Urban-style organic gardening blog about growing your own food with limited space and creative resources.
Agrihood–it sounds like a trendy buzzword from the coffee bars of New York or San Francisco. In fact, that is where it’s from. The term ‘agrihood’ was copyrighted by Rancho Mission Viejo, a Southern California real estate brand. While their agrihood, and others like it are for the super-rich, there’s a new game in town. In 2016, the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative introduced the first urban ‘agrihood’–in a Detroit neighborhood where average home prices are less than $25,000.
In 1972, when Elizabeth Scholtz became director of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the splendid 52-acre urban garden founded in 1910, she was not only the first female director of a major botanic garden in the United States; she was also one of the few women in charge of a large New York City cultural institution. This made for some awkward collisions.
At the time, members of the Cultural Institutions Group, which included the directors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum and the garden, met at the Century Club on West 43rd Street. To attend the meetings, Ms. Scholtz entered through the service door, so as not to upset the stodgy membership of what at the time was an all-male club.
With typical good humor, said Scot Medbury, who led the garden until January, she did so throughout her tenure, with one notable exception.
READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/nyregion/elizabeth-scholtz-dead.html
If you’re fortunate enough to have your own yard or garden area, you may want to start spending more time in it.
New research from the United Kingdom has found that having access to — and using — a personal patch of greenery is associated with better physical and psychological well-being.
In fact, the increased health benefits from spending time gardening are similar to those seen among people who live in wealthy neighborhoods when compared with those who live in poor ones, the study reports.
Plenty of previous research has suggested that living near urban parks or other public green spaces is associated with improved health. As I’ve noted here before, those potential benefits include a reduced risk of type II diabetes, heart disease and premature death. People living nearer to nature also tend to sleep longer and to have lower levels of stress.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2020/05/having-your-own-garden-and-spending-time-in-it-improves-health-and-well-being-study-suggests/
For New Yorkers looking to plant spring flowers, shrubs, or vegetable seedlings, figuring out which garden centers and nurseries are open — let alone what’s in stock — can be a chore. So to help you navigate the complicated task of buying seeds, plants, pots, soil, and compost in the middle of the coronavirus lockdown, we talked to five NYC plant experts about their favorite local nurseries that are still open, delivering, or offering curbside pickup.
Because they sell edible plants like vegetables and herbs, many of these small businesses have been deemed essential and allowed to stay open. If you do make a trip to buy something in person, remember to follow the same basic rules of social distancing and mask-wearing as you would at the grocery store. To keep your visit quick, George Pisegna, deputy director and chief of horticulture at the Horticulture Society of New York, suggests calling ahead to make sure they have what you are looking for. And if you are having plants delivered, don’t forget to tip generously.
READ THE FULL STORY: https://nymag.com/strategist/2020/05/nyc-garden-nurseries-coronavirus.html
Spring is here and, after spending a great deal of time indoors over the past few months, it’s the perfect time to (safely) get outside, unplug from technology, and interact with the earth. And what better way to do this than by gardening? Whether you live in an apartment with limited outdoor access or have a spacious yard to work in, there are plenty of options that allow you to grow your own food and reap the mental and physical health benefits of gardening.
If you’ve never gardened before, you may think that you simply don’t have a “green thumb” and your efforts will be fruitless. But Chris Cunningham of the Landscape and Construction Services division at Cedar Grove says you shouldn’t let this deter or intimidate you. “You don’t necessarily need to have a ‘green thumb,’ ” he says. Just start by reading the directions on seed packets and you’ll likely surprise yourself with what you can grow.
When you’re ready to get planting, the first thing to take into account is how much space you have for a garden so you can plan accordingly.
CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE: https://www.seattletimes.com/sponsored/how-to-make-the-most-of-any-garden-space/
Since we’re all stuck at home trying to improve our health and immune system, it is important to keep the air in our homes clean. There are several ways to purify the air at home, but one option that is both natural and affordable is to use air-purifying plants to keep your house clear of the pollutants that we’re always exposed to.
Whether it’s cleaning agents, pesticides, or lack of ventilation, all these are sources of indoor pollution that can easily be absorbed using air-filtering plants.
Click the link below for a variety of excellent air purifiers that are both good looking and super useful!
SEE ALL 10 PLANTS HERE: https://scoopempire.com/urban-gardening-10-air-purifying-plants-to-keep-your-home-free-of-toxins/
The war gardens of WWI (1914-1918) and victory gardens of WWII (1941-1945) were government initiatives requesting civilians to become “soldiers of the soil” and grow their own fruits and vegetables. European and American farmers were enlisted in the military leaving a void in homeland food production labor. Also transport of food supply across the country or abroad was too costly. Growing one’s own food to support the war effort was deemed as a way to boost morale during a stressful time for families.
In the U.S., millions of rural, urban, and suburban residents turned parks, vacant lots, backyards, rooftops, and schoolyards into food gardens. Government booklets were distributed to citizens detailing how to grow a victory garden with diagrams of four essential kinds of home gardens with square footage and rows of crops—farm, subsistence, backyard or vacant lot, and kitchen garden. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt oversaw a Victory Garden on the front lawn of the White House.
Since school gardens were commonplace in the United States as far back as 1890, especially in large cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago, the U.S. Bureau of Education enlisted 2.5 million schoolchildren into the U.S. School Garden Army in WWI, producing 48 million dollars worth of wartime food. In WWII, 18- 20 million family and community victory gardens produced 40 percent of the vegetables in the U.S.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.thecolumbiastar.com/articles/victory-gardens-gardening-for-the-homeland/
The coronavirus pandemic, and the broad quarantine guidelines that were put in place to help curb the spread of COVID-19, mean that Americans are spending more time at home than ever before. Staying home doesn’t have to be boring, though; in fact, we think this is the perfect time to exercise your green thumb. After all, if you’re going to log more hours in your own backyard, don’t you want it to be beautiful? Whether you’re new to gardening or consider yourself a total pro, there’s always an opportunity to pick up a few new skills. Now, the New York Botanical Garden is offering online classes—up to seven each day of the week—on a variety of different green topics, Apartment Therapy reports, so you can brush up on your gardening skills from the comfort of your own home.
If you’re interested in signing up, do so soon. One of the most popular classes—Botanical Watercolor for Beginners and Beyond—already has a waitlist for its May 4th session. “Enjoy painting botanical watercolors in a relaxed atmosphere. This class is designed for both inexperienced students and those who wish to improve their skills,” the course’s description on the NYBG website reads.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.marthastewart.com/7797113/new-york-botanical-gardens-online-gardening-classes
Most times when we think of gardening, we envision a nicely laid out plot of straight rows of beans, corn, and other garden veggies. Often, we don’t consider other opportunities to produce great crops away from the garden and in unconventional methods.
One of these ways is through container gardening. Not everyone has the acreage or square footage in the yard, such as people who live in apartments, to plant a garden. Others may not have the time or energy required to manage and maintain a garden plot. Container gardening can offer the benefits of fresh produce and the satisfaction of growing your own crops without the extra responsibilities of a conventional garden.
One of the added benefits of container gardening is being able to protect your crops from damaging frosts at the beginning or end of the season by bringing the entire plant and container inside a garage or other shelter.
Containerized gardens are also easier to cover with protective fabric or another covering to save them from frost damage.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2020/04/the-benefits-of-container-gardening-and-why-its-an-adequate-substitute-for-conventional-gardening/
The U.S. is in the midst of a gardening renaissance. As the coronavirus pandemic prompts big questions about the future of our food system, people everywhere are buying up seeds, pulling up lawns, building raised beds, and flocking to learn from Master Gardeners.
Most of these new and seasoned gardeners are making careful decisions about what type of plants they want to grow and how to organize the beds, but it’s also a good time to consider another, perhaps more important aspect of food sovereignty: what kind of seeds you’re planting and whether or not you’ll be able to save and share them next year.
To save seeds is to preserve food culture. Heirloom crops wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the gardeners who meticulously grew and saved seeds including the Brandywine tomato, Purple Top White Globe turnip, and many other varieties, passing them on to future generations.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://civileats.com/2020/04/21/gardening-is-important-but-seed-saving-is-crucial/
That’s what Steve and Rabea North from Melbourne did, but with the added innovation of a water-saving collection of up-cycled, DIY wicking buckets and tubs.
The criteria for their garden was simple – sustainable, portable, cost-effective and productive – so it was off to the local Indian takeaway for some alternatives to store-bought pots. “They had loads of 10 litre food grade buckets and polystyrene broccoli boxes that were destined for landfill, so we bought as many of those home as we could” Steve says. This is where the next level of innovation and ideas comes in. “Where appropriate for the plants, these have been converted into mini wicking beds” says Steve. Rabea explains that “A wicking bed is a self-watering container, and any renter can build these simple, portable wicking beds for $5-$10 each. They’re perfect for growing fruit and vegies using half the water (and effort) when compared to conventional pots”.
Put that old sandbox to good use by repurposing it into a fun, kid-friendly garden chock-full of healthy fruits and vegetables they’ll love.
Bring life and color to bare areas of your yard with these DIY seed bombs made from scrap paper.
Plant a pizza-shaped garden with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and other favorite toppings occupying each “slice.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE & SEE MORE IDEAS: https://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/kids-gardening-projects-pictures?fbclid=IwAR2j-b_XtGFri1bu3sUiKANT0Z85yCAAaNJbKJiv2Yf0dW3RK3IGeujxN4Q
Starting with the World War I, the U.S. government was encouraging Americans to grow their own food to help relieve shortages. Originally known as the war garden movement, these so-called “victory gardens” made a reappearance in the 1940s during World War II.
And the idea of growing your own food is still popular — so popular, in fact, that Oregon State University has seen online enrollment for their Master Gardener Short Course Series jump by nearly a thousandfold.
“In a normal year, we might get 20 to 30 folks who will enroll in one of those short courses,” said Gail Langellotto, the program’s statewide coordinator and a horticulture professor at OSU. “But this year we have over 29,000 who registered for our vegetable gardening course alone.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.opb.org/news/article/garden-community-coronavirus-safety-oregon-state-university/
As you may recall from high school history class, “victory gardens” first started in America during World War 1. In response to food shortages during the war, Americans were encouraged to begin growing their own food, and vegetable gardens popped up in backyards and at schools and public parks across the country. “In the U.S. in March of 1917, Charles Lathrop Pack began the National War Garden Commission—an organization to encourage ‘war gardens’ that might contribute to the Allied food supply and bring about victory,” explains Lora Vogt, the curator of education at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. “Gardening and agricultural support quickly became a way for Americans of all ages to both serve and show patriotism,” she says. The campaign was incredibly successful. By 1918, more than 5 million new gardens had been planted in the U.S.
During the current coronavirus crisis, the concept of the victory garden appears to be making a comeback, and although the crisis at hand and the context is different, Vogt points out that there are economic facets underlying both. During WW1, the railroad lines prioritized transporting members of the military, leaving less railcars devoted to food shipment. “Through gardening, Americans were able to produce an estimated 1.45 million quarts of home canned food—providing for their own needs and alleviating supply lines for others,” says Vogt.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/gardening/victory-gardens-are-making-a-comeback-heres-how-to-start-a-vegetable-garden
🎬Watch the film right now for free at https://grow.foodrevolution.org/.
The UN estimates we have fewer than 60 years of farmable soil left on Earth. And many people are concerned that governments and “Big Ag” want to control what we eat. It’s as if our human right to eat safe food is under attack by industrial agriculture, pesticide and GMO manufacturers. “Agriculture is the most destructive human activity on the planet.” – Rosario Dawson (From “The Need To GROW” movie)
“Industrial agriculture is first and foremost a war against the earth because it’s a war against all species. Since you’re bringing war chemicals into the production of food and all they’re doing is killing.”
– Vandana Shiva, PhD
Something must be done. Which is why we spent the last 5 years making our film “The Need To GROW.” The Need to GROW is a story about real-world SOLUTIONS.
The Need To GROW follows three renegade leaders as they fight to heal our broken food system and protect new technology that holds the key to feeding the planet and reversing the damage caused by industrial agriculture.
✳️ An urban farmer struggles to keep his land after he pioneers a way to grow organic, nutrient-dense produce at warp speed ANYWHERE
(Imagine paved parking lots sprouting acres of huge, healthy, micronutrient-rich, organic veggies)
✳️ An 8-year-old girl scout challenges the ethics of a beloved organization in her quest to raise awareness and make healthy food available to everyone.
✳️ And a visionary inventor builds a machine that takes waste and turns it into a natural substance that can reclaim and regenerate dead soil. (Doing in days what takes nature 400 years!)
Watch the movie, learn about the solutions, spread the word and join us in making a difference:
If you hate weeds in your garden but despise chemicals even more than this homemade weed killer might just be your new best friend! Spray this mixture to immediately begin killing weeds in and around your garden area.
READ THE ORIGINAL POST ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215884001387445&set=a.1084844875854&type=3&theater&ifg=1
A vegetable garden can improve your health. A beautiful flower garden can improve the look of your home. But the mere act of planting and tending a garden can improve the way you look at things. After a few hours spent planting, weeding or pruning, most people have a more positive outlook, despite suffering a few muscle aches or maybe feeling tired. It’s a good tired, after all. A tired born of having accomplished something. A tired born of being in touch with nature.
The benefits of time spent outdoors in a garden are many.
Stress melts away in a garden. Whether it’s the fresh air or the sun or the birdsong or just the physical activity, studies have shown that gardening is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Go into a garden feeling a little tense, and a few whacks at a weed or clips to an unruly shrub will take care of any minor aggressions you’re feeling. Don’t take it out on your family, take it out on a weed, in other words.
Gardening can help overcome loneliness. Especially now, when so many of us have to work from home and avoid socializing to reduce the spread of COVID-19, gardening can be therapeutic. Being outside in the fresh air, stretching those winter-stiffened muscles behind a rake or shovel, and reconnecting with other gardening neighbors, albeit from a safe 6-foot distance across the fence, can make you realize you’re not in this alone.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.sentinel-echo.com/news/local_news/gardening-improves-the-look-of-things/article_d4cdcd99-a555-590d-a5b9-bf1640a761da.html
The third- and fourth-graders from Longfellow Elementary School in Spokane surrounded a big tube soil. The looks on their faces were skeptical. What do you mean there are potatoes in there?
Six sets of hands hesitantly dug into the dirt. All of a sudden, a hand brought up a round, red-skinned potato. Eyes got big. There are potatoes in there! After that it might as well have been the California Gold Rush all over again as they dug for the treasure. This is the joy of gardening with children. When their skepticism is overcome by the joy of discovery, it’s magical.
To garden with children, start with a raised bed or several large pots filled with good-quality compost or potting mix. If you start with ordinary dirt, you stand a chance of failure, and the children might think it’s their fault and that will shake their confidence.
Put the garden in a sunny place they can easily access to see what’s happening.
To decide what to plant, ask them about their favorite vegetables. This always leads to some interesting answers, some of which aren’t going to be practical. If the idea is far-fetched, break it down into manageable pieces. If they want to grow a pizza, then discuss what vegetables they like on their pizza. Tomatoes, onions, green peppers and sage are all easy to grow in a garden. This can be their pizza garden. This combination can also make a salsa garden.
READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/apr/09/gardening-give-children-joy-of-seeing-fruits-of-la/
Whether working from home or making sure the kids are doing their school work — or both — being in the same, confined space can make anyone feel claustrophobic. Experts say a lot of people are fighting those feelings by working in their yard.
READ THE ORIGINAL STORY: https://www.fox13news.com/news/backyard-gardening-can-help-relieve-stay-at-home-stress