Easy pickings: growing your own fruits and vegetables is simple. Our 4-step plan will have you serving garden-fresh food all summer long

Natural Health, June, 2008 by Stacy Adimando

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EVERY TIME we bite into a fresh-picked strawberry or slice up a homegrown tomato and savor the vibrant taste we rarely experience at the grocery store, we renew our vow to grow our own produce. But then another summer passes with us making trips to the farmer's market instead of the backyard or windowsill. This time it's going to be different. We asked the experts for some guidance and were surprised to learn how easy it is.

First of all, you don't need gardening experience--or even a garden. All you need is a sunny windowsill or a small space on your balcony or in your yard (many herbs and leafy greens need only six inches of depth). Then you plant a few of your favorite foods in pots of store-bought organic soft or dirt from your yard.

The benefits go beyond tasty food and a rewarding sense of accomplishment. "Growing your own food is as local as it gets," says Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (Penguin Press, 2008), who grows things like carrots, potatoes, and kale with his family in a small garden at their Berkeley, Calif., home. "It goes from the soil to your plate with no carbon emissions or unnatural pesticides and fertilizers." Plus, produce flesh off the plant contains the highest levels of vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. (Nutrients start to diminish at the moment of picking.) Homegrown fruits and veggies may be more varied in color and shape than those you'll find at the supermarket, according to our cover model Monica Gambee (also pictured here), who grows herbs, tomatoes, and lemons in the backyard of her Los Angeles home from plants she bought at a garden store. "The flavors are unbelievable. I start every day with warm water, honey, and ripe lemons from the garden," she says, "And I can make the freshest, most incredible lemon meringue pies."

Pick up a trowel and some potting soil and get ready to create your own farmer's market. Then follow our recipes on page 108 for a repast fit for a king.

STEP 1. Pick easy-to-grow fruits and veggies

Focus on produce you like, then throw in one you're less familiar with, like Chinese eggplant or yellow carrots. "It will inspire you to get creative in the kitchen," says gardener Rose Marie Nichols McGee, author of The Bountiful Container (Workman, 2002). Make sure your growing space can accommodate the plants you choose: Smaller foods like radishes and herbs generally won't need more than 10 inches to grow, but larger ones such as tomatoes and potatoes may need up to 25 inches. (For a list of commonly grown foods and how to plant them, see "7 Easy-to-Grow Foods," page 84).

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STEP 2. Shop for the right equipment

You don't need an elaborate tool shed--just a small trowel and a basic organic fertilizer like the All Purpose Fertilizer from Gardener's Supply Company ($6 for 1 pound; gardeners.com). If you're growing indoors or in containers outdoors, pick up pots for your plants--or use any deep container like a bucket, serving bowl, or colander that has a hole for drainage, says Nichols McGee. Fill them with organic potting soft, which drains much better than dirt imported from your yard.

STEP 3. Choose between seeds and seedlings

Seedlings, which have already sprouted a few leaves, will start producing food more quickly than seeds, but some plants like beans, squash, and cucumbers won't flourish when you transplant them to your garden and are best planted using seeds. Seeds that are older than a year may not germinate, so check the packet for a use-by date. (For more advice, see "How to Select Seeds," page 83.)

STEP 4. Set fertilizing and watering schedules

Research the best times to fertilize your plants--most will require fertilizer when first planted, and some will call for replenishing fertilizer as they grow. "Beware of oveffertilizing, which can burn plants or force them into the flowering stage too early," says Nichols McGee. This can result in bitter tasting and less abundant produce. Water plants well once or twice a day, preferably in the morning and evening, when they're out of the strongest sunlight. Midday watering can give leafy plants brown spots.

HOW TO SELECT SEEDS

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When shopping for seeds, consider the following:

* PLANT THE BEST Seed quality affects the taste and quantity of food you get. Hybrids--bred for thicker skin or more uniform fruits--may not be as flavorful as naturally occurring heirlooms but are often easier to grow.

* PROTECT TRADITIONAL SPECIES To help preserve threatened species, plant only traditional and heirloom seed varieties from companies that preserve them, like Seeds of Change (seedsofchange.com).

* GO ORGANIC If you want to grow organic vegetables, be sure to buy seeds that haven't been treated with chemical insecticides and fungicides. Read the label carefully or consult a gardening expert. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

7 EASY-TO-GROW FOODS

1. ARUGULA

* How to plant Arugula is a cool-season plant and will grow at temperatures as low as 40[degrees]F. In early spring, scatter seeds 1/2 inch apart and cover lightly with soil. In late summer, refrigerate seeds for a week in a small bag with a sprinkling of potting soil and plant in the evening.