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Easy Growing: Organic Herbs and Edible Flowers from Small Spaces
Growing a handful of herbs and edible flowers adds sparkle to dozens of meals year-round. Fortunately for us, these plants are not fussy. They’re simple to grow and will fit into any space you can provide, including a crack in a broken patio stone, the step next to your front door, or a windowsill. In Easy Growing, Gayla Trail—author of Grow Great Grub and creator of the top online gardening community, YouGrowGirl.com—shares the tips, ideas, and know-how you need to raise delicious organic edibles wherever you can squeeze in a planter.
Herbs give big rewards with a small amount of work—even the most inexperienced, space-strapped gardener will have success. This handbook
• Guidance on choosing the right plants, designing dazzling in-ground gardens and striking edible containers, and growing herbs indoors year-round
• Ins and outs of growing fifty different plants and hundreds of varieties, from warm and aromatic Mojito mint to peppery nasturtium flowers, from fruity lemon verbena to exotic cinnamon basil, and more
• Handy tricks for winterizing plants and extending the outdoor growing period
• Simple recipes for cooking with and preserving your Herb-Encrusted Goat Cheese; Homegrown Bloody Mary Mix; Lavender Shortbread; Orange, Rosemary, and Honey Ice Cream
• Upcycling projects based on reusable materials
Perfect for novice gardeners and longtime enthusiasts looking for inspiration, Easy Growing is a fun, power-packed resource for creating a delicious herb garden anywhere.
Herbs give big rewards with a small amount of work—even the most inexperienced, space-strapped gardener will have success. This handbook
• Guidance on choosing the right plants, designing dazzling in-ground gardens and striking edible containers, and growing herbs indoors year-round
• Ins and outs of growing fifty different plants and hundreds of varieties, from warm and aromatic Mojito mint to peppery nasturtium flowers, from fruity lemon verbena to exotic cinnamon basil, and more
• Handy tricks for winterizing plants and extending the outdoor growing period
• Simple recipes for cooking with and preserving your Herb-Encrusted Goat Cheese; Homegrown Bloody Mary Mix; Lavender Shortbread; Orange, Rosemary, and Honey Ice Cream
• Upcycling projects based on reusable materials
Perfect for novice gardeners and longtime enthusiasts looking for inspiration, Easy Growing is a fun, power-packed resource for creating a delicious herb garden anywhere.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
6 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Gayla Trail
8 books239 followersI write and speak about urban gardening and growing food. I take pictures too. I do graphic design work. And some other stuff.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 2, 2012
I really like this book because it combines two things that I think are really useful for people interested in small-space gardening. First of all, it has excellent "beginner" gardening information, so if you have never grown anything before, you can pick this up and green your thumb almost instantly. Secondly, this book is focused mainly on herbs, which I think is such an overlooked part of small-space gardening. Fresh herbs are outrageously expensive at the grocery store, and they take up very little space in the garden. Many of them are quite hardy, both of climate and neglect, and will often come back year after year with little help from the gardener. So, if someone was like "I only have a patio/balcony/fire escape and I want to learn to garden and get the most return on my investment" this would be a great book to hand them. This will go on the short list of books I recommend to city friends who ask about learning to garden.
As a more experienced gardener, I also got a lot out of this book. Gayla has a gift for plant lists, and she breaks them up into such useful groups. Plants that will tolerate damp spots, shady spots, boiling hot spots - they're listed. There are lists detailing which plants you should grow from seed and which are worthwhile to buy as starts, and which propagation methods are best for most herbs in the book.
And, of course, in the style we have come to expect from Gayla, there are totally gorgeous photos, some funny write-up's, and many delicious recipes for using up all the herbs you are going to grow. This book is one you can come back to again and again when you want to expand your herb garden. It's a keeper.
As a more experienced gardener, I also got a lot out of this book. Gayla has a gift for plant lists, and she breaks them up into such useful groups. Plants that will tolerate damp spots, shady spots, boiling hot spots - they're listed. There are lists detailing which plants you should grow from seed and which are worthwhile to buy as starts, and which propagation methods are best for most herbs in the book.
And, of course, in the style we have come to expect from Gayla, there are totally gorgeous photos, some funny write-up's, and many delicious recipes for using up all the herbs you are going to grow. This book is one you can come back to again and again when you want to expand your herb garden. It's a keeper.
May 5, 2012
Gayla Trail writes the essential books for budding gardeners. I highly recommend her books on gardening in small spaces. Colorful, beautiful, inspiring and real, you'll expand your garden dreams to your balcony and beyond.
August 6, 2016
Pretty, colorful, and useful gardening book (with an emphasis on organic herbs).
Also includes some recipes. LOVED learning how to make tea bags and the lavender blossom sugar.
Also includes some recipes. LOVED learning how to make tea bags and the lavender blossom sugar.
June 11, 2019
Pros: provides basic explanations of how to grow different edible plants, also includes some recipes, good visual representations and planting/eating key
Cons: not great for semi experienced gardeners looking for a more encyclopedic format; I just didn’t care much for the way the book was structured
Cons: not great for semi experienced gardeners looking for a more encyclopedic format; I just didn’t care much for the way the book was structured
August 12, 2024
This book is about everything herbs: how to grow them, how to tend them, the many different types, how to harvest, how to cook with them, how to preserve them. It really is a must in the gardener’s library.
March 17, 2019
Just skimmed for the information I needed. Good information on basics. Great info on indoor lighting aides for growing plants.
May 4, 2019
This is a great reference book for folks wanting to grow herbs! Tons of info in an easy to follow layout and wording.
September 24, 2021
This is a great book. Wouldn't mind having it on my shelf.
April 11, 2022
Quite casual but more useful info than expected.
January 12, 2025
Lots of information- easy read. I marked my spots on my new herbs I want to grow.
May 24, 2012
Excellent book by Gayla Trail. She has a few other books that I have enjoyed and one of them I own. This book focuses on herbs. It has good advice, fun projects and nifty recipes.
--How to Make Homegrown Liquid Feed--
Good way to recycle an overabundant harvest.
1. Wearing gloves, roughly chop or rip all parts of the plant including leaves, stems, and flowers into chunky bits. Toss them into the bucket and add 4 parts water to 1 part fresh herbs. Molasses increases the growth of beneficial microorganisms; add it in if you like and stir vigorously.
2. Set the sloppy mixture aside for 1-3 days, stirring aggressively a few times per day. Regular agitation draws oxygen into the brew to aid in the production of beneficial microorganisms. Beware: If you don't agitate at least once a day, the mix will rot and stink up the neighborhood.
3. Strain out the slurry and toss it into the compost bin or lay it on the garden soil around needy plants. Reserve the liquid in a recycled container or jar and use it as a concentrate. I add a few cups to a large watering can of water regularly throughout the growing season, apply it as a foliar feed using a spray bottle, and pour it on full-strength when transplanting seedlings. Your plants will love it!
NOTE: This will also work as a less potent fertilizer if you need to use up out-of-date herbs from the cupboard. Brew it up like regular drinking tea and leave out the molasses. Cool the brew off before using.
--Origami Seed Envelopes--
Use scrap paper from out-of-date gardening catalogs and magazines, old maps, frayed posters, discarded wrapping paper or wallpaper samples. Store in anything that will keep the seeds dry.
1. Take a 4 inch square piece of paper and fold in half diagonally to make a triangle.
2. With the triangle pointing up, fold the bottom right corner up until it meets with the left side. Press the seam flat.
3. Repeat with the left corner until it meets the right side.
4. Fold down the top flap and tuck it into the fold of the front piece to secure.
5. To fill the envelope with seeds, simply pull out the top flap and open it up. Pour the seeds in and tuck it back together.
6. Label each packet with the name of the plant and the date collected. If you can't write on the packet, print the labels found online at easy-growing.com onto sticker paper and affix one to the front.
--Other Notes--
Prune off the top of soft growing tips of basil, mint and other leafy herbs using your fingertips or a pair of scissors. Doing this encourages it to branch off into two stems and bush out. Do this to: basil, mint, oregano, lemon verbena, scented geranium, thyme, rosemary, shiso, tarragon, stevia, chamomile, cilantro, catnip, orache
Attract natural predators! Here are some ideas: install bird and bat boxes and feeders, leave behind stacks of wood that ladybugs can hibernate inside, create shelter for toads lizards and snakes by piling up rocks or overturning broken pots, set out a dish of water for thirsty critters, mulch the garden bed year-round to attract ground beetles, leave behind a few dead plants and grasses through the winter to provide seed and shelter, allow dill parsley and other umbelliferous plants to set flowers that attract beneficial wasps
Grow these herbs from seed: angelica, anise, anise hyssop, arugula, basil, caraway, catnip, chamomile, chervil, chives, coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard greens, nasturtium, orache, pansy and viola, puslane, savory, smallage (wild celery), sorrel, sunflower, violet
Grow these herbs from seed, but sow direct outdoors as they do not transplant well: borage, calendula, dill
Soak nasturtium, runner bean or other seeds with a hard shell in water for no more than 24 hours to encourage the shell to crack open. Rub parsley, bay, and coriander seeds along a piece of fine sandpaper to cut into the hard shell slightly.
--How to Make Homegrown Liquid Feed--
Good way to recycle an overabundant harvest.
1. Wearing gloves, roughly chop or rip all parts of the plant including leaves, stems, and flowers into chunky bits. Toss them into the bucket and add 4 parts water to 1 part fresh herbs. Molasses increases the growth of beneficial microorganisms; add it in if you like and stir vigorously.
2. Set the sloppy mixture aside for 1-3 days, stirring aggressively a few times per day. Regular agitation draws oxygen into the brew to aid in the production of beneficial microorganisms. Beware: If you don't agitate at least once a day, the mix will rot and stink up the neighborhood.
3. Strain out the slurry and toss it into the compost bin or lay it on the garden soil around needy plants. Reserve the liquid in a recycled container or jar and use it as a concentrate. I add a few cups to a large watering can of water regularly throughout the growing season, apply it as a foliar feed using a spray bottle, and pour it on full-strength when transplanting seedlings. Your plants will love it!
NOTE: This will also work as a less potent fertilizer if you need to use up out-of-date herbs from the cupboard. Brew it up like regular drinking tea and leave out the molasses. Cool the brew off before using.
--Origami Seed Envelopes--
Use scrap paper from out-of-date gardening catalogs and magazines, old maps, frayed posters, discarded wrapping paper or wallpaper samples. Store in anything that will keep the seeds dry.
1. Take a 4 inch square piece of paper and fold in half diagonally to make a triangle.
2. With the triangle pointing up, fold the bottom right corner up until it meets with the left side. Press the seam flat.
3. Repeat with the left corner until it meets the right side.
4. Fold down the top flap and tuck it into the fold of the front piece to secure.
5. To fill the envelope with seeds, simply pull out the top flap and open it up. Pour the seeds in and tuck it back together.
6. Label each packet with the name of the plant and the date collected. If you can't write on the packet, print the labels found online at easy-growing.com onto sticker paper and affix one to the front.
--Other Notes--
Prune off the top of soft growing tips of basil, mint and other leafy herbs using your fingertips or a pair of scissors. Doing this encourages it to branch off into two stems and bush out. Do this to: basil, mint, oregano, lemon verbena, scented geranium, thyme, rosemary, shiso, tarragon, stevia, chamomile, cilantro, catnip, orache
Attract natural predators! Here are some ideas: install bird and bat boxes and feeders, leave behind stacks of wood that ladybugs can hibernate inside, create shelter for toads lizards and snakes by piling up rocks or overturning broken pots, set out a dish of water for thirsty critters, mulch the garden bed year-round to attract ground beetles, leave behind a few dead plants and grasses through the winter to provide seed and shelter, allow dill parsley and other umbelliferous plants to set flowers that attract beneficial wasps
Grow these herbs from seed: angelica, anise, anise hyssop, arugula, basil, caraway, catnip, chamomile, chervil, chives, coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard greens, nasturtium, orache, pansy and viola, puslane, savory, smallage (wild celery), sorrel, sunflower, violet
Grow these herbs from seed, but sow direct outdoors as they do not transplant well: borage, calendula, dill
Soak nasturtium, runner bean or other seeds with a hard shell in water for no more than 24 hours to encourage the shell to crack open. Rub parsley, bay, and coriander seeds along a piece of fine sandpaper to cut into the hard shell slightly.
June 23, 2013
I'm a big fan of Ms Trail's books - You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening was my introduction to proper gardening and Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces was also great. Her explanations are clear and friendly, and the mini plant encylopaedia sections in her books are very helpful, I refer to them often. Easy Growing has really gotten me, apartment dweller, excited about focusing on growing herbs and edible flowers. The book also includes a ton of recipes. My only complaint about her books is that the sections on 'pests' always contain not-so-nice advice. It makes me sad to read sentences like '...after an hour spent squishing thousands of teeny caterpillars on a beloved currant plant, I feel oddly satisfied', or, on dealing with slugs and snails, 'pick 'em and squish 'em underfoot'. I'm well aware she's not vegan or practising veganic gardening - but I could do without the glee. Other than that - another great addition to my gardening book collection.
May 24, 2013
I love herbs, and I love my container garden. Gayla Trail's book is an info-packed reference that I will turn to again and again. The pictures are beautiful and inspiring. Gayla covers all aspects of growing herbs in containers; it also translates well to a more traditional garden. The information is do-able for a newbie, and there are new ideas for the more experienced grower. And I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes.
February 9, 2012
Beautiful and inspiring book on growing herbs and edible flowers, even if you don't have much room for gardening. Inventive ideas for planting and keeping your herbs organic while still protecting them, and even includes recipes for using them!
See my full review here - http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies....
See my full review here - http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies....
February 18, 2012
Excellent book! I love the edible flower info, it's difficult to find reliable info about it so I'm thrilled that Gayla wrote about this topic (in her wonderfully entertaining writing style no less!).
February 5, 2013
This is the book I was looking for. It contains a wealth of specific information about various herb, their growing preferences, and wisdom to ease the grower's journey. If you want to grow more beautiful things to eat, this is a good book to consult.
February 15, 2012
Incredible work as usual Gayla. Full of super-helpful information, as well as chocked full of yummy-sounding recipes.
February 16, 2012
I love Gayla's writing style and simple instructions. Her books are filled with practical advice that is accessible to a beginner, but still valuable to the most experienced gardener.
March 27, 2012
Gorgeous photos.
Excellent resource for growing herbs & edible flowers.
Includes recipes!
Excellent resource for growing herbs & edible flowers.
Includes recipes!
April 21, 2012
Great photos and lists (e.g. Herbs that can stand wet feet vs. those that like it drier). I like that she recommends specific cultivars. The recipes all look delicious.
August 21, 2012
I talked about this book on the Betty Howls show 06 23 2012
March 3, 2013
Great Resource book!
March 27, 2013
Fantastic for beginning gardeners. Lots of useful advice for those whose garden is a coffee table by a window.
June 24, 2013
Basic info with a few recipes thrown in. Most gardening books that are geared toward a general audience don't work well for Florida. This had some hints/tips for us stuck in the heat.
September 25, 2013
I didn't find this to be very useful.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews