From April through September 2011 I participated as a blogger in a Home Farming Project sponsored by Nabisco / Triscuit Company at the Gather.com site. Some of my gardening articles survived the cut when Gather was sold, some did not. I am trying to save all the ones that did survive so will be sharing through this blog.
Filed in Gather Home & Garden Essential by Sonia Martinez on April 6, 2011
Photo: Mexican Tarragon in a mossy pot
Growing edibles in your garden can be not only fun, but in these days of high food costs it can supplement your market purchases and also keep a few extra dollars in your pocket.
Look around your yard...you probably already grow a few edibles.
Be it fruits, nuts, veggies or herbs, there is deep satisfaction in planting, growing, harvesting and cooking the fruits of our labors.
I have always been quite taken with the stories about the Victory Gardens that were popular during the World Wars, and at our place we try to have something of an edible nature growing at all times. Our efforts at this time are still not what I envision, but at least, it is a start.
It doesn't take a lot of room to plant a kitchen garden. In fact, you can plant some edibles in pots and place them around your deck, porch, lanai or by the kitchen door.
Photo: Hawaiian Chile Pepper, spearmint and Cuban oregano, in pots
In France, where these type gardens are quite popular, they are called "potager" gardens; just a place where a few snips of this, a few leaves of that, a vegetable or two and couple of pieces of fruit can be transformed into a lovely, satisfying meal.
Photo: Salad, all from our yard
If yard space is limited, look for containers that are suitable in which to grow things and place near the house; such as large pots, wooden crates, even an old 'retired' wheelbarrow. Anything that can hold a bit of dirt. Of course, make sure these containers have suitable drainage.
Simple things that are easy to grow are cherry tomatoes, different types of basil, mints, rosemary, peppers (both sweet and hot), okra, spinach, green beans (both bush and vining), eggplants and even a few nasturtiums for color and taste (yes, you can eat both the colorful blooms and leaves) which add a nice peppery flavor to salads or sandwiches.
Photo: Curry plant, flat leaf parsley and nasturtiums growing in the holes of cement blocks surrounding one of our garden beds.
In Hawai'i, where I live, we are blessed with great growing conditions for most herbs and vegetables and there is a lot of fruit available, in many cases, just growing wild almost anywhere around the old back roads; ideal for foraging.
Using our garden to supplement our shopping is usually more fun than work.
To read the previous posts on this same topic, please click on the following links:
The Home Farming Project - Edible Landscapes
The Home Farming Project - Victory Gardens
