Required Reading: The Edible Balcony - Gardenista
I used to live in a basement flat near London’s King’s Cross, with a little courtyard. I could have done something about the latter problem if I’d come across Alex Mitchell, author of The Edible Balcony. Photography by Sarah Cuttle via The Edible Balcony, except where noted. Herbs are easy, and don’t mind the harsh conditions of a small pot. One of the questions I would have asked Mitchell would have been: Don’t I need to replace my soil constantly? A thriving roof garden in central London. A rooftop in London’s Bermondsey, near the River Thames. Turn a problem into an advantage. Top this old compost with a third fresh multi-purpose compost and, if you have a wormery, a few scoops of fresh worm compost. Beans are one of those crops that just keep giving, though they do require feeding. The Barbican is a concrete landmark in the middle of town: once reviled but now loved. This one is cheered immeasurably with sunflowers, tomatoes, cosmos, and an olive tree, all ideal for a sunny spot. A fig also has a faraway scent and is a reminder of warmer places. Photograph by Kendra Wilson. A wormery is a fantastic solution for people with hard surfaces. Instead of requiring worms and other invertebrates to emerge from the ground to aid the breaking-down process, these worms are self-contained and only require feeding from your kitchen and the small amount of garden waste of a balcony or courtyard. The Edible Balcony by Alex Mitchell (Kyle Cathie, (£16.99) is also available to US gardeners for $16.16 from Amazon.