Down and Dirty
This weekend was a great time to get dirty. Many of you participated in the Market to Market ride from Hills Market to the North Market (or vice versa) and toughed it out through the rain and mud to celebrate local food. Others of you (like me) also took the opportunity to get your seedlings into the ground and get your garden started. 
Being an apartment dweller I've had to find alternatives to the standard home vegetable garden. I've been so impressed by the variety of options available to me.
- Community Gardens: Columbus is full of fantastic community gardens that provide experts and novices the chance to grow food and build comradery. Find a garden near you.
- Partnering with a neighbor: Neighbors around town welcome the chance to partner with more experienced gardeners to grow some veggies. Here's a tool to find land to grow on or a gardener to work your land - SharedEarth.com.
- Container gardens: Options abound even for the apartment-bound novice gardener. Window boxes with herbs, planters on balconies and rooftops, upside down tomato plants, indoor herb gardens, and so much more.
As for me, my partner and I have joined forces with some neighbors to share our knowledge and transform their yard. After removing the sod in a big patch of the front yard we got to planting. We're starting with pole beans, tomatoes, sunflowers, corn, carrot, beets, and a few herbs. Can't wait to see what comes of it.
At home I've decided to get creative with the limited space I do have by running a planter up the side of the back stairs. I built it out of accordion drainage pipe and zip tied it to the railing. Hopefully it'll hold and we'll have lettuce, herbs and flowers sprouting from the side of our iron staircase.
I hope you'll experiment with ways to grow food at your home too.
