September heralds the end of the craziness of summer, when people in my area of the country attack fair weather and warm temperatures with gusto. Some of us might enjoy winter and snow, but personally I need sunshine to really feel whole. One of my hobbies is growing things and there is nothing like working outdoors.
For me, the end of summer also means harvesting the fruits and vegetables in my urban garden. While I do have a small plot in my small city lot dedicated to the growing of fruits and vegetables, I call my entire yard area the “guerrilla” urban garden. In the last few years, I have managed to insert sustainable plants into my landscape. This means I not only have interesting flowerbeds, but I can eat some of those plants, too.
The way I look at it, if you are a responsible homeowner who lives in the Midwest and you have a yard, you’re going to water the grass anyway. Why not put the water to better use, by providing food products for your family? Guerrilla urban gardening takes very little extra time or attention, and the rewards are great. Even a person with admitted brown thumbs can be a successful urban gardener. There is nothing like a homegrown tomato for pleasing the palate, or for cutting cucumbers fresh from the plant for your salad. The other upside would be not having to buy these items in the grocery store. Even though the growing season here is short, it’s worth it.
My interest in urban gardening began several years ago, when I decided to plant strawberries as a ground cover beneath my rose bushes. Within a couple of years, my berry patch produced so many strawberries that I began to make jelly to can what we couldn’t eat fresh.
In addition to strawberries, we have raspberries tucked away in one portion of the yard. There are also my cherry and pear tree, and several wine grapes that line the back fence.
The easiest plants to start your garden would be herbs. Many herbs are perennial plants here in Michigan, meaning they will come back year after year. Different varieties of sage make interesting bush forms, and oregano will spread like a weed. Thyme is often used as a low ground cover and will survive most winters. Lavender makes an excellent low hedge, and the flowers can be used as potpourri. Lavender can also be used to flavor salads and cheeses. Chives will survive anywhere with little care. Tender annual herbs like cilantro, basil, and parsley can be planted as accents in flowerbeds or in container gardens.
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1 - Fencing in Nottingham
dont forget to securely fence the plot from wouldbe free loaders