December 2008

Over at The Jew and Carrot — a really wonderful blog about Jewish food issues and ethical, local, organic food in general — guest blogger Sarah Newman brought up an interesting documentary called Food Stamped about food stamps and whether you can really eat healthily on our government’s food program for the poor. In the movie, the documentarians try to live off of $50 for food a week, and supplement their diet with some vegetables and herbs that grow along their driveway.

It seems as though Sarah generally liked the film but had a few critiques, one of which involved the driveway herb garden:

And, what if they don’t have tidy herb gardens lining their driveway, like Shira and Yuval, to add nutritious and tasty ingredients to spice up their somewhat bland foods?

The implication being (I think) that it isn’t possible for poor, urban food stamp users to grow their own herbs, or even better, their own fruits and vegetables. And certainly not on a serious budget. I have to say, I heartily disagree! I thought I would round up some of the posts I written about growing your own food without access to an in-ground garden or even very much room. Even a windowbox provides enough room to produce tomatoes, blueberries, herbs, and more.

Growing Your Own Food:

• A Cucumber Plant Made for Container Gardening
• A Great Guide for Growing Carrots in Pots
• Grow Your Own Food So Your Kids Will Eat Healthily
• Vegetables and Herbs You Can Plant in Late Fall
• Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs That a Beginner Can Grow Organically in a Container Garden
• Creating a Hanging Salad Bowl
• Dwarf Blueberry Varieties for Container Gardening
• Tiny Tomato Plants Great for Small Gardens

Frugal Gardening:

• Use Less Soil, Recycle Plastic Bottles and Get Lighter Pots
• How to Get More Plants for Free
• Free Seeds!
• Great Looking Pots for Pennies
• 10 Dirt Cheap Ways to Have a Rockin’ Balcony Garden
• Make Your Own Vegetable Wash

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