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Questions tagged [urban-gardening]

For questions about gardening in cities.

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5 votes
3 answers
755 views

Can I build a soil-based garden on a concrete balcony?

I have a fairly small balcony that I don't use, but my apartment has no garden. Would it be possible to cover the balcony in a tarp and then add some soil, moss, plants, etc? It's a solid ...
2 votes
1 answer
103 views

Does anybody know some low-maintenance indoor plants for summer?

I've been planning to decorate my home with some indoor plants that are easy to grow. And have found many common plants but I am not sure if they'll thrive in Summer or not. I tried checking their ...
3 votes
1 answer
8k views

What is this weed with beautiful yellow flowers?

I live in subtropical Hong Kong. Is this some kind of tiny flower dandelion? Is has floating seeds, which grow in very small clusters about the same size as the flowers or smaller. I can't be sure ...
8 votes
2 answers
3k views

What is this fuzzy green plant with spikes? (UK gardening)

Was ripping remnants of grass after cutting them with my hands when I grabbed a handful got a sharp scratch bg this plant with spikes. What is it? Is it a cause for concern?
5 votes
1 answer
156 views

Convert yard with grass into vegetable garden

I want to convert my backyard into a vegetable garden. The area consists of mostly patchy grass and some weeds. The plantable area has plenty of sunlight. The sod is 3 inches deep. I want to plant ...
2 votes
3 answers
195 views

Coverings of drainage hole

I use plastic pots, concrete and ceramic pots with holes at the bottom, often without a saucer for outside. When I water, I bath my plants or put enough water and allow excess amount to pass through ...
2 votes
0 answers
51 views

How to handle wind issues on terrace garden

I have planted some seeds on the pot and kept that on the terrace. But there's too much wind during the evening time. I'm not sure how the plants can sustain the wind. Besides my terrace floor is made ...
1 vote
1 answer
74 views

Do sweet potato tops make good fertiliser tea?

I am growing sweet potato in my back yard and I come to realize the abundant amount of potato tops after harvesting, do they make a good fertiliser tea or I would just add them to the compost?
2 votes
1 answer
471 views

Did I cut too much off my kale?

I am wondering if I cut off too much from this plant. Please advise.
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

My neighbors weeds infesting my yard

My neighbor’s yard is terrible and the house next to hers is abandoned due to fire so it’s weeds everywhere. It’s been a battle to keep the weeds out a battle i have lost. What was once a beautiful ...
0 votes
0 answers
110 views

DIY Humidity dome for growing microgreens

I am designing a humidity dome for growing microgreens, but need help with deciding on the material and design specifics. I'd basically like to replicate the following product using wire and ...
1 vote
1 answer
176 views

What varieties of watermelon ripen before the last frost in Colorado?

🍉 In the state of Colorado within the United States, what variety and/or cultivar of watermelon does best in urban vegtable gardens? Given that the word "best" is subjective, I will note ...
1 vote
1 answer
154 views

When is it safe to plant vegtables outside in Denver, Colorado?

When is the last frost in Denver, Colorado? Officially, March 20th is the last day of winter, but when is it safe to plant seeds or seedling in Denver, Colorado (in terms of snow or freeing ...
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Unidentified bright-green long-leaf plant? TX

This was outside just noticed it growing. Long waxy leaves, bright green, and seems to come from a very solid base. It's growing really close to a tree in a cluster of 4.
2 votes
2 answers
534 views

Is it bad for vegetable plants (tomatoes) to be tilted/angled in a vertical-planter?

I bought a 4 store-planter (like this one but with 4) for my "urban garden", and I thought I could incline the planters at whichever angle I wanted. I hope the word planter is the correct ...
2 votes
1 answer
84 views

How to choose the right garden plants around the building wall and dry wells

If trees/shrubs are planted too close to a house, the roots can damage the foundation Only two to three feet is available from the building wall on both the sides of the building and dry wells with ...
2 votes
1 answer
506 views

Why do some plants need an "open" position?

The guidance for some plants (eg, some Australian natives like banksias) says they need an "open and sunny position". The sunny part is self explanatory. But why do they need an open ...
2 votes
1 answer
117 views

Growing 3 sisters but my beans are overtaking corn

I planted my beans out once my corn was about 6 - 12 inches but the corn is growing real slow and the beans are overtaking them. Corn is jimmy red cord and Im in the UK. Any suggestions on what to do ...
10 votes
3 answers
2k views

How should I 'close out' a garden bed before moving?

I am moving out of a rental in zone 6 of eastern USA where I built two small garden beds using thin cedar wood in an urban yard. The landlord is okay with the beds staying there or going with me, but ...
1 vote
1 answer
108 views

What plants in are in the patch of ground behind my Beijing apartment?

Can anyone help identify any of these plants.. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. I live in Beijing, and I am considering commandeering an unused patch of dirt behind my apartment building to grow a few flowers or ...
1 vote
0 answers
41 views

How big I need to make a greenhouse vertical farm to accomodate the equivalent of 7 acres?

So, I know that "vertical farming" is a broad term, and there are dozen ways of making a vertical farm with a dozen of different techniques to grow plants. And before I try to search for the ...
5 votes
1 answer
49 views

Where can I find a crop calendar for Arizona

I'm starting a community garden but so far all the crop calendars I've been able to find don't seem to have Arizona weather in mind. Anyone know where I can find a local crop calendar?
6 votes
4 answers
7k views

How can I stop water dripping from my balcony hangers to the downstairs neighbors railing?

I have 3 balcony planters 30 in. long that hang on my railing. When I water the plants, it drips to downstairs apartments patio railing. How can I stop this? Should I be concerned?
3 votes
0 answers
88 views

Apple Tree Sapling Struggling

I'm in the process of growing the little apple tree you see here from a seed that had germinated within an apple I was eating. I thought it would be interesting to see if it would grow and over the ...
0 votes
0 answers
21 views

Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) deficiency

Recently plant red yucca seems to have been sprayed or some reason becoming burnt, the soil was lightly composted to restore Ph unless this is a bug problem? [![enter image description here][1]]
13 votes
6 answers
5k views

Is it a good idea and how to introduce frogs in my garden?

I am trying to sustainably get a grip on the flies, mosquitoes and other such insects' population. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have a decent sized backyard (about 3000 sq ft of garden/...
2 votes
1 answer
179 views

How to care for calathea plants

I have chosen to grow Calathea as an indoor plant, but how should I care for them? How should I overcome the problems that occur during their growth?
0 votes
0 answers
36 views

Dill Seeds Molding?

I had collected dill seeds from my dill plants. I had not dried the plants when I took the seeds, I just took the seeds right off the plant and put them in a paper envelope. I stored them in a dark, ...
4 votes
2 answers
11k views

How to save a dying dusty miller?

This is my plant and is dying. Although I tried a lot to make it survive its health status depleted with time. Now some of its leaves are still active while rest died (approx 20 percent alive). This ...
1 vote
0 answers
50 views

I want to plant 5 species of plants in my garden, which can purify the air around the garden and also keep away mosquitoes . Suggest some to me

I have a garden in my house where I had some plants earlier. They were mostly flowering plants. Now I am looking for some plants which can purify the air around the house, keep away mosquitoes, and ...
3 votes
2 answers
404 views

Help identify this seedling (baobab?)

Can anyone identify this seedling? I bought (what I thought were) baobab seeds online. When they arrived they looked nothing like I expected, small and brown and glossy, resembling apple seeds (see ...
1 vote
0 answers
126 views

Identify plant with narrow straplike leaves and red flower

We have been having this green narrow leaved plant for years. It flowers occasionally as in the image. Some say it is from the family of bromeliads but its structure looks so different.
1 vote
1 answer
55 views

What is killing my cypress trees?

We planted a new row of cypress trees, approx a month ago. They are about 1.5 m tall and stand in direct sunlight for most of the day. We water them regularly with DIY. At first they were doing well, ...
0 votes
2 answers
9k views

Why are the leaves of my areca palm (indoor) turning yellow? HELP!

Dear all since last week I noticed that entire leaves of my areca palm are turning yellow? In addition to the previous problem I have been having of the yellow and brown tips. I have the plant next to ...
4 votes
1 answer
63 views

How do I go about renting a house as a hardcore gardener?

I am asking this question here because it really is a question only a gardener can understand. My wife and I are avid gardeners, but I find that when we search for a house to rent to call our home. ...
2 votes
0 answers
234 views

Building a raised garden on uneven concrete?

I'm new to gardening but would like to get a raised bed started in my NYC backyard. My plans are to build a 2x8 raised bed. I have a spot picked out but I am worried about drainage problems as the ...
0 votes
1 answer
128 views

Help with suffering baby pine tree

I was given a young pine tree some months ago. I placed it in a larger pot in the communal garden (so I cannot see it from my window) and hardened off during the winter. It is now outside since ...
1 vote
0 answers
214 views

Avocado leaves are browning and shriveling up

The plant was fine until a few days ago when i finally brought it outside. It has spent all of winter indoors in the same pot. The browning on this one greatly differs from the one that has salt ...
0 votes
2 answers
214 views

Ideas on growing leafy vegetables in soda bottles

I have a couple of questions on raising plants with hydro in soda bottles. Is it better to grow your leafy veg in a water solution or is the wick/soil approach better? I'm trying to get a little bit ...
2 votes
2 answers
46 views

Favorite small-scale gardening books for beginners? [closed]

I recently started cultivating a 20'x25' vegetable garden, which is to say, I signed up for a community garden plot and have a few containers for tomatoes on my porch. I don't have any experience ...
1 vote
1 answer
60 views

(When) can potted cactus and aloe vera be put outside?

Hello Gardening stackexchange! We bought a few cacti and aloe vera last year, which live in pots. We took them inside the house at the start of the past autumn, when the temperatures were starting ...
0 votes
1 answer
51 views

How many different plant families do you need for a self pollinating garden?

I would like to grow certain plants in a self contained habitat (like cattails, fireweed, thistle, and other edible plants that are semi easy to maintain) but I read that siblings can’t pollinate each ...
2 votes
2 answers
75 views

Hyper soil carbon accumulator for backyards

I am curious, what people could do with a small piece of land like their home backyard (say originally it is a regular lawn smaller than 20m^2, in temperate continental climate (so pretty harsh)) to ...
15 votes
7 answers
5k views

Is there a way to avoid the recurring cost of microbes when composting at home?

I am planning to start a terrace garden and to generate compost for it. I found two sellers Seller1 and Seller2 in my city. Seller1 has "patented microbes" and Seller2 has microbes, saw dust, dry ...
0 votes
1 answer
45 views

Summer vegetable garden in SoCal

I know there already is a question answered about which crops to grow in the late summer (August): Late summer vegetable garden in SoCal?. But I'm wondering if there are recommendations for crops to ...
4 votes
3 answers
485 views

Is there a problem with my Japanese Maple shrub?

We live in Vienna, Austria, very near the Danube. We planted this Japanese Maple in the first year after moving in the spring of 2013. It has been slow but steady growing, improving a bit every year. ...
1 vote
0 answers
56 views

How to kmow if a young rose is a climber

I bought this young rose and it already has blooms, smaller than the regular rose flowers but I noticed that it's kinda growing horizontally and long stems so I put a stick beside it to support its ...
1 vote
1 answer
299 views

What is this fast growing plant?

What is this fast growing plant growing in my pot? Walking around nature and parks I would collect all sorts of seeds from all sorts of plants and threw them in my pots, so all sorts of things are ...
2 votes
1 answer
247 views

Can someone identify this vine for me which seems to be wrapping tightly around many trees?

There are many similar to this vine in a city park in NYC. They seem to be wrapping themselves tightly around many trees.
1 vote
0 answers
63 views

Can someone identify this vine? It is growing up and wrapped around the canopy of a tree

It is about the size of my wrist.enter image description here