Between Sri-Lankan holidays and freak illnesses, I have been in the process of filling out our new simple pvc planters which we have added all around the perimeter of the rooftop garden. We chose an 8 inch pipe and end-caps, and added 4 inch diameter openings along the top. The openings are about 4 inches apart to give plants a healthy stretch for … Read More
This should be a no-brainer for sustainable gardening, but it is especially difficult for us temperate climate transplants to remember when we first take on vegetable gardening in the tropics. Ornamentals and spices are no problem, we love the exotic looks and flavors, but when it comes to vegetables we still insist on trying to plant our go-to summer squash and Beefsteak … Read More
My favorite thing to find in the garden is fruit trees in bloom. The smell, the pop of delicate blossoms, and tiny burgeoning fruits. Unfortunately in most small gardens, fruit trees spend most of the year as thorny tangled messes whose branches lazily droop into nearby vegetable beds. The kindly gardener has to tip-toe around her lemons lest they reach out and tear her sleeve, or worse, … Read More
In our design for the Rosmead Garden we have included several espalier fruit trees to maximize production in our small space without losing much room or sunlight. We plan for one of these to be an avocado. Typically, avocado trees grow very large and cumbersome – 5 to 8 feet at maturity. This would take up most of the small kitchen garden … Read More
With the need to maximize our limited square footage and access to soil, we are growing up in a variety of ways. The simplest vertical structure anyone can find the materials for is a bag garden. All you need is a tall bag, soil, string or rope, a cutting utensil, and your plants. While we are using woven plastic bulk rice bags … Read More