Edible Estates. Someone had the same idea as me.

Thank you. That's very nice. But it's disabled. And I'm not participating due to it's being tainted by bribery. Glad you're enjoying the discussion.

 

And for those with no yard or access to dirt or even hanging baskets.....

I just got a notification today that they are reviving our community garden. We had one in the I-15 easement when there was a lot of litigation regarding eminent domain. There was a community garden set up where the houses had been torn down. It lasted for quite a few years until they finally built the new I-15. It was quite successful. Apartment dwellers had a little plot of ground to grow things. Many new immigrant families (we have a lot in our area due to affordability) could grow familiar crops they couldn't find in the grocery stores. And everyone socialized even with language limitations. Everyone learned English as a common language. It was only a temporary garden due to the impending freeway. When the freeway went through the city did nothing to help relocate the garden.

Well, I got a notice today that a new garden is being proposed on some city land. It's called the New Roots Community Farm. It will have fifty 20x30 foot plots, thirty 15x15 foot plots and three community organization plots. There will also be a community tool shed, a shaded gathering place, a compost station and a recycling center. I haven't been to the proposed site but from the description it sounds like it's a strip between freeways and streets not suitable for other development. It's so timely now that we're looking at getting back to the old "Victory Garden" concepts.

I remember traveling through Germany and seeing these strips of community gardens along the railways and freeways all of the time. There is plenty of space for that concept here. Often there is already water access. Instead of planting useless landscaping, why not edible gardens for the community?

 

Burning roots in hanging baskets or pots isn't an issue, even in moss baskets as long as they're properly watered. The dirt is a good insulator. You should invest in those gel pellets you amend soil with to retain moisture. Really helpful in hanging baskets. Also in pots if you water infrequently.

I'm really bad with the watering. That's why I have drip irrigation on timers. Otherwise I'll forget to water and I'll do a sloppy job as I don't have the patience to stand there and do a good job of watering. I find using either drippers or misters for hanging baskets does the job. You just have to figure out how long and how often to set the timers. You can turn them off when it rains. And you can program them for summer and winter. I usually just turn everything off from Halloween to Memorial Day and let the rain take care of everything.

 

Wow. They've got chickens, goats and ducks! And if they produce honey they have hives. There are four adults in that household. So between them all, that's how things are taken care of. *I* certainly wouldn't keep track of everything they are, but they're making a point on sustainability.

They've really made nice use of the backyard with raised beds. I could have gone that route. I have the space. But I opted to have a series of "rooms" done with brick patios and kept the plantings minimal on the perimeter. The brick is in sand so it could always be pulled up. But not by me. I wanted something that wouldn't be too labor intensive for when I retire. And I'm still trying to get it to that point.

I'm sure they make the time to chronicle their progress in the evening when it too dark to garden.

I don't do near as much as they do, but I see I do some of what is on their list. I'll never make biodiesel or have goats. And sorry, won't be vegetarian. But I expect I'll be canning again soon. Probably by next summer. Didn't plant enough this year. I'm eating it as it ripens or trading it with my parents.

BTW my apple fell off my tree. I took it to my parents' house and shared it with them. It was delicious. Scarlett Sentinel.

Thanks for that site. I've bookmarked it. Imagine if even 25% of homes did even a quarter of what that family does.

 

Here's something I found from following some links: Newspaper pots. Starting seedling has been a bane of mine. I've reused the plastic pony pack trays but have not been that successful. Now I can make my own biodegradeable pots out of newspaper. When it's time to plant, just stick the whole thing in the ground.

Pot 1

Pot 2

Pot 3 (I don't like this one so much because it involves flour paste)

No need for expensive wooden molds.

 

I'm wondering on pot 3 if you could just form it around a metal food can, twist the bottom and them smash it flat to hold. Folding origami seedling boxes seems time consuming, but they look like they'd hold better.