By Vanessa Richins

One of the problems I come across as a garden writer is trying to talk about gardening as it pertains to a whole nation.

I’ve personally lived in the tropical beauty called Southern California, the lush green of Oregon, and tried to balance the heat and chill of beautiful Utah.

Each area had its own set of growing conditions and challenges, which is true throughout the country.

I’ve learned much about other areas through my classes and research.

You can learn about the insider tips for your own area by joining or starting a local gardening club. I belong to one on Yahoo Groups for Utah Gardeners. It’s great because we can talk about our gardens, tell each other about local sales, exchange plants, and enjoy the excitement o Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

You don’t have to be a large scale farmer to sell your produce at a farmers’ market.

If you plan your garden carefully (for example, using as much vertical space as possible to maximize yield), you could possibly have enough for your own use as well as some to sell at the market.

You could sell fresh produce, preserves and more. You can also participate with other kinds of products. I’ve seen breads, cheeses, candies, jewelry, books and more.

Some possible crops that are easier for urban gardens are herbs. Many people would love to buy fresh herbs for their cooking but find prices in stores to be prohibitive. These can often be grown relatively quickly Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

One reason I am in love with sites like Twitter is because I can learn about gardening ’round the country, as well as the entire world.

I enjoy seeing pictures people have posted and hearing about the plants in their city.

Each garden has its own microclimate.

A apple tree in New York may grow quite differently than an apple tree in Utah. I can write and give general guidelines about how a plant often grows…but Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

A friend and I were talking about community gardens in our cities.

He mentioned one called the “People’s Portable Garden.”

I hadn’t heard of that one, so I looked it up and discovered a wonderful new concept.

Salt Lake City is working to improve neighborhoods by purchasing empty lots through the Salt Lake City Redevelopment Agency and having developers buy it from them and build there.

But as one official explained to City Weekly, “Sometimes, because we’re trying to create large properties, we sit on Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Nolan

As gardeners we are used to putting our hands in the dirt.

Whether we are tilling up part of our suburban yards or stocking up on containers for this year’s urban garden on the patio, we understand the feeling of calm that comes with nurturing a seed and the sense of accomplishment that comes from seeing that seed bear fruit.

When I moved from Birmingham, Alabama into a neighborhood in suburban Atlanta last month I joined a community in transition.

When I began working on the process of starting the first community garden here I began to realize that transition was being mirrored in me.

And so it goes that along with the help of the Atlanta Community Food Bank and a few willing volunteers, we will soon break ground on the Read the rest of this entry »