Green (Living) Review: urban gardening

Showing posts with label urban gardening. Show all posts

Regrowing vegetables from kitchen scraps

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Yes, it does work. At least with some vegetables. Potatoes are the most prolific ones in that department and they seem to be able to grow from even the smallest parts left, for instance, in compost. That is how I end up with potatoes growing in many of the containers in which I grow other vegetables – I only garden in containers, at home, basically – where I never planted them. Even after two to three years in the composter those scraps are still viable.

Other vegetables, however, can (also) be grown from scraps in different ways. Though I have to add a caveat and that is that some will regrow and others won't and that of the same type even.

Celery: The bottoms of stalk celery often will regrow and will then keep producing new celery stalks. I have done it more than once but also managed to kill them more than once. How I killed them? I have no idea.

Cabbage: I have tried this successfully with the bottom of a shop-bought leaf cabbage (a savoy kind of cabbage) and while it took some while (a couple of weeks) it works to regrow new leaves in head formation though they will never set proper heads again, and even multiple “heads” may appear.

Theoretically, more than likely, all cabbages will regrow from such scraps though I cannot entirely vouch for that not having tried and done it. Proper heads, however, even if it was a “head” cabbage will not form again. Or so the theory goes.

Spring Onion: Put the bottoms of those, the bulbs, for you really, theoretically and practically only use the green bits (just like large chives), into a pot and they will regrow. Keep cutting and using the green regrowth.

I have also been running a trial to regrow radishes, for the leaves though as they can be eaten, for new radishes will not happen, by having planted the tops in pots. A couple, unfortunately, died but while others did grow and that quite well. The leaves can be used in stews and such, though they also could be used in salads but they are quite peppery in taste.

Lettuces, of all different kinds, apparently, can also be regrown from the bottom bits but I have not, as yet, experimented in that department as I am not the greatest lettuce fan, even though being vegetarian.

Apparently there are also several others that can be regrown, such as turnips (from their bottoms), as well fennel (also from the base), as well as onions (from root base, though it more often than not does not work), garlic, and apparently even mushrooms can be regrown from the stalk. Will have to give that a try some day.

Maybe it is just a case of experimenting with what can be regrown from scraps (not seeds) – or from cuttings, such as in the case of basil. There may be more there than we are aware of. Most herbs can be regrown from cuttings, but then again those cuttings are not really kitchen scraps.

Then there are others that can be regrown from the seeds that we discard as scraps in the kitchen, such as bell peppers, and as well as others. Getting bell peppers to grow properly in the British or similar climes is not too easy though.

Come on, give it a try. I sure will try more.

Urban gardening: The real green revolution

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Urban gardening, the gardening in the towns and suburbs, is highly political. Anyone who belittles this movement blocks his own view of this societal change.

If one would want to measure the success of a movement on the number of those that claim that it cannot possible be any good then the Urban Gardening Movement has during the few years that it has been in existence come a long way already.

Unfortunately there are some writers in newspapers and other media who belittle this to the extent that the state that those who long for the countryside and for gardening and farming should move to the countryside because towns and cities have been sealed, poisoned, and so on. They find it laughable that people are planting Marigolds in front of their doors or tomatoes on their balconies.

But many of those writers have actually no idea, it would seem, what this urban gardening and urban farming is all about. It is not about just growing food for oneself but to actually grow food for the people in the city, and in some cases those urban gardens are created in such a way that everyone can have the food for free (or almost for free) and the movement is growing regardless.

Urban gardening does not mean annexing of ground for private use but free access for all to grow food. It is a fact that the almost 500 urban community garden in Germany, for example, are some of the few places in the gentrified towns where people from different social strata meet in the public realm and interact by creating such gardens and working them.

Those urban community gardens are an innovative contribution to the restructuring of the living together in towns and cities where there is an increasing delineation between the different classes (and I do use the word class/classes here deliberately) which produces a great many risks for our living together in those spaces.

While growing produce for use by all, in community gardens “managed” and worked by all, by people from different strata and classes in the city, is one part of it such gardens also and especially aim to overcome the borders that have been created between people of different groups in society, in our increasingly gentrified towns and especially cities.

Through gardening together in reclaimed public spaces collective forms are created that can be seen as part of an ever strengthening commons movement even and especially in our towns and cities. Those forms could be the basis for new political framework to change society and all for the better.

Though not everyone may be realizing the potential that the urban gardening movement has to change the political structure and through it society as a whole. The powers-that-be, however, are well aware of its potential and thus use the media to belittle those that participate in this, whether in the form of community urban gardens or simply by trying to be somewhat more autark by turning their front and back yards and their balconies, etc., into spaces in which to grow at least some of their food.

People who are independent – to some extent – from the markets and people who join in community of whatever kind are perceived as a threat by the powers-that-be and thus every attempt possible is being made to discredit them in they eyes of the majority not as yet involved.

3 Things Getting In The Way Of Your Urban Farm—And What You Can Do About It

Growing food in the city isn’t without its challenges, but there are things you can do to start living out your farming dream right where you are.

Starting your urban farm may take some creativity to get around certain hurdles.

The homesteading life—a productive yard, some chickens, a canner bubbling on the stove, perhaps a little extra cash coming in from farmers market sales—has never been a more popular dream. As a hedge against the fragility of corporate employment, as a psychological antidote to the intensity of modern life, as a solution to questionable and uncertain food production, there are more and more people wanting to find a way to bring their food production "on site” to their urban or suburban yard.

But obstacles can make it difficult to take the leap—or even to feel like it is possible to get started. Here are some ideas that might help you get started working around those challenges and headed towards a better life.

Homeless People Plant a Rooftop Garden and Feed the Shelter Organically

Heartwarming stories about individuals and organizations offering compassion and help the homeless abound and most of us enjoy being reminded of the goodness in our fellow humans and being presented with a ray of hope within what is a widespread challenge that faces our world and local communities; and while idealistic gestures that are very often well-intending are certainly feel-good and help bring attention to the issue of homelessness, the issue itself remains.

While it has come to public understanding that one of the biggest problems faced by homeless people is loneliness and lack of connection with other humans, the real issues of being out of sync with the system itself remain and those issues need to be explored and understood.

This is why the Metro Atlanta Taskforce for the Homeless, is catching some big media attention. The Taskforce is serving the homeless in the community by allowing homeless people to serve themselves. A rooftop organic garden in the city is designed to feed displaced people green natural healthy foods and to establish routine capabilities of self-sufficiency, otherwise known as Agorism.This truly allows individuals without homes the opportunity to empower themselves in tangible ways.

The rooftop garden,operated by the Metro Atlanta Taskforce for the Homeless, provides marginalized individuals routes through which their root problems can be addressed, rather than simply providing temporary solutions to cover symptoms.

How To Grow Fruits, Vegetables And Herbs In A Container Garden

Not everyone has access to a lovely yard full of rich soil and abundant sunlight. For those of us in cities, container gardens—growing plants in individual pots—is often the only option. But there are special considerations for container gardens. We spoke to Meredith Sheperd, founder of urban agriculture firm Love & Carrots, about how to get the most out of a container.

Most urbanites, and many suburbanites, are restricted to containers when planting a garden. Containers have a lot of advantages: they’re portable, cheap, and can be placed in awkward places, from yards to fire escapes to roofs. But they have special needs, too, and many home gardeners make some key mistakes that can prevent their fruits, vegetables and herbs from delivering home-grown deliciousness. So we’re going to walk you through the basics of setting up an expert-approved container garden.

It’s All About Sun
“When I’m helping someone set up a container garden, the first thing I look at is sunlight. That is the number one limiting factor as far as what’s possible,” says Sheperd. You want south-facing light, because you want the majority of your light to come in the morning. You might think that the more sun you can get, the better, but that’s not always true: harsh, broiling afternoon light can burn your plants and evaporate water too quickly for your soil to really absorb it. And in containers, that problem is amplified. “There’s less soil volume, so things do dry out more quickly,” says Sheperd.

Does The Container Matter?
There are hefty price differences among pots. You might think that a beautiful ceramic or terra cotta or galvanized steel container must have some superior growing ability compared with cheapo plastic containers. You’d be wrong. “It’s not really going to make a difference,” says Sheperd. All of those materials will work equally well (though Sheperd says terra cotta can tend to break down after a few years). If you want an expensive glazed ceramic pot because it looks great, that’s fine! But Sheperd actually recommends a cheap all-purpose bucket of the sort you can get at Home Depot for under $3 apiece.

The most important thing in container gardening, and the thing that almost everyone gets wrong, is not the material of the container but the size. “I’d say that size is the first factor,” says Sheperd. “You want to go bigger. Bigger means more soil volume, which means more root mass, which means it can hold more nutrients and water.” Small ornamental pots are cute when they hold seedlings, but they’re going to significantly retard your ability to grow plants. “I’ll often show up at people’s houses and they’ll have, like, a solo-cup-sized pot with a pumpkin plant in it,” says Sheperd. “And they’re like ‘I don’t know why I didn’t get any pumpkins!'”

Interested in urban agriculture?

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

If you are interested in urban agriculture, and in the promotion of it, then check out the report of the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance's Nick Rose who recently journeyed to study innovative models in the American Midwest, Toronto and five provinces of Argentina.

'The focus of the study was to explore models of urban agriculture that could generate livelihood opportunities, especially for young people; and/or enhance food security for vulnerable and low-income groups. The study involved visits to over 80 organizations and institutions across the regions visited, and interviews with more than 150 people.'

The entire report can be downloaded at: http://www.nick-rose.com/churchill-fellowship-report/ and those of us who are interested in the subject and/or want to promote it in our own locales can get some valuable information from it.

Land, Co-ops, Compost: A Local Food Economy Emerges in Boston's Poorest Neighborhoods

From kitchens that buy and sell locally grown food, to a waste co-op that will return compost to the land, new enterprises are building an integrated food network. It's about local people keeping the wealth of their land at home.

The Food Project photo by Paul Dunn When Glynn Lloyd couldn’t source enough locally grown produce, he decided to grow his own.

Since 1994, Lloyd has run City Fresh Foods, a catering company based in Roxbury—one of Boston's lowest-income neighborhoods. He wanted his business to use locally produced food, but at that time it was hard to come by. So in 2009 Lloyd helped found City Growers, one of Boston's first for-profit farming ventures.

Today, City Growers is part of an emerging network of urban food enterprises in Roxbury and neighboring Dorchester. From a community land trust that preserves land for growing, to kitchens and retailers who buy and sell locally grown food, to a new waste management co-op that will return compost to the land, a crop of new businesses and nonprofits are building an integrated food economy. It's about local people keeping the wealth of their land and labor in the community.

“We don’t need big corporations like Walmart to come in and save us," Lloyd said. "We have homegrown solutions right here.”

Developing a sustainable living may require urban agriculture

Developing a sustainable living may require urban agriculture Imagine living in an inner city and buying your vegetables and fruit just moments after they've been harvested. Imagine waking up to the rustic sound of a cock crowing. Imagine your household waste and sewage serving to grow even more food in a highly sustainable way. This is the promising picture painted by the EU-funded Supurbfood project.

"The goal of the Supurbfood project," Han Wiskerke tells youris.com, "is to make urban and peri-urban agriculture much more important than it is now." Wiskerke is the coordinator of the project and a professor of rural sociology at Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands. He goes on to explain that the project also aims to close the food-waste cycle, to shorten the food supply chains, and to create multifunctional land use in cities.

The results of Supurbfood cannot be quantified just yet since the project will continue until October 2015. But it is clear that promoting urban agriculture is likely to encounter some hurdles. Among them, one of the issues is "legislation, most of all," the coordinator explains, "For instance human excrement is often forbidden as manure in food production; yet it can be a very valuable component of compost."

All the other possible problems can be dealt with. The lack of space, for example, can be solved by growing vegetables, nuts, and fruit in parks. Poultry and small animals can be kept on rooftops, and in petting zoos. And 'greening' a city makes it a nicer place to live in, with cleaner air and more recreational facilities. Multifunctional land use is key according to Wiskerke.

But the implementation of this ambitious plan is not all straightforward. "Pollution, however, is a problem," he admits. "Not so much for air pollution; you can wash that off easily, but pollution of the soil; that needs to be monitored carefully."

Other scientists in the field are generally in favour of the project concept. And they point out that the project's inherent process of international dialogue is one of its crucial and very innovative aspects. In addition, the sharing of experiences and exchange of best practice makes it unique, and the most promising project of its kind.

'Food Is Free' Project Losing Their Teaching Farm

The Food is Free Project was started with just a handful of seeds in one front yard in Austin, Texas. It began after founder John VanDeusen Edwards read a line in a gardening book that said something to the effect that sharing the knowledge was a vital step in gardening. He resonated strongly with that line and it inspired him to take a leap of faith and start a front-yard free garden. Within one year, over half of the houses on his street had Food is Free garden beds in their front yard. John sparked a food revolution in Austin, Texas, teaching people of all walks of life how to grow and share food. It instantly became a cog for motivation for friends, neighbors and aspiring green thumbs. The project has reached over 190 cities around the globe. It has become an open sourced idea free for the taking because of the profound inspiration it has given to thousands of individuals, families, neighborhoods and communities all around the world. Their presence on social media is growing everyday, reaching more and more people around the globe. The concept behind the Food is Free Project is simple: build a raised-bed front-yard garden with reclaimed materials such as heat treated pallets. Paint a sign on the box that says Food is Free. Fill it with soil and plant it with seeds and transplants. Share the harvest with friends, neighbors, strangers and passersby. Repeat the process time and time again.

The Food is Free Project was founded by John VanDeusen Edwards (center in photo), who transformed his front and backyard into a teaching farm and resource center. The Food is Free Project is home to three aquaponic systems, twelve chickens, a rooster, two mini pet pigs, a fish pond, a hugelkultur spiral garden, an outdoor kitchen, community composting, a tool sharing program, and free workshops and classes on cooking, preserving. Food is Free Project raised beds are built onsite with the help of families, friends and volunteers. Children love coming to the farm to see the animals, witness how food is grown, and playing with worms in the compost pile. The Food is Free Project has installed several Food is Free beds throughout their community, including one for Habitat for Humanity. They encourage community involvement, the mentoring of children, engaging in conversations with neighbors and bringing life back to neighborhoods.

5 Nuisances Only Urban Gardeners Understand

City gardeners have problems no farmer in the country faces. Can you relate?

5 Garden Nuisances Only Urban Gardeners Understand - Photo courtesy TCDavis When you begin to garden in the city, the future is as ripe as the tomatoes you expect to harvest. But if a squirrel steals your first fruit or a neighbor complains, growing your own suddenly doesn’t seem like so much fun. Take heart—urban gardening nuisances are shared among friends of the soil.

1. Rules & Regulations

Most gardeners would rather pull weeds than comb through zoning regulations, but the rules where and how large you can plant your garden vary from city to city, and even among different sections of the same city. "Zoning and regulations for chickens and gardens vary by suburb in our city which can be confusing,” says Shawn Fiegelist of City Folk’s Farm Shop, a homesteading supply store in Columbus, Ohio. "The number of people who are interested in raising food on their property is growing, and some neighborhoods and townships are having a difficult time keeping up with the interest in requests for information and permitting.”

Solution: Plan Ahead

Remember, you’re not in this alone. Save yourself future trouble, and do your homework before planting your garden, Fiegelist advises. Talk with your local government or neighborhood association to find which rules apply to you, and even consult experienced local gardeners about how they’ve handled zoning restrictions.

"We like to connect newbies to more experienced homesteaders who are always ready to lend a hand,” Fiegelist says.

2. Poor Soil

Dense urban areas often lack "black gold,” the rich loamy soil of a gardener’s dreams. But the dirt in your backyard might be worse than clay—it could be contaminated with building materials and toxins. Lead is a particular problem, especially in neighborhoods with an industrial history.

Solutions: Test Your Soil and Build Raised Beds

An easy and inexpensive to find out if your soil is contaminated is to test your soil. If your state cooperative extension agency doesn’t already offer this service, they should be able to provide you with a list of local soil-quality labs. For a small fee, the labs can analyze the level of potential toxins in a soil sample, as well as the nutrient balance so you’ll know what amendments you need for optimum vegetable growth.

Another option is to build a raised bed and fill it with a custom soil mix so you know exactly what you’re growing in.

Urban Gardening – das grüne Stadtphänomen

Töpfe mit Kräutern. «Urban gardening» ist ein Phänomen unserer Zeit. Urbane Gärten sind mehr als grüne Erholungsräume in den Städten. Sie begeistern auch, weil sie für neue Formen von Gemeinschaft, Nahrungsmittelproduktion und Stadtraum stehen. Was bedeutet das und woher kommt die Lust am Gärtnern und Selbermachen?

Urban Gardening das ist die neueste Form von Grünraum in der Stadt und ist doch mehr als ein paar nette Blümchen auf der Verkehrsinsel. In der Stadt sein eigenes Gemüse anzubauen und gemeinsam in einem Garten zu werken, ist ein echter Boom in westlichen Grossstädten.

Die Bewegung geht von jungen Stadtmenschen aus und die orientieren sich an eigentlich traditionellen und ursprünglichen Werten: etwas selber machen, in einer Gemeinschaft eingebettet sein, die Natur und «echte» Erlebnisse auch im städtischen Raum nicht missen wollend. Was macht die Gärten für urbane Menschen anziehend? Was bedeutet «urban gardening» in unserer gerade so bildschirmorientierten Zeit?

Weiter lesen/Podcast runterladen/Read more/download podcast: http://www.srf.ch/sendungen/kontext/urban-gardening-das-gruene-stadtphaenomen

Urban Gardening – Thoughts from a Soil Scientist

Along with the trends of buying local food, buying organic, etc., there seems to be an increase in (or perhaps more accurately, a return to) gardening – especially in urban areas. Urban gardening is a great way to save money on food, a great source for fresh vegetables, and an easy way to introduce kids to where the food on their plate comes from. In fact, working with the soil has been proven to make you happier! However, there are a couple potential obstacles you should consider first before starting your urban garden.

"Graze the Roof" by Sergio Ruiz

First, in urban environments the possibility that soil could have been contaminated with heavy metals, petrochemicals, etc. is pretty high. Lead (which was once a common additive to gasoline and paint) is common in urban soils and can be adsorbed by the roots of the vegetables you grow. Because of this, that lead can eventually end up in the food on your plate. Most lead poisoning comes from ingesting lead (like eating lead paint chips…), so it’s important to know that the soil you’re using for your garden is safe. You should take some soil samples and send them to a lab in your state that can test for heavy metals like lead. Usually the “land grant” university in your state (in the US) will have a soil testing lab where these tests can be performed for a nominal cost. Other forms of contamination are possible as well, such as chemicals from cars, asphalt , laundry-mats, etc. These chemicals are more difficult to test for, so your best bet is to find out the history of your garden plot. These records should be available from your local city government, perhaps even online.

Second, urban soils are often compacted from foot, car, or perhaps machinery traffic. Compacted soils make it difficult for plants to grow, mainly because the plant roots are not strong enough to penetrate the compacted soil, and thus cannot gather enough water or nutrients for the plant to survive, let alone grow and produce vegetables. Compacted soils are especially common in newer housing developments where entire blocks of houses were built around the same time. The construction companies often remove all of the topsoil prior to building the houses. The soils are then driven over by construction machinery and compacted. Then sod is laid directly on top of the subsoil. This makes for soils with very poor growing conditions for both lawns and gardens.

Turning an Old Playground into a Veg Garden

Laya Point Permaculture have transformed a forgotten tarmac playground into a raised bed veg garden, with the tarmac walkways serving as a thermal solar store.

What was once an empty school playground is now home to a series of veg beds, with thermal solar storing pathways.

Hopscotch and handball markings remain with the North/South/East/West compass still visible in the centre of the playground, now with veg beds moving outwards in a radial pattern, like the rays of the sun.

Laya Point Permaculture, based on the site of an old country school in Cumbria, continues with education but in a very different vein. Alongside their growing space they recently ran a weekend residential on myco-scaping for gardens and smallholdings - growing edible and medicinal mushrooms and integrating them into mutually beneficial systems.

The school yard plot began back in November 2012 with spray paint, string and tape measure in hand. A digger came in to break the surface and scoop out most of the hardcore from each bed over the course of two days. In March of 2013 Nicole and Tom of Laya Point, with a team Wwoofers, pick axed away the rest of the stone and tarmac and shaped out the beds before adding scaffolding planks. By 14th July of the 32 beds were ready to go.

As well as the scaffolding plank beds, there are six beautifully put together stone wall beds. With this and the remaining 12 beds the playground plot was finished in October 2013.

Good planning was essential in auditing and channelling their energies. Nicole expands on the design process:

"The design is exactly as we planned it on paper. We did a scale drawing and worked out the width of the paths and beds that we thought would be the easiest to work with and get the wheel barrow through. We also wanted plenty of direct paths across the site. So although it is a patterned design we were able to move around it easily. It took us a few days to measure it out but it was worth the time planning properly. Planning also enabled us to estimate the quantity and cost of our materials."

Urban gardens are key in times of crisis

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Allotment gardens have often been sources of local resilience during periods of crisis. During World War I the number of allotment gardens surged from 600,000 to 1,500,000 in Britain, supplying city people with food and other ecosystem services.

The gardens were planted in parks and sports fields, and even Buckingham Palace turned up the earth to grow vegetables. After declining abruptly in the 1920s and 1930s, World War II saw a new explosion in the numbers of allotment gardens in cities of Britain and other parts of Europe.

In Germany, and several other European countries, allotment gardens have always played a great role for the people and in giving them a small measure of self-sufficiency in food though some do manage to grow more than enough for themselves and their families as far as vegetables are concerned.

In Britain the law, theoretically, states that councils have a duty to provide land for allotment gardens if a certain number of people demand them. This appears to be (1) a little known fact and (2) something councils often do not follow either, even if the demand is there.

In other European countries the allotment garden movement is far more active than it is in Britain and also much better organized and there are allotment colonies all over the place. Cities, towns and even villages have them and they are well used, it would seem.

However, we need more urban and suburban community gardens where people can grow their own food and there is enough derelict land around in most places so that this can be possible, also in the UK, and in the middle of the cities. Where the soil may be contaminated it is quite feasible, though it means bringing in healthy soil, to do the growing beds in large containers such as reused builder bags which nowadays, to 90%, are not reused by the companies and cannot even be returned. This is, basically, killing two birds with one stone namely having a place in which to grow food and also keeping such bags, made predominately from woven polypropylene, out of landfill.

Using this approach could turn many empty urban lots in any town or city into productive community gardens without needing to dig the ground, which might be covered in concrete or tarmacadam and thus cannot be easily dug or ground that is possibly contaminated. Yes, it would require bringing it good soil to fill the bags with and then grow the food therein but that still is better than not having such gardens at all.

Allotments must be made available also to all that want to work such plots and not just in urban areas but in them and suburban areas especially as there less land at home is available for the growing of food and people must be encouraged to grow at least some of their own food at home or at allotments and similar gardens.

Our food security depends on this for our individual regions as much as for the country as a whole and there was a time when all cities had market gardens and small farms surrounding them and even almost in their hearts, as did Paris before World War One and we must bring this back to make local foods available to all.

Allotment garden, known as Schrebergaerten or Kleingaerten in German, have in that country been in use for about a century or so and they are, as previously stated, well received and they are much like that Dachas in Russia, and in some cases, just like on their Dachas in Russia, people spend their entire summers, growing plants, both flowers and vegetables, living in little cabins.

During the Second World War the roads and streets of Germany, including those in towns and cities, were lined with fruit trees to provide fresh fruit, especially apples, pears and plums, for the population during the war time and many of those trees were still about in the 1980s though rarely anyone made use of the fruit provided by the trees.

There were also, once upon a time, so-called common trees of various fruits that lined the country lanes of Britain but most of those trees have been grubbed out by now as they were deemed a danger to motorists. The car has to come first, obviously. But, actions of guerrilla gardeners grafting fruit tree branches to that of city trees and the reception of this by the people proves that it would be popular to have fruit trees lining the streets and being found in our parks and open spaces. Many, the majority, in fact, of our common woods in the countryside were a mix of timber trees with fruit trees (the latter in the end also will provide valuable timber) to a ratio of 2:1. Proof that it is all possible and that food security can be created for every area, including our urban and suburban areas. Time we got going.

The Grow Bag Frame – Product Review

Review by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

ENGINEERED FOR URBAN GARDENS

The Grow Bag Frame is one of those "now why didn't I think of that" ideas. It lets you make the most of your grow bag by simply turning it on its side.

Simple and elegant in design, not only does it take up less space, it provides plants with deeper soil, encouraging stronger roots, and makes for less messy watering.

The pack includes plant supports and can be flat-packed for storage at the end of the season. Materials are two side frame and two cross bars, both manufactured from 6mm diameter, recycled (BS1052) galvanized mild steel and the three looped ties are made from strong 12mm plastic strapping. Made in the U.K. Dimensions: 86cm x 28cm x 120cm H. (33¾" x 11" x 47¼").

The strapping is of the kind that is generally used for large packaging and for securing stuff to pallets also. It is a very strong plastic webbing and will last for ages.

What we call in Britain a grow bag is not something that our American cousins are familiar with. I fact, I do believe one cannot even get that kind of bag filled with compost in the US.

Therefore Crown Garden Products have also created the reusable grow bag which can be used with the Grow Bag Frame.

The Grow Bag Frame is designed with a unique clip fixing - quick and easy to assemble and dismantle – the component parts simply slot together. The lower cross bar draws the grow bag upwards creating voids for watering and feeding. The whole planted assembly is very stable and can be picked up and moved by gently gripping and lifting the two end frames. For taller growing plants put a cane into the grow bag and tie it to the two cross bars to give your plants as much vertical support as you need.

The first time that I saw the Grow Bag Frame was a couple of years ago at one of the RHS' Flower Shows in London and was immediately taken by it, realizing what great concept it was and it was good to hear then that the makers had patented the design. Something that often gets forgotten and then a great idea, such as the Ladder Allotments, get copied by large manufactures who then can outperform the original designers and makers.

The Reusable Grow Bag, designed especially for The Grow Bag Frame, is a reusable grow bag made from tough heavy duty Polyethylene. All you need to do is to fill it with your ideal compost for vegetables, fruit or flowers. It has a capacity of 25 liters and is, like the frame, made in the UK.

The frame is easily assembled and, in all honesty, with a little common sense (very rare though nowadays) one does not even need instructions. It is intuitive, as far as I am concerned. However, anyone requiring instructions they come with it and also can be found online on Crown Garden Products' website.

The great thing about the Grow Bag Frame is that you can easily, with the bag and plants, move it around, say on a patio, and you don't have to be Geoff Capes to do so.

Crown Garden Products Limited are a small British company, specializing in developing products that help the home gardener achieve better results by using simple, stylish and clever ideas. All products are made in UK.

Recommended Retail Price £19.95 excl delivery.

A great idea and product for the urban gardener but which will equally be at home in the cottage garden in the country.