Urban Gardening a Trend?
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 available from traditional terra cotta to modern stoneware beauties, expressing your decorating style can be rooted in every corner of your home. Just really take into account the amount of direct sunlight – nothing can ruin your urban garden quicker that too much or not enough sun!
Tip and Tricks
If you can’t live without tomatoes a fun tip: Place a whole egg in its shell in the soil beneath your tomatoes to help nourish and feed them. For all my planting information needs, including tips, projects and specific plant information, I use Learn2Grow.
What to Do with Your Bounty?
Take your green thumb from the garden to the stovetop and fill your belly with tasty recipes. Try sliced tomatoes with corn and basil for the perfect spring treat or create your own salsa with tomatoes and peppers. Sit back and sip on iced tea with mint to indulge in your hard work.
April 30th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
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