March Madness

March is maddening. We are supposed to be in the "lamb" part of the month since it is officially spring. Alas, we got flurries in New York today. At least we didn't have a major blizzard like earlier this year. Below is my parents front yard in Connecticut.

I'm ready for spring.

Terrariums!

Terrariums are a major trend lately which Brooklynites can't seem to get enough of! I've seen them at many fleas, fairs, and garden shops around the borough and decided to take a class at Sprout in Williamsburg to see if I could make my own. My friend Annie joined me and this is how we did it:

We each chose our containers, mine is on the left and Annie's is on the right. Glass containers are a must since light has to be able to penetrate the container. The larger the opening the easier it is to place and arrange your plants so make sure your hand can fit in the container's opening. There are two types of terrariums that you can make: an open one, which we chose to do, or a covered one which creates a humid environment for moisture-loving plants. Either options are great for apartments because they don't require direct sunlight.

Since terrariums don't have drainage holes it is very important to add a layer of rocks which will allow water to drain from the soil and prevent any damage to the plant's roots.

Next, add a layer of charcoal which will keep the soil fresh and prevent any unwanted odors.

Then add a layer of sand which will also help with drainage and is light enough for young roots to move through it. You can also add larger rocks for aesthetics.

The final layer is the soil mix which depends entirely on the plant you chose. Succulents and cacti get a rockier/sandier mixture while other herbaceous plants get a normal potting soil. Then comes the fun part: landscaping! Some birch bark for texture...

...dehydrated moss and a little path of smaller rocks...

...and a bull! Why not?

A detail of Annie's. She used where we go hiking in the summer as an inspiration and it's dead on.

The final product!

Check out Sprout in Brooklyn and Chicago for more classes and ideas: Sprout

Solanum lycopersicum

Last year I had about four tomato plants that I bought from a garden center which yielded quite a tasty and hefty bounty. This year, I decided I wanted to step it up a notch and try to start my tomato plants from seeds. The varieties of tomatoes are endless, but I knew I wanted a determinate (or bush) variety (instead of vine) and it had to do well in containers since I am a backyard-less New Yorker. I flipped through my Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog, which is like Vogue for veggies, and selected an organic large heirloom variety called "Rose (Solanum lycopersicum)." I started the seeds about a month ago and will soon share how I did it and how the plants are doing now.

Check it out: Johnny's Selected Seeds

A Tomato Grows In Brooklyn

For about a year now I have taken a handful of classes at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 3rd Ward, and Sprout Home in horticultural and urban garden design. I want to use this blog as a way to document everything I've learned in the past year and have been continuing to learn through these formal classes and informal gardening experiments.  I hope that you gain some information and inspiration from my blog and feel free to share your own experiences. Enjoy!