaves fall under the trees to create their own mulch.

Clemson Extension Help and Ideas:

• Carolina Yard - Let it Grow - A Carolina Yard (suited for our climate and smartly maintained) is less work for you and better for the environment. http://www.clemson.edu/extension/natural_resources/water/carolina_yards/index.html
• Have you thought about a rain garden to capture and filter excess rainwater so it doesn't overload our stormwater systems? http://www.clemson.edu/public/carolinaclear/
• Clemson can do soil testing for as little as $6. This will help you to add to your soil only what you need. For more information go to: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/other/soils/hgic1652.html

Native Plant Help:

• South Carolina Native Plant Society: http://www.scnps.org/
• http://www.wildflower.org/

Local Food and Garden Events

SC Native Plant Society Plant Sale - April 10 from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm @ Greenville Tech/McAlister Square http://www.scnps.org/PDFs/Upstate/SCNPS_PlantSale_flyer.pdf

Greenbrier Farms Plant Sale and Farm Tour April 17th, 2010 - 9am-3pm. Offering starter plants such as tomatoes, peppers, cukes, squash, herbs, okra, eggplant, marigolds, petunias and more. See other local products from Happy Cow Creamery, Peace, Love and Soap, and others. A mini farmer's market in time for spring. All plants grown locally and organically. Learn gardening tips, tour the farm, greenhouse and garden. www.greenbrierfarms.com

TreesGreenville Thursday Night ReLeaf Membership Drive April 22nd, 2010 - 7pm-10pm; The Village Studio & Gallery (1278 Pendleton Street) sponsored by Whole Foods and Thomas Creek. Food, drinks, and entertainment included. http://www.treesgreenville.org/join.html.

Greenville County Lawnmower Exchange & Compost Bin and Rain Barrel Sale April 24, 2010 - 9 AM to 3 PM at the Whole Foods Parking Lot, 1140 Woodruff Road, Greenville, SC http://www.greenvillecounty.org/air_quality/pdf/LME_flyer.pdf

Upstate Forever Farm to Table Dinner Event April 24th, 2010 @ 5:00p.m. at Greenbrier Farms. Upstate Forever is hosting a farm-to-table dinner. Spencer Thompson from Devereaux's will be the executive chef, and Amy Malik will be providing desserts. Spirits by Whole Food Market and Thomas Creek Brewery, and live music as well. Space is limited to 100 people. Cost is $40/pp or $75/couple, all-inclusive. (This event is already sold out! But they are planning another one so keep an eye out if you're interested.)

Piedmont Plant & Flower Festival - April 29 - May 2, 2010, Greenville State Farmers Market, 1345 Rutherford Rd., Greenville, SC. Thurs - Sat 8-6 and Sun 10-4.

The Carolina First Saturday Market - Local Farmers Market - May 1st thru October 30 from 8-12pm every Sat on Main St. @ McBee Ave.

There are so many cool things going on in April to list but here is a great site and place where you should go for a lot of "green" events. http://www.sustainablegreenville.com/calendarofevents.htm

Have other cool sites? Be sure to let us know, or feel free to recommend Fan Pages for us on Facebook! Also, if you are not a fan of Raspberry Moon yet, what's keeping you?

Instant Gift Certificates Available 24/7 on Our Website

Remember, you can now purchase gift certificates on line at http://www.RaspberryMoonST.com. Go to the store and then click on gift certificates.

Here, There, and Back Again

If for any reason you are unable to make your appointment please call me 24 hours in advance so I may offer another client your time. Take a minute to add me to your phone - 864-271-2710, then I will always be at your fingertips!

I will be out of the office:

Looks like I'm here for all of April!