About Big City Gardener

What’s up, world!

Welcome to my blog

My name is Timothy Hammond, and I am the Big City Gardener. I started down this road in 2017 with no idea where I was going. My parents are both avid gardeners as well as their parents and probably all the way back down the family tree. So, I have been playing around in gardens for my entire life, and I like to say I am true to this, not new to this.

Urban Gardener, Creator, Influencer and Thinker of Fresh Ideas

No matter the size of your space, Big City Gardener encourages growing healthy foods for nutrition and medicine. Thank you for visiting today, and if you wish to learn more about growing, let’s talk it over a cup of tea!

Big City Gardener’s mission is simple; to help you just grow it!

Upon joining Instagram, I noticed a few things. One, there weren’t many minority gardeners showcasing urban gardening. Second, what I thought were simple everyday tasks and knowledge seemed foreign to others. And third, that nobody made gardening dope or approachable.

With Big City Gardener, I decided to tackle these three issues. As well as, I believe everyone has a green thumb, but the only way to find out is to get in the garden and get your hands dirty.

I still think writing and talking about myself is awkward, so rather than read this about you page, check out the resources from Big City Gardener. The in-depth blog articles here on this site, the short-form content available on any social media platform, or turn on the Just Grow it Podcast. These resources serve one purpose: show the world how dope gardening is, remove any fear or reservations associated with gardening, and inspire millions to just grow it!

There’s so much knowledge you can gain from growing, so just grow it!

Fresh From The Garden

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Latest On The Blog

Growing Carrots: Your Complete GuideDecember 7, 2022
Carrots are one of my favorite crops in my fall and spring garden. The taste of homegrown carrots trumps anythingContinue reading “Growing Carrots: Your Complete Guide”
Growing Beets: Your Complete GuideDecember 5, 2022
I love beets. That probably has something to do with my dad’s love for beets. I grew up eating beetsContinue reading “Growing Beets: Your Complete Guide”
Growing Kale: Your Complete GuideDecember 1, 2022
One of the trendiest foods in the market right now is kale. If you ask me, it deserves all the praiseContinue reading “Growing Kale: Your Complete Guide”
Growing Fruit Trees: Your Complete GuideNovember 24, 2022
No gardening space is complete without fruit trees or bushes. These perennials are an excellent way to add low-maintenance high-rewardContinue reading “Growing Fruit Trees: Your Complete Guide”
The Importance of Sun ExposureNovember 21, 2022
There are three essential contributors to the success of a garden, sunlight, water, and soil health. As gardeners, we mustContinue reading “The Importance of Sun Exposure”
Growing Calendula: Your Complete GuideNovember 11, 2022
If I could only grow one flower for the rest of my life, it would be calendula. It is easyContinue reading “Growing Calendula: Your Complete Guide”

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It’s time to expand the backyard garden. Soon I

It’s time to expand the backyard garden. Soon I will be adding some chickens back here.

After watching how much food waste we generate weekly, it seems like a great idea. At my last garden, the chickens received at least 50% of the kitchen scraps. Not only would I get eggs, but the soil from inside the run was better than anything I could buy locally. Well, almost anything, that soil from @heirloomsoils is the truth.

My plan is to build the coop and run out of repurposed materials like pallets. Please send any coop inspiration photos that you may have. But don’t send me a coop that takes up a massive amount of space. Let’s not forget this is an urban garden with limited space ✌🏾

#justgrowit #gardenproject #gardeninspo #backyardinspo #backyardchickens #zone9garden #urbangardener #gardenerlifr #houstongarden

I have always been curious about the differences i

I have always been curious about the differences in yields between raised beds vs. inground beds vs. containers. So this year, I'm testing it out. I figured a crop like garlic that's in the ground forever would be a great tester.

I never really grow much garlic because I am an urban gardener with limited space. I hate tying up my growing area for multiple growing seasons. You plant garlic September-December and don't harvest it until May! During that same period, I could grow and harvest fall crops and spring crops like kale, squash, or even tomatoes.

I can't wait to see how the container garlic turns out. My friend @reshgala, who's about to write a book(congratulations), is my inspiration for growing garlic. Have you ever seen all the cloves she grows?!?

Anyway, it's 2023 stop playing yourself and get a garden✌🏾

#justgrowit #alwaysgrowingfood #urbangarden #gardeninspo #raisedbeds #containergardening #zone9garden #houstongardener

Two of my three apple trees have begun leafing out

Two of my three apple trees have begun leafing out. While I’m happy to see it, I am worried.

Fruit trees begin to flower after a cold dormancy period. When you have unpredictable weather, as we have here in Houston, sometimes your trees get fooled and start to leaf out and flower too early. If we get another freeze, then the flowers and new growth are vulnerable. Fluctuations in temperature can shock the tree.

The Anna apple tree has already put out flowers. Generally, in January, I apply dormant oil spray to the trees, but I guess I missed my window. Alright, that’s enough for tonight.

Wait, one more thing. If you’re going to plant a fruit tree, do your research and select one that matches the number of chill hours your area receives. If you don’t know about chill hours, check out the episode of Just Grow It- The Podcast where we talk about them.

Yep, that’s right, I just plugged 🔌 my podcast.

Now, that’s enough for tonight ✌🏾

#justgrowit #alwaysgrowing #fruittrees #growingfruit #zone9garden #houstongarden #urbangardener

Proper lighting is essential when growing seedling

Proper lighting is essential when growing seedlings indoors. Without adequate lighting, you will end up with weak and leggy plants.

Growing your seedlings with proper lighting helps you get a jump start on the next season.

Now when it comes to lighting, you don’t have to get anything fancy. Simple shop lights will do the trick. What’s important is how close the lights are to the top of the plants. The distance depends on the type of light you are using.

For fluorescents and led, I would aim for 4”-6” above the plants. For strong lights like hps or mh, you will need more distance between the plants. Really you don’t need those strong lights for seed starting or clones.

True story-
I usually start my tomatoes outside, and this year I did the same. Unfortunately, here in Houston, sometimes we have weather that doesn’t know what it wants to do. It will be 80° in the day and low 40s at night. Well, I forgot the tomatoes outside one night when the temperature dropped. A lot of them didn’t make it. It’s a sad day.
I should have just set up this light from @activegrowled, and I wouldn’t have had this issue. I kept telling myself to move them inside and set up the light, but I just kept making excuses about why I could wait til tomorrow. Well, waiting for tomorrow cost me my plants.

The moral of the story is to do what you say you’re going to do and stop with the BS ✌🏾

#justgrowit #alwaysgrowingfood #gardentips #urbangardener #gardenerlife #houstongardener #startingseeds #startingseedsindoors

Bokashi update: There are over 20 pounds of food w

Bokashi update: There are over 20 pounds of food waste in this 5-gallon bucket. And it is pretty wild that mixing an inoculated bran with the food scraps will eventually yield something that will improve the soil.

As I mentioned in the video, bokashi is an anaerobic composting process which makes it different from other types of composting.

The one thing I wish is that this bucket had a spigot to drain any liquid that collects in the bottom. That liquid can be diluted and used as a fertilizer.

Anyway, now that the bucket is full, we wait…

#justgrowit #bokashi #bokashicomposting #composting #urbangardener #urbangardenthings #gardenerlife #zone9garden #smallspacegardening

Farmers market conversations coming soon ✌🏾

Farmers market conversations coming soon ✌🏾
@lmckitchen

#justgrowit #houstongardener #gardenerlife #urbangardener #farmersmarketfresh #houstonfarmersmarket #farmersmarketconversations

◼️This is the year of holding myself accountab

◼️This is the year of holding myself accountable and following through.

I have a terrible habit of leaving whatever garden tools I use in random spaces out in the garden. I can’t even count the number of tools I have lost or let rust 🤦🏾‍♂️

It ends today—time to be better organized with everything, not just gardening.

I know I can’t be the only person who does this... right?

#justgrowit #urbangardener #urbangardening #gardentools #gardenorganization #houstongardener #gardenerlife #zone9garden

I have some gardening goals in 2023, and getting r

I have some gardening goals in 2023, and getting rid of all the grass in my yard is one.

I have already tackled the backyard, so it’s time to move on to the front yard.

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why you have a lawn? Or when did lawns become a thing?

Before, I always wanted the greenest grass, but I never thought of the negatives associated with lawns.

•The Runoff from the pesticides and fertilizers pollutes the water systems

• the equipment used to maintain the lawns also produces pollution

• the EPA says 40% of our freshwater resources go to watering lawns.

• lawns are the only crop we water, feed, and maintain that doesn’t give us anything in return.

Hey, I’m not attacking you if you like your green lawns. Like I always say, do you I just want to know if you have asked yourself why lately.

I don’t care for them and will get rid of mine soon.

#justgrowit #nomorefrontlawns #alwaysgrowingfood #zone9garden #houstongarden #urbangardener #urbangardening #gardeninspo

▪️I promised myself I would do specific tasks

▪️I promised myself I would do specific tasks this year no matter what

1️⃣ Fill my house with various plants. And I have to keep them alive and not neglect them. Looks like I'm starting the year off strong

2️⃣ Put my hands in the soil daily, no matter what. Even if I am out of town on a trip, I still have to ensure I do this. Why? Because of Mycobacterium vaccae. Scientists who know more than I do say there is a connection between interaction with these bacteria and increased serotonin levels directly related to your mood.

3️⃣ Stop lying to myself, follow through and go hard. I have too many people depending on me to do anything less.

“And that's all I gotta say about that “- * Stone Cold Steve Austin voice *

#justgrowit #houseplants #plantingplants #urbangardener #houstongardener #gardenlife #getyourhandsdirty @heirloomsoils

🔺Strong stems are more critical than we realize

🔺Strong stems are more critical than we realize.

1️⃣ Strong stems allow your plants to support more fruit and vegetables

2️⃣ Stems are part of the transportation highway. Water and nutrients are transported from the roots throughout the plants through the stem.

3️⃣ Strong stems help keep the plant standing tall during rain and wind storms

#justgrowit #gardeningtips #gardeninghacks #zone9garden #urbangardener #gardenerlife

Failing to plan is planning to fail My dad used

Failing to plan is planning to fail

My dad used to tell me that all the time when I was a kid. I never understood it and wouldn’t listen to him. Now, as an urban gardener, I understand.

If you want to have an efficient and productive garden, you need a plan. Otherwise, you can end up starting too many seeds and being wasteful. Or you don’t buy enough of the specific varieties you wanted.

I’m not against no plans. Hey, do what works for you. I have had many productive gardens that had no plan. I figured it out by planting whatever I had available. But I’m at the point in my life where I have a plan, and I have to execute the plan. With no plan, there’s no accountability, and I can’t rock like that anymore ✌🏾

#justgrowit #alwaysgrowingfood #urbangardener #zone9garden #houstongardener #gardentips #gardenerlife #gardenplans #alwayshaveaplan

One thing urban gardeners have in common is a lack

One thing urban gardeners have in common is a lack of space. But that should not stop you from composting.

Bokashi composting is a great way to compost when you are short on space. All you need is a bucket with a tight lid and bokashi bran.

Layer your food scraps in a bucket with bokashi bran. This bran is inoculated with microorganisms that ferment or pre compost your veggie scraps.

After 2-3 weeks in the bucket, you can bury the food waste directly in your garden bed. Unlike other forms
of composting, where you have to watch what you add to the bin. With bokashi, you can compost anything, including meat.

Bokashi is an anaerobic process, so the only time you should open the bucket is to add food scraps.

All in all, I’m a big fan of bokashi composting. I will eventually be adding these scraps to my worm bin.

Give bokashi composting a try.

#justgrowit #bokashi #bokashicomposting #composting #urbangardenspace #urbangardening #gardenlife #houstongarden #zone9garden

This was a great exercise to see how much food was

This was a great exercise to see how much food waste my household produced in a week.
After one week, we ended up with over 15 pounds of food waste. If that were our average weekly waste, we would contribute 60 pounds monthly and 720 pounds yearly. When you say it out loud, it is mind-blowing.

To reduce food waste, you can:
1. Shop smarter
2. Utilize your freezer
3. Start a compost bin

I plan on starting a few different compost bins that will work in an urban setting. Check me out tomorrow, where I talk about one of my favorite ways to compost ✌🏾

#justgrowit #foodwaste #urbangardener #gardenerlife #houstongardener ##zone9garden #composting

This DIY seed starting light stand comes in handy.

This DIY seed starting light stand comes in handy. Easy to put together and take apart so that you can store it when not in use.

To make it, you will need
•2 10’ sections of PVC
•8 elbows
•6 T fittings
I used 1/2” because it’s what I had available. Minus the lights, this stand should cost you less than $20 to put together.

Cut the first 10’ section into the following pieces
•(2) 40”
•(4) 1.5”
•(2) 7.25”
•(2) 10.5”

Cut the second 10’ section into the following pieces
•(2) 40”
•(2) 7.25”
•(4) 16.5”

#justgrowit #diy #bigcitygardener #growyourown #seedstarting #gardentipsandtricks #urbangardener #urbanhomesteading

1.5 billion tons of food is wasted every year. Sta

1.5 billion tons of food is wasted every year. Stats say that between 80-119 billion pounds of that waste came from the US. When you say that number out loud, it is shocking.

As an urban gardener and lover of the earth, I need to do my part to help minimize food waste that goes to a landfill and creates another issue.

Before moving, I was an avid composter, but I haven’t been on it like I should. But that’s the point of this post. To remind myself to do better.

There are many different ways you can reduce your food waste. But if you’re not going to then the least you can do is compost it. Compost your food waste and convert it into something valuable that your garden will love. Being tight on space is not an acceptable excuse either. There are many different ways to compost in small urban areas.

I wish I knew how to start one of those viral challenges. I would challenge everyone to record how much food waste they produce in one week and try to find ways to reduce it.

Let’s all do better ✌🏾

#justgrowit #composting #urbangardener #urbangardening #foodwaste #sustainability

Having 4 kids is always an adventure! Now that the

Having 4 kids is always an adventure! Now that the weather has warmed back up, we’re right back to our daily walks. This gives the older 2 a chance to get some energy out and the twins get some fresh air.
This has nothing to do with gardening -just me enjoying time with my squad ✌🏾

#getoutsidemore #freshairandsunshine #twindad #houstontrails #zone9 #houstontexas

After the freeze killed almost everything in my ga

After the freeze killed almost everything in my garden, rather than be discouraged, I am looking towards the next season.

I’m starting these tomatoes two weeks later than I usually do. This year I am keeping it simple and growing some of my favorite varieties 🍅

Fun fact San Marzano is top 3 on my all-time favorite tomato variety. They are the first variety I remember growing in one of my first gardens.

What tomato varieties are you growing this year?

#justgrowit #alwaysgrowingfood #startingseeds #seedstarting #zone9garden #houstongarden #gyo #gardenerlife #growingtomatoes #vegogarden

I forget to plant peas every year. This year I mad

I forget to plant peas every year. This year I made sure not to forget.

After this freeze these peas will be one of the only things left in the garden. Let’s see what happens. How is everyone’s garden doing with this weather?

#justgrowit #alwaysgrowingfood #urbangardener #zone9garden #gardentips ##wintergarden #houstongarden #willthegardensurvive

Harvesting basil before the freeze 🥶 Use it do

Harvesting basil before the freeze 🥶
Use it don’t lose it ✌🏾

#justgrowit #alwaysgrowingfood #houstongarden #zone9garden #houstongardener #urbangardener #harvesttime #harvesting #itsfreezing

A lot of stuff has happened this year, but 1 thing

A lot of stuff has happened this year, but 1 thing has remained consistent- gardening 👨🏾‍🌾

#justgrowit #alwaysgrowingfood #urbangardener #newgarden #gardenerlife #gardenlife #mybackyardgarden #houstongardener #zone9garden

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