A Rental Home and Garden by Jenna Messier

Just because you rent your home or apartment, doesn’t mean that your yard can’t be fabulous, fruitful and a haven for humans and wildlife! I have been gardening at my apartment in West Haven, CT for two seasons now and with small inputs over time, the property is really shaping up. The lot is .3 acres and half of it is a driveway and a construction equipment lot - with kid’s toys dispersed across the yard. So I have to use my space wisely.  I have spent around $350 this year for inputs; mostly on organic potting soil, seeds and containers.  Here is a photo journal, sharing my plants and experience with homeowners and renters alike.

Karen Bussolini Shares her Voyage of Discovery And Brings Joy Back into People’s Gardens

Growing up in Canton Center, Conn., Karen Bussolini remembers racing with her father to be the first to grab Organic Gardening magazine from the mailbox. Her father, the son of Italian immigrants, was amused that there was a name for the kind of gardening his family had done for generations.

“To him, that was just good gardening,” she said.

Understanding the interconnectedness of the web of life came naturally to both father and daughter, who planted gardens everywhere she lived as a young adult - even tucking beet plants between the foundation shrubs in her apartment complex while studying art at the University of Connecticut at Storrs.

Bussolini, accredited since 2010, is a renowned author, photographer, educator and eco-garden coach who considers her lifelong love-turned-career of nature and gardening a “voyage of discovery.”