Photo Credit: Foodscaping by Scott Costello used under CC BY 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Foodscaping is a new term that is used to describe an old technique.

This technique consisted of planting when and where you could to support your family.

During the Depression, this could mean in the back of a truck bed or in a car that doubled as a home.

In recent times, the term “Foodscaping” has been used to describe planting non-traditional plants in a landscape or front yard. While this may seem like a good use of wasted land, in many cities this technique is against community policy.

But what is a gardener to do if they want to “Foodscape” their front lawn. Well, below are a few subtle situations that will allow you to “farm” your front yard without violating city code.

• Container Farming is a colorful and functional way of Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Baby Broccoli by mcav0y used under CC BY-NC 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Last spring, my dad had a bumper crop of Lilies of the Valley.

While I know it is not a vegetable, the concept of this story applies.

Well, I asked my dad what he was going to do with all these lilies.

He responded I am just going to pull them up and compost them.

I know composting is a great thing and the excess plant material did not end up in the trash but I wondered if there was a better way. I mentioned this to a gardening friend of mine and he said I have the answer. This was PlantCatching.

PlantCatching is a unique concept where excess plants and garden supplies find new homes with local gardeners. How this program works is simple. First, you decide what to give. Keep in mind that you can give more than plants. Some ideas include pots, soil, compost, seeds, plant labels, and a course plants.

After you have decided what you want to give, Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Garden helper by play4smee used under CC BY-NC 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

When I was a child, cats in the garden were never really a problem.

My dogs normally chased them up to the barn and that was that.

Once I got married and moved to the urban jungle, I quickly learned about a horror tale called the “Black Cat and the Garden.”

While I am not superstitious and did own two black cats at the time, I did have a problem with this one black cat. My neighbors had associated the sight of the black cat and bad luck, especially in the garden.

I knew this was not true and instead tried to teach them the true reason for their plants dying. It was not black magic or bad luck but instead a cat’s need to go to the bathroom.

At this point, you may wonder, as my Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Rosemary by Anja Josson used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

The myth of rosemary is one of those very unique ones.

This story twists and winds around what it means to be human.

The story begins in an Italian village where a queen could not get pregnant.

She carried her despair to the garden where she cried over a very prolific rosemary plant. Later on, the queen learned she was expecting and soon gave birth to a beautiful rosemary plant.

Being a dutiful mother, she watered and feed (fertilized) her baby (rosemary plant). Then one day, she went to the garden to find her baby gone.
The King of Spain, who was her nephew, had played a joke on her and removed her baby from the royal gardens. To add to the joke, he watered the queen’s baby goat’s milk.

Then one day Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Looking back by Mystuart used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

This year I have decided to add to my donation list.

I always donate my time at a local food bank during our local Scouting for Food event.

But this year, I have decided to try something different and that is to offer not only food baskets but also seeds that can, in turn, be planted back into the basket.

I know that just placing a few packs of Bibb lettuce seed in between the sweet potatoes, canned cranberries, and packaged dressing will not be enough.

I will need to provide soil and guidance if the project is going to work.

So I closed my eyes, and stuck my hand in a hat full of needy families. I had decided to only try this with four families. If it worked, I would expand upon it next year.

As we filled the bushel baskets with Read the rest of this entry »