DIY: Landscaping Your Yard with Edibles

If you’re looking to landscape your yard why not landscape with edibles? These edible plants will not only provide you beautiful surroundings to look at, but some healthy and nutritious food to eat.  These days a lot of people are finding ways to put their yard to work for them by planting edible trees, shrubs, and vines which will provide their family with edibles year-round.

Before you go laying all new sod or traditional hedges/bushes think outside the “norm” by focusing on herbs, vegetables, edible vines and ground covers, maybe even some fruit trees.

Try planting in a wheelbarrow.

“What you plant depends on the depth of the wheel barrow. Carrots may not work because they need plenty of soil to grow in. But shallow-growing greens such as Swiss chard as well as strawberries and most herbs, including thyme and basil, should all be right at home in a wheelbarrow garden.

Finally, before filling it with dirt, drill several drainage holes in the bottom of the wheelbarrow to help keep the soil from getting — and staying — too wet.”

Try herbs as borders.

“Consider planting herbs such as bay or rosemary instead. Not only will they provide a year-round screen, thrive in full sun and require little water or other maintenance once established, but you can use the leaves while cooking.”

Try planting veggies in the front yard.

“For example, ornamental sweet potato vines, are popular for their attractive leaves, but the sweet potato tubers they produce tend to be bitter. How about planting pumpkin, melon or cucumber instead? They grow well in full sun, all produce long, interesting vines that, at the end of the growing season leave you with something good to eat.”

To read the rest of the article and find more ways you can landscape with edibles, visit: “ExpressNews.com”

source: http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2016/01/diy-landscaping-your-yard-with-edibles/

Gardening Guru is Getting Children Hooked on the Joys of Gardening

One man, Tom Moggach, is teaching children all about the joys of gardening from a small urban garden located at a London school. They have several raised beds, and the school even built a polythene-covered greenhouse.  At this school, every Wednesday, the children get to spend time in this garden growing vegetables and herbs and for those really interested there’s even an after school program.

“It’s all about the power and potential of outdoor learning,” he says. “And eating.” This year they have plans to build a compost pile as well.  400 children in the school have the experience of growing their own food.

To learn more about this gardening guru, you can read the full article at: “TheIndependent.co.uk“

source: http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2016/01/gardening-guru-is-getting-children-hooked-on-the-joys-of-gardening/

Urban Farm Grows More Than 800 Pounds of Produce for Local Food Banks

This urban farm in Detroit is growing more than 800 lbs. of fresh fruits and vegetables annually and then donates it all to local food banks.  The farm is completely ran by volunteers and within the park you’ll find over 200 varieties of plants, vines, and fruit trees, which make a wonderful habitat for bees and butterflies.

“Lafayette Greens also provides an example of a successful and sustainable public-private partnerships. Compuware and the City of Detroit, who owns the land, negotiated a cooperative lease agreement that benefits the public.”

Read the full article here: “asla.org“

source by : http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2016/01/urban-farm-grows-more-than-800-pounds-of-produce-for-local-food-banks/

Disabled Marine Pursues New Goal of Aquaponics Farming

In Florida, a disabled marine has started up a new aquaponics operation where he grows “herbs like fennel, dill, cilantro and chives, as well as a wide range of greens including Bibb lettuce, Tokyo bekana, Cressida cress, mizuna, red Russian kale, Swiss chard, bok choy and red giant mustard greens.”

Besides the fresh produce, he’s also raising 300 tilapia fish which in turn feed the plants that he is growing in a closed-loop aquaponics system he built himself.

“The way I grow food here and give it to people is the way I eat it, the way I want to eat food, free of pesticides, the most natural way of growing things,” Mickell said. “This is a place where we take pride in what we grow and we care about what people are consuming.”

You can read the full article here: “MilitaryTimes.com“

Source By : http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2016/01/disabled-marine-pursues-new-goal-of-aquaponics-farming/

DIY How To Make a $15 Indoor Greenhouse

Here’s how to make your very own environmentally-friendly indoor green house.

Green house Equipment

• 3 x 23W Compact Fluorescent bulbs (CFLs)
• 3 Recycled light hoods
• 2 window boxes
• Triple mix and soil
• Seeds
• Hooks
• String

Method

We simply wired the hoods together and popped in the light bulbs. We turned the hooks into the wall and hung the hoods with string so that we can adjust the height of the lights as the plants grow. The three lights run for ten hours a day. You can substitute foil for the light hoods if you can’t find recycled ones.

Read the full article with more detailed instructions at:GreenMoxie.com

Source by : http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2016/01/diy-how-to-make-a-15-indoor-greenhouse/