By Michael Nolan

It has been a while since I have subjected you to an update of the progress from my own personal urban garden, so I felt it was something that as long overdue.

Here, therefore, is the latest in the ongoing saga that is my gardening life.

Despite a few devastating tomato-related setbacks (I lost quite a few of my seedlings due to an unfortunate run of bad weather), I have two strong and healthy heirlooms that are growing like gangbusters.

The two pictured here are my Mr. Stripey (“Livia”) and my Russian Black (“Svetlana”), both in 5-gallon buckets. Not pictured are my remaining seedlings from one Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter and one Abraham Lincoln Original. Read the rest of this entry »

Urban Garden Casual reader, Joyce Dunn, asks the following question:

“My husband saw the upside down tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets and wants to plant two now!!

All I have (it’s too far to go to town) is organic Miracle Gro potting Mix, Espoma dolomite, and Espoma fertilizer 4-6-6.

How much of each would you say goes into a 5 gal. bucket?

We would like to get the ratio right so we don’t burn the tomatoes. BTW, I like your site and have bookmarked it - very interesting.”

Joyce, thanks for the kind words about Urban Garden Casual, we’re glad you are enjoying it!

I hope my answer will help. I would use Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

Growing pots of herbs is a wonderful way to have a garden even in the tiniest space possible.

For many city gardeners, a few pots on a window sill or balcony uses all the room they have available.

For the space they take up, herbs are probably the biggest bang for your small gardening buck. Knowing how each kind of herb grows and what to do once you’ve grown them will make your herb garden a joy all summer long.

Where to grow - Parsley needs Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

If I could grow only one food plant in my garden, I think it would be the sunflower.

I have so many uses for these plants that I can’t imagine a garden without them. Here are a few of my favorite uses for these cheerful flowers:

1. Shade for tender perennials - my rhododendron is the jewel of my spring flower bed. It’s a deep rich burgundy and is loaded with blooms for two weeks. However, the tree which used to shade the bed in the middle of the summer was removed by the city, making that area exposed to the hot sun all day long. So, I plant sunflowers around the edge of that flower bed in order to provide shade for my easily scorched plants.

2. Privacy - my living room window Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

When my children were very small I was determined to get them involved in growing vegetables and in being close to the earth even though we live in a city.

I grew up on a farm and learned to garden with my dad and wanted to pass that on to my sons.

However, when I began gardening with them I quickly discovered that many neighbors had never even grown a pot of tomatoes on a balcony, much less had an entire vegetable garden to tend and enjoy.

That made me think about not only how cut off most people are from the land but how isolated many people are in a city. Most of us don’t know Read the rest of this entry »