Deciding what to grow is an important decision. It’s also the question that I get asked most often when people are starting their urban gardens. To that question, I often respond with a series of questions that you need to ask yourself. Here they are: What’s the location that I am growing in? How much sunlight does my space get? What am I growing in? Once you answer those three questions, your choices will automatically be narrowed down. If you only get three hours of sunlight, your chances of growing cucumbers are small. Then...

What can I grow? That’s the most common question that I get asked. First, you’ll have to decide on the location of your urban garden. Then you’ll have to determine how much sunlight your garden space gets. There are four main categories of sunlight: Full sun. 6+ hours of direct sunlight. Partial sun. 4-5 hours of direct sunlight. Partial shade. 2-4 hours of direct sunlight. Shade Less than 1 hour of direct sunlight. Since we are living in urban environments, we have other structures that we are dealing...

I just stumbled across your blog and can’t believe I haven’t found it earlier. The info you share here is AWESOME! – Jill from The Prairie Homestead I am fan of The Prairie Homestead and see that you are too! The Prairie Homestead has taught me how much about homestead lifestyle. I’ve used some of what I’ve learned from The Prairie Homestead to create my urban gardens . And I’d like to help you do the same. So here are some ways you can get started learning how to grow some of your own food despite the...

I’m going to be moving in the next couple of weeks. Why does it matter and what’s it have to do with urban gardening? Even though I’m moving into the apartment next door to mine, I am losing the balcony and the balcony garden. Why should you care? It matters because I will be growing in an all new location and using new methods including growing indoors using natural and grow lights and growing hydroponically. So be sure to hit me up with your indoor and hydroponic questions. Losing my balcony, but gaining more garden...

I am fan of Mother Earth News and see that you are too! Mother Earth News has taught me how to be an urban homesteader. I’ve used some of what I’ve learned from Mother Earth News to create my urban gardens . And I’d like to help you do the same. So here are some ways you can get started learning how to grow some of your own food despite the lack of space: Subscribe to the Urban Organic Gardener Newsletter. See the form below? Enter your email address and to learn more about apartment vegetable gardening, and other great...

I am fan of EcoSalon and see that you are too! EcoSalon has taught me (and my girlfriend) that being environmentally conscious doesn’t have to be boring. I’ve used what I’ve learned from EcoSalon to inspire women to lead a more sustainable and conscious life. And I’d like to help you do the same. So here are some ways you can get started learning how to grow some of your own food despite the lack of space: Subscribe to the Urban Organic Gardener Newsletter. See the form below? Enter your email address and to learn...

I first want to thank you for all you do! “Urban Organic Gardener” has been such a source of inspiration for me, your writing is captivating and your message is powerful! It’s just a beautiful thing having a community of like-minded folks. I love what you are doing to encourage and spread knowledge! — Andrea, Frugally Sustainable publisher I am fan of Frugally Sustainable and see that you are too! Andrea has taught us how to explore all things sustainable in the natural world from cooking to shopping at the farmer’s...

I’ve spoken at festivals and events including Green Festivals and the Mar Vista Farmers Market. (My bio and press). Speaking Topics Starting Your Own Urban Garden This flagship 45-60 minute presentation is targeted towards people who have little to no space that live in apartments and urban areas. Why growing your own food is so important Recent trends in urban gardening Simple DIY projects and how to get started Common mistakes when starting out How the art of growing food has been lost How growing food touches on many aspect...

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY in 1979 and moved out to Los Angeles, CA in April 2010. I have always enjoyed cooking and baking despite being a picky eater when I was growing up. I’m not sure where my love of making food comes from because I don’t have any specific memories of anything growing up. For the most part my family was on a pretty typical processed food diet. Lots of meals came from packages, boxes and mixes. You can’t blame my parents for that because I’m sure it was tough for them to raise three...

One of the reasons that I started my fire escape garden in 2009 is because I learned that on average our food travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate. That’s about the distance from one coast of the United States to the center of the country. The next time you are at the grocery store or supermarket (aren’t they the same thing?), pick up some produce and look at the label to see where it’s from. I started to do this when I was living in NYC and saw Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru and other far off countries. There wasn’t...

Last week I direct sowed carrots and mesclun lettuce into containers on my balcony garden. I’m not seeing anything coming up on them yet. This week, I’m experimenting with starting seeds indoors and outdoors to see which light works better. I don’t have any self-watering containers to direct sow into, but I have seeds. So why not get some started? For this test, I’m starting a leaf lettuce blend, basil and also some of the flower seeds that I’m going to grow – sunflower and calendula. I made seed starter...

New York is where I got my start in urban gardening. I set up my urban gardens in May 2009 and they lasted until mid-December 2009. In April 2010, I moved out to LA and started a balcony garden. < Fire Escape Garden My fire escape garden was set up in late May of 2009 on the fourth floor of my East Village apartment. The 2 x 3 landing space and hand rails were also utilized to grow herbs and vegetables. Backyard Vegetable Garden in Brooklyn My Grandmother also allowed me to use her backyard in Brooklyn to garden as well. Instead of using...

An easy way to start your seeds indoors is to use toilet paper or paper towel rolls. There are two advantages of using toilet paper rolls. The first is that they are free. It’s likely that you already have both items available in your apartment. Ain’t no better price than free. The other is that that they can be put directly into the soil when transplanted because the cardboard will biodegrade into the soil. What you’ll need to get your toilet paper roll seed starters made: Toilet paper or paper towel roll Razor Scissors Duct...

Since I’m still new to this gardening thing, I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my first year. I’ve also had many successes as well, with the most memorable being my first lettuce harvest. For this post, I’d like to share the Top Five Gardening Mistakes that I’ve Made. Life ain’t perfect and neither are my gardens. I know hard to believe. I’ve made these mistakes, learned from them and have become better at gardening (and life) because of it. Putting too many food scraps in the compost bin. This...