Jeff, the A.D.D. Chef

That small patch of dirt with the blue tarp in the middle (there are lawn chairs hiding under there) will become a vegetable garden in less than a month. It doesn’t look like much of a vegetable garden right now but contrast it with some of the pictures below which are from last year and from this same small patch of dirt.¹ So even if you don’t have much land to work with you can still have a very productive vegetable garden.²

 Eggplant

Broccoli

What To Plant 

I’m writing this on March 11, 2008. It’s still a bit chilly in New York (okay…it’s freezing cold…I admit it). However by early April you can start to plant some cool weather vegetables such as lettuce and broccoli. These plants will have reached the end of their productive cycle by the time the weather goes from cool to warm to hot.

There are many varieties of lettuce with different textures and very delicate flavors. If your only experience is with Iceberg Lettuce then you’ll definitely want to try some of the more interesting varieties such as Black-seeded Simpson or Ruby. Even Romaine tastes better when it is homegrown. 

My family and neighbors were ecstatic over the broccoli I had grown so I’ll certainly grow broccoli again. Since I only have broccoli seeds I’ll start the seeds around the end of March. They’ll be ready to grow into the ground by early April. Be warned. Those little tiny broccoli plants grow REAL LARGE so give them plenty of elbow room.

So, get out there and get in the dirt. It’s a wonderful break from the winter doldrums.

1. See: The Perfect A.D.D. Activity [↩]
2. Urbanites can also grow some vegetables in large flower pots. [↩]