As I have touched on already this winter, gardeners easily grow restless this time of year. Forcing bulbs inside helps but unfortunately there are few substitutes for working earth between one’s hands. There is, however, one easy project that is a fabulous way to start the summer garden in the quiet lull of winter: composting.
Interest in community gardens has reached an all-time high, but a garden could fizzle and fade unless the right training and support is provided for startup groups.
Anytime of the year is a time for gardeners to dream of being outside, despite the howling wind and cold temperatures. This year, remember the gardener in your life with a holiday gift just for them. Below are some ideas that might make gardening easier and more productive for your favorite gardener.
Call them allotment gardens, victory gardens or community gardens, it’s all the same.
Vegetable gardens are commonplace in suburbia; however, edible landscaping is a relatively new trend. What’s the difference? Instead of planting vegetables in neat rows, the recent trend is to use edibles in landscape design by intermingling them with ornamentals and even using edibles as ornamentals. The practice of edible landscaping is not new, as it dates back to the ancient Egyptians and was also used in the medieval monasteries by the monks in designing their gardens. The recent rise in the popularity of edible landscaping began in the early 1980s and is credited, by many, to Rosalind Creasy. She is the author of several popular books on the subject.
A raised bed garden by definition is simply one that is elevated off the ground. The bed can be solid to the ground and constructed with sides made of wood, brick, or other materials. The bed can simply be a berm with no permanent edges. Or, the bed can be completely elevated off the ground so that a chair can be placed under it. How you design your raised bed garden depends on your available resources, where you are putting it, and how you intend to use it.