Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Edible landscaping link
Here is the website for the guys who are doing edible organic landscaping. I am busy and sick with pollen allergies and moving soon so - I haven't checked much into the community thing yet. I found some leads I will follow, but if none of them works out, I want to find someone who will help me make it. So, not much to say, I just want to get that website link up.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Garden of Eatin'
The Garden of Eatin': A Short History of America's Garden from roger doiron on Vimeo.
I love this video. I know a guy who is doing pretty good business planting vegetable gardens for people, hopefully the time of the victory garden has come again. Now I just have to find a solution for people like me who do not have yards.
Please sign the petition here.
And let me know what you're growing!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A piece of land
When I chose my new home I had to pick between a bigger more expensive place with a balcony with a nice view and bathroom with a window and a smaller affordable place with neither. I decided to be practical and get the efficiency sans garden space (a bathroom is a great place for plants, and a window really helps). I really really wanted the place with the balcony - it looked like it got a lot of sun and I could have grown some vegetables and some other things. Few things make me as happy as being out in a garden, and a patio garden would have been something.
Now, the perfect solution to my no garden plot dilemma would be to rent a bit of land to garden in... on. When I lived in Germany I often passed a large area that had little gardens sectioned out all over it. They were small - maybe 10 x 10 - and had a little shed or something on them. I forget, maybe they had a fence around them. As much as I loved living in Germany, I missed playing in the dirt, and often thought that if I could have one of those I could be happy. I have read that people have done similar things with vacant plots in Chicago and in New York. So, why not here? I would gladly pay a small fee every month to have my own little space to garden in.
I am an idea man, not an entrepreneur. So, will someone please take this idea and run with it? I really think its a great idea - even in these hard economic times. I think a lot of people would pay $20 a month (I don't know what it should be) to have a place to grow their own vegetables or roses or whatever. Especially as people are hearing more about salmonella infested fruits but can not grow their own because they live in small apartments. Maybe the idea would have to be sold a bit, its popular in other parts of the world, and our grandmothers would do it, why not us? There are a lot of empty lots or worn down buildings around here that could be converted into a garden.
Now, the perfect solution to my no garden plot dilemma would be to rent a bit of land to garden in... on. When I lived in Germany I often passed a large area that had little gardens sectioned out all over it. They were small - maybe 10 x 10 - and had a little shed or something on them. I forget, maybe they had a fence around them. As much as I loved living in Germany, I missed playing in the dirt, and often thought that if I could have one of those I could be happy. I have read that people have done similar things with vacant plots in Chicago and in New York. So, why not here? I would gladly pay a small fee every month to have my own little space to garden in.
I am an idea man, not an entrepreneur. So, will someone please take this idea and run with it? I really think its a great idea - even in these hard economic times. I think a lot of people would pay $20 a month (I don't know what it should be) to have a place to grow their own vegetables or roses or whatever. Especially as people are hearing more about salmonella infested fruits but can not grow their own because they live in small apartments. Maybe the idea would have to be sold a bit, its popular in other parts of the world, and our grandmothers would do it, why not us? There are a lot of empty lots or worn down buildings around here that could be converted into a garden.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
victory garden
What is the answer to the problem of rising costs, crappy tomatoes at the grocery store and a desire to eat affordable local oraganic produce? Grow a Victory Garden!
Today I got a washbucket - what do you call it, one of those metal wash tubs - a bag of Black Cow composted manure and a bag of Granny's Soil, a Patio tomato plant and a small lettuce. And a hanging basket of mint for outside my window.
I'm not really cooking much right now, but with a tomato and some lettuce you can at least have an easy salad or tomato sandwich. If I wanted to spend a little extra money I would get the Earth Box - which is a really cool system that makes it easier to grow herbs and vegetables. My Dad and his wife got one and they have more lettuce than they know what to do with. Which brings me to Plant a Row for the Hungry. Its a neat concept where gardeners are asked to plant an extra row of vegetables in their garden to donate to soup kitchens or food banks. At my last job we had a bunch of extra citrus from a decorating job. One of the ladies donated the extra to a soup kitchen and they were really happy to get the fresh fruit. I guess most of what they have is canned. In Florida people often have the problem of what to do with so much fruit growing in their trees, and I think this is a good solution.
Did I mention how easy the Earth Box is? I love it because you don't have to fertilize or water as often or weed and its raised... My thought is that if it was easier more people would do it. Yes, its expensive (we sell them for $59) but your going to save money growing your own produce and and it will certainly last a few years. You would definitely get a lot of use from them - or any vegetable garden - in Florida with our multiple growing seasons. I'm not sure how many we have but I know you can grow tomatoes in the spring and fall, I think eggplant and okra (and more) in the summer and lettuce and celery in the winter (among others). The only thing its hard to do all year here are herbs.
Even if you only have a small amount of space, its fun to grow at least a tomato and some basil or parsley (its so expensive to buy herbs from the grocery store). And, I think growing your own vegetables is a great way to involve kids in gardening and get them more likely to eat vegetables.
Let me know if your growing anything!
Oh, and another cool thing about growing your own - you can find some really neat varieties that would cost less than they do at the store. A friend of mine grew some really cool yellow tomatoes the other year and I think thats the first time I had yellow tomatoes. Unusual and heirloom varieties are usually more expensive at the grocery store. You might have to start heirloom varieties from seed, and it might be harder to find them, but its still cheaper and lots of fun.
Today I got a washbucket - what do you call it, one of those metal wash tubs - a bag of Black Cow composted manure and a bag of Granny's Soil, a Patio tomato plant and a small lettuce. And a hanging basket of mint for outside my window.
I'm not really cooking much right now, but with a tomato and some lettuce you can at least have an easy salad or tomato sandwich. If I wanted to spend a little extra money I would get the Earth Box - which is a really cool system that makes it easier to grow herbs and vegetables. My Dad and his wife got one and they have more lettuce than they know what to do with. Which brings me to Plant a Row for the Hungry. Its a neat concept where gardeners are asked to plant an extra row of vegetables in their garden to donate to soup kitchens or food banks. At my last job we had a bunch of extra citrus from a decorating job. One of the ladies donated the extra to a soup kitchen and they were really happy to get the fresh fruit. I guess most of what they have is canned. In Florida people often have the problem of what to do with so much fruit growing in their trees, and I think this is a good solution.
Did I mention how easy the Earth Box is? I love it because you don't have to fertilize or water as often or weed and its raised... My thought is that if it was easier more people would do it. Yes, its expensive (we sell them for $59) but your going to save money growing your own produce and and it will certainly last a few years. You would definitely get a lot of use from them - or any vegetable garden - in Florida with our multiple growing seasons. I'm not sure how many we have but I know you can grow tomatoes in the spring and fall, I think eggplant and okra (and more) in the summer and lettuce and celery in the winter (among others). The only thing its hard to do all year here are herbs.
Even if you only have a small amount of space, its fun to grow at least a tomato and some basil or parsley (its so expensive to buy herbs from the grocery store). And, I think growing your own vegetables is a great way to involve kids in gardening and get them more likely to eat vegetables.
Let me know if your growing anything!
Oh, and another cool thing about growing your own - you can find some really neat varieties that would cost less than they do at the store. A friend of mine grew some really cool yellow tomatoes the other year and I think thats the first time I had yellow tomatoes. Unusual and heirloom varieties are usually more expensive at the grocery store. You might have to start heirloom varieties from seed, and it might be harder to find them, but its still cheaper and lots of fun.
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