
Finding Gardening Space
The best case scenario is to get yourself a plot in one of your city’s community gardens. Many in Toronto have long-ish waiting lists. I have to imagine that in parts of Canada where space is at less of a premium the situation will be better.
Figuring Out What to Plant
Having found a space and conquered the idea that they have a black thumb first time gardeners quickly get to the “I’ve never grown anything before, what should I plant?” stage. For food bloggers and novice gardeners in general I’d say to start by picturing yourself in the grocery store or at a farmers’ market and ask “what is that I’m most annoyed about buying?” What are those things that you find yourself throwing out half of, what do you always forget you need to make a recipe perfect, and most of all what tastes delicious to you? Herbs fit nicely into a lot of those categories. They’ll grow inside (in many cases), can be started pretty much now, and require little special attention. I’d start with three or four from the standby list of flat leaf parsley, rosemary, basil, mint, chives and thyme and branch out from there. Lemon chives or grapefruit thyme might look attractive on the seed packet but trust me that you’ll be better off with the standard version and a little citrus zest when that flavour is called for. After herbs you want plants that produce for a long while and will be different from what you can find in the store. All of: cherry (or other small) tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, the chards and kales, and--most especially--hot peppers grow equally well in containers or an in-ground plot. Carrots, potatoes, and radishes are all recommended for beginners but the problem is that unless you're careful about staggering your planting (I've never managed) you get one big crop of them in the fall. And it comes when you want to be writing and posting about autumn preserving or the last summer tomato not about digging up tubers and tap-roots for winter storage.
I agree one hundred percent!
There’s nothing like growing your own food.