Category: Uncategorized
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Water Wisely
The Urban Farm: Chapter 6 In container gardens, water is more than maintenance — it is the difference between steady growth and constant struggle. Water is where many container gardens succeed—or fail. Container gardening has a single point of success or failure. Not fertilizer. Not sunlight. Not even container size. It’s water! Water determines how…
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The Season Begins Here
The most successful container gardens begin long before the first plant is set outside. Every productive garden begins before a single container is filled. Long before plants reach the patio or balcony, long before the first watering can is lifted, decisions are already shaping the season. Those decisions revolve around one quiet but powerful choice:…
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Growing Up: Using Vertical Space
When ground space runs out, productive gardens don’t stop — they grow upward. In every urban garden, there comes a moment when the ground feels full. Containers line the sunniest spots. Walkways narrow. The footprint seems maxed out. At that point, many gardeners assume they’ve reached the limit of what their space can produce. But…
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Containers That Actually Work
In an urban farm, containers are not accessories. They are the garden! Once you know what to grow, the next question is where those plants will live — because in container gardening, the container is the garden. Containers are the “soil” of the urban farm. They are the foundation. If you pick the right container,…
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Crops That Earn Their Space
In small gardens, every plant has a job to do, and not all crops are equally qualified. In an urban farm, space is not something you waste. When you’re gardening in containers, every pot matters. Every plant you choose should give something back—whether that’s flavor, freshness, productivity, or simple enjoyment. Unlike large gardens where there’s…
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Urban Farming Made Easy: Small Space Gardening Tips
“Urban farming begins with a simple shift in thinking: food doesn’t need farmland — it needs intention.” Urban farming doesn’t look like farming did fifty years ago—and that’s a good thing. Today’s urban farm might be a patio with a few containers, a balcony with railing planters, or a sunny corner next to the driveway.…
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Urban Nano Farm: Grow Food in Small Spaces
I’ve been kicking around the idea for this book since retiring in 2023. Well, it’s time to get the ball rolling. I’ve seen horticulture friends use this model, so every Thursday I’m going to share at least part of a chapter to keep on task. So hang on and hopefully enjoy the Heritage Cottage Urban…
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Gary’s 10 Non- Negotiable Rules for Growing Tomatoes in Containers
Since we are celebrating Easter this weekend, and in Mississippi Good Friday is the go date to plant your warm season veggies (even though there is a 6 week swing with Good Friday, I wrote a blog about that, The Moon, the Cross and Tomato Planting on Good Friday , this is a good time…
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My New Citrus Obsession: Cara Cara Oranges
I’ve shared in the past my interest in growing citrus, particularly unusual citrus varieties, at Heritage Cottage Urban Nano Farm, my urban farm in Ocean Springs. My latest obsession has been the Cara Cara orange I’ve recently found at the grocery stores. Called the pink orange, it’s variety of navel orange that has a very…
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Bourbon and Roses
Did you know that our favorite colorful garden roses have a common ancestor that was yellow? Well, here’s the rest of the story recently published last week from Beijing Forestry University, China, https://phys.org/news/2025-04-red-pink-white-roses-yellow.html . Speaking of colorful roses, a red one of mine that I grow also has roots to one of my favorite bourbons.…
Gary Grows at Heritage Cottage 