TheGardenGirl
Boston, MA, USPatti Moreno, also known as the Garden Girl, was born and raised in Spanish Harlem. She started gardening
12 years ago to eat healthier and lose the weight
she gained during her pregnancy. After much trial and error, Moreno transformed her Boston homes backyard into an urban garden that produces just about all the food her family eats. Her methodology can be used to grow food on fire-escapes, roof-tops or even indoors. Moreno lives in Boston on her urban farmette with her family and two dogs, two cats, 12 rabbits, 14 squirrels, 20 chickens, 100,000 worms............
gardening interests: Composting, Container Gardening, Cooking, Culinary Herbs, Edible Landscaping, Fruits and Berries, Gardening with Kids, Herbal Crafts, Livestock, Medicinal Herbs, Organic Gardening, Ornamental Gardening, Square-Foot Gardening, Sustainable Living, Urban Gardening, Vegetables
Member Since: 02/20/2009
Subscribe to my RSS Feed
Video: How to Have an Eco-Friendly Christmas, Part 2
Here are more eco-friendly tips that than save you money this holiday season!
Video: How to Have an Eco-Friendly Christmas, Part 1
There are things you can do to reduce your impact on the environment during the holidays. Watch my video for a few tips.
Video: December Square Foot Gardening Tips
Watch Mel Bartholomew, inventor of Square Foot gardening, and Patti Moreno, the garden girl, giving gardening advice for December.
Uses for Fallen Leaves in the Garden
Don't put your fallen leaves on the curb. Read my article and find 3 ways to use fallen leaves in your garden.
At Home with Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl
Here is a video that I recently made. It's a behind the scenes look at a day in my life.
Video: November Square Foot Gardening Tips
Mel Bartholemew and I discuss different ways to extend your gardening season.
Video: The Indoor Vegetable Garden, Part 5
This is the final video in the Indoor Vegetable Garden Series. Don't miss it.
Video: The Indoor Vegetable Garden, Part 4
In Part 4 of The Indoor Vegetable Gardening series, I start seeds in recycled containers.
The Indoor Vegetable Garden, Part 3
In Part 3 of my Indoor Vegetable Gardening Series, I expand my growing space. Check out how I maximize my indoor growing space.
Video: The Indoor Vegetable Garden, Part 2
In the second installment of my Indoor Vegetable Gardening Series I plant the seeds! Watch to see the different vegetables I am starting.
Video: The Indoor Vegetable Garden, Part 1
In the first installment of my five-part Indoor Garden Video Series, I build an inexpensive plant stand for my sun porch.
Urban Garden Photo Favorites Part 2
Check out part 2 of my pics of my garden this year. Despite the tomato blight it was a great year.
Urban Garden Photo Favorites Part 1
View my favorite urban farm photos of the vegetable gardening season.
Square Foot Gardening Tips for October
Watch October Square Foot Gardening Tips with Mel Bartholomew, inventor of Square Foot Gardening and Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, host of Gardengirltv.com
Video: Plant Lingonberries in Your Edible Landscape
Lingonberry is a small, hardy evergreen shrub, and it's a great choice for your edible landscape. The tart red berries, which ripen in the fall, are perfect for jelly, sauce, and wine.
Video: How to Make Grape Blueberry Jelly
Watch my video about making Grape Blueberry Jelly and canning it for later use.
Video: September Square Foot Gardening Tips
Mel Bartholemew and Patti Moreno talk about putting up the harvest, extending the growing season, and more.
Compost Season has begun!
Throughout the cities and suburbs, grass clippings, leaves, other general yard waste, household waste and kitchen waste are put out on the sidewalk to be collected by the trash man. This is just energy misplaced.
Video: Picking Blueberries
Picking blueberries is a fun thing to do with the kids. Watch the video of my adventure with my daughter this summer.
Companion Planting: Three Sisters Garden Update
My three sisters garden doesn't just look pretty, we actually ate from it. Watch the video to see the harvest.
Video: How to plant a bare root cherry tree
My patio container garden was missing something, fruit so I planted some cherry trees this year. Watch the video to see how I did it!
Video: How to make drainage holes in a metal container
Here's an easy way anyone can use to turn a galvanized metal container into a planter.
Video: Harvesting, Part 3
I grow so much in my garden. You can too.
Video: Harvesting, Part 1
It's harvesting season. Watch the first in a series of harvesting videos I've produced.
Video: Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants = Healthy People
The healthier your soil, the better your vegetables will grow. Watch this video to see what makes healthy soil.
Video: Grubbin' in the Garden: Edible Landscape
Creating edible landscapes is a passion of mine and now my daughter's. Watch the video and find out why!
Video: August Square Foot Gardening Tips
Helpful SFG tips from the inventer of square foot gardening
Maintaining My Square Foot Garden
Here are some photos of what I've been working on out in the garden.
Video: Three Sisters Garden
Corn, beans, squash: The "three sisters" are growing. Watch the video to see how well.
Video: Lawns to Edible Landscapes
There are so many other things you can plant besides grass in your yard.
Video: Fall Vegetable Garden
It's time to start thinking about fall gardening. As your vegetable garden starts to wind down, plant a variety of cold weather crops that you can begin harvesting in the months ahead.
Video: July Square Foot Gardening Tips with Mel Bartholomew and Patti Moreno
July is a great time in the garden. Watch the video for some helpful tips on growing summer lettuce and corn.
Some pics from my garden this weekend!
Here are some pics from my garden this weekend. Check out my Three Sisters garden, it is thriving!
Video: Blueberries
It's blueberry season!
Video: The Three Sisters Garden
Garden by companion planting what the Iroquois valued as the sustainers of life: beans, corn, and squash. Watch the video and learn how to plant them in a raised bed.
Video: Mulching Your Garden
Eco friendly mulching.
Video: How to Drip Irrigate your Container Garden
This has given me a whole new life! A little bit of Care free gardening.
Video: Soil Testing
Successful vegetable gardening starts with soil. I brought in Mark Highland, a soil scientist, to evaluate the soil in my raised bed and test the nutrients and pH with tests that you can do for yourself at home.
Video: How to Plant an Italian Kitchen Garden Part 2
Watch me plant an Italian kitchen garden.
Video: How to Plant an Italian Kitchen Garden Part 1
Watch this video on planting an Italian Kitchen Garden.
Drip Irrigation
As my gardens grew, so did my time commitment to watering! This year I installed an automated drip irrigation system for under $300 bucks!
Video: June Square Foot Gardening Tips from Mel Bartholomew and Patti Moreno
Patti and Mel discuss newer techniques for supporting plants.
Video: How to Make Compost Tea
Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, and Mark Highland, from Organic Mechanic Soil, whip up a batch of compost tea for Patti's indoor garden.
May Garden Photos
My New England Spring. May is a great time to be a gardener, everything is so fresh and new. I took out the camera a made a little photo essay of life on my farmette.
Video: May Square Foot Gardening Tips with Mel and Patti
It's been gloomy and gray on the East Coast, but the rain has brought my garden alive!
Video: Make Pots from Recycled Newspaper!
At my farm, I transplant my veggie seedlings into pots made from old newspapers. It's a great way to save money, and it's so easy to do I have my nine-year-old show you how!
Video: A Simple and Easy Compost Bin
Here is an easy and inexpensive way to make a compost bin.
Video: Strawberries Are a Great Alternative to a Lawn
Strawberries make a great ground cover that is easy to grow and produces a luscious fruit that goes great with almost any meal.
Video: My Garden
You'll see a before and after and find out how I designed my urban garden.
Video: Vertical Gardening
Maximize your growing space!
Video: My Almost Record Tomato
Want to see the biggest tomato I've grown to date? In this video I clip a cluster of heirloom tomatoes including one that nearly tops the Massachusetts state record.
Video: April Square Foot Garden Tips
Mel Bartholomew and Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, talk about nifty gardening projects for April.
Video: The Easy Indoor Worm Bin
Here is more on how to make a simple inexpensive worm bin. Vermiculture projects are so fun and easy and put composting on overdrive. Apartment dwellers and small-space gardeners rejoice and stay organic.
Video: How to Plant Potatoes in a Raised Bed
Potato is a great, fast-growing plant that is perfect for the beginner or old pro!
Video: Stuffed Grape Leaves
I love this classic Mediterranean Recipe for Stuffed Grape Leaves.
Video: Frequently Asked Square Foot Gardening Questions
Patti Moreno and Mel Bartholomew answer some of the basic questions about square foot gardening that have been emailed to us over the years.
Video: More Ways to Freeze and Store Fresh Herbs
Here is a simple way to keep your herbs long after the garden is done.
Video: Maple Syrup in the City
In my neighborhood it is maple sugar time! It is so cool and tasty. Keep your eyes out for sugar maple trees and bring a little bit of Vermont into your home today.
Video: Build Your Own Self-Watering Seed Stand
Here's how to save money and get your garden started for pennies, with thousands of seedlings during the gardening season.
Video: Mini Hoop House for your Raised Garden Bed
It doesn't matter where you live, you can have a veggie garden even before the last frost date!
Maple Sugar from City Trees!
Believe it or not but there are sugar maples in the city that you can easily turn into delicious Maple Syrup.
Video: How to Build a Raised Bed
Building a raised bed is a simple way to get started gardening. This video shows you how.
Video: March Square Foot Gardening Tips with Mel Bartholomew
Mel Bartholomew, the inventor of Square Foot Gardening, and Patti Moreno discuss how to prepare that garden for the season.
Video: Shaker Medicinal Herb Garden
Here is a little thing on medicinal herbs, fresh from your garden. I hope this gets you thinking about summer!
My Garden
Some shots from the Garden Girl Urban Farm and Garden. Meet me at North Haven Gardens, in Dallas TX, tomorrow. Check out www.nhg.com for more info on Dallas Organic Day!
A Lazy Gardener's Recipe for Pickled Beans
WesternGardener | September 2nd, 2010
_sqs.JPG)
Tis' the Season...for Tomatoes that is...
cookinwithherbs | August 31st, 2010
Worm Tea (NaturesBest)
RainbowBob | August 28th, 2010
Raised Bed Pest Cover - Redux
yourownvictorygarden | August 28th, 2010
Re: Question for seed savers...How long is too long??
You're doing everything right. Some seeds from prehistoric times were found and germinated so if you use them within 4-5 years you should be fine. In Georgia you have a longer growing season so you should get use out of them.
posted: 5:11 pm on October 15thRe: QUESTION for Patti Moreno (and other rabbit owners!)
Rabbits are a lot of fun. I am currently raising 10 rabbits. I wouldn't suggest getting more than 2 if you have limited room and it is best to get 2 females that are bonded together. Of course you need to get all of the things you need to house and water and feed your rabbits before you bring one home. They love to eat timothy hay not to be confused with straw which has no nutritional value. You will need to give them some daily. Angoras are great, but a lot more work. Mini Rex's and lion heads are adorable. My favorite book on the subject is "Raising Rabbits Successfully" That taught me a lot about raising them. Also know that rabbits are fragile and can die unexpectedly even if you did everything right. Since you have kids you should be prepared. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
posted: 5:08 pm on October 15thRe: Northeast Tomato Plants Struck by Blight and More
My tomato plants are still doing ok. I noticed that my yellow pear tomatoes have been affected. The rain has really hurt this year. Thanks for the links!
posted: 7:06 pm on July 26thRe: Video: More Ways to Freeze and Store Fresh Herbs
Absolutely Blue! Just pack them leaves in, add hot water and freeze! Great for all cuisine.
posted: 1:05 pm on March 14thRe: Video: More Ways to Freeze and Store Fresh Herbs
It works for any usage, soup, whatever. Very easy and simple, with little processing!
posted: 8:50 pm on March 13thRe: Recently Built 4 New Raised Beds for Vegetable Garden in our Backyard
posted: 9:52 am on March 13thThose raised beds are so nice! Nicely done!
Re: An Artichoke Among the Sages
I am trying them for the first time too, Ruth. Thanks so much for the info Shirley. I just watered my artichokes and many have sprouted. My husband even said he couldn't wait to try one. The pressures on now.
posted: 2:31 pm on March 10thRe: Video: Maple Syrup in the City
I love honey! I love all sugar I guess. And I agree about the footprint it is a lot of BTU's.
posted: 4:54 pm on March 9thRe: Video: Maple Syrup in the City
Thanks Shirley, you are the best.
posted: 8:01 pm on March 8thRe: Honeybee Heaven
Bees are so cool. When honey bees browse my garden I always wonder where they flew in from. The bees that hang out at my place are so docile and tame, I think they must belong to a domesticated hive.
posted: 11:12 pm on March 4thThanks for sharing.
Re: Scenes from Smith's Acres Farm
I have never grown them, my family refused to eat it. But it is a cool looking plant for sure. Thanks for sharing.
posted: 11:08 pm on March 4thRe: Florida Tomatoes: Take 2
Nice, I love the pvc pipe system!
posted: 8:00 am on March 4th