From your garden to your table

Imagine all the time, expense and energy it takes to grow strawberries in California, transport them to a Toronto fruit store and sell them to you.

Excess fossil fuel emissions, packaging waste, expense and loss of freshness are concerns that come to mind. By planting your own edible garden, you will receive the bounty of your harvest during the growing season in your own backyard, thereby eliminating the pickers, packers, sorters, shippers and truckers.

My idea is to grow what you can at home; however if you cannot, there are two other options available to you - shop locally or join an organic farming group that will deliver local produce to your front door each week.

When you go to the grocery store, focus on buying what is in season. For example, buy Ontario corn in late summer when it is readily available. I am not encouraging you to eliminate all mangoes and far away fruits from your diet, but to seek local produce that is in season as a first priority.

Now think about this scenario. You buy a few strawberry plants from the local nursery, plant them in your garden and have a season's worth of strawberries for you and your family. No packaging, less fossil fuel emissions, inexpensive and very convenient.

I encourage my clients to grow their own fruits and vegetables. No pesticides, herbicides or chemicals required - just water, sun, compost and tender loving care.

Balcony gardeners have lots of different choices when it comes to growing vegetables and herbs: cherry tomatoes, rhubarb, peppers or dwarf bean varieties.

You don't need a lot of space to have an edible garden. Vegetables may be grown in almost any container with a drainage hole but keep in mind portability and depth.

A cubic foot of soil can weigh 50 to 90 pounds, which is quite heavy. I like to put a saucer with wheels underneath to maneuver the larger containers. The container has to be deep enough to accommodate the plant's root system. The deeper the container, the less watering you will have to do.

Edible plants can include herbs, fruit and vegetables. Herbs require a light, sandy well-drained soil in full sun indicative of their Mediterranean origin. They are the easiest to grow.

Fruit trees require more space and knowledge about thinning and cross pollination.

It is best to situate your vegetable garden in full sun receiving at least six hours of direct sunlight every day. The peak hours between eleven and three in the afternoon are critical because that is the most intense sun. Keep track of the sunlight hours when the trees in your garden have full foliage as this factor will alter the amount of sunlight that reaches your edible garden. Avoid planting a vegetable garden near a large deciduous or coniferous tree. The tree roots will compete for water, sun and nutrients - and win.

The closer proximity the vegetable garden is from your kitchen, the more it will be used.