more small garden inspiration
Mary Heightchew may have won the garden hose, but we really enjoyed all the entries we received. Here’s a peek at a few that we think are inspiring, whether you have a yard, a balcony, or just a windowsill.
Meghan says: “My husband and I live in Rochester, NY and are renting a house — our first real house with no neighbors upstairs, downstairs, or on either side — and we have a yard! For a year before getting married, we lived on my sister’s mini-farm in Western Massachusetts. We spent our days weeding the beds and picking the crops, preserving the harvest, and indulging all winter in our homemade grape juice and homegrown tomatoes. We learned to love this work even though we are city people through and through. We could not be more excited about our little 4′x4′ raised bed (inspired by the Squarefoot Gardening craze). All the starter plants are plants I split with my sister, or were given by friends. I love going out every morning to visit my plants: heirloom tomatoes, kale, chard, peppers, strawberries, onions, and all.”
Monique of lekkercraft says: “This is my first attempt at a garden. I have an apartment with a small balcony, and decided to keep everything in relatively small and separate containers. I have no idea when I’ll be moving again, and
wanted everything to be as portable as possible, even mid-season. Who knows if much will come from it, but I’m enjoying the practice! Some of these were started from seeds, a few were bought as transplants. Clockwise from left front: Scarlet runner beans (they will have red flowers — I’m hoping to attract hummingbirds); carrots with chives (companion planting!); a sugar cherry tomato plant (indeterminate… oops!); lemon cucumber; cilantro; Easter egg radishes (almost ready to harvest); poblano pepper; lettuce mixes (a bit overcrowded, but I’m actually eating this already!); rosa bianca eggplants; genovese and thai basil.”
Heather says: “This is a photo of my favorite garden at our house from last year. This garden is just starting to wake up for the season. The calla lilies are just pushing above the soil, getting ready to grow to their normal three foot tall height. Each year we look for the baby praying mantises since we always seem to get a batch and usually two to four settle into our garden for good. The front of the garden contains herbs which we use to cook meals. The rest of the garden is given to bright flowers — mostly perennials, but each year we include a few annuals: a bright daisy and sunflowers. The garden is a good mix of useful, fragrant, color, and wildness, as some of the flowers and grasses get quite tall. It provides an urban oasis for us each evening in the summer.”
