Home and Garden Briefs: Thursday, August 21, 2008

Published: August 21, 2008

School is back in session for many Oklahoma students, and for the 2008-2009 school year, 15 Oklahoma City public schools will participate in the "Mother Earth” program through OKC Beautiful.

The program begins with a play about the environment performed by professional actors. Students have an opportunity to meet Mother Earth in person and experience the effects of littering in this interactive play.

Lesson plans focus on subjects such as recycling, littering and water conservation and are provided to fourth-grade teachers at "Mother Earth” schools.

New to the program this year will be environmental interactive trunks that contain supplies for lesson plans and additional activities that may be set up as learning centers in the classroom.

"Mother Earth” began in 1998 as a youth environmental education program designed to teach elementary school children respect and care for the Earth. The program is made possible through grants from the Kirkpatrick Foundation and OGE Energy Corp.

For more information or to register your school for the program, call 525-8822.

According to the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, mulching Oklahoma garden soils might be one of the most valuable cultural practices of gardening.

Organic material applied to crops as mulch controls annual grasses and weeds, reduces root damage, increases moisture retention and regulates soil temperatures. Since most Oklahoma soils are low in organic matter, incorporating organic mulch in your home garden at the close of each gardening season raises the organic matter content in your soil, thus improving the physical condition of the soil and adding nutrients.

Good organic mulching materials should decompose within a season and not contain undesirable quantities of viable seeds and harmful disease organisms or pests.

The extension office recommends mulch depths of 1 inch for sawdust, peat moss, cotton seed hulls, ground corncobs, compost, or similar density materials to 4 to 8 inches for straw, hay, corn stalks, or other coarse materials.

HGTV.com ranked the top 15 home updates and the average financial return each yields. Not surprisingly, bathroom remodels ranked No. 1 with a 102 percent average return on investment.

The second-best home update was landscaping, with a 100 percent average return. Next was minor kitchen remodels, at 98.5 percent average return. The No. 4 update is refreshing your home's exterior with vinyl siding, fresh paint and an updated front entry, with a 70 percent return.

Some updates to avoid if you're on a tight budget: home office, master suite, family room addition and upscale kitchen remodels.

From Staff Reports

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