Comments on: Got Urban Gardening Questions?

By: lars

lars — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:24:09 +0000

@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/

By: patrick o

patrick o — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 17:04:10 +0000

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

By: lars

lars — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:37:44 +0000

@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/

By: charlie wood

charlie wood — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:59:57 +0000

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.

By: sharon

sharon — Fri, 14 May 2010 21:45:47 +0000

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?

By: TheOtherBarbie

TheOtherBarbie — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:34:09 +0000

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!

By: lars

lars — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:55:53 +0000

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!

By: denise

denise — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:23:59 +0000

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?

By: admin

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:17:07 +0000

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.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:39:08 +0000

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.