My Pond Village
April 17, 2012 by Kat Dennis
Filed under Garden Tips
I’ve started a new project in my yard this year. This is a picture of my first attempt at building a mini village in my pond. I had an old fountain so I took it apart and put in pond where the water flows in. Then I had an old table top fountain that I added. Now I’m looking around in my old stuff to see what else I can find;-)
I’m thinking that I may hit a few yard sales and see what I can come up with. I’ll keep you updated as I go. If you have any ideas I’d love to hear them. Until next time enjoy your yard.
Here Are Some Great Gardening Deals
April 12, 2012 by Kat Dennis
Filed under Garden Tips
Burpee Seeds and plants Home Heirloom Seeds and Plants
Save 20% on Heirloom Seeds and Plants with code AFFHR until midnight 4/14 at Burpee.com!
$10 off orders of $50 or more with code AFF1050 thru 4/30 at Burpee.com!
10% off orders over $50 at Gardener’s Supply Company! Expires 5/24/12.
Gardener’s Supply Company Deals of the Week: amazing discounts on Gardener’s Supply favorites!
Save $10 on Plant Orders of $50+ with code CAFFPL99 through 4/16!
Garden Girl TV: Vertical Gardening One(How to Grow Vertically)
April 25, 2011 by Kat Dennis
Filed under Garden Tips, Videos
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Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, shows you techniques to get more out of limited landspace, by growing up.
Read the companion article on Vertical Gardening with Cucumbers: http://www.gardengirltv.com/vertical-gardening-cucumbers.html
Check out her website at http://www.gardengirltv.com
This video is available through closed caption(cc) enjoy in any language.
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How to Grow a ‘Skyscraper’ Garden
April 18, 2011 by Kat Dennis
Filed under Garden Tips, Vegetables
How to Grow a ‘Skyscraper’ Garden
By Chef Janie Pendleton
As an organic and gluten-free chef, I need the freshest and safest
ingredients. As an avid gardener, I found a way to achieve these two goals through
vertical gardening.
But first, we need ask ourselves, why grow fruits and vegetables vertically?
The answer is a simple one. If you have limited space or want to grow a
spectacular and bountiful wall, pull fewer weeds, have less pests and nibblers,
want a longer growing season, and desire a healthier crop, vertical gardening can
be the right choice for you.
Vertical gardening adds a beautiful third dimension to your space and allows
smaller plants, like lettuce or kale, more room to grow. It also serves as a wind
barrier for more delicate plantings, like peppers.
Vertical gardening adds a wind buffer to your space and adds a shading
screen for those less sun and wind-tolerant plantings.
A vertical garden can last for years with proper maintenance and can be
a big money saver in so many ways. Let’s look at few.
First, we know what a fresh organically grown vegetable can cost at the
market. Too much, and a bumper crop means more savings over the winter
months.
Second, a vertical garden uses far less water and organic fertilizers.
In fact, if done right, you won’t need fertilizer. My friend, Anna, had
chickens and found that by laying the fertilized straw down over her garden bed in
the fall, she had all the fertilizer that she needed come spring.
Thirdly, a vertical garden uses less space, therefore less mulch and compost
mix.
Mulching the garden beds will lessen weeds and keep the soil moist, using
less water.
Fourth, by growing vines vertically, you can stop vines from choking out
your other plants, saving you both time and money.
Lastly, vertical gardening stops the fruit from lying on the ground and
getting dirty or spoiled. This helps to stop the hungry slugs as well.
By owning a vertical garden, you can achieve more produce, less waste, be
greener and enjoy colorful fruit and veggies that are just waiting to be picked all
summer long; a colorful bounty that will make you the envy of your neighborhood.
Where to Plant a ‘Skyscraper’ Trellis:
Growing vertically takes up very little room and can be built on the side of
a garage, barn, or even fence row. You can even build one in the city, up high on a
rooftop patio. No more worries of hauling large amounts of dirt up small elevators.
What better concept is there?
If planting your trellis in an open plot, be sure and plant your vertical garden
on the north edge of your garden. This is for optimal sun and shade.
How to build a ‘Skyscraper’ Garden:
First, I measured my area. I then cut a 1” copper pipe 10’ long for the top
bar. I then used six tent stakes for the bottom anchors and 5-7” square nylon
netting for the vines. Cutting three 2” x 2” cedar boards 2’-3’’ long, I made simple
crossbar brackets. I then drilled a hole in the ends and screwed them to the side of
my small barn. Then threading the netting onto the pipe, I pushed the pipe ends
through the bracket holes.
Using set screws to keep the pipe in place, I tightened the bar to the
brackets. This design keeps the netting away from my barn wall by 2-feet and
gives me the distance I need to walk behind the net for spraying and harvesting.
Also, this keeps the vegetables, like tomatoes, from staining the barns white wall.
For planting, I set my trellis in 8” deep tilled soil that has been mixed
with composted manure, perlite and peat moss. I top the bed with mulch after planting.
What vegetables to grow in your ‘Skyscraper’ Garden:
Pumpkins (smaller kind) Melons Ivy Geranium
Summer quash Winter Squash Cucumber
Pole beans Gourds English Ivy
Peas Clematis Morning Glory
Tomatoes Wisteria Trumpet Vine
Honeysuckle Carolina Jasmine
Chef Janie Pendleton’s Bio:
Janie is a Historical Romance and Suspense War Novelist. She also has Celiac
Disease and ventured out to become a gluten-free chef. She has two cookbooks,
one published and the other due out in the fall of 2011. She is married to a full-
time active-duty soldier, who is retiring after 30 years of service. They have three
children and love to garden.
Chef Janie Pendleton’s Link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/janiebuilder
Novelist Janie Pendleton’s Link:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historical-Novelist-Janie-Pendleton
Tags: How to Grow a ‘Skyscraper’ Garden, rooftop patio, Vegetable, vertical garden
