Eating plenty of fresh vegetables from a home garden is not only healthy, but it’s tastier than eating store-bought produce. The vegetables you buy at the supermarket are often picked prior to ripening and languish in refrigerated storage for several days or even a couple of weeks before arriving at the store. For a fresher option, use these tips to start your own veggie garden.

1. Determine your climate zone. The USDA has divided the United States into eleven different hardiness zones, and knowing where your location falls can help you decide what to grow and when to plant it. You can find this information on numerous gardening sites online by putting in your zip code. When you purchase seeds or seedlings, look on the container or packet for zone information, too. You can also ask a garden center employee for help; they can give you growing advice regarding your specific region.

2. Choose the types of veggies you want to grow. If you’ve never grown your own vegetables before, you may want to start with just a couple plants of each variety you choose. Tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, peppers, lettuce, herbs and squash are all relatively easy to grow. Cauliflower, carrots, celery, eggplant and head lettuce are veggies that require much more care and maintenance, so you probably ought to avoid those in your first couple of years as a home gardener.

3. Examine and prepare your soil. Once you’ve chosen your garden plot, turn over some dirt and pick up a few handfuls of the soil you’ve loosened. Is it hard and compact? You probably have clay. Is it loose and gritty? You have sandy soil. Ideally, you want loose, rich dirt that clumps when you pick up a handful but that crumbles somewhat when you poke the clump. You can achieve this balance by adding organic matter to the soil, such as compost or manure. This improves the texture of the dirt while adding nutrients. You can cultivate the ground with nothing more than a spade or shovel, but a tiller can be helpful for large plots.

4. Use mulch to keep weeds at bay. Once your plants grow into seedlings (or you transplant those you’ve purchased), you can place mulch around your plants to keep weeds from hoarding the water and nutrients in the soil around them. Wet newspapers, compost, straw, lawn clippings and other mulches are great for preventing weeds and keeping the soil moist.

5. Start some compost. Compost is an excellent soil additive, and it’s great for mulching. To start compost, either set up a compost bin or purchase a ready-made composting barrel. Add organic matter such as lawn clippings, leaves, fruit and vegetable peels and eggshells to the compost bin, mixing it occasionally. You will be rewarded with a nutrient-rich, soil-like mixture that will help your plants grow stronger; depending on how careful you are with the waste you put in the bin, compost can also be completely organic.

Growing vegetables in your backyard is not difficult, but it does require some preparation and know-how. By implementing these tips into your gardening journey, you can harvest and eat your own tasty veggies throughout the summer.

You have probably heard a lot about green energies, but do you know enough to make an informed decision and perhaps invest in your own green energy system? This article is filled with useful tips that will help you make a decision.

There are four main types of green energy: solar, wind, hydraulic and geothermal. If you are interested in a green energy system, your first step is to determine which resource you should use. Solar energy is a good option in the southwestern United States, but solar panels will not function as well in areas where the sky is more overcast. Wind turbines function as long as there is a constant wind of at least 10 mph and hydraulic systems are an option only if you have running water on your property. Geothermal energy is your best solution if your property is located above an underground source of geothermal energy.

Assess how much energy you are using. Perhaps you could get an energy monitor so that you can get a better idea of how much power you are using in any room at any given time or invest in newer energy-efficient appliances and light-bulbs to reduce your energy consumption. Once you know how much energy you need, you can start comparing different green energy systems and look for one that will produce enough energy for your home. Do not hesitate to get a system that can produce more energy than you need so you can sell this energy to the main power grid.

Find a way to finance your green energy system. Most systems represent an important initial investment, and you should not expect to really start saving money until your system is paid off. The best way to cover your payments is to sell power to the main grid: contact your energy provider to find out about the different programs available. Most energy providers will offer a competitive rate for your energy and will help you pay your green energy system within the next ten to fifteen years. You should consider taking a loan or saving money to cover the installation of your system, your first payments and perhaps some repairs too.

If you cannot afford to invest in a green energy system right now, you should consider getting a smaller system to produce only a part of the energy you need or sell some power to the main grid and reduce your monthly bills. You could for instance get a small wind turbine or a few solar panels to produce enough energy to keep your water heater running or to power your outside lights. Explore different options and make sure the system you choose will produce enough energy for the appliances you want to run independently.

You should now have a better idea of how you can get your own green energy system. You need to start by contacting different vendors to learn more about the products available on the market and start comparing prices and efficiency.