small scale gardening

the time has come when the inside of my home begins to feel a bit neglected and abandoned. dust accumulates on every surface, the floors are in desperate need of a mopping and simple meals of sandwiches and popcorn are made to allow every waking moment to be spent out in the garden.

 i have been teaching a few backyard classes this spring including small scale gardening which i taught this past monday evening. i focused on creative solutions and ideas for those who have limited space. i talked about maximizing space by inter-planting vegetables, fruit, and herbs with ornamentals, incorporating them into pots and planters, growing on top of a roof and even on the strip between the street and the sidewalk. i discussed edible flowers,  edibles that do well in planters, how to make your own potting mix and compost tea and edibles that grow well in part shade (don't worry, i will be focusing on all of these topics in the upcoming weeks).

 i also shared many ideas which i am excited to try myself both at the farm where i work as well as at home. straw bale gardening is something i have always wanted to try and this week i plan to make a vertical garden. I will write a post about making one for next week.