View full sizeThough not hardy in our area, avocados are fun to start from seed.
MICRO-GARDENS: We think that small spaces equal small yields, but the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization considers micro-gardens a crucial way to put more food on the table of urban poor.
“While it’s probably tough to sustain a family on a micro-garden, FAO research shows that a well-tended micro-garden of 11 square feet can produce as much as 200 tomatoes a year, 36 heads of lettuce every 60 days, 10 cabbages every 90 days, and 100 onions every 120 days,” reports Eliza Barclay on the NPR website.
The story links to a site suggesting materials to reuse in a micro-garden, as well as a slide show showing 12 growing systems in which to grow your produce.
GROWING SCRAPS: Instead of throwing garden scraps into the compost pile or recycling bin, a gardener in Millersville, Pennsylvania, saves them for growing into plants. She’s had about a 50 percent survival rate using scraps such as garlic, avocado, pineapple, celery and green onions.
KEEP FIT: Lynne Brick, president and founder of the gym chain Brick Bodies and Lynne Brick’s Women’s Health and Fitness, makes it clear working in the garden can be hard on the body. No fear, though. She’s got suggestions to keep fit.
“It’s especially important to stretch before gardening if you’re middle-aged or older,” warns Brick, noting that the bending and lifting associated with gardening can be tough on joints and previously injured muscles.
— Kym Pokorny
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