Photo Credit: Urban-Waterfall by Trois Têtes (TT) used under CC BY-NC 2.0

City life can be exhausting.

A long daily commute through a concrete jungle of gray and brown is a reality of life for many in and around our urban areas.

But amid this manmade, non-organic reality, small urban yards can be the sanctuary we need to escape, relax and recharge after a tiring day.

You may be fortunate enough to have a lawn, and if so you shouldn’t take this for granted.

Taking care of your lawn can often be an enjoyable and relaxing activity, and it creates a beautiful space for you to enjoy with friends, family and neighbors alike.

The first thing you need to consider when caring for your lawn is how you intend to keep it maintained. In an urban space, it is important to make the most of the area that you have, so you can get the fullest experience from your yard. This invariably means keeping your lawn well trimmed and neat, if you decide to have one at all.

A mechanical lawn mower is now considered an essential for cutting your lawn efficiently, and you should consider a model appropriate to the size of the area you need to maintain. In case your lawn mower breaks down, it may be worth identifying equipment repair companies, such as Pat’s power equipment repair.

You should take care to keep your grass trim and short, according to your preference. A well-manicured lawn can add value to your home, while making your yard the envy of your neighbors. With the right lawn mower at your disposal, it should be possible to efficiently cut your grass as and when required.

It is important to water your lawn during dry periods of weather, and people often use sprinkler systems to ensure effective watering at appropriate intervals. Especially in hot summers, it can be important to keep the grass well watered, to prevent the lawn from drying out and eventually dying. You may also want to supplement your watering with nutrients, which can help to keep your lawn looking its best.

When you are using nutrients, fertilizers and other products on your lawn, it is essential to think about the environment, and the health of pets, wildlife and young children. Toxic sprays and formulas might be good for the health of your yard, but not always for the wildlife you might want to attract. Instead, it is preferable to choose organic products for lawn care, ensuring you can achieve a safe but effective treatment. Keep in mind that lawn clippings decompose quickly and will act as a fertilizer. There’s need to clean them up, unless they’re really long.

Caring for your lawn does not have to take up all of your spare time. With the right tools, and a simple, consistent approach, you can keep your lawn luscious and well manicured. This will help make sure you can enjoy your yard to the fullest, so you can properly start to relax after another stressful day in the city.

Photo Credit: DSC04478 by Rowan used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

What does a wine bag and a root crop have in common?

Well, on the surface nothing but if you look at the design of the bag and know the requirements of these crops then you can figure out the common ground, which is depth.

A wine bag is a very deep container designed to hold wine bottles and root crops need a certain depth of soil. When combined a wine bag is a perfect container for root crops.

But what is a root crop and how do you plant a wine bag? A root crop is anything by which you eat the root and sometimes the leaves. This includes potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

All of these vegetables require a deep soil that is loose and free of stones, which can deform the vegetable if the root hits it. This is where the bag comes into play.

A wine bag is several inches deep and in doing so can address the needs of root crops. First, it can be filled as deep as needed and the soil can be designed to eliminate any stones or soil obstructions.

Second, the soil can be layered as needed, which is important if you plant potatoes and third, a wine bag is a very inexpensive investment that can house many different plants.

To convert a wine bag into a planter starts with creating the soil required for the particular root crop. Since this bag is cloth and quite porous, you will also want to add a water retaining element to the soil mix, which can be peat moss. Once that is done, fill the bag all the way to the top unless you are planting potatoes. There is no reason to add any type of drainage material since the bag is so porous.

After the bag has been filled, plant your seed and top with ¼ inch of soil. Place the bag on a tray so that it can be moved and water in gently. Keep in mind that most of the seeds of roots crops are very small and will get buried if watered too hard. So use a fine mist or a gently sprinkle when it comes to watering.
Then, place in the correct environment, monitor moisture level and wait until harvest time.

On the other hand, if you are planting potatoes, place about two inches of soil in the bottom of the bag and then plant your potato eyes. Cover with a layer of soil but do not fill the bag. This will be done later.

Once you begin to see foliage growing in your bag, add another layer of soil. Continue with this pattern until the bag is full of soil. Utilizing this approach will increase the yield of your potatoes.

So until we blog again, planting bags may come and go but nothing beats a repurposed one.

Photo Credit: Using bags of soil to grown a salad garden by American College of Health Care Sciences

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Many years ago, there was a rash of plantings that were occurring in potting soil bags.

This was a great approach for those urban gardeners who had no land or could not plant a garden on their property.

But as ours lives have gotten busier, the potting soil bag garden is coming back into vogue.

Why would one plant a garden in a bag of potting soil? Well the answer is simple and that is the convenience. There is no mixing; no laying down drainage material, no cleaning containers, and the end of the season cleanup is easy. Just dump the soil in the compost bin or throw it away.

While there are pros, there are also cons to this planting approach. First, there could be a health issue with the toxins in the plastic. As the plastic heats up, the chemicals can contaminate the soil and in doing so will contaminate anything you harvest out of that garden.

Second, depending on the color of the bag, you can have a watering problem. Dark colored bags will require more water while light colored bags deflect the light, which can cause increase insect activity while affecting the photosynthetic process of the plants.

To compensate for the negatives while keeping the positives, one can just plant the potting soil garden with plants that will act as insect traps or just those used for beauty. Insect traps are those plants that are the favorites of pests, which will be abused instead of your vegetables or flowers, or those that are used by beneficial insects, such as those used for their food. Either one of these will benefit your vegetable garden space without the fear of eating something contaminated from the soil bag.

Making a potting soil bag garden is easy. First, make sure to pick a bag that is not split on the ends. While this may seem simple, many gardeners have gotten home and removed their bags of soil to find out that half of their soil is in their trunk.

Next one will need to decide if the garden is going to be movable or stationary. A movable garden is great if you need to place a planting around your vegetable garden space where an insect problem may be occurring. On the other hand, if you are just beautifying your environment, you may want to consider a stationary garden that is placed near a favorite location in your garden space and/or porch.

If you choose a movable garden, you will need to place the bag in an empty flat that flowers come in. This will give you a stable “tray” by which you can carry your garden. Once that is done, the following steps are for both movable and stationary garden designs.

First, one will need to pull out their garden knife and a marker. Mark with an “x” where you would like to plant your plants. This is the time when you can be creative but always test your design out first by placing your plants on the marked locations. Do not worry about these marks showing; after the plants have become established and begin to grow their vegetation will cover the marks.

Next, flip the bag over and poke a few, small drainage holes in the bag. Once that is done, flip the bag back over and begin to cut through each “x.” Peel the “x” back and plant with your chosen plant. Once all the plants have been planted, water in and close up each “x.”

Take care of this garden as you would any other garden and you will be surprised how well it will do. But as easy as it is to grow, there are a few hints to follow when using this gardening technique. First, always open the “x” when watering. Two, if the garden is on a black surface, consider placing a piece of cardboard underneath.

This thin layer is enough to keep the bag from absorbing the heat of the payment and cooking your plants. Last, while any plant will work, avoid trailing plants or any plants that will need support. The soil depth is not deep enough to hold a trellis or plant support.
So until we blog again, a tisket, a tasket, lets plant in a little soil bag.

Photo Credit: Custom Pretty Cool Color Washi Tape by Cute Tape used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

When my children were young, we used to walk to preschool.

As we walked, we would review the letter of the week, colors and simple math.

On the way home, we would discuss what they learned in school and stop for snack at our local pizza parlor.

But when spring came, our routine changed. We still continued to review what was learned in school but we also started observing nature.

As luck would have it, my daughter was a flower collector. She could never pass up a patch of flowers and in doing so I was always caring home fists full of poesies. While the dandelions, clover, wild carrot and violets were beautiful, I always was looking for a different way of holding my daughter’s collection.

Then one day it came to me. Why not create wearable flower art that she could take with her to class. So on a spring morning, we got dressed and headed out to walk the two miles to school. As we approached the flowers, I saw the twinkle in my daughter’s eye and in doing so pulled out a roll of masking tape.

No, I was not going to tape my children up but instead made little tape bracelets with the sticky side out. From here, my daughter could pick her flowers and place them on her bracelet. Oh how fashionable she felt and proceed to dance down the street. My son, on the other hand, was really not interested in wearing flower art. He instead decided to make one for his teacher.

So we pulled a length of tape and he decorated it. Once we got to school, we surprised his teacher with a one of a kind bracelet. After that day, my daughter expected an unlimited amount of flowers to be available along our walks and my son expected to make a bracelet every day for his new girlfriends.

A few years later, I was at a state park and noticed kids wearing these natural bracelets but they were a little different. Instead of being covered with fresh flowers, they were covered with seeds. These were planting bracelets made from the three-sisters.

To make these, each child was allowed to arrange corn, bean, and squash seeds in any pattern they would like on their bracelets. Some kids were meticulous about their seed arrangement while others just rolled their wrists in the bowls of seeds. While these bracelets were for Earth Day, I began to think about other occasions that these bracelets could be made for. Ideas began to flow.

I started thinking about kids designing planting bracelets for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparents’ Day and even Valentine’s Day. I also started thinking about seeds that would go for these occasions. Flowers for Mother’s Day, herbs for Father’s Day, heirloom seeds for Grandparents’ Day, and red flowers for Valentine’s Day were ideas I came up with.

Today, the flower and planting bracelets are still a part of my kids’ lives. In the spring and summer, my daughter still makes flower accessories for her special outfits. My son still creates flower jewelry for the love one in his life at that time and both my children still make me flower and seed bracelets for Mother’s Day. As a matter of fact, I still have the first flower and seed bracelets they ever gave me, pressed and in a scrapbook.

Maybe one day, I will get the seeds out and plant them but think I will wait until I am a grandparent and can tell my grandchildren the story of walking to school and flower bracelets.

If you are looking for a way of getting kids interested in gardening, let their curiosity lead the way. Flower bracelets and planting jewelry are an inexpensive way that kids can share their love of nature. But if you are one of the luck recipients of these gifts, take time to plant and enjoy the gift together. As the old teaching saying goes, “To teach is to learn twice” but in this case “To plant allows one to learn twice.”

So until we blog again, may your Mother’s Day be filled with laughter from children designing your one of kind gift. The gift that every woman wants and that is the one that keeps on giving.

Photo Credit: There’s quite a few by Evelyn used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Squash is such a flexible vegetable, not only from a culinary aspect but also from a gardening perspective.

From the culinary side, it can be grilled, baked, steamed, sautéed, and boiled.

In the garden, it can be planted as soon as the local frost-free date has passed and can continue to produce all the way to late fall to early winter.

But not all squashes are the same. Below is a general description of the two types of squashes you may want to plant for an extended season of squash delight.

Summer squash is a one that produces very prolifically from early summer until it is killed by a frost. Well-known varieties that fall into this category include yellow and green zucchini, crookneck, straight, and scalloped.

They are directly seeded in the ground or container after ones local frost-free date. Once planted, you can begin to enjoy the fruits of your labor as soon as 50 days in some cases, while most varieties require 60 to 70 days before the fruit has matured.

Since they are such prolific producers, one may want to control their crop’s yield. This is easily done by picking the blooms off the plant. But instead of wasting these blooms, why not cook them up. They can easily be used in stir-fries, sautés, and even stuffed and fried.

Winter squash is the other type of squash. It is not as prolific as the summer squash variety and tastes better if left on the vine until the vine has died. But if you cannot wait, you can pick them when they are young and steam them up into a wonderful side-dish.

This type of squash includes the pumpkin, turban, spaghetti, banana, hubbard, delicious, acorn, and butternut. Depending on the variety, the squash can take between 75 to 120 days to mature. Once picked, they can be stored in a cool environment for winter use.

To prevent overplanting, only plant two plants of summer squash and two plants of winter squash for a family of four, this will give enough seasonal enjoyment without waste. In doing so, if you follow this prescribed planting procedure, do not save your seeds from the fruits. Squash is a notorious cross-pollinator and the seeds harvested will be contaminated with other squash genetics.

So until we blog again, squash in my family is known as the garden giver. If you have excess squash, as many of us do, do not hesitate to share your blessing of a plentiful garden with the rest of the world.

Photo Credit: Black Eyed Peas by Shell Greenier used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Black-eyed peas have been a New Year’s Day tradition in my family for years.

But until recent, I never knew how easy they are to grow in the garden.

So this year, I am going to grow my own black-eyed peas for my New Year’s celebration.

To begin this process, I have to decide whether I want to grow them in the garden or in a container. Since my garden is filling up quickly, I decide to go the container route. In doing so, I will need the determinate variety of black-eyed peas.

This type does not require trellising but does bloom and fruit all at the same time. Well, I guess you can’t have everything.

Planting in a container requires a little homework and this entails cleaning and sterilizing the container and drainage material, which in this case are old potshards. To do this, place a capful of bleach in a container of water and place the pot and drainage material in the container. Scrub to remove any soil or debris from the material. Once that is done, let the pot and drainage material soak for 10 minutes and then rinse. Set out in the sunlight to dry and sterilize even farther.

Once the container has been prepared, the next step is to place the drainage material in the bottom and fill with a combination of all-purpose soil and well-seasoned compost. Make sure to leave at least ½ inch space between the top of the pot and the top of the soil. This will create a water reservoir so that the pot does not over flow when watered and in doing so carrying away soil.

Before you begin the planting process you will need to get a black-eyed pea inoculants, which will help the plant fix nitrogen into its roots system.
After you have that, it is time to begin the planting process. This can be done in two ways. One, you can simply poke holes in the soil and plant the seed. The second way requires one to create a trench. Regardless of which one you choose, make sure the hole or trench is 1 ½ inch deep and place seeds every 4-inches. Once the seeds are in the ground, the next step is to cover the seeds and water in.

Place your container garden in a location that receives light shading and continue to monitor the soil and water accordingly.
So until we blog again, share a New Year’s toast with your hyperlocal black-eyed peas for you and me.

Photo Credit: Pear Tree by Shihmei Barger used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

The other day, I was having lunch with a friend of mine and she ordered a pear salad.

Through our discussion she commented on the fact that she wished she could grow her own pears.

But due to her living environment she felt she could not.

Her living environment was an apartment with a balcony.

Why she felt she could not grow pears perplexed me. She had apple trees, peach trees and even a fig all in a containers on her terrace. As I inquired, she admitted that she really did not know much about raising pears and in doing so she felt it could not be done.

Once the truth was out, I reassured her that yes she could grow pears alongside her other orchard plants. So on to the nursery we went to purchase her pear tree.

You may have noticed that I said pear tree. In this project, we are going to only use self-pollinating trees, which will reduce the cost and keep the number of trees down. Also, we are going to look for dwarf varieties. These will keep the growth down and allow the grower to reach the fruit easily.

The next step in this process is the container. You will need one that is at least 10 gallons in size and decorative. The decorative nature of the container helps it fit into a small space without looking like a tree in a pot. This was very important for my friend since she loves to entertain on her balcony.

If you cannot find a decorative pot to plant into, do not fret. Use a plain pot and insert it into the decorative one during the gardening season.
The next item that we needed was the soil. A good, rich soil is the base of the planting medium. To this we will need to add a good amount of well-seasoned manure and/or compost.

Once we got all the materials together and the soil mixed, the next step was to assemble the container orchard. To do this, wash and sterilize the container and its drainage material. After these items have dried, place the drainage material in the pot and fill half full with the potting medium mixture. Now we were ready to plant.

Remove the pear tree from its container and place in the pot. Make sure that the tree is not being planted deeper then it was in its original container. Once the depth has been checked, fill in around the tree and gently tap down.

Since we did not build this orchard where it was going to be permanently, we moved it to its new location and then watered it. This way the container was lighter.

Now my friend has her own pear tree, which will begin to fruit in about eight years. While this is a long wait for a pear lover, it will be worth the wait to be able to harvest your own homegrown fruit.

So until we blog again, never, say never when it comes to agriculture and a human’s desire for fresh food.

Photo Credit: Seedling by Jennifer C. used under CC BY 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Every spring, garden centers are swamped with perspective gardeners.

Some go right for the plants they want while others roam around confused and dazed.

Regardless of which one you may be, there are hints that can aid you in your plant selection.

Following these hints will not only help you become a better gardener but also a frugal one.

I personally like to grow my own plants from seeds but for some people this is not doable. And frankly, I do not have enough room to grow everything I put in my garden space. For those plants that I purchase, I like to go to businesses that grow their own plants. The reason for this is economical and biological.

Buying in my community keeps my local economy going and helps me build a relationship with the grower. I have been doing this for so long that I know them on a first name basis and they in turn know me. Also, it has been proven that plants grown in the environment that they are going to be planted in are healthier than those shipped in. For the same price, I am going to go with the locally grown varieties.

Plant quality is something else one needs to consider. Doing this starts with a visual inspection of the plant material. Never purchase plants that are in open or full bloom. Once you plant the material, the blooms typically will fall away. Also, never purchase plants with dead or yellowing leaves. This can be an indication of plant disease.

Next, look at the container the plant is in. If roots are coming out the top or pushing through the bottom, consider not buying them. This is an indication that the plant needs to be transplanted. Plants in this type of crammed environment can suffer from root damage, be malnourished, and stunted for life.
Also, take a look at how the plants are cared for. Plants that are watered with a spraying system, such as a watering hose or misting nozzle, can suffer from fungal and bacterial problems. The reason for this is the fact that the leaves of the plants get wet and may never have a chance to dry. This type of environment is perfect for the above mentioned issues. Hard watering is another problem that can dislodge soil and expose roots, which make plants under this condition vulnerable to root death.

Plants, regardless of where you purchase them, are an economic investment. Their quality can reward you or disappoint you. Following the tips described above will help your investment grow without disappointment. So until we blog again, shopping for garden plants should follow the same quality standards that one follows when they are shopping for a diamond for that special one. Consider your garden that special one that will reward you for years to come.

Photo Credit: Egg Shell Mulch by London Permaculture used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Eggshells are such a wonderful nature created invention.

They provide the perfect protection for the raw egg material inside, which will become either human breakfast or a chicken.

But did you know they can also benefit the garden.

Well, they can and the tips below will help you maximize the use of these amazing little calcium-rich containers.

1. Eggshells in the garden. Crushed eggshells are a great addition to the garden space. They provide calcium to the soil, which is very important when it comes to raising tomatoes. A tomato plant low on its calcium uptake will product bottom rot. To prevent this, add crushed eggshells to the soil. But do not add whole eggshells. While they will release calcium over time, the immediate affect will not be seen. Instead, dry the eggshells in the sun until they easily crack between the fingers. Then crush the eggshells and apply in the spring and through the summer. Do not apply in the fall or winter since plants are dormant and will not use the calcium.

2. Eggshells as starter pots. Eggshells make great containers for starting seeds. To utilize this approach is easy to do and a wonderful way of repurposing materials. One problem though creeps up when using the shells and that is overwatering. To prevent this, just poke a hole in the bottom of each shell and fill with soil. This simple hole will allow water to move out of the shell without losing any soil. When you go to transplant your germinated seeds, make sure to crack the eggshell so that the roots can break through and expand into the new environment.

3. Eggshells as a food for worms. Red worms, which are in many worm composting bins, utilize calcium in their eggs. To supply ones worms with the needed calcium, one will need to dry out the eggshells and then crush them much like the process described in use one.

While eggshells in the garden may seem a little odd, they are free with ones breakfast and easy to use. Just remember to crush them before adding to the soil or feeding them to your worms. So until we blog again, humans are not the only organisms that can benefit from a milk mustache or in this case a mosaic of crushed eggshells.

Photo Credit: Ex-umbrella by End of Radio used under CC BY 2.0

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

The other day, I was coming across campus when a gust of wind hit my umbrella.

It took all my strength to hang on to this umbrella but when I looked up I noticed that my umbrella was inside out and I was getting wet.

Well, I still needed my broken umbrella and decided to hold on to it.

After my classes were over and I got home, I thought about my umbrella. While I knew I could not repair it, I just could not throw it away without considering a re-purposing or reusing project. The more I looked at the metal skeleton the more I considered alternative uses.

First, I thought of hanging it upside down and using it as a clothesline for light-weight objects. But I really did not like that idea. Another consideration I had was turning the spent umbrella into a plant drying station.

While this was a great idea, I wanted something more unique. Something that had a distinctive flavor and this is when I decided on a trellis.

While this will be a short trellis and not one designed to support things such as tomatoes, it still can serve a purpose in the garden. To begin this process, one must first remove the cloth covering the umbrella. Once that is done, the next step is to decide where you want to set up your trellis.

I decided to set mine up in the middle of my vegetable garden where I planned to plant cool-season or Cole crops. In this project, I decided to grow hulling peas and sugar snaps. To prepare the trellis, I simply opened up the umbrella and pushed the handle down into the ground.

From here, I arranged the spines of the umbrella along the ground. Where each spine touched the ground I planted a pea seed as I planted around the umbrella I decided on another project utilizing this trellis. This project was to sow a low-growing companion plant underneath the umbrella. The plant I picked was spinach. To complete this project, I had to leave part of the umbrella unplanted with peas. This simple space gave me room to sow my spinach seeds.

As the weather warmed, my little peas germinated and my spinach sprung to life. The pea’s vines gently wrapped around the wire skeleton of the old umbrella like embracing an old friend while the spinach was as happy as a lark in the shade created by the peas. What a wonderful and delicious combination growing up an old, torn-up umbrella.

While I saved a little umbrella from the dump for the time being, the experiment of thinking before disposing paid off in the end. I now have a unique conversation piece on my little piece of earth I call my paradise. So until we blog again, when the day gives you lemons turned inside out look at the bright side and think of the opportunities you now have to explore and play with.