“Clasina transformed our overgrown ornamental cherry tree into a beautiful creation. She is meticulous in her work. Her inside beauty is reflected in her work, a delight to work with.” Carole M. (West Hartford) “There is no one with a greener thumb than Clasina. In addition to making your yard or project look stunning, her…
Small space food gardening
Small space food gardening is perfect for every urban gardener! From apartment-dwellers to busy suburban families who don’t have a lot of time for garden maintenance, this method meets everyone’s needs. It allows you to save money and time, all while allowing you to get the full benefits of gardening— being outdoors, passive exercise, and…
Protecting Pollinators
Pollinator species such as bees, butterflies, and birds are vital to the survival of 80% of the world’s flowering plants, including 75% of food crops! Exposure to pesticides, loss of floral abundance, and habitat destruction have led to a decline in pollinator species worldwide. In the United States, for example, we’ve seen a decline of…
Upcycling
Upcyling uses discarded objects to create new products of better quality and environmental value. Also known as creative reuse, the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, or unwanted items into new resources allows us to “do more with less” and reduce the amount of waste entering landfills.
What is Bazaar Gardening?
We use our knowledge, skills, and community collaborations to educate the Greater Hartford area about small space food gardening, creating urban pollinator landscapes, and how to reuse everyday objects for urban garden projects. At Bazaar Gardening we: Believe that green is good Innovate to do more with less Practice environmental stewardship Promote safe, sustainable urban…
Upcycling: Toilet Paper Roll Pots
Upcycle empty toilet paper rolls into seedling pots with a few simple steps. Paper pots are biodegradable- perfect for seedlings with root systems that don’t transplant well because they can planted directly into garden beds. This allows gardeners to start these crops indoors, getting ahead for their first wave of succession planting. Cut four slits…
Upcycling: Remove labels from glass bottles and jars
Reusing glass bottles and jars is an easy, and money-saving, way to collect containers for pickles, preserves, and sauces made from garden crops. There are already a variety of jars and bottles in different sizes in your pantry! Find a space where you can collect these as they are emptied. To remove labels, you will…
Succession Planting for Vegetable Gardens
Succession planting is a method in which gardeners complete several plantings to increase crop availability during the growing season and maximize yield. Successful succession planting involves pulling out spent crops and immediately transplanting seedlings, or planting seeds into the empty space. As the growing season progresses, warm season crops replace early cold season crops. Once…
Companion Planting for Vegetables
Companion planting is used by gardeners to maximize space and increase crop productivity of vegetable crops. Including flowers and herbs as vegetable companions also helps gardeners create habitats for beneficial insects, increase pest control, and aide in attracting vital pollinators. Some vegetables are also beneficial to flowering plants! Onions are known to help to protect…
City Grown: Container Gardening with Vegetables
Creating your own urban minigarden is easy, and delicious! With three simple items (containers, soil, and seeds) you can enjoy a variety of herbs and vegetables even if you don’t have a yard. Start your own vegetable container garden with these easy steps! An old bookshelf and empty nursery pots (from houseplant purchases) are perfect…
Simple Square Foot Gardening
Square foot gardening is an easy and versatile approach to urban food gardening that can be adapted to everyone’s needs. Whether you are a busy professional who just wants to grow some fresh salad on a balcony, or a big family growing your own backyard vegetables, this method is perfect for any type of urban…
Edible Flowers for Vegetable Gardens
Edible flowers are the perfect companions for your vegetable garden! Blooms attract vital pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds while adding beauty. Leaves and young shoots make healthy and delicious additions to salads, teas, and other dishes to compliment vegetable crops. Borage (Borago officinalis) an easy to grow annual, Borage produces blue flowers that are…
Community Gardener’s Checklist
If it is an accessible option, we strongly encourage urban gardeners to invest in a community garden plot. Community gardens help urban areas improve food security by increasing access to fresh foods, and maintaining a garden plot is an easy form of passive exercise that benefits both body and mind. In addition to the nutritional…
Springtime in the Garden
Prep your beds If winter mulch is well composted, you can mix it into the soil for a spring boost. Otherwise, remove winter mulch and leaves to clear soil where you will plant for the new season. Time to divide perennials.If you already have perennials, dividing them is an easy (and free!) way get more…
Make Your Own: Mini-Greenhouse
Give single-use packaging a second life with this easy upcycling project. March is the time for seed-starting, and these mini-greenhouses are perfect for starting your homegrown vegetables while reusing packaging items we all have! We started by searching our kitchen and garage to find different types of single-use packaging that we could use. Good items…
Bazaar Gardening 