Gardening for food in Syracuse: Thinking inside and outside the box

This relentless mist and rain is not good for Taste of Syracuse, Greek Fest and other outdoor activities in Central New York this week.

But it IS good for our garden in a box – which has started to resemble a big, leafy, green salad in a box.

So far, knock wood, the neighborhood deer and resident woodchuck are not snacking on all the green goodness behind our house.

But I enjoyed my first salad from it last night. Besides tasting incredibly fresh, there is something very satisfying about eating food you have grown yourself, outside your door. It’s the ultimate in eating healthful and local.

Since I first posted about our attempts to grow some food in a small city space, we have added pole beans, three pots of green bell peppers and two containers of basil.

In addition to Swiss chard, a variety of salad greens, spearmint and more basil, the garden box contains contains one Super Sweet cherry tomato plant, which promises to bear clusters of tiny tomatoes until frost.

Robert, consumed by the gardening bug after building the box, cleared a small spot on the east side of the house, where he has planted zucchini, two varieties of tomatoes and eggplant.

This year, if he chooses to make grilled ratatouille and can it for enjoyment all winter, he won’t have to rely entirely on produce from the Regional Market.

We’ll keep you posted on how our little Syracuse gardens are growing.