At Upcycle & Company, we believe that sustainability starts at home. And that doing it right means doing it locally. That’s why we’re rabid fans of the “Grow Food, Not Lawns” movement. It’s also the primary reason Native Soil is sourced 100% locally in Southern California. We’re adamant about giving the 38 billion gallons of waste water the United States produces daily new life and new opportunity as part of the Future Friendly Fertilizer, Native Soil.
Tell us, what can you do today in your local community to promote sustainability?
I’ve really been digging the work being done over at SpacesTV lately. That YouTube channel is giving a good deal of coverage to one of our favorite topics here at Upcycle & Co, balcony gardening and tiny gardens. Just because you don’t have much space doesn’t mean that you can’t have a beautiful, bountiful, and productive garden. Tiny gardens can be surprisingly productive.
This tiny space in north Manhattan (where space is clearly at a premium) uses planning and vertical space to create a lush, inviting area that is overflowing with useful plants. Just remember, when you’re working in urban environments, there are more pollutants that degrade soil quality over time so it is imperative that you revitalize that soil. Give it the nutrients it needs to produce for you.
Enjoy the interview and walk through below and let us know how you’re inspired to create your own tiny garden space.
DENTON TARVER: Today on Urban Gardener– we’re headed to a Brooklyn patio garden. This wall this extraordinary. It starts from the floor and goes as high as anybody can reach. It contains all levels of plants, all kinds of blooms. We have vines. Even trees. This looks like we have a bunch of different kinds of vines growing up here. They’ve all been put together in a really interesting way. If you look at this wall long enough, you keep seeing new things that jump out at you, which is really interesting, especially in a small space like this. This is called nasturtium. But it has these interesting round leaves. It’s really beautiful bloom, which is also edible.
MALE SPEAKER: This was our rooftop, and for the first year, we never used it ’cause it would get too hot.
Eventually, I was like, I’m gonna bite the bullet and spend the money and build a deck. This wall is aluminum siding. And as you can see, it’s really boring. And that’s my window right there. That’s where we started.
DENTON TARVER: So you made a little bed.
MALE SPEAKER: A little bed–
DENTON TARVER: And then you started layering up.
MALE SPEAKER: Yes. Yes.
DENTON TARVER: And now we have vines everywhere.
MALE SPEAKER: This whole thing, actually, has a lot of purpose. There used to be a couple that sat in that window all the time looking over here.
DENTON TARVER: A little leering going on.
MALE SPEAKER: So I wanted to block them. So this is like a privacy wall. This is what I call my rock garden. It reminds me of a quiet corner. I spent hours chiseling holes in the rock.
DENTON TARVER: Oh, wait, you made this? With the rock here?
MALE SPEAKER: Yeah.
DENTON TARVER: Well, it seems like you have everything in here. Are you like a garden MacGyver or something like that?
MALE SPEAKER: Kind of.
I work with small spaces as a living. Every time I shopping for plants, I’m shopping for myself. I like to go a lot to vintage shops, garage sales, Salvation Armys. You never know what you can find. And that’s where you find all this interesting stuff. It’s all about keeping it tight and keeping it organized. DENTON TARVER: See you next time, on Urban Gardener. TRACY METRO: Like home and design? Have Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest? So do we. Want to get some free exclusive content and give-aways? So do we. Subscribe to Spaces right here..
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So what do you think? We love tiny gardens and think that every apartment or condo can benefit from them. What are you going to grow in yours?
One of our favorite plants to grow with Native Soil in San Diego is the superfood kale.
Kale has some amazing health benefits and is relatively easy to grow in most of the San Diego microclimates year round. Now, while we’re crazy about digging in the dirt, science and manufacturing, I’m not going to pretend that we are the best fitness experts. So here is Mitch from Fitness Radar to tell us about just a few of the health benefits of the superfood kale.
And remember, if you’re in San Diego and want to get seriously health crazy? Try mixing a superfood kale and local seaweed salad. Come to think of it I know what’s going on the plate tonight. Nothing says a warm holiday like a little superfood.
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Health Benefits of Kale
Did you know that Kale is probably the king of all greens? Kale is loaded with Vitamins such as B6, Vitamin a, c, k manganese, calcium, copper, potassium magnesium iron..I could go on for days it’s like a living breathing vitamin store lol This green leafy vegetable sometimes comes in purple can have a smooth or curly appearance is a part of the cabbage family. and is related to broccoli collard greens and Brussels sprouts they must have very steamy family reunions lol! Kale contains very little fat is low in calories and has a bitter taste when eaten raw. (Don’t worry, you get used to it. We did!)
Don’t forget to subscribe then hit the bell next to it to receive updates when we post new videos. Until next time, stay focused stay fit please hit the like button show your support. I’m Meech with the Fitness Radar salute! .
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The benefits of kale are high in antioxidants Lowers cholesterol helps eyesight is 4 and a half times the amount of vitamin c than in spinach and A single cup of raw kale actually contains more vitamin C than an orange. There are many ways to eat kale You can sauté it or add it to salads you can bake it with some and salt for some kale chips and you can definitely add it to a smoothie so it is very versatile Click the card up here or the link in the description for the playlist of all of the other fruits, vegetables, and vitamins that we are going to be covering.