Posts Tagged ‘Do It Yourself’

I think we all know the rewards of having a thriving bountiful crop of tomatoes, and I’m sure we also know the frustrations of having a tomato plant that produces only four fruits all season. So, aside from watering our starts and checking on them constantly, what more can we do as gardeners to ensure that our tomato plant is best prepared to create a bumper crop of bomber, juicy delights?

It’s a gorgeous day in New York City – sunny and warm.  It’s the perfect type of day to start a DIY project.  This one involves wood, nails, lots of soil, and some seedlings.  I’ll be posting all about it later in the weekend, but as for now, I have to go finish it up. Hope you’re enjoying this spring day as much as I am!

Nicky over at Dirt and Martinis has a great post about winter sowing, and gives instructions for having a winter “garden party” – to get a head start on your garden, reuse some of those old plastic containers in the recycling bin, and beat those winter blues.  She also links to a site that has a list of seeds that will do well with this method.  Spring will be here before we know it, but until then, head on over to Dirt and Martinis for this great post. With six easy steps, this is a great DIY gardening project to hold you over until spring hits!

It’s been almost a year of blogging, and over 200 posts! (March 10, 2010 is the actualy “birthday” of Grown in the City). In that time, there have been a lot of interesting posts covering balcony gardening. Since it’s almost time to start thinking about this season’s planting, here’s a few of my favorite articles. It’s never too early to start saving your yogurt containers or building those self-watering planters! Anatomy of a Yogurt Container Self Watering Planter DIY: Building Self-Watering Grow Boxes (18 Gallon Tub Edition) Step by Step: A Simple Guide to Starting Seeds Step by Step: Making a Self-Watering Planter from Yogurt Cups Gardening with Kids – Lifetime Engagement Tips for Growing Zucchini on a Balcony – Be sure to Pollinate! Growing Your Own Sprouts: Indoors Advice for a “below-novice gardener” The Most Indestructible Trellis Ever, 2.0 And remember, if you’re looking for seeds, some books on

On Memorial Day weekend, I stayed with two of my best friends, Campbell and Sarah, in their Charles Village home.  For those of you who live in the Baltimore-Washington area and haven’t been to Charles Village, you should certainly check it out.  It was named one of the great neighborhoods in America in 2008 by the American Planning Association (before I started working there) and I can attest that this honor is certainly deserved.   It’s home to Johns Hopkins University, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and a lot of really pretty painted ladies.  It’s a place where history, community, architecture, and quite honestly, a bit of weirdness combine.  I had a great weekend. Campbell was nice enough to share some stories about his garden with me. Name: Campbell McLean City: Baltimore, MD What He’s Growing: Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Squash, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Carrots, Spinach, Basil, Cilantro, and others. How He’s Growing

Starting with seeds on Monday, you can be munching on sprouts by the weekend!

I currently have five or six varieties of herbs growing in self-watering yogurt containers. The constant moist soil is perfect to foster strong root growth – especially on a hot balcony, where the soil can dry out quickly. Check out my post on Prince of Petworth for some tips on growing your own herb garden.