In May’s issue of Out & About, I wrote about the inspirations I had for starting an urban garden.  To read the article “Cultivating an Urban Green Thumb” click here: http://www.outandaboutnewspaper.com/article/3417

It has been almost three months now since planting the first round of veggies (tomatoes, peppers, basil, mint, thyme, chives, eggplant, okra, fennel, an assortment of lettuces and arugula). The experience has offered countless hours of literally watching my garden grow. I have yet to really enjoy much edible produce from the effort though.  The problem with a small plot is that you don’t necessarily get that much in return.  I consider it more of an experimental garden – a type of showcase for the idea of gardening rather than an actual source of food. I don’t mean to downplay the experience however. It has been a tremendously rewarding, providing me with a profound happiness in the overall endeavor.

So far, I’ve harvested three eggplants and three okra, and of course, lettuces, mint and basil.  I should have tomatoes and bell peppers ready in the next week or so.  Far from self sustaining, but fun never-the-less

The best part of my efforts is that it inspired my neighbors to follow suit.  They took my basic design, which blended well with the architectural style of our townhouse, and altered it to fit their own aesthetics.  Hopefully, over time, everyone in our complex will follow our lead.

For more information on planning an urban garden, visit

http://www.urbangardeninghelp.com/