My garden

At least 3 minutes

I didn’t write a blog post this weekend, but I did tend to my garden. And in this crazy, upside-down internet world, that means that I actually have something to blog about while I arrange interviews!

I’m a happy renter in midtown Toronto living in a fourplex on Avenue Road. Much of the space behind us is a parking lot with a just-big-enough patio. Along the back of the house and the side fence, though, is a space for planting.

When we first moved in eight years ago, the garden was unkempt ground cover with a couple of perennials, two peonies and two clematis. The side plot had no wall around it and the the dirt had spread onto the patio and with it the overgrowth. It was not a welcoming place for our fellow tenants.

I wanted to grow things I could eat.

I began to think about cleaning it up. I knew that to keep it looking nice would take regular work, too, and I welcomed the thought of getting outside on a regular basis. However, I was thinking that if was going to invest that kind of time I wanted to do more than just look at pretty flowers. I wanted to expand my kitchen into the backyard, I wanted to grow things I could eat.

But did I have enough room to make it worthwhile?

Plants want to grow. You just have to create the conditions for them to do so.

I read one book, and I was convinced. It would be totally worth it. I’m forever grateful to Gayla Trail for Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces. For beginners, a great starter. For experienced gardeners, tips on how to make it all happen in the city. The most important thing I learned from Gayla: plants want to grow. You just have to create the conditions for them to do so. I love how that takes the ego out of it and lets me focus on how amazing the plants are that build themselves from soil and water.

This is my fifth year growing food in my backyard and it has become a hobby that I enjoy deeply. It doesn’t take a lot of time – a few days at the start of the season and a couple more at the end with some regular maintenance throughout. The returns, though, in both relaxation and produce are well worth it. I don’t grow nearly enough in my small space to save us any trips to the grocery store, but from about the middle of June to the end of September, there is usually one meal a week that features a thing or two from the garden. It reminds us how wonderful food – real food, fresh food – can taste.

Do you garden in the city? Share some of what you’ve learned. Have you been thinking of gardening in the city? Share some of the questions you have.

Swiss chard and a tomato plant with some dill where last year's dill was.
Swiss chard and a tomato plant with some dill where last year’s dill was.
Garlic. One of the simplest and most rewarding things to grow.
Garlic. One of the simplest and most rewarding things you can grow.
Only about half of the lettuce came up. I'll replant a bunch more once we eat this. Chives across the top.
Only about half of the lettuce came up. I’ll replant a bunch more once we eat this. Chives across the top.

 

Beans, cucumbers and kale. We just eat the beans off the vine.
Beans, cucumbers and kale. We just eat the beans off the vine.
Peas up the trellis, with cilantro and a new row of arugula along the front.
Peas up the trellis, with cilantro and a new row of arugula along the front.
The mint, oregano and parsley around the composter. Planted all this once, five years ago.
The mint, oregano and parsley around the composter. Planted all this once, five years ago.
Tomatoes and peppers in pots started by my co-gardening neighbour.
Tomatoes and peppers in pots started by my co-gardening neighbour.
Our patio now.
Our patio now.
Sweat equity! Dill for the dill tahini sauce that we are eating for lunches this week on the steamed kale.
Sweat equity! Dill for the dill tahini sauce that we are eating for lunches this week on the steamed kale.

 

11 thoughts on “My garden”

  1. Great post! Your garden looks fantastic. I’d like to comment and say that I completely agree with the “ego ” analogy. To make a beautiful garden all you need is time and to give care. I believe that losing your ego can also relate to many other situations such as stressful work environments or arguments with friends or family. Lose the ego and create something beautiful. Thanks for the post! Keep em coming!

    Reply

  4. Rob, good for you for tending to your garden. I’m now inspired to work on mine and it needs help. A good read and I’m sure the ‘people in your neighbourhood’ are liking the look of your spruced up garden, too.

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  5. What a great looking garden! It’s amazing how much you can get to grow with just a little bit of space.
    We don’t have any soil access from our apartment, and so instead went with container gardening. So far, it’s going well, with the zucchini especially looking very healthy.

    That book you mentioned sounds great too, I’ll have to check it out.
    Any chance she has recommendations for good shallow root crops?

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Andrew! I have to avoid deep-rooted plants as well and so I stick to leafy greens like chard and lettuce and climbing plants like peas and beans. Take a look through her website yougrowgirl.com. It’s a really good resource. Good luck!

      Reply

  6. Good for you for gardening! I grew up in the suburbs where our back garden was 80 percent vegetables and herbs, 10 percent fruit trees and some flowers. The front garden was all flowers. that was my grandmother and father’s doing…But my entire neighbourhood – a real ethnic mix – was known for it’s veggie gardens. Nothing like fresh veggies from the garden for dinner!

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  7. Your garden looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing the website above, I’ll have a look and see if I could at least grow some herbs, despite having no outdoor space at all!

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  8. Rob, you are SUCH a natural writer. What a pleasure to read these posts. I predict you will grow here just like your garden. Much food for thought. ~ Alison

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