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 Cindy Naas

The biggest challenge any urban gardener faces is that of finding enough room to grow everything.

Here are some suggestions to help you use every available inch of space. You might be surprised at just how much fresh produce you can grow in a tiny city garden!

1. Pots and Containers

Container gardens are the backbone of many city gardens. A pretty collection of pots grouped on the stairs to your house can hold tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and pretty much whatever your heart desires. Be creative Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

I’ve been offering advice on home gardening for quite a few years now, and the most common excuse I hear from people who don’t have a garden is that they lack the space they need.

Nothing sets me off like the word can’t, and most often these people get a full scale lesson in gardening for small spaces whether they like it or not. Just about anyone, anywhere can handle a bit of container gardening.

Did you know that in the 1940s here in America nearly half of all fresh produce in this country was grown at home in Victory Gardens? Over the years it seems as though we as a society become so spoiled that we forgot how to take care of ourselves. But I digress. Let’s discuss how you – regardless of your available space – can grow at least some of your own vegetables and herbs at home.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

Containers are the perfect option for city gardeners since they take up so little room.

Growing vegetables is a good enough reason to container garden, but if you want to make your garden do double duty, here are some ways to make your city garden look as great as the veggies will taste.

These plants and combinations will add a colorful splash to your garden:

1. ‘Bright Lights’ swiss chard - this is a beautiful plant. The stalks of chard come in orange, red, pink, cream and lavender and make a wonderful backdrop for pots of pansies. One of my favorite containers always has ‘Bright Lights’, some purple icicle pansies and some trailing green ivy. By the time we’ve eaten all the chard, it’s time to swap out the pansies for some hot weather flowers.

2. Tomatoes and marigolds - the marigold is a great Read the rest of this entry »