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Refrigerator Pickles
When you harvest your first cucumber, you’ll be thrilled and cherish the results of your hard gardening work. Soon after, when the cucumbers are overflowing onto your kitchen counters, overwhelm might be the stronger emotion. Plan ahead and have some recipes ready for enjoying and persevering your garden produce. These refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make. The taste of homemade pickles far surpasses anything found in the grocery store—fresh, crisp, tangy, and delicious. And if you haven’t harvested your own cucumbers yet, take a weekend trip to the farmer’s market so you can enjoy these pickles! You’ll need about two pounds of cucumbers to create two quart jars…
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Best Materials for Raised Garden Beds
Raised garden beds can be great for the urban gardener. From any gardener with knee or joint problems, they’re much more ergonomic. Many urban gardeners have contaminated or compacted yard soil, while raised beds can be filled with clean, fresh dirt. If done well, raised beds can also be a beautiful landscape element. So what material should you use for raised beds? This depends on your needs, budget, and personal preferences. Some things to consider include: Options for Raised Garden Bed Materials Hopefully, this information will help you make an informed choice when starting your garden beds. Next you can move on to filling those beds and planting delicious food!
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Book Review: Nature’s Best Hope (and a Valuable Online Resource!)
Many urban gardeners feel their small acreage cannot make much of a difference for wildlife, but Dr. Douglas Tallamy would like to argue otherwise. Tallamy, an entomologist, focuses on planting and gardening that benefits pollinator insects. In his book Nature’s Best Hope, Tallamy makes the case that individual small efforts can combine together to make a “Homegrown National Park” that can support and benefit pollinators and the larger environment. Nature’s Best Hope is smooth and easy reading, despite the wealth of scientific information. An eco-conscious gardener will be fascinated by the knowledge inside. Tallamy makes suggestions that are specific and easy for most gardeners to implement. Recommendations from the Book…
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Beginner Fruit Trees for Your Urban Garden
If you have limited space for trees, as most urban gardeners do, you’ll want to choose your fruit trees carefully. In my opinion, the number one consideration should be—which fruit do you want to eat?! You can read a previous post here that covers considerations about size, climate, and more. But there’s no point in choosing the otherwise perfect fruit tree if you aren’t going to enjoy eating the produce. Here are some of our top recommendations for fruit trees for beginner gardeners. Satsumas. If you live in a climate that grows citrus well (generally Zones 8-11), this is my top citrus choice. Satsumas are delicious, easy to peel, and…
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Planting Fruit Trees – What to Consider & Where to Buy
There are thousands of varieties of fruit trees, and choosing one for your urban yard can be challenging. With limited yard space, you want to pick carefully and hopefully end up with a tree that will provide you with fresh fruit for many years. Before purchasing your fruit trees, you need to consider a few variables. Size. Fruit trees come in full, semi-dwarf, and dwarf sizes. There are even miniature and columnar varieties that will fit in patio containers. In my half-acre yard, I’ve planted semi-dwarf fruit trees. They don’t take up too much space and won’t get too tall to easily pick fruit. In a smaller yard, dwarf trees…
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Thinking About Getting Chickens? 5 Things to Consider
Have you ever thought about having your own backyard chickens? I hadn’t until my children talked me into it. I will admit that raising our own hens has been much more fun and rewarding than I expected. They are interesting to watch and generally easy to care for, and we’ve certainly enjoyed the egg supply! If you’re thinking about acquiring your own flock, I would encourage you to take the plunge. However, there are a few important things to think about before you bring your chickens home. Here are five things to consider. Things to Consider I really underestimated how much I would enjoy my hens. A backyard flock can…
