Kitchen Gardening

Why not bring the heart of the yard into the heart of the home?

Gardening has seen resurgence in recent years. The only problem with this is that as more and more environmentally conscious citizens occupy high rise type residences to avoid urban sprawl there is less and less yard space that can be dedicated to growing a garden and that’s if there is anything even remotely resembling out door space that constitutes a yard. Let's face it; a home on the fifth floor of anything doesn't usually scream yard space.

The Heart of the Home

What doesn't change as the elevation rises is the importance of the kitchen. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of house you call home, the kitchen is still the heart of your home. This is the center of your day. It begins and ends there. The kitchen is also where romantic meals find their savor, where parties are blessed with mouth watering delicacies, where the loved tastes of the holidays begin and where comfort foods are ever at the finger tips.

A garden performs many of these same functions for the out of doors. It is in the garden where we find rest and stress relief as you care for you plants. Loves are found, strengthened and lost along strolling garden paths. Laughter on warm July nights and magical ice crystals that sparkle in the dawn of Christmas are found and live in memory of the garden. A garden is the heart of the yard.

Making two into one

High rise living has many advantages and conveniences, gardening is not one of them, but that does not at all mean that you can't have a garden. Why not take your garden indoors and introduce the heart of a yard into the heart of your home?

Squeezing an entire garden into even the largest of kitchens is not a feasible idea. You will have to pick and choose your plants with the limited size of your kitchen in mind. There are also a few other difficulties with planting your garden on your kitchen counter tops that might spoil the fun.

Plan before you plant your kitchen garden

The first thing to consider is that of light. All seeds need light to grow. You're your kitchen have a window? You are in business. Plant your seeds in pots, cans or even an empty egg carton and set them on the window ledge. Natural sunlight is of course the best option but you can get around this if your kitchen does not have a window or if the window does not catch enough rays to keep your plants happy. An inexpensive lamp with a clamp that can be attached to a nearby cupboard can serve as a solar stand in if needed.

Size also matters in the kitchen. Large plants like corn or vines like zucchini will not thrive in limited space (unless you get REALLY creative). It is a much better idea to select plants that are small or dwarf varieties of larger plants. Remember just because this is a kitchen garden does not mean you are limited to growing food stuffs. Potted flowers really brighten any kitchen space.

You may find that counter space in your kitchen is too precious a commodity to give over to your plants. If this is the case install a simple shelf to get them off your counters. You can also confine the garden to the widow ledge. If need be you can install a wider window seal that will allow for more plants.

What ever your challenge is, you can over come it and enjoy your garden without leaving the heart of your home.