Summer Kitchen Gardens

By Ann Draper

Early summer is not too late to transplant your kitchen garden. A few pots and pails of herbs plus four or five tomato plants can produce a fragrant or tasty arrangement of edible greenery on a balcony, a patio or a wide window sill anytime of the year.

Tomato plants can be bought in many colours: red, yellow, striped, patio size, husky cherry, roma, and late beefsteak - a traditional variety bearing tasty large tomatoes.

Begin by punching a few holes in the bottom of four litre ice cream pails, lining them with newspaper, a layer of stones and then fill the pails ¾ -full of potting soil. Water well and let drain onto the lids--placed underneath for drainage as a tray--and plant firmly in the middle of the container. A circular collar of cardboard-foam sheet used for packing or several layers of wax paper taped to the upper rim of the pail.

Tomatoes need to be kept moist and ideally fertilized every two weeks with a liquid fertilizer. A "green tea" can be made with left over vegetable peelings and green vegetable leaves can be made by processing them in a blender and adding water until diluted to a liquid pourable form. Top up the soil a few days after transplanting.

Lettuce in four-inch pots can be started from seed and kept well watered. Radishes thrive amongst early spring flower pots and need to be kept well watered to form edible bulbs.

Think green when selecting your herb garden. Parsley, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano, basil, dill, cilantro, lavender, chives, cress and sage will make a kitchen garden a gourmet experience and provide a new zest in your life.

Gather your baskets, trays and kitchen containers together and your garden will become your very own creation.