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April 22, 2008

Green Thumb, Black Feet

I think it's high time we celebrate National Gardening Month! April is all about cultivating your green thumb, and a few vegetables. And since April 22 was christened Earth Day back in 1970, today is the perfect day to get out of the kitchen, and into the garden!

There's a lot of talk about greening these days, and in that could mean anything from riding your bike to work to eliminating paper towels in favor of cloth towels. But one of the most obvious greening solutions for a world that's ripe with information about global warming and food insecurity is to grow some of your own food. And it's easier than you think.

Last week, our fearless leader Susan Stockton brought in a tray of beautiful heirloom tomato plants to share. For all the excitement those little plants induced, you would have thought it was a tray of chocolate truffles, or even gold. All the gardeners suddenly appeared and lingered over their choices (cherry or big fat juicy tomatoes), shared advice on how and when to plant them and mused about all the things we'd eat them with when they mature. For a kitchen full of city folk, you'd be amazed at how many gardeners are in our midst.

My own little piece of land rests in Clinton Community Garden in midtown, where for five years running I've tested my green thumb out on every organic or heirloom variety vegetable I can get my hands on. And that kind of enthusiasm can get, well, a little wild. In the kitchen, I like things in neat rows--spices arranged alphabetically, fruits gathered in bowls and kitchen tools and towels in coordinating colors. But in the garden, I'm a wild woman, throwing seeds here and there, seeing how much I can grow in my precious 65 square feet of land. Farmer's call that biodiversity (and it's quite good for the soil). I call it savage, and good clean fun (well, if you like dirt). I don't read gardening books, or know if my terroir has bragging rights (but it is 100% organic). I rarely stake or trellis, and let my veggies climb along the rich black soil like unruly children. I don't know the difference between annuals or perennials, and I regard the mystery of what the Spring will unearth each year with the same delight that new parents have for the sex of their unborn child. If I have any garden wisdom at all, like where to lay mulch or sprinkle sand or burry egg shells, it came from trial and error, and the generous tips of fellow community gardeners. I just dig and plant and toil until I emerge, with black feet (from the organic compost) and a big smile, ready to spring back into city life until the weekend comes again.

Since not everyone has a sweet little plot of land to dig in, an Earth box, the ultimate container garden, takes the green thumb (and the black feet) out of the equation. The all-inclusive indoor or outdoor system can double the yields of regular container gardens with half the water and a quarter of the work. And as if growing your own food and conserving water wasn't green enough, they even have an organic version.

If your style is more black thumb and clean feet, consider shaking hands with a local farmer on a deal that's good for both of you, and the environment too. Join a local Community Supported Agriculture group, which lets you pre-pay a farmer for a seasonal share of locally grown fruits, vegetables and in some areas flowers, eggs and meat. Joining a CSA eliminates the middle man, which means the farmer gets paid the best prices, and it keep the other green stuff in your pockets too, since you're not paying someone to ship your produce across the country in refrigerated trucks. And since you've all heard of carbon footprints, I don't have to tell you what that means for the environment, do I?

Happy Earth Day!

Sarah Copeland, Urban Gardener, Food Network Kitchens

Posted by Food Network at April 22, 2008 7:43 PM

Comments

Posted by: Ashley at May 5, 2008 12:35 AM

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