Product Review: Marchpower Cooling Comforter

It's May and summer temps are here. Even though it still gets comfortably cool at night, it's only a matter of time before that heats up too. And this is why I am pleased to share another product with you, one that I was happy to review and can wholeheartedly recommend, the Marchpower Gradient Cooling Comforter.

Queen size Marchpower Cooling Comforter

Is it really cooling? Yes! Through advanced textile technology (called "Arc-Chill"), jade nanoparticles are woven into the fabric. Somehow, this makes something amazing happen; heat and moisture are wicked away to produce a wonderful cooling effect. 

So, how is the comforter different from the cooling blanket and t-shirts I reviewed two years ago? The comforter is triple layer. The top and bottom are made of the same Arc-Chill cooling fabric. The inner filling layer consists of a 3-D hollow structure fiber. They're cushioned with air, which makes for a delightfully lightweight, fluffy comforter.

First Impressions

• The comforter is lightweight and deliciously soft and silky. 
• A nice sleeping weight.
• Mine is a pretty gradient blue, but it comes in gray too.
• Queen size covers both of us nicely.

Laundering

• Machine wash; cool water, gentle cycle. Laundry bag recommended.
• Line dry. I know some people think this is a deal breaker if they don't have a clothesline, but I often dry blankets and comforters by spreading them over the back of the sofa and turning once. 

Cooling Tips

• During the night, the comforter may seem to loose its effect. Simply change positions or give it a shake.
• Using a ceiling or room fan on low will crank up the cooling effect.

Who would benefit from a cooling comforter?

• Anyone who wants to lower their electric bill.
• Anyone who wants to lower their carbon footprint by not running their air conditioner so much. 
• Off grid situations like camping and backpacking.
• Backup cooling in case the electricity goes out.
• As part of an emergency kit for a summer road trip. Keep cool if the car breaks down on a hot day in the sun!

Okay, I know I sound like some sort of scripted advertiser. But honestly, I'm just so happy to have cooling products in our life. We strive to be as low energy as possible, and in my part of the country (the hot, sultry southeastern US) products like this truly help us achieve our goal in comfort. 

You can see more photos and information at the Amazon link:  

Marchpower Gradient Cooling Comforter

And! You can get  10% off with the following discount code:  

WS8AZQW4 (expires Sept. 30, 2024)

Product Review: Marchpower Cooling Comforter  

© May 2024 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Garden Notes: April 2024

April is tree leafing month

Rainfall

• 3rd: 0.75"
• 9th: 0.58"
• 10th: 0.13"
• 11th: 0.28"
• 21st: 0.47"
• Total so far: 2.21  inches

Temperature

• range of nighttime lows: 33 to 63°F (0.5 to 17°C)
• range of daytime highs: 59 to 87°F (15 to 30.5 °C)

Weather Notes

• We've gotten a little bit of everything - except snow! We've had rain, scattered frost, and hot summery days. Typical April!
• We've had several days of drizzle with no accumulation. I didn't include these in my rain totals.
• My daily schedule has switched to summer mode: I work outside in the morning and inside during the afternoon. 
• Spring always seems to be shorter than autumn! Why is that???

Greenhouse Notes

• The greenhouse is getting pretty warm on our sunniest days. The cool weather plants are finishing up, but my volunteer tomato is thriving!
• This summer I'll experiment with keeping the heat out of the house.

Planted (direct sow)

• okra: saved seed Clemson Spineless
• sunflowers: Russian Mammoth
• Swiss chard: Fordhook and Rainbow
• black turtle beans, saved seeds
• potatoes (last year's sprouting)
• calendula: 
• cucumbers: landrace F2 and F3
• dill: Long Island Mammoth and Bouquet
• corn: Trucker's Favorite from saved seed
• cantaloupe: Hale's Best from saved seed 
• black turtle beans, saved seed

Transplanted (from greenhouse seed starts)

• tomatoes: saved seed
• winter squash: sweet potato squash
• Swiss chard: Fordhook and Rainbow
• basil plant (purchased)

Harvested

• lettuce
• radishes
• broccoli
• kale
• asparagus
• chickweed
• wild lettuce
• chicory leaves
• oregano
• thyme
• peppermint
• hopniss
• strawberries
• lambs quarter
• snow peas

Garden Shots

Bed with radishes in front, snow peas & lettuce behind

cherry belle radishes

looseleaf lettuce

I've been concerned our lettuce might get bitter or start to bolt due to our hot days. Fortunately, these are followed by cool days, so the lettuce remains sweet. Even so, I'm certainly glad to have my "Fresh Keeper."

Lots of lettuce = lots of salads. This one includes lettuce, kale, chickweed,
asparagus, radish, hard-boiled duck egg, and grated goat feta cheese.

fresh peppermint

first strawberries

snow pea vines in flower

Volunteer cherry tomato plant in the greenhouse

Apparently, we've had a peony all these years. It's in a bad spot though, 
and always got cut down because of where it was growing, poor thing!

Parting Shot

Homegrown meal: Scrambled eggs with asparagus
and potatoes. Dish of canned figs and goat milk kefir.

Anyone else busy in their gardens?

Garden Notes: April 2024 © April 2024

by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com

Greenhouse Rainwater Collection System

The rainwater system in the greenhouse is assembled and connected! Rain is imminent in the forecast, so we'll soon know how well it works. Ed (Riverbend Journal) was interested in this project, so I hope the photos explain it well!

All the pieces are 4-inch PVC

Dan removed the downspout from the gutter and replaced it with the set-up you see above. The clean-out plug serves as a roof washer and will catch most of the initial debris washed off the roof and gutter when it starts to rain. It has a removable cap at the bottom for easy cleaning out. 

Close up. Still to do - seal the gap around the PVC pipe entering the greenhouse.

Once the clean-out plug is filled, the water will runoff into the two barrels inside the greenhouse.

(Note the overflow pipe on the right.)

We didn't buy anything for this project; everything was from previous projects. The only thing he didn't have was another elbow to direct the water into the barrel. 

So he made his own from an old screw container.

The last step was an overflow pipe. Remember in the above photo I said to note the overflow pipe? Here's the rest of it.

The drain pipe empties out over an overgrown French drain that Dan dug years ago. It directs roof runoff away from the house and toward the garden swale, which is directly downhill from the greenhouse. 

Stepping back . . . 

This will be so much more convenient than hauling buckets of water! I'm planning to attach a hose and a watering wand for indoor plants.

What I'm really curious about, is how it will function as thermal mass next winter. Thermal mass is anything that retains heat. In this case the barrels will be heated by the sun and hopefully retain enough heat at night to help keep my plants healthy on our coldest nights. 

I'm really happy this is finally done!

Greenhouse Rainwater Collection System 

© April 2024 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com