Gardening | Indoor Air Quality Lab

Winter Gardening: A Cover Crop that Prevents Weeds share

Are you trying your hand at winter gardening? I just ran across a very cool cover crop that supposedly helps keep pests at bay naturally!

My family recently visited Atlanta Botanical Gardens, so that my son could get a picture with Santa there. They have a pretty amazing Santa! He sits in front of a tree of poinsettias, and his beard is real. He also sang "Wheels on the Bus" to my 8-month-old, which won his little heart.

Winter gardening wasn't really on my mind on this visit, but I did want to check out their edible garden when we saw it on the map. I love that they are promoting the idea of growing food, and I wanted to see what they were growing, since I imagine the same food plants will thrive in my yard. Their selection of winter food plants was pretty much what you'd expect:

collard greens
mustard greens
beets
cabbage
Swiss chard

Growing alongside all of their food plants was this beautiful ground cover. It reminded me of some varieties of moss that I've seen, and apparently it's good for winter gardening and for deterring pests! The plant is called hairy vetch, and as you can see on the sign that I photographed, it is:

...a cover crop that prevents weeds and attracts beneficial insects

Those sound like good qualities in a cover crop! I did a little research, and it turns out that hairy vetch - or vicia villosa - is a common cover crop in organic gardening. It's pretty beneficial in general, but once you plant it, it can be hard to get rid of, so make sure you choose its location with care.

Hairy Vetch: Beyond Winter Gardening

It also turns out that hairy vetch isn't just a cover crop for winter gardening. It's beneficial year-round. The plant improves the soil quality where it grows, which makes it a great companion crop, especially for acidic plants like tomatoes.

Hairy vetch might also make a good replacement for grass in your lawn! Folks use it as ground cover on pasture land. If it can stand up to trampling from big, four-legged mammals, I bet that it can withstand you and your kids playing in the yard!

It's moderately winter-hardy, and you can grow hairy vetch from seed in the fall. That means that if you hurry, you can plant it before the first freeze! Vetch plants don't handle extreme cold well, unless they're covered in snow. Hairy vetch is the variety of vetch that's most suited for winter gardening, but it may not survive the winter if you experience extreme cold for extended periods without snow.

You can get the down and dirty about hairy vetch in this article from Purdue University's Department of Agronomy. It's a little bit dry, but it goes into a lot of detail about vetch and about hairy vetch specifically.

Posted: | Categories: Gardening, ground cover, hairy vetch, lawn alternative, Living, natural pest control, natural weed control, organic gardening, vetch, winter gardening, Yard+Garden

Oct

Fall Garden: 6 Container Gardening Ideas share

Are you planning your fall garden? We've got some container garden ideas whether you have a little space or a lot!

Container gardens are a great way to maximize space or grow food when you have no lawn. They can also help keep crops out of contaminated urban soils, even if you do have a yard. The best part? Container gardens can also be beautiful. Instead of planting rows, farm-style, you can artfully arrange or build your containers to give your garden variety, whether it's a big back yard or a tiny balcony.

If you're not sure what to plant in your fall garden, check out this article we shared earlier this week, which includes a helpful video on fall garden planning. It may be too late where you are to start your fall garden from seed, but you can purchase seedlings and still grow some of your own food this fall!

Ready to get planting! Here are 6 container ideas for your fall garden!

1. Herb Spiral

Got bricks? Add a couple of bales of hay, and stack them to create a beautiful spiral herb garden for fall. You can plant herbs or small seasonal veggies in your spiral.

2. Wine Box Container Garden

Got a wine box handy? Don't toss it! Old wine boxes make beautiful planters for smaller fall garden additions like herbs and green onions.

3. Self Watering Container from a Plastic Bottle

This is probably the least pretty of our container garden ideas, but it's super handy. If you tend to kill your plants, a self-watering container can help save your plants!

4. Chalkboard Pot

Give an old pot a fresh face with a little chalkboard paint. You can use chalk to label the pots for your fall garden, then wipe the chalk away to write new labels as the seasons (and the plants you're growing) change.
5. Reclaimed Drawers Vertical Garden

Old dresser drawers and a reclaimed ladder make a beautiful, functional vertical planter for your fall garden needs. Planting vertically like this allows you to have more plants in a smaller space, and runoff from the higher up plants will nourish the ones below them.

6. Raised Bed Garden

Got a back yard but bad soil or a big weed problem? A raised bed gets your plants out of the ground. A basic raised bed is easy to build to exactly the size that you need, so you can configure yours to accomodate whatever space you have.

Are you planning a fall garden this year? Tell us about what you're planting and what containers you're excited to use!

Posted: | Categories: container gardening, container gardening ideas, fall garden, Gardening, Living, Yard+Garden

Mar

Craft Recycled: Your Spring Garden share

Spring is so close that I can smell it! It's just about time to start planting those spring crops, and now is also the perfect time to add a few upcycled touches to your spring garden. Here are a few ideas to get you going!

1. Boot Planters

Going vertical is a great way to grow more in less space. Hit the thrift store and find some old rain boots to create these sweet, upcycled hanging planters.

2. Reclaimed Raised Bed

Raised beds are great for keeping weeds and pests at bay and in areas where the soil quality might be on the poor side. Instead of using new lumber, check out this upcycled garden bed using reclaimed wood instead.

3. Wine Box Containers

For smaller plants, like herbs, you can use old wine boxes to create beautiful, upcycled planters.

4. Bike Wheel Trellis

Gather up some old bike wheels and create a beautiful, upcycled trellis for your climbing plants, like beans!

5. Wine Cork Plant Markers

You think you will remember what you planted where, but there's always those one or two plants that slip through the cracks when you don't write things down. Grab some wine corks from your stash to make sweet, upcycled plant markers and never guess at your garden's layout again!

Are you adding any upcycled touches to your garden? I'd love to hear what you're planting and how you're designing your space in the comments!

Posted: | Categories: Craft Recycled, DIY, Gardening, Living, reuse, spring garden, upcycled garden, upcycling, Yard+Garden

Mar

Spotted: Bicycle Wheel Trellis share

We love offbeat gardening ideas around here, and this bicycle wheel trellis is just a stunning example of creative reuse!

Bike wheels are pretty durable, but a big accident can mean that your old wheel goes kaput. Maybe it gets cracked or bent too far out of shape to be trued again. Whatever the reason, once a bike wheel is dunzo, it's...dunzo. It's not easy to recycle, but just because it's not useful for pedaling anymore doesn't mean it's not useful at all!

Over at the Kirksville Permaculture Education Center, they shared a gallery of photos of this beautiful trellis. What a lovely way to reuse kicked bike wheels!

Of course, most of us don't have a a bunch of bike wheels sitting around our house, but I bet your local bike shop has lots of spent wheels laying around! Next time you're in the neighborhood, pop in! Chances are they'll be happy for you to take those off of their hands. In many places, businesses have to pay to dispose of trash and recycling, so there's a good chance you're helping them out as much as they are helping you.

The Kirksville Permaculture Education Center site didn't have instructions on how to build this trellis, but it looks super simple. Here's how I think it went down:

Materials

Wooden H-frame - you can buy one or build your own from reclaimed wood
8 used bike wheels
zip ties or popped bike inner tubes

Directions

1. Stake the frame in the ground wherever you want your trellis. Make sure it's nice and secure, because those tires and the plants that grow up them are going to add a lot of weight.

2. Use your zip ties or the inner tubes to link the tires together and link the tire grids to your frame.

3. Plant something that climbs - like grapes, luffa, or beans - at the base of your structure, and watch it go!

Want to see lots more photos of the bike trellis? Click here!

Posted: | Categories: bicycle crafts, bike crafts, bike wheel crafts, Concept+Design, DIY, DIY garden, Gardening, Innovation, Living, upcycled garden, Yard+Garden

Jan

From Fungi to Fish: A New Aquaponics Kit share

Back To The Roots, who revolutionized growing mushrooms at home, has just released another user-friendly green product. Raising twice their goal on Kickstarter, Back To The Roots' Home Aquaponics Self-Cleaning Fish Tank combines growing herbs with an aquatic pet. Five small plants are nestled on top of the fish tank while the fish's waste naturally fertilizes the plants above. Minimal maintenance is required, but the fish does need to be fed!

How it works:

The fish, poop and pee, and all that waste-water gets broken down by beneficial bacteria into nutrients.
The waste-water from the fish is then pumped up & upcycled as fertilizer for the plants. The plants take up the nutrients and, at the same time, clean the water which then falls back down for the fish.
There is no soil - the plants are growing hydroponically.
There is no need to clean the water because the plants naturally filter the water

What can you grow: Choose from a variety of fresh produce, including spinach, baby greens, oregano, beans, basil, mint, parsley & thyme.

A useful learning tool for the classroom, this aquaponic kit is also great for any family or urban dweller's kitchen. To learn more or purchase this Home Aquaponics Garden please visit the Back To The Roots website here.

Posted: | Categories: aquaponic kit, aquaponics, Back to the Roots, fish, Food + Drink, fresh herbs, Gadgets, Gardening, indoor farming, indoor gardening, News, urban ag

Sep

The Bloombox: So You and Your Plants Can Rock Out share

Simple materials and technology combined make for a fun and plant-friendly iPhone/iPod dock.

As an urban ag enthusiast and a green-thumbed gal, I love to see plants incorporated into products, especially when it's not over-thought or complicated. In the age of Portlandia and urban ag proliferation, where "put a bird on it" has become "put a plant in it" some plant-centered products take the simple act of growing at home a bit too far. The Bloombox manages to keep it simple. Most iPhone/iPod docking stations leave something to be desired, but the minimalist design of the ceramic Bloombox is enticing. The Bloombox both amplifies your phone's speakers up to 30% and provides a home for your favorite succulents.

Created by Nicholas Hyde and Brennan Conroy of Portland, OR, the Bloombox has just over two weeks to go before completing their Kickstarter campaign. With only $304 left to hit their goal, I'm fairly certain they will join the ranks of thousands of successfully backed projects via crowdsourced funding.

To support Bloombox please visit Kickstarter here.

Posted: | Categories: amplify sound, Art + Design, bloombox, Gadgets, Gardening, green thumb, iPhone, ipod, kickstarter, News, plants, speaker, succulents

Jul

Self-Watering Planter Conserves Water & Your Sanity share

Designer Joey Roth introduces a clever planter made out of terracotta that naturally irrigates plants.

Roth was inspired by the "olla" an ancient irrigation tool that farmers still use to conserve water in arid climates. A user simply pours water in the center chamber and the planter’s porous earthenware material allows water to gradually seep into the surrounding soil. It is an efficient system because virtually no water is lost to evaporation or run-off.

The planter is 8 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall and is designed to hold three herbs or six succulents. The vessel can hold up to 2.5 liters of soil and 0.4 liters of water and it is suitable for indoor or outdoor use. For indoor gardeners, this self irrigating planter means you won't need to worry about a puddle of water accumulating on your floor if you over water.

Roth's design philosophy is to combine simple functionality with honest, unfinished materials. His planter isn't available for sale yet, but you an pre-order it at JoeyRoth.com for $45.