ON THE TERRACE CONDO HERB GARDENS

Thanks to Toronto’s long, hot summers, someone with a green thumb only needs a sunny outdoor spot and a desire to add some fresh zest to their summer dishes. For condo dwellers, an herb container garden is a perfect way to beautify your terrace while dabbling in the art of culinary gardening. It’s simple, easy to maintain, and versatile enough for you to be able to grow almost any herb to add to any recipe.

One of my favourite aspects of summer cooking is the easy access to fresh ingredients. With a vegetable and herb garden outside my sliding door, I get immense satisfaction from plucking a ripe red tomato from its stem, pulling a few sprigs of basil – breathing in its woodsy aroma – and preparing dinner as the grill sizzles.

What You’ll Need

Before you pick out your favourite herbs, you’ll need to purchase a trowel for digging, along with a container or two for your plantings. For a fantastic selection of high quality gardening tools, you can’t beat Lee Valley, located in the heart of King West.

The Sneeboer potting trowel ($45) is ideal for condo owners because it is designed to scoop from the side of pots, which prevents dirt from spilling, and works well with even the smallest containers. You may want to pick up the Herb Wheel, as well. This handy instructional wheel provides information on how to care for 16 different herbs, as well as tips on preserving, storing and cooking with each one ($7.95).

For a wider selection of pots, Home Sense (King and Spadina) and CB2 (Queen and Bathurst) offer more styles and colours. However, be sure to select a pot that allows drainage from the bottom (or purchase a plastic gardening container to insert inside of it).

Pick Your Herbs

If you are just starting out, it’s best to select herbs that are easy to grow, like basil, chives, parsley, thyme, oregano and French tarragon. All are readily available in garden stores and can grow from seed if you start your garden in May. With summer more than halfway over, however, the best bet is to purchase potted herbs and transplant them into your own container.

Let it Grow

Once you’ve found a sunny spot on your terrace, you can start your condo herb garden. Fill the pot with soil (purchased at a garden centre) and transplant each herb a few inches apart from one another. Sprinkle with water until the soil is damp.

But don’t wait to start plucking from your new plants. Pruning promotes healthy growth of your herbs – so what are you waiting for? Grab a bottle of vino from the King West LCBO and enjoy cooking with your freshly grown ingredients.