April Resource: Upside Down Gardening
You may have seen commercials for the topsy turvy upside down tomato planter.  I was intrigued by the concept and with a move to a new house with a very sunny balcony, we decided to try it out.  As much as I love the "as seen on TV" items, we wanted to approach this project DIY style. We looked at this website for inspiration and I got some advice from local organization, Backyard Farmer before starting our garden experiment.  I also checked out a great book from the library, You Grow Girl that began as a website.  I am new to gardening and this was a really accessible guide for beginners that live in small urban dwellings!

So far, the plants seem to enjoy hanging out.  We planted three types of tomatoes and three types of peppers and one of the pepper plants has a flower already. We are thinking of expanding even further and for what its worth, I am hoping to use Terracycle's Worm Poop to feed our little hanging garden but had yet to come across it in the hardware stores. I found out today that Target carries it.

If you want to try this out too, email sarah@richmondstuff.org with any questions! Happy Growing!

Two weekends ago, Richmond celebrated Arbor Day in the first Celebrate Trees! sponsored by Richmond Tree Stewards. Stuff hosted tables at the festival in the Carillon in Byrd Park, providing a creative activity for the children. Our Stuff ladies and volunteers helped young Richmonders paint the pots and plant tree seeds in each. Additionally, we created cool recycled magazine trees. There was plenty of sunshine and fun. But no worries it is not too late to show your love for trees - this year Arbor Day is April 24th!

Arbor Day originated from J. Sterling Morton’s love of nature in the latter half of the 19th century. Morton was an American pioneer and journalist that moved to Nebraska in 1954. Recognizing the natural need humans and our planet have for trees, Morton encouraged many individuals and community groups to plant. Morton highlighted how trees help prevent soil erosion, provide building materials and fuel, and can also supply shade. Eventually Morton was able to organize and designate the first “Arbor Day” holiday, in which an estimated one million trees were planted. Since then, Arbor Day has spread out from Nebraska and become a national event.

Every Richmonder can still celebrate this holiday, just plant a tree, adopt a tree in your neighborhood, or just enjoy the outdoors. The Arbor Day Foundation has many more ideas for how everyone can celebrate.

Photo Cred: Lynne Marie Parson