Urban Organic Gardener

One of the questions that I’ve been getting a lot in the past week is just how mobile the Stack N Grow mobile planter is. When it’s filled is it too hard to push? The short answer to that is – no. It’s on wheels and can easily be pushed around from spot to spot. I actually had to move mine to the since the gutter is broken above my balcony, the rain water was pouring directly into it. It now sits in the front of my balcony garden. You can easily move it around your space to follow the sun or to suit whatever needs...

I’d like to thank everyone that entered the contest for the Stack N Grow Mobile Planter and Algreen Products for supplying the product. There were 170 entries. To select the winner, I went to Random.org and put in the number 170. The random number that it generated was 82. Sorting the comments from newest to oldest, I counted down to the 82nd comment, which was left by Nicky of DirtAndMartinis. She can also be found on Twitter @DirtAndMartinis. Her comment was: I’d put this on a table in my garden as a centerpiece and plant...

Spaghetti squashes are another winter squash that are prevalent this time of the year no matter what part of the country you are in. This recipe is simple and the squash can be used in a variety of ways afterwards. It can be used as a standalone dish or it can be mixed in with regular pasta to lighten up the dish a bit. Here’s what you’ll need: 1 spaghetti squash Olive oil Sea salt How to make: Cut off top and bottom of the squash Rest squash on cutting board one of the cut sides down and cut down the middle Scoop out the seeds...

There are plenty of safety problems in the food industry and your dinner is linked to them. These safety problems are why you should grow your own food and organic gardening makes sense to me, but right now I want to discuss problems beyond the food. Let’s talk about how the workers are treated, but more specifically the female workers. There was an article on Alternet.org titled “Why Women Who Pick and Process Your Food Face Daily Threats of Rape, Harassment and Wage Theft.” That’s a pretty heavy title. Here’s...

Since I’m running the contest for the Stack and Grow Mobile Herb Planter I thought I’d show you how to set it up. The set-up was a bit mess for me and potting soil got all over, but overall it was pretty simple. Here’s how you set it up: Check all of the planting trays. One of them has a closed center. If you want to grow smaller plants, then put that tray at the top. If you want to grow a small tree or shrub, put that tray towards the bottom. Place the cart down on a solid surface. Put the wheels into the holes....

A while back I received that tip from my Facebook friend, Leah, about how to grow green onions from green onions. Now here is a salad dressing recipe using those green onions. Here’s what you’ll need: 2-3 whole green onions 1/4 cup of olive oil 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon of raw honey Dash of sea salt How to make Place all ingredients in blender or food processor Blend up until smooth and creamy Adjust the ingredients to your taste httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLUj4WC7riA ...

This is my second post for Rodale.com’s Plastic-Free February. Last week, I showed you my kitchen and how I do my best to avoid storing food in plastic containers and the challenges that I’m facing. This week, I want to show a small tip that I’ve started to use in my balcony garden to reduce some of my plastic usage. I know that I’m growing food in plastic containers in and have already covered that issue. This post is about using new or unnecessary plastics in the garden. What I’ve been doing is using a rock...

Since I’ve been called out on not being able to eat from my balcony garden, I’ve decided to start it from scratch. To start, the plants that were left over from being harvested were pulled up from the roots. Using a trowel, the soil in the containers was loosened up and turned. Any big clumps of roots were taken out as well. The plants, roots and soil were tossed into the compost bin. I also got rid of the shipping pallet herb garden because that space can be better utilized. It worked and I’d recommend it for others,...

I’d like to introduce Home Harvest Garden Supply as a new sponsor of Urban Organic Gardener. I spoke with their Director of Internet Marketing, Jeff Edwards to learn more about the company. Here’s the Q&A. What does your company specialize in? Hard-to-find gardening supplies including organic fertilizers and soil amendments; natural pest controls and beneficial insects; pots, containers, & potting mixes; nursery and greenhouse supplies; hydroponic equipment and supplies; hobby greenhouses & accessories; seed starting...

Regardless of what part of the country you are in, winter squashes should be in season and available at your local farmers market. Our market has them for $0.59 a pound, so we’ve been loving them. When buying a butternut squash, you want to pick one that has a longer and/or fatter neck because that’s where most of the squash is. The bottom part has squash, but also the seeds. The following recipe for Butternut Squash Fries is one that we have been enjoying a lot lately. Here’s what you’ll need Butternut squash ...

The main reason for me writing this blog and being active in the social media world is to encourage you to start growing your own food. I show that I could do it on my fire escape in NYC and now my balcony in LA. It’s been 9-10 months since I’ve moved to LA from NYC. During that time I’ve had a total of one balcony salad. Yes, one. Uno. The other day my girlfriend, Anita, called me out and asked when we were going to eat off of it. She is all for not supporting Whole Foods and supplementing our weekly trips to the farmers...

I’d like to introduce Urban Gardening Solutions as a new sponsor of Urban Organic Gardener. I spoke with one of the founders and co-owners Rachael Ross to learn more about her company. Here’s the Q&A. What does your company specialize in? Innovative and earth-friendly products for the small-space edibles gardener. What are your best selling products? It really depends on time of year. Right now they are raised garden beds and grow lights and plant stands. What does organic gardening mean to you? We feel that organic gardening...

Collard greens are one of my favorite greens to eat. Most people usually cook them and couldn’t imagine eating them raw. I’ve found a way that you can enjoy this hearty green in it’s raw and pristine state by massaging it down and marinating it. You would swear that it’s been cooked. What you’ll need: One bunch of collard greens One lemon or a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar A few slices of onion Dash of sea salt One clove of garlic Teaspoon of raw honey Teaspoon of olive oil Dash of paprika ...

One of the biggest news stories over the past week has been the USDA’s announcement that it’s going to be deregulating Monsanto’s genetically engineered alfalfa. There has been a lot of confusion circulating around this news. This confusion started with Organic Consumers Association report that the “Organic Elite” of Whole Foods, Stonyfield Farms and Organic Valley decided to surrender the fight. They decided to give up and select what amounts to the lesser of the presented evils. I’m always for listening...

It’s been a week since I’ve started my indoor mushroom garden. Per the instructions, I’ve been misting the bag two times a day. I was starting to get a bit skeptical, but after the eighth day I started to see some growth bursting out the front of the bag. At this point it almost looks like a piece of cauliflower. On the side of the box, it says that you can harvest your first mushroom as early as 10 days, so I’m not too far off. This seems like a good way to not only grown some of your own food, but also a good...

I’d like to thank everyone who entered the contest to win their own mushroom garden kit courtesy of Back to the Roots Ventures. There were a total of 128 comments and entries. There was a comment that slipped in past the deadline and wasn’t counted. To choose the random winner, I went to Random.org and entered 1-128 in the true random number generator. The number generated was 57. The comments were ordered from newest to oldest and counted down. The winning comment was left by Joy who’s comment was: My Favorite mushroom...

You can make this simple recipe without buying a single ingredient. You will just be using what you were going to toss out. What you need to do is start to save your vegetable scraps and store them in the freezer. This includes any or all of the following: Carrot tops Beet tops Veggies or herbs that were starting to go bad Kale stems Onion skins Celery leaves The bottom part of celery Pretty much any vegetable scrap When you are ready to make the broth Pull the food scraps out of the freezer Fill the pot about 1/2 to 3/4...

Last week the Eatocracy section of CNN.com posted an article titled – Study shows people don’t give a crap how many calories they eat. The results of a study showed that, “Posting calories on menus has little effect on what customers buy, according to a recent study.” Besides the fact that it’s slightly awesome that CNN put the word “crap” in their headline, I think that calorie counting in and of itself is a bunch of crap. If you eat real whole foods, you won’t have to worry about calories....

While I’m running the contest to win your own mushroom garden from Back to the Root Ventures, I am going to be growing the mushroom garden to see how it works. Growing my own mushrooms is something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. Most of the kits that I’ve seen use logs and require a damp, dark location, which I don’t have. That’s why I’m curious to see how this kit will do. Plus mushrooms are crazy expensive in the store, and I’m all about growing my own food when I can. The set-up...