Photo Credit: Rain Water by Eric Schmuttenmaer used under CC BY-SA 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

This past week, I have been on vacation.

As I drove to my destination, I noticed a common thread that seemed to connect cornfield-to-cornfield and lawn-to-lawn.

This simple connection is one that affects man and beast, caused wars and starvation, destroys economics and livelihoods, and we cannot live without it.

One may be wondering what this is and the answer is as close as your kitchen sink. This all-powerful connection is water.

If you are a gardener you understand the importance of water and how it can change a fertile garden space into a desolate tract of land or, on the other hand, it can change a garden of weeds into a fertile piece of terra firma. In my area, this is so true since we have had no rain for two months.

But while a water shortage can have Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Red China Eggplant by Dale Calder used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

I was standing in the grocery store the other day and heard a woman talking about produce prices.

Her friend suggested that she grow some of her own but to my dismay she said she could not.

This answer was not based on skill but the fact that she had no land.

This lack of what she viewed as gardening space is what prevented her from growing her own. As you can imagine, I had to respond and in doing so told her that there were several ways she could garden.

Since we were standing in line to pay, I only suggested the top 3 ways one could garden without land. If you are one of those who have no land to garden and would like to grow some of your own food, then explore these 3 garden alternatives.

1 Garden in a Soil Bag

Gardening in a bag of soil is a great technique for the gardener who is a little on the lazy side. This technique is great for tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, and squash, just to name a few.

Planting in a bag of soil is simple and only Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: ArtJournalEveryDay: June 4+5 by ArtJournalEveryDay: June 4+5 used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

No one really appreciates what an old-time gardener went through when it comes to garden preparation.

Especially, if one did not own a horse.

So this year, I have decided to teach this history to some of my young garnders.

This lesson is going to start with their holiday gift.

So way I went to the store. Not the clothing store but instead a non-traditional type of store for my holiday shopping. The store I refer to is what I call a feed and seed. Since I support my community businesses, I choose to go to my local feed and seed.

While there, I pick up some manpowered tools. A garden spade and garden fork along with some garden clogs are on my list of items to get. Along with these items, I get some gardening gloves and a hat to keep the sun out of their eyes. They will really need the gardening gloves and hat because this garden project is going to take some time.

My next stop is to my local discount store, where I pick up a journal for each one of my gardeners. We are going to document this process and hopefully this will be a record that they will share with their future family.

At this point, you may wonder what this gift is Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Photo Gloves by jimbethmag under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Everyone has their favorite gardening tools, which can include new inventions and old-time favorites. In my case, many of my favorites are old staples that I have used for years but some consist of new technology. Below is a list of my favorite things for 2012.

1. My hands. I know what you are thinking, your hands are one of your favorites and I would have to say yes. Through years of gardening, I have learned how to translate what the soil is trying to tell me. If it is too wet, too dry, too much clay, too sand or just hungry can all be told by the way the soil feels, smells, and looks. Without my bare hands in the soil, I would be less connected to my garden.
2. My rain gauge. This tool has saved me a lot of heartache and wasted resources. Knowing how much natural moisture has fallen from the sky has made me a better gardener. Now I document the amount rain in my garden journal and water only when the gauge indicates.
3. My rain barrel. In the past, I could not afford to water my garden and depended on Mother Nature’s tears. If we had a drought, then I lost my garden. Once I got my rain barrel, I longer had this problem and have expanded on my water collection system as my garden has grown.
4. My gardening gloves. While I do Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: JoJo Demirel

By Reggie Solomon

We love Brooklyn, and we love Brooklyn urban gardeners even more. 

Enjoy these photos from JoJo Demirel’s Red Hook urban garden in Brooklyn.

If you have photos you’d like to share, please share them on our Flickr page.

Photo Credit: JoJo Demirel Read the rest of this entry »