By Michael Nolan

Here in the south, nothing quite compares with having some friends over on a sultry summer evening, sitting on the porch and chatting over a refreshing mint julep.

A perennial favorite most closely associated with the recent Kentucky Derby, the mint julep is as much a part of the culture of the famous horse race as the race itself.

DID YOU KNOW? More than 80,000 mint juleps are sold at the Kentucky Derby every year!

Of course what would a julep be without that all important mint sprig? Well, it would be sweetened bourbon and nothing more and that’s just no good. If you want to partake Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

1. A good sharp trowel

try a variety of handle shapes in order to find the perfect fit for your hand. More expensive does not mean better in a trowel, but a good stainless steel solid shaft is important. A trowel welded onto its handle is more likely to break in dry or compacted soil.

2. Secateurs, or hand pruners

I own Felco bypass pruners, and I could not garden without my secateurs. This is the one tool I am willing to spend a fair amount on. Mine are easy to use even for people who have weak hands, and I bought the optional leather hip holster so my secateurs are always handy whenever I am outside in my garden.

3. A shovel

My shovel is a square-bottom transplanting Read the rest of this entry »

By Reggie Solomon

• Urban Garden Casual welcomes Vanessa Richins to the Urban Garden Casual team.

• Amy Jeanroy at About.com’s Herb Gardening section wonders if organic potting soil is better than non-organic potting soil and sets up an experiment to determine if the results justify the price differential.

• It’s hard not to be inspired to garden in the city when you imagine its grand potential in gardens such as these – though we take a more casual approach of course.

• If you can farm on a rooftop in New York City, you can farm anywhere. We heart The Rooftop Gardening Source and this story of how the Eli Zabar’s grocery store and restaurant in Manhattan grows vegetables on their roof.

• Kathy at Skippy’s Vegetable Garden reminds us it’s perfect cool spring weather for planting yummy peas.

• Many thanks to Ray White (a.k.a., “DAD”) at Dad’s Tomato Garden Journal for the Urban Garden Casual shout out.

By Michael Nolan

One of the most annoying things to me about gardening in the city has always been how much attention it draws.

No, I’m not a hermit – I just like having a cup of coffee in my robe first thing in the morning, and I can’t do that with an audience.

It was precisely because of this problem that I came up with a simple solution — temporary, natural privacy!

I was already growing plants that vine anyway (cucumbers, green beans, squash, etc.) and in my area such things as honeysuckle vines are plentiful no matter what you do about them. Because I couldn’t build anything permanent Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

In recent years we have been hearing more and more about how our individual carbon footprint has an effect on the world in which we live.

Nearly every aspect of our lives affect our carbon footprint, but we as urban gardeners have the ability to reduce our own footprint and help to beautiful our surroundings and clean the air we breathe at the same time.

Not only is growing your own urban garden enjoyable, thrifty and healthy, it reduces your impact on the environment substantially.

1. Urban Gardens Reduce Fuel Costs
The more we grow, the less we rely on food Read the rest of this entry »