Urban Gardening Tips

Food in Industrial and Developing Countries in 2011 - Reasons for Local Produce, Gardening

From work Urban Gardeners session

• Industrial countries export processed food containing large amounts of salt, sugar, and fat.
• Global south exports “whole” foods at low costs: traditional farming vs. horticulture, argo culture, monoculture.
• Kenya is a good example.
• Climate, biofuels/energy, speculation in stocks and commodities leads to volatility, food crisis, diet changes resulting in health effects and prices.
• Ontario needs insurance against these global food challenges. Ontario is important many vegetables. If we grow ourselves, it will result in large revenues. Need to assess plant requirements and see if they can grow in Ontario and how many times during growth seasons.
  • Assess soil, water, light, maintenance (includes pest/physical), harvest

Homemade Fertilizer

It’s made of dried egg shells, shrimp shells and coffee grounds. They have to be well dried out though to avoid bad smells. Then I pulverize it in a food processor.

Seedlings Care

A few quick tips for healthy seedlings:

• Keep “soil” in containers moist, but not over-watered. (Soil should be dark in colour but not soaking wet). Use spray bottle or add water to the bottom of the container – e.g., a plastic lid placed under the container. This way the water will slowly seep up into the soil. This is especially good for Fri. watering – the water will last through the weekend.
• Keep in mind, the smaller the container, the more frequent watering will be needed - the less soil, the faster it dries out. Wrap container in plastic to keep water from evaporating from the container.
• Once little shoots emerge, take lid off; keep containers very close to a source of light, such as fluorescent desk light – about 4 inches away from light is ideal. Otherwise, the plants will stretch themselves too thin – literally! – trying to reach the light.

What to Plant

Source: Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri Extension

Table 1. Which Vegetables to Transplant Without Container

Easily survive transplanting Transplant well, but require care Difficult to transplant

Beet Carrot Bean

Broccoli Celery Corn

Brussels sprouts Eggplant Cucumber

Cabbage Kale Cantaloupe

Cauliflower Kohlrabi Mustard

Chard Leek Peas

Collards Onion Squash

Endive Pepper Turnips

Lettuce Salsify Watermelon

Tomato

Ray R. Rothenberger

When to Plant

See Farmers’ Almanac Planting Calendar

What to Avoid - Damping Off

Source: Originally from an article at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Affairs

Prevention:

Sanitation: clean equipment and pots

Growing medium: Use sterilized or heat-treated growing mediums. Provide good drainage,

structure, aeration, and water-holding capacity.

Seed Treatment:. Some seeds come pre-treated with fungicide.

Seeding Depth: Do not plant seeds too deep

Plant Density: Try not too over crowd

Fertilizer: Provide seedlings with the proper nutrients.

Watering: Never over-water and always allow the seedling plugs to dry out just a little between

watering.

Steps for starting seeds indoors

1. Plan your garden – determine what to plant and when.
2. Clean your containers.
3. Moisten your starting mix.
4. Fill containers and tamp down lightly.
5. Ensure that the containers will have adequate drainage so that seedlings are not sitting in water.
6. Plant the seeds according to depth on seed packet.
7. Water
8. Cover if possible and put somewhere warm
9. Once the seeds have germinated they will need light, so if your warm place for germinating did not have sun, move the seedlings to a sunny spot.
10. Ensure that your seedlings are kept moist, but do not over water. You may need to remove the cover or prop it up a bit once germination has occurred to ensure the seedlings don’t damp off.
11. Once the first true leaves appear, thin your seedlings by snipping the smaller ones off at the ground with a pair of scissors.
12. Once the first true leaves appear you may also need to provide some nutrients for the seedling.
13. Continue to water and nurture your seedlings – for tomatoes adding more soil will help make a stronger root system.
14. When it comes time to plant outside, harden your seedlings off by exposing them to outdoor conditions slowly.