An Urban Garden

Wherever there is soil, plants grow and produce their kind, and all plants are interesting; when you make a choice as to what plants you shall grow in any given place, you become a gardener or a farmer; and if the conditions are such that you cannot make a choice, you may adopt the plants that grow there by nature, and by making the most of them may still be a gardener or a farmer in some degree.

The satisfaction of a garden does not depend on the area, nor, happily, on the cost or rarity of the plants. It depends on the temper of the person. One must first seek to love plants and nature, and then to cultivate the happy peace of mind that is satisfied with little.

A garden is the personal part of an estate, the area that is most intimately associated with the private life of the home. Originally, the garden was the area inside the enclosure or lines of fortification, in distinction from the unprotected area or fields that lay beyond; and this latter area was the particular domain of agriculture. The purpose of this website is to help urban dwellers understand the garden to be that part of the personal or home premises devoted to ornament, and to the growing of vegetables and fruits. The garden, therefore, is an ill-defined demesne; but you must not make the mistake of defining it by dimensions, for one may have a garden in a flower-pot or on a thousand acres.

One goal of this site is to make farmers of us all, whether you plant seeds, buy starter plants; whether you plant in containers on your front porch or have a sunny corner garden.

Where there is garden space, there should be gardens. If you do not want to cultivate your own garden, why not share your garden with someone who does? This is the second purpose of this site. To bring farmers without gardens to gardens without farmers.

Most of the images you will find on this site are of my own garden. My husband and I have a small house and yard with only partial and filtered sun to full shade areas. I hope you will use some of the ideas you find here.