(Mexican Tarragon from Charlie's garden October 29, 2013) Tarragon will be featured at the Garland Community Garden opening Saturday April 12 at 11 AM.
Tomorrow several members will be installing two urban gardens in south Garland--one at the home of Sandra Dinkins and one at the home of Marie Mathes. Look forward to photos and updates of that event here on Eat Green DFW tomorrow evening.
Loving Garland Green Members, Jean and Charlie, spread mulch at the Garland Community Garden
Then, of course, there is the big installation coming up this Saturday at 4022 Naaman School Road. At 11 AM we will begin installation of the first raised bed at the Garland Community Garden. At our meeting on Monday evening members of Loving Garland Green chose plants for the foot squares of our raised bed which will measure a total of 36 square feet as it is four feet wide and 9 feet long. My plant selection for two squares is Mexican tarragon--a great and fragrant herb that begins blooming now and continues until the first hard frost.
____________________________________________________________
More Urban Garden Inspirations from Loving Garland Green Members: Margie and Gene Rogers
Bubbles (my rat terrier wonder dog) and I meandered across the street this afternoon to see the progress the Rogers are making with their urban garden. It continues to expand and expand. Just look at one of several square foot beds in their garden. I know where to come after the romane lettuce in my garden gets eaten.
Examples of permaculture and repurposing of items abound in their urban garden. Take a look at these two repurposed containers: Below is an old toilet sprouting plants out of its tank in the midst of a circular iris bed. Among the iris Margie has also planted vegetables.
A sea shell shaped sand box and swimming pool is reincarnated as the container for an herb garden. In the foreground we have an old tire also living a new life as a plant container. In the background is one of several of their raised beds.
Speaking of containers, Margie loaned me a great gardening book that I highly recommend: The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible by Edward C. Smith. This book is packed with 262 pages of nothing but helpful information showing you how to grow your own fresh organic vegetables in containers no matter where you live with less digging, less weeding and less watering. Almost every page has beautiful color photographs of various containers and plants. Among many other techniques, the author shows you how to build self-watering containers. Toward the back of the book he features 100 pages with a plant devoted to each page which features a photo of the plant, and tells the reader how to pick the pot for the plant, how to grow it, when to harveset and eat it, and how to keep the bugs away from it. Edward C. Smith is also the best-selling author of The Vegetable Gardener's Bible.
As I've mentioned before, you don't need a back-forty acres to grow lots of great food. You can grow a bounty of food in pots, tubs, and other containers. Last year I grew the worlds greatest tasting cantaloupe from a pot and no less then fifteen eggplants from a container. Below are photos I took last September of my eggplant. It grew in a repurposed plastic trash can.
Margie is growing potatoes in a container this spring.
