CityDiggity
A green space for urban gardenersArchive for plant food
The good earth: last season’s soil may be right for reuse
Even though this soil has been subjected to the elements, healthy sprouts are popping up.
I love getting my hands dirty. In fact when I open those big bags of rich, fluffy potting soil mix I don’t even bother to wear gloves — despite my manicured fingernails. It is one of those joyful rituals that mark the start of what will hopefully be another rewarding season of container gardening.
But hold on, what about the soil left in the pots from last year? Isn’t it wasteful to just dump all that dirt? Is there any way to recycle it for this season’s planters? These are questions a curious city gardener posed to me recently. And Earth Day Read the rest of this entry »
The color of water and other splashy container gardening secrets revealed
A little water is a wonderful thing. But don't depend on raindrops alone to nourish plants.
Armchair sleuth that I am, I jumped at the chance to gather intel when I saw a crew making its way down one of our city streets attending to the splendid hanging baskets Chicago adorns its lamp posts with during summer.
As the magic wand was extended over the baskets I made a discovery that changed the way I would maintain my container plants in the years to come: the water he used … it was, well, BLUE! Maybe that was the secret to success.
From that point forward every other watering lavished on my plants had just the slightest tinge Read the rest of this entry »
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