Urban Gardening Methods/Tools

Now that I am in a condo with a small deck, I have EarthBoxes, flower boxes, and other self-watering containers. When I had room and an actual yard, I like using Square Foot gardening methods.

I was thinking about lettuce today and remembered that lovely vertical wall at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe. Very lovely....and very practical if you have a small space. After twenty minutes of searching other methods, I went to find images from the botanic garden. On this page, you can see what their vertical wall garden looks like.

That started me thinking....what methods are people in urban areas using to grow their food (or flowers, as the case may be, particularly edible ones like nasturtiums)? What resources are needed? How does one get started? I imagine many others who might like to take a plunge but don't know what they can do or how to do it, would love to hear more.

In my searches today, I came across this sitethat discusses intensive gardening methods. I think that most urban gardening could qualify as in intensive method.

So, I started doing research on Growing Up.

I've seen these vertical containers before and they look nifty. But, they are expensive for something that is only guaranteed for 3 years. I'd hate that plastic to dry up and crack during year 4.

Vertigroappears to be similar to the ones above. Looks like these are being used commercially, however, so not sure how well they could be adapted to yards or decks.

This Harvest Highrise thingee looks too large for a small deck, but might help in a yard, especially with melons, cukes, and vining items.

These Veggies Cages are new to me...you still need a stake and not sure how that would work in a self watering container of any kind.

Thisis sort of like what I was thinking for lettuce. (BTW, follow some of the links listed on this page - the green wall in Madrid is fabulous). The companymaking the ones shown in the previous link touts them for many applications including urban. Here's a YouTube video of an interview with the company president (I think).

While at YouTube, I found many videos related to vertical gardening, mostly selling products, but interesting none-the-less. One, two, and this one in three or four parts.

So far, I haven't found something to help me with my lettuce. I'm seriously thinking that the botanic garden simply used a webbing - like stuff used to keep pests out. Huh, I'll keep searching.

Added 5/2/09 - Just found this DIY method for going up. Seems to work pretty well!

I also found plastic bags - apparently they are available in many forms. Vesey's has one version - either hanging or saddle. There are also commercial ones, at least it looks like commercial. Thesedon't appear to hang, though; they come in many sizes. And, lastly, DIY bags made of a garbage bag...seems a bit scary to put that much potting mix in a garbage bag, even if it's a strong one.

Apparently these bags are prone to drying out. This article has some tips on using these type of bags.

This is a very cool image taken in Sweden of taking grow bags to new heights.

Aha! This looks promising...the article has some interesting things in it, but the picture of the flat material with slits in it, like pockets, is quite fascinating. Maybe it's the idea listed in the Garden Web forum - burlap bags. Following a link in one of these posts, I came to tengreenthumbs site. Some incredibly fascinating ideas here.

Aha, again! Here is the panel shown in one of the YouTube videos, available at Smith and Hawken.

A way cool creation, it's unfortunately not available in any store....but handy types may want to create their own.

While this unit probably is wonderful, I think I want something more rustic....and that I probably have to put together myself, darnit.

Then again, this strawberry planter (like a TopsyTurvy) might work great for herbs and lettuces and I wouldn't have to make that lettuce wall. The TopsyTurvy I had lasted about 3 seasons before the UV destroyed the fabric and I lost a tomato plant 3/4 though the growing season (meaning just as I'd gotten one or two tomatoes from it).

Back to the idea of me making it, this wall planter board might be adaptable for lettuce.

I'm tired, I think. Too many ideas, not enough time in the day (or night as the case might be) for investigating. A few final links before I go to bed and dream of other more knowledgeable folks posting some great ideas to add to this thread, particularly with pictures and detailed instructions for creating.

More ideas here, and here, and in a thread I haven't read in totality, but the couple posts I did added more to my mental picture of how this might work.

And, finally, something to pique the interest for another part of this whole topic: rooftop gardening right here in Chicago and others all over the world.

A friend of mine grows herbs in a wall he built himself - basically a wooden lattice frame whose insides had been covered in plastic, filled with dirt. He poked holes for the plants (basil, IIRC) I'll see if I can get a picture, he lives in Evanston.

I tried one of those multi-tiered plastic pots - you're right, they aren't very durable. This year, I'm downgrading; I gave up my plot and am gardening only in my little townhouse's few patches of dirt. I plan to tuck veggies among the flowers (swiss chard, hot peppers, sunchokes) and I also plan to use this upside-down tomato planter, less because it's upside-down (though I'm hoping that will help with fungal diseases) and more because I plan to wrap it in chicken wire to keep out the tomato-eating critters - reviews on this product are mixed, I already have plans to switch the supports. We'll see...

A coworker of mine was telling me she has a terracotta version of those vertical containers she uses for herbs. You many want to poke around for one of those. They should last longer than those plastic ones.

I don't have anything to add on the vertical growing topic but I think the original topic was urban gardening methods. Here are some links I visit often.

http://www.insideurbangreen.org/

http://www.homegrownevolution.com/

http://www.cityfarmer.info/

For convenience, ease of use, and budget, urban gardening to me means container planting - and in my experience, there is no container better than a sub-irrigated planter (SIP). It doesn't matter if it's an Earthbox, Gardener's Supply, or homemade; they conserve more water while yielding better results. Happy hunting...

tyrus wrote:I don't have anything to add on the vertical growing topic but I think the original topic was urban gardening methods.
For convenience, ease of use, and budget, urban gardening to me means container planting - and in my experience, there is no container better than a sub-irrigated planter (SIP).

I am thrilled you added more about the topic in general. I hope others do, too. I love to search and follow, but it's often nicer to have someone give you there good links.

It's interesting that you feel that way, tyrus. I don't know what the facts are for the EBs or other SIPs regarding water use. Some of the ones I found were phenomenal regarding water use. I think I just like the visual idea of burlap hanging on my wall with lettuce coming out of it, which is why I didn't like many of those planters. Then again, I could cover it with burlap and I'd have my cool look along with a nifty technological item.

Mhays wrote:A friend of mine grows herbs in a wall he built himself - basically a wooden lattice frame whose insides had been covered in plastic, filled with dirt. He poked holes for the plants (basil, IIRC) I'll see if I can get a picture, he lives in Evanston.

I tried one of those multi-tiered plastic pots - you're right, they aren't very durable. This year, I'm downgrading; I gave up my plot and am gardening only in my little townhouse's few patches of dirt. I plan to tuck veggies among the flowers (swiss chard, hot peppers, sunchokes) and I also plan to use this upside-down tomato planter, less because it's upside-down (though I'm hoping that will help with fungal diseases) and more because I plan to wrap it in chicken wire to keep out the tomato-eating critters - reviews on this product are mixed, I already have plans to switch the supports. We'll see...

I'd love to see a pic. As I noted to tyrus, for me much of this is about the visual of it, I think. I love my EarthBoxes, but they don't add anything to my deck, lol.

I'd love to hear how you like the tomato hanging thing. I saw those somewhere last year - Gardener's Supply or such - and thought they looked more durable than the Topsy Turvy type planter. They also take up more space, so it didn't work for me. Interesting idea to wrap it in chicken wire.

For Frost Dates/When to Plant, see Viewsaskew's post here:

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=23801&p=254477#p254477

ViewsAskew wrote:Thisis sort of like what I was thinking for lettuce. (BTW, follow some of the links listed on this page - the green wall in Madrid is fabulous).

The wall in Madrid is exactly what came to mind when I read this:


Don't worry, I'm pretty sure this is the last of the Spain vacation pics, I swear

It would be great to have some info in here regarding soil mixes and fertilizers for urban gardening. In rooftop gardens, containers, and self watering containers, there are specific needs that need to be addressed. Very important is how much it weighs (real soil is very heavy), how it wicks water (if using a self watering planter), and how it retains water. Some mixes have ingredients that do this much better than other mixes. Of course, you can always make your own (I imagine this is less expensive, but obviously more work and you have to find all the ingredients).

I'd love to hear what brands people are successfully using along with any formulas you've come up with that you like. Also, where did you get the stuff? Since I'm originally from a country/farming area, I knew where to go to get lots of gardening stuff relatively inexpensively. In the city, I have a much smaller selection and I pay a premium price for it.

In the EarthBoxes or the SWC (self-watering container) from Gardener's Supply, in the past I just bought any old mix. But, I can say that I've had some that worked better than others. Now, I'm paying attention! I can't say if I'll use a specific brand this year or make my own, but I will be doing something different and dumping what I had in there the last two years.

From what I've ready, the EBs and SWC need quite a bit of peat - say 70%. Then about 15-20% vermiculite, 5-10% perlite, and potentially some dolomite (lime) for adjusting the pH (which should be tested annually and adjusted as needed). Other potential additives are using a percentage of coir in place of the peat, some well composted manure - no more than 5%, and soil additives such as Espoma's BioTone Starter Plus.

One soil that they like a LOT at the EB site is Premier Pro-Mix BX. It has dolomite (lime) and some beneficial soil additives in it already. Not sure who, if anyone, carries it in the city or burbs, but there are a couple of dealers in the area (none in the city, I seem to recall one in Tinley Park).

On the EB forum, I saw references to Espoma, Fox Farm, and Sweet Earth fertilizers, but not sure why they were liked. When I read more there that might help, I'll post it.

I'd love to hear what Tyrus and other LTH EB growers use(d) for their mix and fertilizer.

I found an article that could help you regarding the mixing of soils. In this article it explain the Sowing lettuce indoors and the outdoors seeding. .
I hope this well help.


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ViewsAskew wrote:In the EarthBoxes or the SWC (self-watering container) from Gardener's Supply, in the past I just bought any old mix. But, I can say that I've had some that worked better than others. Now, I'm paying attention! I can't say if I'll use a specific brand this year or make my own, but I will be doing something different and dumping what I had in there the last two years.

From what I've ready, the EBs and SWC need quite a bit of peat - say 70%. Then about 15-20% vermiculite, 5-10% perlite, and potentially some dolomite (lime) for adjusting the pH (which should be tested annually and adjusted as needed). Other potential additives are using a percentage of coir in place of the peat, some well composted manure - no more than 5%, and soil additives such as Espoma's BioTone Starter Plus.

One soil that they like a LOT at the EB site is Premier Pro-Mix BX. It has dolomite (lime) and some beneficial soil additives in it already. Not sure who, if anyone, carries it in the city or burbs, but there are a couple of dealers in the area (none in the city, I seem to recall one in Tinley Park).

On the EB forum, I saw references to Espoma, Fox Farm, and Sweet Earth fertilizers, but not sure why they were liked. When I read more there that might help, I'll post it.

I'd love to hear what Tyrus and other LTH EB growers use(d) for their mix and fertilizer.

I can only speak to the EB's and can tell you that finding supplies in the city is frustrating. I think I've mentioned that I feel SIPs are the best method for growing anything in containers and I'm not alone in that theory (check out Google's office garden or the Montreal Roof Project), yet there is a huge disconnect at our local garden centers and ag extensions. There's a lot of wrong information or a complete lack of information at these places and I found myself very confused at this time last year. I had to do a lot of digging on the internet and, like you said, most of the supplies could only be found online.

For the record, I use Miracle Grow Organic potting mix since it's bags makes it easy for me to carry to the roof. I'm re-using the potting mix form last year and freshen up each box with about 25% new stuff before I plant. I also rotated my boxes so that the tomatoes/beans/peppers weren't in the same boxes as last year. For fertilizer, I use FoxFarms Organic which I bought at Gethsemane. EB recommends using a mix with all three components in the 5-10 range. Theirs is a 7-7-7 mix but it's not organic. Last year I bought a 9-6-5 (or something similar) which is intended for roses but they weren't carrying it this year, so I bought a 7-5-4 mix (or something like it), which I'm using on non-fruiting plants (I still have some left over from last year). I also use hydrated lime in the mix for fruiting plants (tomatoes, peppers, etc) and mix it in according to the EB recs. Everything worked great last year so I'm keeping my fingers crossed this year.

I know some of the other SIP growers have used other materials but they are all organic (which is very hard to do in this city). You'll have to check out the greenroofgrower blog for info on their set-ups.

It's truly amazing how much of a disconnect there is, here in this very green city, as you noted Tyrus. Whoever has the money could make a fortune on a shop that catered to rooftop and container culture gardens. From the casual gardener who wants flower on their deck to dedicated rooftop gardens, we're terribly under served. And not sure why some of the shops like Fertile Gardens or Gesthemane do not see it. Meinke? I don't expect them to, but the shops in the city? They really oughtta wanna.

Someone mentioned going to Menards, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. That's usually what I resort to, but they don't have what I want. And, paying shipping from the online companies is pure madness.

I may see if my sister will pick me up at the train station and take me shopping in the burbs, then drive me home. When you don't have a car, it makes it even more complicated. The more green I am, the harder of a time I have being green...of course, I could just rent a car and drive to the burbs, but having a fun day with my sister sounds like more fun.

I found this nifty watering device tonight while searching for some fertilizers and other items. This probably wouldn't work for any heavy duty container gardens, but I think it would do well for a deck or patio with limited items. It holds 26 quarts (about 7 gallons) and is battery operated. If it weren't too hot, I could probably even water a few EBs for a week or so and not worry about them going dry before I got back.

I purchased a bale of Pro-Mix BX from Conserv FS. The Tinley Park location was the closest for me. http://www.conservfs.com/CoInfo/Locatio ... _start.htm

Note: The Pro Mix BX website lists an incorrect location for their Tinley Location. They are actually on 183 St, just west of Harlem across from the Tinley Fire or Police station.

I've filled 2 boxes so far, and figure I can get at least 2 more out of the 3.8 cu ft (compressed) bale. Cost was around $30. Tomatoes so far seem to like it.

Brian

That's good to know. I really wanted to try that, but couldn't find it. Then, I seem to recall seeing it at Menard's in the back lot....I'd already bought peat.

I just bought coco. I haven't done anything with it, yet, but am psyched because it has some advantages over peat. Of course, you have to make your own mix, but I have a huge amount of vermiculite left, so next year I'll use some and see how it works. A compressed 11x11x7 inch bale of it is relatively small, but when you moisten it with 3 gallons of water, it turns into something like 70 liters.

I also bought these nifty hydroponic starting cubesmade of rockwool. I figured they might do well for things that don't transplant well, but that you want to start inside. You add some mild fertilizer to water, wet them, then place a seed in the hole on top. Depending on if the seeds needs light to germinate, you may or may not cover the seed. I put lima beans and green beans in some today to see what happens.

Any thoughts for someone who has never gardened? I've got a deck & a balcony available at my condo & would love to try my hand at something, but I will admit I really want that something to be successful & something we would actually eat.

Lettuce and Arugula are really easy--both grow early and often Doesn't need much maintenance and you can keep throwing in more seeds as you harvest and eat.

Tomatoes need the right combo of good sun (hot but not too hot) and proper moisture (enough but not too much). If conditions are good (last summer wasn't really warm enough so the flavor was just ok), they're pretty easy, particularly the smaller patio and grape varieties.

Peppers (jalapenos, serranos,habaneros, poblanos) do well and are also fairly low maintenance. Tomatillos too if you plant them early enough (and it's kind of a pretty "tree" that you can plant in a pot).

I stay away from the creepers--zucchini, cukes, etc--because they take up too much room and overtake your planter.

Eggplant do well although they don't typically yield a lot in a container gardern.

We had some success with carrots last summer--first time I tried those--best in their own container as well.

You need to assess how much sunlight your space gets and plan accordingly. It's a lot of fun and definitely rewarding when you make that first salad!!

Enjoy and good luck!

pairs4life wrote:Any thoughts for someone who has never gardened? I've got a deck & a balcony available at my condo & would love to try my hand at something, but I will admit I really want that something to be successful & something we would actually eat.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I really want sun gold tomatoes for sure. Everything else, is negotiable.

I agree that lettuce is a shoo-in. There are some excellent forums devoted to container gardening and urban gardening; it might be worthy to check them out. Not sure how you're planning on growing (home made containers, Earthbox type containers, in ground, etc.) but if using containers, there are many mistakes that can be avoided by doing some early research and reading. Someone in another thread mentioned GardenWeb for the Tomato forum; I love the container forum there because I'm growing in containers! I've learned more from those folks than from anywhere.