CasaSugar

Cool Idea: A Shoe Organizer as a Vertical Garden

CasaSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:30:28 -0700

Vertical gardens are a great choice for those of you who are space-conscious. But, unless you want to pony up for a Living Wall system or the like, they can be complicated and costly to build on your own. So, I was pleased to find a vertical garden made using an over-the-door shoe organizer on Instructables. Aside from the actual soil and seeds, the installation requires only a few household supplies (curtain rod, hooks, a piece of wood, and a trough) and takes only four steps to build. While I'm not sure about how long the fabric would last, it's still a pretty clever solution to a small-space dilemma.

Guess What's Coming Up?

CasaSugar — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:30:34 -0700

These tiny, feathery seedlings will grow up into a delicious, beta carotene-filled root veggie. Can you guess what's coming up?

Casa Quickie: Ashes, Ashes

CasaSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:15:00 -0700

Cleaning out the fireplace this Spring? Don't toss those ashes. Instead, spread the ash on your garden, or dump it into your composter. Adding wood ash will up the potassium content in your garden, which helps create plant proteins, and is also needed for nitrogen-fixing bacteria to produce nitrogen on the root nodes of legumes as well.

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Casa Beta: Rainbow Spiral Plant Supports

CasaSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:30:38 -0700

I've been using Rainbow Spiral Supports ($34.95 for five) for the past several months in my garden, and have found them to be a useful tool. While they're originally meant for tomato plant supports, I've found that they work well for any vining plant.

To hear more about the spiral supports, and to see how I'm using them, read more.

Currently, they're supporting some trellising pea plants. At five feet tall, the rainbow spirals are doing a good job at supporting the quickly growing plants, and while the peas' tendrils aren't quite convinced that the smooth metal is the best thing to latch onto, I've been able to encourage their attachment by winding some wool yarn around the spirals.

I also appreciated the ease with which I was able to work the supports into the soil, since the spiral shape can be twisted easily and driven into the ground. If I do use these for tomatoes as well (which I likely will), they're also better than tomato cages, since they don't take up as much space. This is a definite plus for small garden spaces such as mine. And it doesn't hurt that they're nicely designed. I'd much rather look at a brightly colored steel spiral than a tomato cage!

How-To: Start Your Own Victory Garden

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:00:41 -0700

Today, US First Lady Michelle Obama, along with elementary school students, took part in the ground breaking of the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn. This is the first kitchen garden on the White House lawn since First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden during World War II. Victory gardens are vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens that were planted at home residences during World War I and II to increase families' food supplies during the days of rationing and boost morale. From the Iraq war to the financial crisis, there are plenty of reasons to start a victory garden right now so, if you're up for the task, check out my tips for starting your own.
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Open House: Winter in the Garden

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:00:44 -0800

My brother, who lives in the Midwest, is definitely done with his garden, since snow is on the ground. Like many other Midwestern garden enthusiasts, he's busy plotting out next year's veggie patch. While my garden has definitely slowed down thanks to the cold and rainy weather, that doesn't mean nothing's growing. This morning, I took a photo of what I'd harvested before heading to work. Figs are still ripening, and my Easter egg radishes are coming in - though oddly, it's primarily the white-colored ones that are mature. And, of course, mint, which is nearly impossible to deter or kill, is keeping my mornings filled with fresh herbal tea.

What's happening with your garden? Is it hibernating under a dusting of snow? Or are you still harvesting some vegetables and fruits?

Garden Therapy: Little Farm in the Big City

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:00:06 -0700

Imagine the possibility of creating a low-maintenance, beautiful, and productive farm in the middle of a city. Such is the reality for homeowner Jennifer Carlson, a Seattle resident who turned her backyard into something extraordinary. For photos of her smart landscaping and gardening ideas, as well as some adorable animals, check out the slideshow. For even more information, head over to This Old House to see blueprints and more photos. Any city dwellers who wonder how they can turn their small patch of yard into something productive will delight in Carlson's home. Source

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Midday Muse: A Plethora of Pumpkins

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:00:14 -0700

I have a confession to make: I didn't grow any winter squash or pumpkins this year. For some reason, I forgot about this noble and nutritious Fall favorite. This photo, which was taken at the Spargelhof Klaistow farm in Klaistow, Germany, shows off some of the 400 types of pumpkins and squash grown at that farm. While my modest backyard garden wouldn't be able to support more than a few pumpkin varieties, it's inspiring to see the possibilities. Did you grow any pumpkins or winter squash this year?

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Casa Quickie: Plant Carrots With Radishes

CasaSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:30:46 -0700

One smart move I made when planting my Winter garden was to mix my radish seeds and my carrot seeds together. I used Easter egg radishes and Chanterey carrots for the garden, which are both known for their mild flavor. I also favored the Chanterey carrots because they are short, and thus suited for raised beds that might not have as much soil depth as some gardens.

But why did I mix the seeds together in the same row? What's the advantage, you ask? Well, radishes mature in only a month, which means that once you pull them, your carrots, which take at least twice as long to mature, will have more room to spread out and grow. Also, since the soil has been loosened, the carrots will have an easier time growing. Just make sure to pull out your radishes gently; you don't want to pull out your baby carrots before their time!

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Garden Therapy: Planting Winter Gardens

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:30:35 -0700

If you're lucky enough to live in a temperate climate, you might be planting your Winter garden soon. I started to put my garden in this weekend. First I had to clean out the old plants and compost them, then I prepared the soil and planted my seeds. This season, I'm putting in kale, chard, lettuce, garlic, scallions, carrots, and radishes. All of these crops do well in cool weather. Since we rarely, if ever, get a frost in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'll be able to enjoy fresh vegetables all Winter long. Are you planting a Winter garden?