Gardening

I am an avid gardener, and I love the idea of urban agriculture.  Because I like to know where my food comes, I figure the best way is grow it myself! It is so much fun planting seeds and watching them grow and produce fruit. While I would like to have a huge vegetable garden and fruit trees I am limited by space in my suburban setting.  I still have plenty of room to grow vegetables to supplement my meals.

Luckily I live in California and can grow vegetables year round.  Here are some examples of seasonal vegetables I’ve tried in my 4′x10′ plot in Davis, California.

Spring: arugula, basil, parsley, cilantro, chard, lettuce

Summer: tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, cucumbers (japanese and lemon), edamame, chili peppers, zucchini

Fall: chard, spinach, lettuce, leeks

Winter: kale, chard, celery, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, arugula, bok choy

I was pleasantly suprised by how well everything grew.  The only failures thus far have been carrots and onions.

I highly recommend starting a small garden, even if you are limited by space.  As long as you have a tiny space (think planter box) and some sun, you’d be surprised what you can grow.  Of course the variety is limited by geographic region.  Check out this seasonal vegetable calendar for ideas.

Index of Garden Posts (by date)

• Fall Garden
• Building the garden