By Cinday Naas

What did you feed your tomatoes today?

How about your corn? Did you remember to give your rhododendron a nice cup of tea?

There are things you eat and drink every day which are really good for using in your garden.

Here are some tips to feed your garden as well as perhaps reducing the amount of trash you throw away, too.

• Eggshells: These are good for enriching the soil near tomatoes. Crush them by hand, or whirl them in a blender with a little water, and pour over the soil under the tomato plants. The extra calcium will help to keep the soil rich for years to come.

• Coffee grounds and tea leaves - acid-loving plants, such as rhododendrons and azaleas love to be treated to coffee or tea occasionally. I spread Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Hopefully the thought of worms under your sink doesn’t make you cringe.

One of the easiest ways for an urban gardener to compost is with a worm compost bin under the kitchen sink.

It can also be kept in the basement or cellar. Since it is indoors, worm compost can be made at any time of the year, regardless of cold and snow outside. The optimum temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit, but it can still work down to about 40 degrees if necessary.

Worm composting – properly known as vermiculture – is a way you can get compost faster than traditional composting. You can use regular earthworms and redworms, though Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

Show of hands – how many urban gardeners out there either bag up the leaves and grass clippings and put them on the curb or pay someone to take them off your hands?

Now of those, how many spend money on fertilizers and plant foods to give your garden plants an extra boost? That’s what I thought.

Today’s lesson on budget gardening is to get trashy.

No, not COPS trashy. In this case we’re talking about using what you already have on hand – probably what you’re tossing in the garbage pail – to turbo charge your urban garden. Now I understand that a lot of urban gardeners don’t have the space to compost (some of you don’t even have a yard at all), and I’ve got a few pointers for you Read the rest of this entry »