My middle daughter painted her room purple one year, and my husband thought he would go insane. It was too funny watching him cringe every time he went into the room. She loved the color purple, and I have to agree I was a bit apprehensive at first, but it looked great! I am painting…
Author: Robbie
I love my newspaper pots they make growing in small spaces affordable!
I integrate a variety of growing methods into my urban potager, and John Jeavons biointensive is one that I find works well for small spaces. I start in January, and I am in the dirt until fall! This year I am growing more plants for people who need help growing. My newspaper pots are the most…
Do you agree with an anthropologist that garden club shirts with slogans “Friends don’t let friends buy annuals” promote snobbery?
There are certain things in my life that have always been at the top of ” Robbie’s Pet Peeve List” and at the top is “snobs” + “bullies” because they are hurtful + exclusive! I like the definition of “pet peeves”, something that irritates the heck out of you. Yep, that is what I consider…
Have you heard the news “Dirt is the new Prozac”
Just think dirt is the new Prozac! Yes, creating a garden in your city lot can help with depression and anxiety. There is scientific proof that it heals our mind! It is evident to those of us that grow plants or spend time outdoors that we feel better, but now we have scientific evidence that it…
Nature can teach us a thing or two about building healthy neighborhoods!
“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.“ Max de Pree Over the years, we have discovered that monocropping or…
Edible Estates:The Attack on the Front Lawn by artist Fritz Haeg
I have been wrestling with my front lawn for the past 10 years. I live on a typical city block where no one grows food in the front or back yards and no flowers! However, the past few years I have been seeing more flowers, which is delightful in front yards and less chemical spraying,…
Historic Pansy Mix saved to take us back to days gone by…
Right now we are in one of the worst winters I have seen in a while. I am so tired of snow + cold now that it is a joy to start my spring Historic Pansy Mix ( Viola × wittrockiana) inside under lights.I know some people have had them winter over in their garden, but I have…
Seed Saving in Urban Areas can be a challenge to those of us growing in small areas….
This year I have to accept the fact that I may not be able to save ALL the seed for our urban potager. I live on a city street filled with blocks of homes, apartments, condos and city buildings, within a 1/2 mile or one mile radius, I do not know what people are growing…
Swiss Chard is a Champ
I have all the Holidays at our house, so I am pretty busy until after New Years at our home. I was thinking the other day about how the past few years between Thanksgiving and Christmas I would find my Swiss Chard gone by this time of year, but this year I decided to transplant…
Organic Benning’s Green Tint Patty Pan or Scallop Summer Squash a Keeper!
I grew Benning’s Green Tint Scallop Squash in our sustainable garden in 2012. This is an heirloom squash dating back to the early eighteenth century. It was introduced to the United States in 1914. It produced wonderfully and made a significant impression on most of the people who toured our Urban Potager. I lost…
Thinking outside the box when it comes to growing food in small spaces like city lots…don’t be afraid of failure!
Growing food in city lots is a lot of hard work. You have to be determined to prove that it is possible and be willing to explore new ways to grow food, accept foods that grow well in your area, and some foods that do not grow in your space. You have to be open to…
Urban Potager/ Kitchen Garden is not asleep….we are harvesting while it snows today!
In the city, we have microclimates, and we can grow our food a bit longer than those that live out in the country. Our microclimates are created by our buildings since they shelter our growing areas keeping them a bit warmer than they would be out in a more rural area. They also provide opportunities…
Immunity Gardens 