Lucid Food_ Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life - Louisa Shafia [42]
Growing your own food has many benefits. It allows you to take part in nature’s cycles and to gain physical and spiritual satisfaction, a key reason given by so many gardeners for their green addiction. And let’s not forget: growing your own food is cheap. A source of food that is practically free is nothing to sneeze at in a time when we are likely to see food prices rise, as the true cost of food production catches up with the price tag.
Growing vegetables was once a given part of American life, even in cities. In my neighborhood in Brooklyn, all of the houses were built with backyards that are still planted with vegetables and harvested by my Italian neighbors every summer. From my third-floor perch, I look down at all that space with envy. But with determination and the willingness to climb out of my kitchen window every morning, I’ve used my fire escape to grow all kinds of herbs, lettuces, tomatoes, and beans, and I’ve seen friends do the same using rooftop, balcony, and even windowsill space to create lush kitchen gardens.
Even if you only have a fire escape or balcony on which to garden, growing food plants can still be a satisfying experience, especially because a green plant in the middle of a city is a rare treat for the eye. If you have only a sunny windowsill, you can still grow fresh herbs, and because all plants produce oxygen, you’ll be helping to purify the air inside your home, too. Many urban dwellers have the option of joining a community garden, where members are allotted a sizable plot of ground. Look online to find out if there is a garden you can join in your area.
Here are some ideas for growing your own food, while giving a boost to the natural world around you.
HARVESTING THE FRONT YARD
Whatever you decide to plant, the standard place to start is in the backyard. The less obvious choice is to use the front yard, too. In an attempt to reclaim lawns from chemicals, fertilizer, mowers, and water-guzzling sprinklers, many people are choosing to turn their lawn into a space for growing food.
If you have a lot of energy, or want to let friends use a patch of your yard to grow vegetables, you could turn the space into a full-scale garden. If a garden that needs daily attention is too large a commitment, you could plant some fruit and nut trees or berry bushes, turning your lawn into a general snacking area with less of the maintenance work than is required for a full garden. Or, if you simply want to stop using chemicals, gas, and water to maintain your lawn, you could sprinkle native wildflower seeds and let the grass grow out, and surely some edible weeds like clover, chickweed, and dandelion will appear.
Information and classes on gardening are abundant. The best source for gardening guidance might be neighbors, friends, and family with skills to share. If you have a botanic garden in your area, it’s a great place to find resources and an active gardening community. Another rich source for knowledge about regional planting is the local Cooperative Extension or Master Gardener program at your state’s land-grant university. (See the Gardening websites in the Resources section.)
BALCONY AND WINDOWSILL PLANTING
Here are some tricks I’ve learned from growing plants on my windowsills and fire escape (secretly—don’t tell my landlord!) for the last fourteen years.
• Use the ceiling of your balcony and the walls in addition to the floor. Many plants can grow in hanging pots, so if you are handy with a hammer and wires, you can double your growing space.
• Pull flowers off leafy herb plants like parsley, cilantro, basil, and arugula. The flowers make the leaves taste bitter. Try to pluck the flowers before they bloom, or “nip them in the bud,” as the flowering communicates to the plant that it has reached the end of its life cycle.
• Use compost for planting and as natural fertilizer and your plants will thrive. Mature compost retains moisture and slowly releases nutrients. If you use homemade compost, keep an eye out, because you never know what dormant