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/

Lasagna Gardens, Perfect for Beginners!

Do you dislike tilling? Have you heard about lasagna gardening yet? If not, you may want to read up on this popular gardening technique that allows you to do more with less work. It’s also referred to as “sheet composting” or “layer gardening”.  It’s a no-dig, no-till method that provides the gardener with rich and fluffy soil, perfect for vegetable and herb gardening.

“Just like the lasagna you cook, your lasagna garden has to be layered in a general order.

• The first layer of your lasagna garden is either brown corrugated cardboard or three layers of newspaper. The space underneath the cardboard and newspaper will attract earthworms to your lasagna garden because it is dark and moist. Earthworms help make the waste into soil. Worms will also help keep this new soil loose.
• Lay the cardboard or newspaper directly on top of the grass or weeds where you want your garden. The grass or weeds will break down fairly quickly because they will be smothered by the newspaper or cardboard, as well as by the materials you are going to layer on top of them.
• Wet this layer down to keep everything in place. Water also helps waste break down.
• Put a layer of browns (leaves, shredded paper) on top of the cardboard or newspaper. Put a layer of greens (vegetable scraps, grass clippings) on top of the brown layer. Layer until your lasagna garden is about two feet high.

In general, you want your “brown” layers to be about twice as deep as your “green” layers. There is no need to get this exact. Just layer browns and greens, and a lasagna garden will result. What you want at the end of your layering process is a two-foot tall layered bed. The layers will ‘cook down’ (compost) in only a few weeks.” -via “GreenThumbscedwvu.org”

Read the full article here: “Accessible Gardening: Lasagna Gardening”

 Source by : http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2016/01/lasagna-gardens-perfect-for-beginners/

How to Use a Mason Jar as a Cloche

The original source of this post can be found at SeedsNow.com

What is a garden cloche? It’s basically a fancy term for a glass bell or dome that you place over young seedlings or plants to protect them from cold weather, hail or in some situations…snow.

Simply place a mason jar over your sensitive seedlings or plants that you want to over-winterize.   You can even place them over plants in the garden if you want to get an early start in spring. Use them when you suspect that the elements might damage your young seedlings, if they had no protection.

Watch the weather and keep them on your plants if freezing temperatures are in the forecast.  Remove the cloches if the temperatures will rise in the morning or afternoon. You don’t want your plants to get too hot in the morning or mid-day sun.

Don’t have any mason jars? Milk jugs work great, too!

Learn more Season Extension Techniques from SeedsNow.com

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Source by : http://www.urbanorganicgardener.com/2015/12/how-to-use-a-mason-jar-as-a-cloche/

Hydroponic Garden Shows the Possibility of Indoor Farming

Lettuce, strawberries, kale; all of this is growing in December in the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food building in Salt Lake City.

 

This small garden shows how hydroponics works: a system of pipes and water grows plants without soil.

In the Ag building, they are using Aquaponics too.  Fish are fertilizing the plants that are either suspended in water or the water is dripping into the plants.

The Benefits of Organic Gardening

Environmental and personal health are the two main benefits of organic gardening that are gaining popularity. Despite the misconceptions it is by far the best option for every aspect. Yup, it gets flack...mostly from companies who profit from the sludge they spray all over our food. But I'll address that below too.

The Health Benefits of Organic Gardening

Do you know that chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers have been linked to:

•     Breast cancer
•     Damaged brain function
•     Birth defects
•     Parkinson's
•     Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
•     Miscarriages
•     Prostate cancer
•     Infertility
•     Childhood leukemia
•     Autism
•     Depression
•     And much, much more...

The Rise of Organic Gardening

Urban Gardening Is the Answer to Many of Our Problems

    There's no doubt that urban gardening and farming is an important step toward building a more sustainable food system. In fact, I've been encouraging everyone to plant a "Victory Garden" as a proactive step toward fixing our broken food system and improving your health.

    They are named Victory Gardens because 40 percent of the produce grown in the US during the War was in people's backyards. I really think it is possible to catalyze a similar movement for a different purpose. The new reality is that for most people, it is very difficult to obtain high-quality nutrient-dense foods unless you grow them yourself.