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Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Matters
Ingredients
Recipe
Nutritional Information
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Recipes for Action
How to Grow a Produce Garden Anywhere
medium termit's all memodest budget

How to Grow a Produce Garden Anywhere

A volunteer tends to an outside garden with a spade.
Image Credit: David Smela, RCE Middlesex County.

Put simply, a produce garden is a more sustainable way for people to grow their own food by cultivating a plot of land close to where they live.

Why this recipe matters

Not only will you save money and spare yourself trips to the grocery store, but growing your own food when possible reduces the carbon emissions created by global importing from commercial farms. 

Ingredients

  • Direct sunlight 
  • Can be substituted for plant light or budget friendly fluorescent light 
  • Permission from your landlord or housing association 
  • Mindfulness of growing seasons 
  • Soil Mix
  • Seeds (or seedlings!)
  • A decent-sized container with drainage holes 

Recipe

1. Decide where your produce garden will grow. Anywhere in your home that gets direct sunlight for at least 6 hours per day is ideal! Consider a plant light, or a more budget-friendly fluorescent light if this isn’t an option. 

2. Find out what the rules are. If you choose to plant your garden on a terrace or rooftop, make sure your new garden addition won’t get you into any trouble. 

3. Consider the frost. Better Homes and Gardens encourages aspiring horticulturalists to consider the time of year before they start planting outside. Some produce, such as potatoes, does best when the soil temperature is higher than at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Other veggies, such as leafy members of the crucifer family, will do just fine in colder temperatures.

4. Get your soil and seeds (as well as any tools you might need). Once you have your garden project planned, you’re ready to grow. Consider the resources below for acquiring any necessary garden materials: 

5. Place your seeds or seedlings in their new home. Once you have your supplies, make sure your seeds or seedlings are properly spaced in a decent-sized container with drainage holes, and you're all set.

Nutritional Information

How this recipe has nurtured a community

“Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating!” ― Wendell Berry, American writer and environmentalist.   

Finishing Touch

One of the joys of picking up something new is finding other people to learn from and share with. Check out home gardening groups on your preferred social media platform to connect over the exciting process of growing your own food. Garden Web is another great resource for all home project enthusiasts!