By Vanessa Richins

One of the most common vegetables planted in the home garden is the zucchini.

It’s easy to grow and productive…almost TOO productive.

There are many stories I hear of eager gardeners who find themselves overwhelmed at harvest time when their plants are overflowing with zucchini.

Faced with an unexpected bounty, they foist them upon their neighbors, friends, family, strangers…anyone they come across. I have even heard of zucchini being secretly left on doorstops.

Never fear though – now that you know the secret, you’ll be aware that you don’t need to grow many zucchini plants unless you plan to feed an army.

You’ll want to start by Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

I’m a sucker for plant experiments.

There have been many times where I come across some new plant and simply must buy it.

At my last trip to the nursery here in Southern California, I saw peanut plants for sale and fell in love. I just knew I had to try growing peanuts.

I was especially excited because I knew about the way that peanuts are formed. It seems normal at first – the flowers bloom and are self-pollinating. However, after they are fertilized,the stems starts growing towards Read the rest of this entry »

Guest post by Mike Gettler, Vice President of Nursery at Lowe’s

We’ve all seen gardening trends come and go, but for city dwellers that yearn for fresh fruit, veggies and herbs — edible and organic gardening is surely here to stay.

Even the White House is getting into it!

Honestly, nothing says home sweet home quite like a meal made from scratch.

Creating an urban edible garden harvests other great rewards too, including taking a load off of your wallet and saving you a trip to the grocery store. Plus digging in the dirt can be a great stress reliever and just plain fun.

What to Plant?
Popular herbs, fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and onions are easy to grow in an urban garden setting and are flavorful alternatives to store-bought varieties. Herbs can grow almost anywhere in nearly anything that will hold soil and water.

All you need is a good pot with adequate drainage, great potting soil, fertilizer and seeds. This makes herbs an ideal choice for small-space gardens and shallow planters placed in a greenhouse window or hung a few steps from the kitchen door.

Where to Plant?
With all of the pot choices Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

The declining bee population has troubled scientists and gardeners.

A new study gives hope that one day soon, bees may flourish again.

Bees are a very beneficial insect in gardens, serving as one of the main pollinators for fruits, vegetables and flowers, as well as producing honey.

For the past few years, people began to notice that the bee population was declining. In fact, entire bee colonies were dying off in alarming quantities. The problem was dubbed “colony collapse disorder” and many theories were presented. However, it wasn’t until recently that scientists were able to identify a cause.

Scientists were able to identify a fungi called Nosema ceranae. Once the colonies were treated with an antibiotic, the colony recovered.

“In a study Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

In the wake of the new White House Vegetable Garden, similar plots are popping up at government buildings around the nation.

One such garden (which they insist was planned before the White House Garden came to be) will be located around the City Hall building in Baltimore, Maryland.

The new Baltimore City Hall Vegetables gardens will be planted where their formal gardens are now located.

It will be almost twice as big as the WH garden, boasting 2000 square feet total.The harvest from the decorative urns, window boxes and raised beds will be donated to Our Daily Bread, a soup kitchen that feeds 700-800 people every day.

The Baltimore Sun interviewed Roger Doiron from Eat the View about this new City Hall vegetable garden. “This news about Baltimore is Read the rest of this entry »