What a difference two weeks makes! It's only been half a month since the first installment of the Urban Gardener, but there have already been some drastic changes in the garden. Take a look at the kale forest, pea shoots, and first tomato! More
Here's a short list of tips for your seedings: with a little time and tender loving care, you should be able to minimize your losses when planting out your seedlings. Learn from my mistakes, folks! More
No outdoor space? No green thumb? Not much sunshine? No problem. You can still easily grow your own bean sprouts. The process feels more like food prepping than gardening, which I think is key to not screwing it up either. All you need are beans, a jar, some cheesecloth, a rubber band, and water. More
For those of us with minimal outdoor space who still want to grow a few herbs and even a handful of vegetables, window box gardening can pack a surprising punch. From herbs galore to strawberries and even mini carrots, come see what you can grow right outside your kitchen window. More
Sure, fruits and vegetables are good for you. But just like the eating of them, there's no reason the growing of them needs to be all serious and virtuous. Why not plant a little fun in your yard or containers with one of these themed gardens? More
This week in the edible garden series: 15 of the easiest vegetables to grow at home. Even novice gardeners should get some satisfying results with many of these relatively unfussy plants. More
The first thing to know about growing an edible garden is that no matter what you think, and no matter where you live, you can do it. The second thing to know is that even though it's still winter, it's time to start scheming. What do you feel like eating this summer? Here's how to get started. More
Per the New York Times, a fungus called the late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is threatening tomato crops and garden plants in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The spores of the fungus ... are often present in the soil, and small outbreaks are not uncommon in August and September. But the cool, wet weather in June and the aggressively infectious nature of the pathogen have combined to produce what Martin A. Draper, a senior plant pathologist at the United States Department of Agriculture, described as an “explosive” rate of infection. The article says that William Fry, a plant pathology professor at Cornell, has been genetically tracking the fungus and says its spread is due in part to "hundreds of thousands" of... More
Photograph by Ed Morris & Curtis Hamilton from Edible Estates By now it's pretty obvious that pesticides have a negative impact on our environment and a negative impact on our bodies. Maybe you already make an effort to buy organic food and cosmetics without chemicals, but have you thought about the impact of chemicals that you are applying to your lawn? There's no denying that Americans have a love affair with their lawns. Houses, each with their own plot of green, green grass, are an indelible image of American suburbia. However, by demanding that our lawns stay green and spot-free year round, we are collectively doing some serious damage. When we put pesticides onto our lawns they run off... More
guardian.co.ukSo you might have cleared space on your balcony for a container garden, or even planted a little plot in your backyard. Still, you may not have the time, space, or expertise to branch out--say, with a peach tree, or an olive tree, or even a few pigs. But if you want a farm harvest without the farm, consider adoption. At the Masumoto Family Farm near Fresno, California--at times a supplier to Blue Hill, Per Se, and Chez Panisse--Elberta peach trees are available for "adoption." Each winter, prospective owners apply to own a peach tree; the Masumotos take care of planting, pruning, and raising your baby. Then at midsummer harvest, adopters come out to the farm to pick the trees... More
