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Why It's Good:
Nothing tastes better than a cherry tomato plucked from the vine and still warm from the sun or a vitamin packed-sugar snap pea, sweet as honey.
Why It's Green:
Growing your own food is beyond 'green,' in terms of reducing food miles, environmental impact, and eating low on the food chain.
Homegrown and Good for You
Seeds emerging from a pot of soil never fail to elicit a squeal of delight, not from a child but from me, a full-grown working woman. As roots grow, flowers blossom, and peas form, the drama builds, and by the time I make a salad with the first crisp greens I'm practically jumping up and down as I eat it.
There's no greater thrill than eating organic food you've grown yourself. But not everyone has a plot to plant in. Despite this you can still grow food in the heart of a city on a balcony or deck that gets at least six hours a day of sunlight.
Get High on Pots
However slim your space may be, it's possible to grow an edible garden in a few pots—it's better to have a few large pots than a lot of small ones for best growth.
Go for reusable clay pots or wooden planters made from scrap wood or bark. Or, for elegance and sustainability, there are great ones made from rice grain husks.
Choose pots that hold at least a gallon or more soil, which you can purchase from a home center or hardware store.
You can also see what to make of your vertical space. Try a trellis for climbing beans or cucumbers. Or a hanging basket to plant a patio cherry tomato plant in. The hanging basket can be a garden of eatin' all in itself: You can create a mix of herbs, a chard or spinach plant along with an edible flower such as pansies or nasturtiums.
Where to Get the Best Dirt
While at the home center, look for organic potting and soil mixes (or as close to it as possible—soil mixes without synthetic fertilizers). Or, combine equal parts compost with potting mix. You can also order certified organic potting mix online (try www.johnnyseeds.com).
Seeds of Ideas, Plants of Fancy
Lettuces and greens like spinach and chard can be started from seed in spring or late August in most parts of the country (or earlier if it's cooler in your neck of the woods). For certified organic or untreated seeds go to www.seedsofchange.com or reneesgarden.com, which is a great resource for container gardening in general.
You can buy organically grown plants from growers at farmer's markets or at small nurseries that sell certified organic plants, and are available from seed catalogs in spring. If you can't find them locally, conventional plants will do. Just fertilize and treat for insects with organic products, available at most home centers these days.
Keep your garden well watered (in the heat of summer this may mean daily) and nourish with an organic fertilizer about every two weeks (or according to product directions). In a matter of weeks, your urban oasis will be blooming with beauty and flavor.—Susie Quick
