Window Garden in Paris

Going on four weeks into my current stay in Paris, and we finally have a garden going.  For now, simple and sufficient.  Three windowsill planters; one containing basil and ciboulette.

Another container with more chives and some garden mint.  The mint is already doing really well; mint tea for days...

We also decided to try our hand at composting some of our food waste here.  Currently, we only have the resources and capacity to dispose of our coffee grounds and the occasional garden waste.  I cut some holes in this plastic container (below); about a dozen on the bottom, and one on each side.  This will allow air, moisture, the contents (and hopefully in the future small critters) to easily pass through the box into the soil below.

The plants mostly get mid-morning to early-afternoon sun.  Early morning sun is certainly preferable, but we'll take what we can get.  I see this garden evolving rather quickly, and I'm excited knowing there is room to grow!

Grow Your Own: From Mint To Much More

Part of the concept of "Profitable Planting" is homegrown fruits, vegetables, and herbs.  Growing your own greens relieves some of the stress of going to the store to purchase all of your essentials, not just monetarily, but also the time it takes to go get mint for that wonderful cocktail you were planning to enjoy, etc.  Wherever I travel, I try to encourage my friends and family to utilize the extra space they have to start their own small herb garden, and that's exactly what I've done here in Paris for my friend Guy.

It started this past November when I came for a three month stay in Paris, and began growing mint (that was purchased) in water for two months to grow some roots.  In January, when I knew the mint was good and ready I brought it to Guy's for him to begin his garden.  As you can see, the collection has grown from there and the mint is still going strong!

Now his collection includes basil, mint, parsley, and yesterday we went to Leroy Merlin to get some additional soil and a chili pepper plant.

As you can see, the air and space around this herb garden is filled with light and more green!  Down below is a courtyard with palms and shrubs (unfortunately not native).

As you can see below, the basil needs some help.  Initially, the basil was planted in the same pot as a beautiful jasmine vine, but unfortunately the roots from the jasmine were suffocating those of the basil...until yesterday when I decided to add some life to Guy's garden by loosening up the soil a bit and adding some new life (and new soil) to the area of the pot that the basil is in.

It's green...but boy would this basil like to be in a veggie bed somewhere warm and sunny!  In any case, we've used these herbs the past few days in different recipes and there's nothing like the deliciousness of homegrown herbs!

Although the jasmine roots are long and invasive for the basil, the vine is currently flowering, so removing the plant simply was not an option...check out the pretty colors!

This small herb garden started just a few months ago (during a cold and wet winter here in Paris), and since then has grown into something great that Guy is able to use on a daily basis.  It's never too late to @addmoregreen and new life to the world around you!

UPDATE

Tuesday 10 September, 2013

As most Parisians do during the month of August, Guy escaped the city for some rest and relaxation.  While gone, most his garden had to suffer the consequences of no gardener.  But, one strong survivor emerged...

Les légumes de Paris

Tucked away quietly in the Parc de Bercy (PARIS 12ème) is le jardin potager de Bercy, an edible kitchen garden for kids of all ages to feel enriched with the spirit of nature.  In a city where so much is constantly happening, this garden is a simple way to get away from all the noise and consumption.  

Although there seems to be some man in the first picture, residing over the garden, the school children of Paris are actually the ones with dirty hands around these veggie beds.  Starting them young will help encourage them to be fully conscious city dwellers in the future.

In all reality, one thing that I can honestly admit that I miss is gardening.  Being in a city for another extended period of time after having learned so much all summer and then using that knowledge to get a great garden going again in Australia has halted that growth.  Seeing this jardin potager inspired me to find more ways to @addmoregreen while I am in Paris.

Another thing I have noticed while living in a city again is how difficult it is to find convenient ways of composting your edible waste.  There seems to be a really great setup going in this garden, but that's not spreading the word to a large enough audience.

There's a place for compost in it's first stage, around 2 months.

Then there is another place for compost that is ripe or mature, at the end of 6 months.

This is a really great setup to grow lettuces during the winter, it keeps them protected from weather that gets a bit too harsh, but still provides enough sun during the day to keep them energized.

There weren't too many ripe raspberries, but I found one and it was delicious.

Here are two guides to the vegetables that are provided to the Île-de-France, cultivated from the garden at Bercy: three types of cabbage, chicory, gherkin, potatoes, crosne (vegetable isn't in my dictionary, I have no clue what it is), red winter squash, lamb's lettuce, and spinach.

Vegetables provided to Paris, cultivated at the jardin potager also: onions, white gherkin, small green gherkin, big white winter squash, carrots, sorrel, and lettuce.

This was a great garden expierience, and it happened out of nowhere as Guy and I stumbled upon the jardin potager while walking through the Parc de Bercy.  The parc, home to the Maison du Jardinage, seems like a great place for a community garden in Paris...now if only we can find ways to bring them to every arrondissement.