Forest Garden. Shade Garden. Vertical Gardens & Living Walls. Victory Garden. Edible Landscaping. Edible Petals @Craftzine.com blog. Spring is finally here, and I’ve been spending every free moment planting colorful new additions in my yard. This year I thought I’d try to grow some edible flowers in the half wine barrel on my deck. I started poking around online and found almost too much information, but a lot of inspiration as well. I knew about nasturtiums and mustard blooms, but daisies and gladiolus? Turns out there are lots of flowers that offer more than a pretty face. I’ve included some of my finds after the jump.
The above image was found at Fresh Origins, which has a wonderful roundup of cocktails decorated with edible flowers. Yum! • Herbvideos.com Includes an index with common name, scientific name and flavor, a list of wild edibles, and recipes — including lavender butter and hawthorn brandy. Related. No-dig. I love this method of vegetable gardening. As you might have guessed, there's no digging. This method of vegetable gardening is particularly suited to people with physical disabilities or older people. But I mostly prefer it because I think it's better for the soil. When soil is dug over it destroys the soil structure. By creating a no-dig plot you are not disturbing the soil at all - which means that the worms, soil microbes and creatures can continue doing what they do best in your garden. To get the best results in your garden, you want to aim for no compaction of the soil.
Nutrients, water and air all travel through the soil by pathways made by worms and plant roots. If you design you plots to be no more than about 1.25metres (4 feet) across (by however long you want), you won't need to stand on your plot. If you start with a small bed, (1.25m x 2.5m / 4' x 8') you can leave space so that you can expand when you are ready. Skinny plots work best. Building your plot 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. DWN: Homegarden: Backyard Orchard Culture. Elizabeth Abernathy: Repurpose: Altoid Tin Pocket Garden.
Shady Veg. Garden. Most people envision their gardens as being in full sun all day long, and yet there may be some of us that have more shade in our yards than full sunshine. Is it still possible to have a vegetable garden? I say yes, you can! You may not be able to have all of your favorites, but then again you may be able to grow plants that others cannot. Then you can barter with those in your community that need what you have grown for what you are not able to raise in your own garden – see my article “Bartering.” So what can you grow in a shady garden? There are plants that hate shade: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and all varieties of squash. If your garden area is only partially shady during the daylight hours, there are plants that will work well for you.
I think that all homegrown vegetables taste much better than their store bought relatives. Help your garden out by knowing what it needs. Enjoy the fruits of God’s blessing and your labors!
Indoor Gardening. Aquaponics. Straw Bale Culture. Square Foot Gardening. No Dig Garden.