Urban jungle: how to ‘grow your own’ in the city

When people think of growing their own, it’s hard not to imagine expansive, lush gardens or allotments that demand a significant investment of time and money. However, even in the tiniest of London living spaces it is possible to plant a beautiful mixture of flowering herbs, greens and fruit plants that will provide a feast both you and for the threatened bee and butterfly population. Here are some of the top tips I will be sharing at Taste of London’s Wild Kitchen workshop later this week (details at the bottom of the page).

Windowsill sowing

It is so exciting to see tiny shoots emerging from the soil, so why not start by sowing some seeds in a pot on your windowsill - this is also a great way to recycle and re-use a plastic pot, taking care to add some holes in the bottom for drainage.

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Basil, coriander, rocket and mustard are all easy to grow and should appear within a couple of weeks on a warm windowsill. Once they have at least four leaves you can harvest some of the shoots as ‘micro-greens’ and add them to salads or sandwiches for a burst of flavour and a good dose of nutrients. What is great is that you can carry on re-planting for repeat harvest of micro-greens.

You could even plant a few of the seedlings in an outside pot to grow into larger plants. This will allow you to harvest leaves from them as and when they flower, and as a bonus they will attract bees and butterflies to enjoy their nectar.

Herb pots

Most common herbs start budding into leaves from spring onwards, and must-haves for pots include thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, lavender and mint. Look for different varieties of herbs - for example, silver posy thyme has pretty variegated leaves and tricolor sage has pinky, creamy leaves. Both will add instant colour to any dish with their foliage.

Mint is great in a pot by itself, since it likes the space - plus, it’s a real treat to pick a fresh sprig for mint tea. There are many different varieties, but my favourite is chocolate or apple mint, both for delicious teas and to chop up for extra flavour in salads. It doesn’t work to combine more than one variety in a pot (they end up tasting the same as each other) so I would advise having a couple of small pots instead. When they flower, their fuzzy, purple flowers will be covered in insects enjoying their nectar.

Fruit trees & berries

If you have space for a larger pot, you could grow a small fruit tree. Look for a variety on a ‘dwarfing rootstock’ to find an apple, pear, plum or cherry tree that won’t grow much more than two metres high.

You could also try growing redcurrants or blackcurrants, which bear pretty pink flowers in spring and whose berries are delicious in a summer fruit compote. If you want something a bit more unusual, Chilean Guava (Ugni molinae) is an attractive evergreen plant with small delicate leaves and the most delicious sweet berries, a favourite of Queen Victoria!

Maximising space

Make the most of the nooks and crannies in your pots by considering smaller plants with edible flowers such as violas, calendulas and French marigolds (tagetes). Use either the whole flower or some petals to create a beautiful salad or garnish a dessert.

Or finally, consider drooping strawberries over the edge of a pot. There are varieties available that have pink flowers (most garden centres have started stocking them) and once they’re ripe you can pick and add them to your breakfast yogurt, or for a quintessentially English treat of strawberries and cream.

Susannah Hall is head gardener at the Cecil Sharp House permaculture garden. She will be giving ‘Wild Kitchen’ workshops at Taste of London in Regent’s Park on Friday 21 and Sunday 23 June and at the London Permaculture Festival on Sunday 7 July. For more information, visit london.tastefestivals.com.