Brooklyn to Philly

A lot has happened since I last posted in May. I stopped working at Ennead Architects, I moved home to Connecticut, went to Thailand with my mom and sister, as well as India to see my boyfriend, and, oh yeah, I am moving to Philly in one week. I am taking my interest in urban horticulture and landscapes one step further and will be attending UPenn in the fall to pursue a Master of Landscape Architecture degree. I hope to use this blog to share with you all I will be learning and doing in the City of Brotherly Love while pursuing a degree in something I love. Tomatoes will still be growing in Brooklyn, I just won't be the one doing it. I hope that you will stick with me as I embark on this new chapter in my life. What should I call the blog now?

 

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What's In Season: May

I know May is almost over and Memorial Day has officially ushered in summer, but I wanted to share with you what's currently in season besides hamburgers and hot dogs.

Be sure to pick up some radishes, broccoli, rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries, and spinach from your farmer's market. And you can't go wrong with the classic combination of strawberry and rhubarb in this delectable pie from Smitten Kitchen.

May Tomatoes

Anyone watch New Girl on Fox? In one of the most recent episodes, Nick waters his tomato plant like this:

Don't do that. :)

In other news, my tomato seedlings are about to bust out of their starter cups and are heading outdoors this weekend. They have gone from these little guys:

To these BIG guys:

Some of them are flowering and all of them are itching to get into a bigger pot. If you have any seedlings you started indoors or are looking to put some plants outside your living space, this weekend is the time to do it. Going forward, we should be frost-free! Happy planting!

Spanish Blue Bells

Remember back in December when I planted those Spanish Blue Bell bulbs? Say that ten times fast! I blogged about it here.

Well, they have bloomed!

From this:

To this:

Because of our wacky winter/spring everything is about three weeks early, so I missed the peak blue bloom, but I think it is still pretty. Check out Pier 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park this weekend for all the early spring flowers.



Moss (the plant, not the model)

My boyfriend recently sent me an article in The New York Times describing a recent trend of installing vertical gardens in Mexico City as a way to beautify the urban landscape as well as improve air quality.

Rodrigo Cruz for The New York Times

These large structures are visual reminders of the exciting cultural shift happening in Mexico City right now: "There are young architects here looking to tear up roads and revive ancient rivers. There are young women teaching old women how to plant tomatoes in the grass between high-rises; artists turning ocean trash into gorgeous, consumer criticism; and even a crowd-sourced multimedia campaign with visions for 'Mexico of the Future' — which includes submissions such as 'a solar panel on every house' and 'respect for flora and fauna.,'” writes Damien Cave.

This article reminds me of two artists who work with moss to create some unexpected graffiti.

Here is some of Anna Garforth's work playing with moss and typography:

And here is some of NYC-based Edina Tokodi's art:

I love these. I support any chance to infiltrate nature and greenery into an urban environment. Imagine passing one of these moss murals on the way to work. Lovely. You can check out more of their work here: Edina Tokodi and Anna Garforth





17 Down, 39 to Go

17-day-old tomato plants. Growing on my desk at work. :)

Sky Farm

As more urban dwellers are looking to grow their own food, designers are coming up with sleek products to maximize space on people's small terraces and tiny backyards. I came across this recent product from a German designer named Manuel Dreesmann called, "Sky Farms." A pretty neat way to elevate your edibles so the rest of the space is free for entertaining.

A retractable handle allows you to pull down your pot, take what you need, and elevate it back into the air.

Shallow rooted plants like herbs and lettuces would be best for this. Check it out: Sky Farm