Tea at Trianon: For Urban Gardeners in Tight Spaces

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, April 13, 2020

For Urban Gardeners in Tight Spaces

From Curbed:

Gardeners who take a look at what’s growing in their backyard (or, in the case of city dwellers, on their windowsills and even fire escapes), can clearly see that the idea of gardening has evolved. While the hobby is as popular as ever, the days of blooming perennials, roses, and white picket fences have faded.

What we’re growing is different. Today, 1 in 3 households grow some of their own food, the largest number seen in a decade. And it’s not just a resurgence seen in the older demographics that typically fill up home and garden stores on the weekends. The number of millennial growers and gardeners has exploded; from 2008 to 2013, participation from this age group surged 63 percent.

“Time is ripe for people to disrupt this industry,” says Cameron MacKugler, CEO and founder of Seedsheet, a plantable sheet embedded with seeds for easy growing. “The leading consumer is still a 55-year-old woman. Not enough companies are switching to address the urban millennial.”

Urban dwellers are increasingly looking for smart solutions, from window boxes to large-scale urban farming options such as Brooklyn Grange. Growing networks of community gardens and online resources (see the wildly successful Urban Gardeners Republic group) suggest gardening media has grown well beyond glossy mags near the supermarket checkout. Simply put, urban gardening is hot. To help city or apartment dwellers with little to no outdoor space, we’ve compiled the best products and tips for gardening in small spaces. (Read more.)