Many people bemoan the fact that they can’t grow their own food (or even flowers) because they lack any kind of garden space, but guess what?
You can actually grow more than you realize in really small areas as long as they get a bit of direct sun.
Hell, you can even grow things indoors under a lamp, but there’s something special about plucking your own food from a stalk that’s been sitting in summer sunshine all day.In any case, whether you have a little concrete slab behind your house, a fire escape outside your window, or even a tiny balcony, your
In any case, whether you have a little concrete slab behind your house, a fire escape outside your window, or even a tiny balcony, your urban garden can be a veritable Eden of fresh, healthy, home-grown vegetables, and herbs.
There are a variety of “one-pot” container gardens you can create that can be placed on a small balcony or patio to provide you with everything you need for basic dishes, all summer long.
All you need is a galvanized steel tub that has had holes drilled in the bottom for drainage, some soil, plant seedlings, water, and sunshine. Strawberry pots are also ideal for this, as they have openings staggered around their sides for various plants to peek out from.
Tomato and Spice Planter: Tomatoes, jalapenos, basil, chives, and cilantro will provide you with what you need for salsas, sauces, and Bloody Mary drinks.
Salad Planter: Grow an assortment of lettuces, chives (the flowers taste fabulous), edible blooms like violets and nasturtiums, sorrel, parsley, and tarragon for your salad and dressing ingredients all in one place.
Culinary Herbs: Basil, parsley, cilantro, chives, summer savory and other leafy green herbs all grow well together, but it’s best to grow dill and mint on their own. Woodsy herbs like rosemary and thyme can share spaces quite happily, and all of these can be grown either in outdoor planters, or on a sunny indoor windowsill.
Tisane Planter: Do you like herbal teas? Consider a selection of small pots around your space in which you grow peppermint, lemon balm, bergamot, chamomile, thyme, and lemon verbena. You can pluck these throughout the summer and then dry whatever’s left once autumn rolls around.
