Archive for May, 2010

This blog article from the Pheonix New Times reminds me of a case I studied in urban planning school, about a homeowner who sued their homeowner’s association about a fine they recieved for putting up a plastic, not wooden fence.  It seems there are many restrictions to what you can and can’t do in order to maintain a consistent look in many of the developments.  In fact, there is an entire cottage industry on HOA law – including blogs dedicated specifically to the subject.  Click that link if you’re looking for some good bedtime reading (just kidding!) The article, Plant an Edible Lawn, Piss off your HOA raises a great point about the changing face of urban agriculture, zoning restrictions and ordinances, and what’s considered a ‘nuisance’.  This new movement is pushing us to reevaluate what’s beautiful – manicured green grass or a varied, edible landscape.  (Can you guess which

The new 15th street contraflow bike lanes go right past this great place – the Temple Garden.  It’s a community garden “established in 1990 on land owned by the Scottish Right Masonic Temple.”  Unfortunately, it only serves zip codes 20005, 20009 and 20036, so I’m out of the catchment zone.  Anyone in this area have a plot here?  I’d love to chat with you and come see your garden!

This week we head back to the district, where Lilly Shoup is growing tomatoes, snow peas, and other good things in the (large, if I may add) backyard of her rowhome.   She’s a first time gardener who is blogging about her exploits at The Bird and Bee, so be sure to check her out if you’re a first timer as well. Your Name: Lilly Shoup Your City: Washington, DC What You’re Growing: Vegetables with a few marigolds thrown in for good measure How you’re Growing it: By ear… Tips for other GitC readers: Don’t sweat the small stuff, most people never even try! Be sure to keep us posted throughout the season, Lilly!

I am extremely excited to see the Baltimore City Hall garden – both because I lived in the city for 2 years when this was a “traditional” public space (read: formal, manicured public space that no one ever really used). This article from Susan Reimer at the Baltimore Sun discusses how successful the garden is – so much so that the bounty goes to a local soup kitchen. 1,000 pounds of fresh vegetables to Our Daily Bread! I’ll be heading up to Baltimore to check it out first hand this weekend. Any ideas of other places I should hit, you local Baltimoreans?

Thanks, JC, for pointing me to this absolutely awesome article from Wired magazine.  It’s about garden geeks, and I totally geeked out reading all the cool advice!  One of my favorite parts are the beautiful illustrations by Osanka Badrak, a really great illustrator.  Check out her website if you get a chance – she’s got some really stylish stuff. Be sure to read the whole article for some really geeky and fun advice.  Articles like this are my vice – now I’m going to be at the Home Depot, engineering all sorts of geeky new garden devices.

This morning, I posted about my employer (the American Planning Association’s) Sustainable Schoolyard initiative.  Recognizing the ability to impart knowledge to the next generation, my colleagues designed and constructed a fun exhibit that is also educational.  Covering everything from squarefoot gardening, to composting, to Louisiana’s relationship with water and the Mississippi river delta, the exhibit connects children with the natural environment.  Time will tell if the exhibit is adopted by the community, but I applaud Rich and Ryan’s work! Sometime in the future, I’ll post about the programming opportunities built into the schoolyard. For more pictures, click here.

Zucchini is one of those plants that does really well on a balcony.  It grows quickly, flowers prolifically, and is generally very hearty.  Its large leaves provide shade for the soil, and while they do drink a lot of water, much of it is not lost to evaporation (from the soil surface, at least.)  However, when you’re growing zucchini (or any other type of squash) on a balcony, you might have to help mother nature along a little bit. Zucchini are one of those rare plants that have both male and female flowers.  For an example of a male flower, see below.  It is a large, orange cone shape attached to a thin, slender stalk.  Inside is a stamen full of pollen. The female flower is attached to what looks like a small zucchini.  This is actually the ovary – what you’re eating when you have a ripe zucchini is