By Reggie Solomon

• The entire urban gardening world received a boost this week from a New York Times article written by Tracie McMillan titled “Urban Farmers’ Crops Go From Vacant Lot to Market,” that describes how urban gardeners in New York on not only producing for themselves but selling produce to their community for no small change.

• Nathaniel Martin at The Self Sufficient Urbanite is a gardener in the true Urban Garden Casual spirit! Read how how he trains his New York City tomatoes to grow up chain link fence.

• We wish Black Eyed Susan at Adventures in My Urban Garden would start writing again soon; we like her stuff!

By Vanessa Richins

When you think of growing fruit, you may envision orchards that cover acres of land.

Don’t despair - there are many options available for the urban garden.

Some fruits grow on plants that are naturally small. The two most common ones are strawberries and blueberries. Both are small enough to be grown easily on a patio. Strawberry pots can help you grow many strawberry plants in one pot.

A note for blueberries : make sure they have acidic soil, or your blueberries will not do very well…if they live.

When it comes to fruit trees and urban gardens, one word stands out Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

Here’s a scenario I’m sure you can sympathize with: A reader from Texas has been gung-ho every year for almost a decade about getting her home garden up-and-running.

She reads site after site and book upon book about overcoming the challenges of urban gardening and yet she still can’t manage to get more than a small yield from her efforts.

When she emailed me a few weeks ago asking for help and advice I really wasn’t sure what to tell her since I had never tried growing anything in the Lone Star State. My tenure in the state was almost entirely confined to the barracks of Air Force bases in San Antonio and Wichita Falls. I talked to a few trusted friends who grow all sorts of things in the unforgiving Texas heat and came up with a possible solution.

The Earthbox is unlike other container gardens in that it is entirely Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

Here in the south, nothing quite compares with having some friends over on a sultry summer evening, sitting on the porch and chatting over a refreshing mint julep.

A perennial favorite most closely associated with the recent Kentucky Derby, the mint julep is as much a part of the culture of the famous horse race as the race itself.

DID YOU KNOW? More than 80,000 mint juleps are sold at the Kentucky Derby every year!

Of course what would a julep be without that all important mint sprig? Well, it would be sweetened bourbon and nothing more and that’s just no good. If you want to partake Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

1. A good sharp trowel

try a variety of handle shapes in order to find the perfect fit for your hand. More expensive does not mean better in a trowel, but a good stainless steel solid shaft is important. A trowel welded onto its handle is more likely to break in dry or compacted soil.

2. Secateurs, or hand pruners

I own Felco bypass pruners, and I could not garden without my secateurs. This is the one tool I am willing to spend a fair amount on. Mine are easy to use even for people who have weak hands, and I bought the optional leather hip holster so my secateurs are always handy whenever I am outside in my garden.

3. A shovel

My shovel is a square-bottom transplanting Read the rest of this entry »