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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi! I was recently given a bunch of corkscrew willow branches which I immediately put in water, before even knowing that it was a willow. A few weeks have passed and the branches have bloomed, big time! It’s gorgeous, I love it! However, I still have them in a tall glass vas. I can see that there are vines growing in the water and right now it looks like a tangled mess. I need to plant it somewhere and since I live in a Brooklyn apartment, I don’t have much options except for perhaps a ceramic pot… or anything else that someone/anyone may suggest.
Please help! I can’t even begin to tell you how beautiful these crazy branches looks with its pretty green leaves. I want to keep it forever and just watch it grow, and grow and grow…. but, in order to do that I first need feedback from all of you experts out there.
Look forward to hearing from… anyone.
not a comment…a question.
my neighbor has 4-5 feral cats that she feeds. these cats use my yard/garden as their litter box. i want to grow vegetables in raised beds. would they be safe to eat? i have tried a number of suggested repellents that help for a short time only. any suggestions?
Does anyone know of people who would be interested in starting up an urban garden coop in Montreal, QC – Canada? Where would be the best place to search for others like me? I have all kinds of space in the backyard that I don’t use and I’d love to grow my own fruits/veg-herbs. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I live in southwest florida, have a small gardening area on my patio now with flowers but would like to gradually replace them. am confused about growing season here. any suggestions for websites that might be helpful?
The city has made 3 acres available (former school, now demolished) that is urban and surrounded by low income neighborhoods. I would like your ideas about the best way to make use of this land – I think a community garden on part of it, but am concerned about seasonality, and the place being forgotten in the off-season. Any input is welcome. Thanks.
Here goes – my son has recently brought a house in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn – the back yard (20×40) is a mess – glass, concrete, weeds…. He would like to have a grassy area planted for his new son to play in. Does he need to dig up all the poor soil and clear out all the debris, or can he cover the soil and put either new top soil or cover with sod.
Lot of questions – is there a book or site I can go to. Thanks for any advise.
Patrick
I want to start an urban garden in the middle of downtown fabulous Las Vegas. Really have very little experience in this, I want to make it in honor of my grandmother.
Anyways, I don’t know what I don’t know. If any one could point me in general directions and lend their organizational expertise to a man on a mission, I would be delighted. I want the garden to be big and beautiful, if it has to be indoors, because of the heat, that’s ok too. I am just trying to get a clear target so that I can inspire the next generation of growers.. the way that my grandma inspired me…
Hello
I’m interested in looking for a small raised bed for my new York city fire escape, as being that I live on a small 4 story building and live I on the top floor as I do share the fire escape with the tenant next to my apartment.
The fire escape in this image is similar but much the one on my end is much longer.
http://image.absoluteastronomy.com/images/encyclopediaimages/f/fi/fire_escape_soho.jpg
And yes…I know its against fire code for NYC tenants to have any items on the fire escape, but some building management do enforce this law and some don’t, not sure if mine’s will.
Any suggestions on how I can build a small raised bed or buy one that is suitable to to place upon a fire escape?
Hello, I recently purchased a Cat Palm at Walmart. I replanted it using the soil it came with in another pot indoors. It was doing fine up until a week or so of having it. Some problems I have been having:
-White residue on top of plant and even worse on the under parts of the leaves
-Also noticed today there were little white bugs crawling around ( you really have to concentrate to see them)
I have read online different methods to getting rid of these bugs, I have found that it could possibly be Mealy Bugs. As of right now I have sprayed the leaves with warm water and dawn dish soap. And whipped off the leaves with a wet towel.
How do I treat this, and what if the bugs are actually coming from the roots and or soil?
I used the same soil to plant a smaller plant that was from my mothers home and I noticed small white bugs crawling in the soil.
Christina
Do you know of any academic or research focused journals or articles regarding the plants used for urban gardening?
Just wondering if anyone knows of any urban gardening committee-like organizations I can contact in Massachusetts (preferably W. Mass). Thank-you,
-Jeremy
Hey this is Don Barton from the Baltimore Free Farm! We are an urban agriculture collective here in Bmore MD. Our goal is to transform abandoned city lots into organic food producing gardens! Check us out on the web at http://www.baltimorefreefarm.org! We are currently running a Kickstarter fundraiser for project funds for the coming season! There are only 3 days left to make a pledge, and there are awesome rewards for backers! Please make your tax-dedcutible donation at http://kickstarter.baltimorefreefarm.org!
Thanks for your question.
I found a couple of useful links for you!
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/trees/msg0409034132532.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5636641_propagate-cork-screw-willow.html
Willows are fast growing, so it’s unclear how long you’d actually be able to just keep it in a pot inside. It’s going to have to go into the ground to really flourish, I think.
I have the same problem in my neighborhood, and I had very good luck with this product.
http://www.gardeners.com/Safe-Cat-Deterrent/YardPests_DogsCats,31-954,default,cp.html
It stays in one spot permanently, and it lasts for several years. Depending on the size of your garden, you might need several sets.
I also have good luck with regular black pepper. I take the pepper grinder outside and grind it like crazy in the spot where the cats go, and it lasts for several weeks. (Black pepper serves double duty, because it also prevents the dog from sniffing around, looking for cat poop.)
Let me know if either of them work for you, so I can continue recommending!
@Charlie
I would recommend contacting the folks at the American Community Gardening Association. I think they will have the most experience with this kind of situation, and would probably have a lot of constructive suggestions to prevent the area from getting forgotten in the off season.
http://communitygarden.org/
@Patrick
Here’s a good site that might help you get started.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/lawnchallenge/lesson3.html
And here’s a book that might help.
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-Complete-Landscape-Construction/dp/1589232453/