Urban Gardening

seems to be the new gardening buzz word these days. Maybe using the term 'City Gardening' or 'Small Space Gardening' or even, 'I just don't want to convert 1/2 of my back yard to a garden' would be other ways of explaining what Urban Gardening is.

You have seen my larger area where I plant rows of vegetables, but this year I am going to grow veggies on and around our back patio. It does not get much better than stepping out the back door and grabbing a fresh tomato or pepper.

Today, for our 'Johnson's Garden Time' TV show to air in a couple of weeks, we potted up an 'Earthbox' and 'Smartpot'. The Earthbox is a rectangle plastic container on rollers that has 2 tomato plants, the Smartpot, is planted with potatoes.

Mid-March is plenty early to be planting tomatoes in Kansas, but by using the Earthbox, or a Smartpot, portability is very simple, or being close to the back door, I'll be able to cover the tender plants when the last few freezes occur.

This afternoon when

the skies cleared, I just had to get out and do something in the 2010 vegetable garden. I fired up the troy built tiller and worked the soil where my first plantings will go. My plan is to get in potatoes (tomorrow is St. Pats day), onions, radishes, carrots, cole crops, and will probably do a 'gamble' tomato.

This year I may try smaller plots of vegetable, not the long 100' rows like last year. Anyway, my first area is ready to plant.