While I may have grown up in a small Ohio farm town, I spent the last 23 years living in one of the biggest cities in the world — Los Angeles.

When people think of LA, they usually conjure up images of movie stars, traffic jams, smog and surfing, not gardens. I think this is a bit sad because despite its urban heart, LA has a wealth of gardens, both decorative and productive. I see more evidence every day that the city is finding new and innovative ways to garden among the skyscrapers and freeways.

It seems like there’s is a new movement afoot here to convert lawns into gardens, grass into vegetables and thirsty gardens into sippers more appropriate to our natural climate. Front yard vegetable gardens were unheard of when I first moved to LA in 1986. In many places, they were banned by homeowner associations and restrictive convenants. That’s why it was such a pleasure to see that streetside garden last year. Over time I watched as their plants burst forth with broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, herbs, tomatoes and more — all in a garden more beautiful and productive than any expanse of manicured lawn.

If you live in an urban area, take a second look at how you might garden among the houses and skyscrapers. Can you make a small, raised bed in your lawn? How about some pots of herbs and tomatoes on your balcony? Maybe you can get your own plot at a local community garden — something that’s very popular here in LA.

Here are a few links that you might enjoy to help you plan your new garden:

* I Habitat Starter Guide to Urban Gardening
* CommunityGarden.org
* Gardening Laws and Ordinances

You can have your own garden just about anywhere if you give it a try!

But in reality, we are all gardeners in a sense – even if we don’t actually go out and mess about in the dirt. We plant the seeds of relationships, hoping they grow deep roots. We prune our lives of accumulated “baggage” and those things that weigh us down. We even raise our offspring and hope they find a wonderful life on their own. We are always engaging in the act of gardening, each and every day.

For those of you who cook, bake, saute, braise, broil or roast, your connection with the garden shouldn’t be seen as something distant or odd that’s done only by people wearing big, floppy hats or Wellington boots. Our ingredients come from the Earth, and its nutrients create everything that we are. We garden because it is an integral, natural part of life. Every cup of flour, every bit of sugar, honey, maple syrup, herbs, spices and ore comes from someone’s garden. With each ingredient we bring into our kitchen, we bring a bit of that garden with it.

So why not make a little garden of your own? The easiest and most common way to bring a garden into your kitchen is with herbs. A couple of pots on the balcony, the back stoop or the windowsill go a long way toward re-establishing the connection between kitchen and garden. Watch out though. I have seen such little herb gardens grow into larger and larger patches, with tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and more. Once you experience the joy of growing something and using it in your own cooking, it’s hard to shake.

Tomato Soup From The Garden by BakeSpace Member Celestial

The next time you are in your kitchen, take each ingredient in hand and consider where it came from. Even if it was grown at some large corporate farm, it still came from the earth. It grew out of the constituent parts that make us all. Think of what it brings to your kitchen, your table, your life. Then, as you enjoy the fruits of your kitchen labors, give some thought to how each piece melded together to make a whole that is more than its parts.

There is simply no way to avoid it — we are all gardeners, each and every day. And the more we recognize this fact, the better off we are.

So… share your gardening stories with us. Simply post a comment below to share tips, thoughts or ask questions about growing your own garden.

LISTEN to Douglas’ “Why We Garden” Podcast

Useful Links:

Recipes
Recipes from your Garden
Herb  Mix Recipes

Forum Chats
Gardening Chat on BakeSpace
Earth-Friendly Fertilizer Ideas

Additional Garden Planning, Zones & Help
Farmer’s Almanac Garden Calendar
National Gardening Association
The Garden Helper
The Farm.org’s How to Plant a Garden