How To Grow Vegetables In a Small Area

Is it possible to grow vegetables in a small area?

You like to eat fresh vegetables, but you live in an apartment building (like this friend of mine) and there's no room for a veggie garden. At least that's what you think. And you dream of having a small yard where you can grow your own lettuce, your own parsley... Imagine being able to get fresh arugula for your green salad. Wouldn't it be just great?

Well, the good news is that you may have that. You may grow your vegetables in pots!!! And you'll be surprised at how easy that really is.

All you need to do is find a sunny spot in your apartment or in the balcony (if you are lucky to have one), and choose a container (http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/a/ContainerVeggie.htm) that you will want to fill with soil or potting mixes. The advantage of potting mixes is that they are relativily sterile and pH adjusted. 


Check out the pictures illustrating this post. The vegetables look just as great because the gardener used good soil to start her mini-veggie garden. Her secret is to add juice pulp to the planting soil because this helps increase oxygen, retain moisture and provide nutrients to the plants. The result is amazing!

Parsley

Well, I am finally getting around to writing another post. After nearly three months away, I'm now back to blogging...which I surely missed, in spite of the excitement the projects I got involved with brought about.

So, here I am again to share with you great ideas FOR and FROM the garden. 

And it was by looking at my garden that I chose today's topic: parsley.

It looked so green and vibrant that I couldn't help taking a few pictures
to post here.


Parsley is a multi-purpose herb you shouldn't do without in your kitchen.

Often regarded as a simple table garnish, parsley is much more than that. Besides its delicious taste, parsley is highly nutritious, and has healing properties as well.

Very few people know that, but a serving of parsley contains vitamins   K, C, and A plus folate and iron.

As to preparation, the list is endless: you may use parsley in fresh salads, soups, and sauces. Chopped and mixed with melted butter, it is wonderful over fish or to glaze vegetables. It may also accompany chicken, veal, and other meat if you briefly deep-fry it and serve as vegetable.

You may easily grow parsley as it doesn't require any special care save sunshine, water and good soil...just like any other herb.

Grow Your Own Cooking Herbs

Growing  your own culinary herbs will bring you extra pleasure when serving your family and guests that special dish seasoned with the herbs.

Unlike spices, which are generally more pungent and add stronger flavor, herbs  add subtle flavor that account for the success of your mouth-watering dishes.

It is easy to achieve those results as any location with plenty of light, drainage and nutrition is adequate to growing cooking herbs. You may choose to grow them in outdoor garden spots, in patio containers, in greenhouses or you could even make an indoor herb garden using pots. A good idea for small areas is to plant the herbs in hanging baskets, which will add extra charm to the place.

Among the various cultivars, you may choose thyme, coriander, French lavender, bay laurel, basil, lemon verbena, dill, parsley, chives, sage and rosemary if the amount of sun they will get is south or westward . A nice combination of both upright and trailing herbs is attractive, so consider adding creeping thymes or oregano to your mini garden for a little eye appeal.

Northern and eastern exposures will provide more shade and are not as warm. Shade loving plants that will work nice here include parsley, spearmint, peppermint, lemon balm, chives, borage, and Cuban oregano.

To be successful with your herb garden, make sure 1) you choose a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight per day, 2) there is good drainage and easy accessibility, and 3) the height and sizes of herbs are considered so that the largest ones will be placed at the back and the smallest ones in front of them.

Finally, remember to skirt your cooking herbs with a two to three-inch layer of mulch, which helps the soil to retain moisture besides keeping the neutral-to-slightly alkaline soil that most herbs prefer.