Friday Afternoon Grab Bag

I’m trying something new in an effort to share some of the cool things I come across as well as lighten the load for me (writing 5 full-length posts a week for nearly 2 years is starting to take it’s toll). Basically, on Fridays I’m going to be sharing some links and quick ideas for you all to take into the weekend. Let me know what you think…

Great Blog Reading

• Homemade EarthBox – Mr Brown Thumb shares how he made his own self-watering container with $2, a garbage bag and a rubberband.
• What Makes a Good Gardener? – Author and blogger Gayla Trail pontificates on what qualifies someone as a “green thumb.”
• How to Make a Planter Out of a Wooden Pallet – This isn’t a blog post, per se, it’s an Instructibles post, so I’m not really sure where that fits in the scheme of things. Regardless, it’s an interesting idea for making a nice looking planter out of found materials.
• The San Francisco Garden Show: Container Drama – Christina shared her photos and thoughts on all the beautiful and interesting container designs at the SF Garden Show.
• Review of Upside Down Planters and EarthBox – Paula Lovgren provides a thoughtful review of her experience with the Topsy Turvey upside down planter, and the self-watering EarthBox.

Loving These Colors

I keep on seeing yellow, orange and silver in gardens and find it a really beautiful, subtle color palette

Book I Can’t Wait to Read

Alys Fowler’s Garden Anywhere. I received the book as a Hanukkah gift, but haven’t had time to read it yet. I flipped through a copy at the San Francisco Garden Show, and was kicking myself for taking so long to actually crack open the cover.

I’m Lusting After…

The uber modern Roost Copenhagen terrarium containers available at aHa Modern Living.

In the News

• Michael Tortorello examines several indoor herb garden kits in his New York Times column. I always enjoy his thoughtful commentary on edible gardening from a newcomer’s perspective.
• Cindy McNatt, garden writer at the Orange County Register, provides a bunch of useful tidbits and trivia about growing tomatoes.
• The topic of master gardeners was really popular this week. Google found 1260 articles about master gardeners published in the last week.
• A new community garden opened up in Tempe, AZ and replaces a vacant lot with flowers and vegetables. Although the concept is a bit different than most community gardens, the produce grown in the garden will supply local restaurants.
• The Guardian examines edible flowers and the various flavors they can add to a dish.

Know about something that should be included in next week’s grab bag? Send your tips to fern at lifeonthebalcony.com.

You Might Also Like:

1. Guest Post: EarthBox Review
2. Black Friday – Here are Some Recommendations
3. Self Watering Containers