Urban Organic Gardener

Do you strive for perfection in your garden? Is it important for you for everything to be just so? Are these questions that you ask yourself and beat yourself up about? I don’t want an organic garden People will often tell me that my garden isn’t “organic” because I am growing in plastic containers and the containers might be leaching BPA in the soil. They will tell me that because of the water that I’m using and it’s not filtered in a certain manner that it’s not truly organic. People will say...

What is the simplest thing you can grow? Which vegetable is pretty much failproof? What is the one vegetable that is recommended for beginner’s to start with? These are questions that I often get and the answer is pretty simple. It’s not tomatoes I’ve been very vocal and shared why most of your garden’s will fail before. One of those reasons is that when you are first starting out, you want to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplant. These are all possible to grow, but they are more difficult when you are...

Seed starting. Who thought that it could be so intimidating… ..but there are lots of questions and things to take into consideration when starting your seeds. We’ve already covered some basic seed starting tips and tips for those of you starting indoors, but I want to make it even more simple and basic. Because that’s how I do. One-liners to help you start your seeds On the Urban Organic Gardener Facebook page, I’ve been sharing gardening tips. They’ve been pretty popular, mostly because I think they are...

Hard to believe it’s already August. The summer is flying by. Despite being the summer, it’s time to start thinking about your fall garden. This past past, I planted some seeds in my new garden that’s alongside my building. How to decide what to plant To figure out what I should plant, I used my Veggie Virgin Formula. It’s a simple 4-step process that will show you what you can start from seeds right now. What I got planted Since the summers are traditionally hot here in LA, my choices are still limited. I went...

This post was inspired by a conversation that Anita and I had a few weeks back. It was when I was initially launching the Fall Gardening 101 course. If you are a new reader, fan or follower, please read so you know what you can expect from this site and the information that I share. Why Urban Organic Gardener was created It wasn’t answering your questions about the best way to get rid of aphids or what to do if your tomatoes are getting blossom rot. That’s not my passion nor what I feel strongly about. What I feel strongly...

Slugs. They are nasty. Creepy. Crawly and slimy. Not much else to say on them besides they are pretty gross. But how do you rid them from your garden. This is what Rita asked me. She asked, “I am having trouble with slugs and really do not feel comfortable using the slug bait called “snail death” any longer. I have free range chickens and I don’t want them to ingest the slug bait either?Any good solutions?” Here are 3 ways to rid your garden of slugs Use cornmeal. Slugs love them some cornmeal and it makes...

Aphids are wiping out your container garden… …you have tried a DIY spray to no avail. You’ve been told that lady bugs eat aphids and are thinking about buying some for your small container garden. This is the problem that Catherine is having and sent me this question: I’ve got several containers on my deck (no self watering though, sadly) and my tomato plants are getting hit pretty hard by red aphids and little white bugs. I tried a mixture of onion and garlic juice sprayed directly on them but to no avail. Should...

Does it seem like squirrels are eating more from your garden than you are? Those long tailed furry rodents can be a huge pain in the…garden. Squirrels are smart and persistent creatures. If they want something, they will do what they can to get it. Squirrels on rooftop garden In this Q&A segment, Kevin from Philly is having squirrel problems and wants to know what he can do. He says, “I live in Philadelphia and have no green space…but I do have a roof deck and have spent the last few months getting it set up as...

Did you not get around to planting your garden this summer? Or did everything you plant die and you feel like a failure? Don’t worry. The beauty of gardening is that there is always a next season. Despite summer just beginning, the time to start preparing for the next season, fall, is right now. Preparing now for a successful future When you plant seeds, you do so with the hopes of them sprouting and turning into a meal of yours. You are taking action now believing what the future results will be. That’s why it’s so...

Let me know if this story sounds familiar to you… You became interested in growing your own food because you want to know where your food is coming from. You wanted to learn more, so you got a stack of books to read and spent hours researching on the internet. All you have to show now is a headache and feel completely overwhelmed. You don’t feel any closer to starting your garden than before all the research. I know it does because you have told me this. There is a better solution. I know this feeling too.. …because...

Are you noticing holes in the leaves of your garden? Some foreign powdery substances that seem to be spreading? It’s going to happen eventually. Nobody’s garden is going to be perfect. No matter what you read. There is no need to beat yourself and think that you’re a failure. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Lets take a look at what might be eating your garden, shall we? Here they are… The four common vegetable garden insects and diseases. In each of the posts listed, you’ll learn how to identify,...

I’ve been asking you a lot of questions… …through surveys, posts, Facebook and Twitter. You’ve been heard – loud and clear. I might not respond to everyone, but I read everything and I’ve heard you. It goes beyond gardening The one common thing that I keep hearing is that you want to grow your own food to eat healthy, avoid pesticides and chemicals and to know where your food is coming from. There is only so far that growing our own food can take us in that respect, especially for those of us with...

In 2012, the content focus has change… …and I would like to get your thoughts. As the header image of the site says, this site is about “Practical container gardening tips to grow your own food.” Which is why I want to make sure that that is what is provided for you – practical tips. It’s easy for me to know which ones are the most popular. I really want to know which ones are the most useful to you, so more of those can be created for you. This is going to be my last post for a few weeks. As you are...

There is a white chalky substance on the leaves of your plants. Your container garden looks like Pablo Escobar and his boys had a party in it… …What happened? Don’t worry that white powder is not cocaine, it’s powdery mildew. You’ll notice that the powdery coating is on both sides of the leaves and will eventually start to spread. Those leaves will eventually turn yellow and die. It can also cause the leaves to twist and turn. Your container garden looks like Pablo Escobar and his boys had a party in it....

You’ve seen me mention Thrive, a sponsor, before and asked me about their line of products. Thrive is a liquid mycorrhizal fungi for your garden. The analogy that I like to use is that it’s a probiotic for your plants. It helps to set them up with a healthy root system, so they can better absorb nutrients. Before I get into more detail about mycorasdfajfla (because I know that’s how you are pronouncing it), let’s learn how to say it. Here is the phonetic pronunciation: mahy-kuh-rahy-zuhl Much better. Let’s...