I don’t have the greenest thumb. In fact, it’s more a shade of brown—akin to the colour of dirt, which, come to think of it, might actually be a good thing. But this spring, I’m digging in to claim my first backyard garden plot.

I’m taking my cue from “guerrilla” gardener Justin Tilson, who’s actively engaged in getting us to think about growing our own organic food in our own urban environment. Most of us have now heard of the 100-mile diet, but how many of us are familiar with the one-mile diet? It’s Justin’s contention that we’re massively disconnected from the food we eat, and that there’s a real and palpable yearning to reconnect to both the people who grow our food and the land on which it’s grown. Starting a small organic vegetable garden of your own can be a great way to re-establish this connection.

Justin, who heads up the guerrilla gardening group Urban Acres, which plants plots in vacant lots in False Creek, has become something of a gardening guru. He looks at bare, weed-spotted spaces and envisions verdant cradles of food. He says the first step in establishing your own garden is to find a sunny spot.
Your garden may be as small as a balcony, as big as your backyard, or a part of one of the many community gardens springing up around the Lower Mainland. If you lack these options, another creative idea is to connect with Vancouver Sharing Backyards, which, through its website, hooks up people who have backyards with those looking for space to garden.

If you’re just starting out, it’s always good to start small; a small raised bed can be a great place to get your hands dirty. The basic tenet of organic agriculture is “take care of the soil and it will take care of you.” So create a haven for earthworms; they’ll do your cultivating and leave behind rich worm “castings”—the best organic fertilizer you could ever find. Also, find some great fertilizer, whether it be well-composted barnyard manure or compost from your kitchen scraps. Dig this into the soil in your vegetable bed and let it sit for a couple of days before starting to plant.

The UBC Botanical Garden website has suggestions for what to plant month by month. As we head into May, think about sowing pole bea
ns, turnips, bush beans, and corn. Justin suggests that choosing plants that are your favourites, and learning about companion planting and natural methods of building soil fertility, will increase your odds of success.

If you’re able to grow more than you can eat, consider sharing your surplus bounty with neighbours in need. The Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project will take your extra fruits and veggies and donate them to organizations like the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

Finally, if building a vegetable garden from the ground up just isn’t your thing, consider enlisting the help of a professional to help get one established. Companies like City Farm Boy will help you build your first planters to get you started on your urban farming journey.

Jyoti Stephens is sustainability and stewardship manager for Nature’s Path. Her summer plans include greening her thumb.