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GROW SMALLER VARIETIES OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES In just about any size space, you can squeeze in some lettuce plants, green onions, peas and beans. But “people should be more adventurous and

courageous, and try some different things,” says R.J. Ruppenthal, author of _Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener’s Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting._

“They won’t all succeed, but you [too often] see a lot of simple stuff, and more things are possible if the conditions are right,” he notes. Fruiting vegetables — tomatoes, peppers,

eggplant — typically need much more room and lots of light, but hybrids get around this with dwarf-sized versions perfect for patios and containers. Also look for space-saving species that

grow vertically. Salad greens, legumes and scallions are easy to grow in containers or small raised beds, says Ruppenthal. Nutrient-dense microgreens, meanwhile, are low-maintenance and grow

relatively quickly in tight quarters — even on a windowsill. “There’s a beauty in having something that’s small and well-tended but also has a little bit of wild to it,” he adds. Getty

Images CULTIVATE YOUR HERITAGE Rooney also likes an edible garden; she uses nasturtium leaves as a spicy addition to her beverage and the entire flower to garnish salads and vegetables. She

says choosing an edible plant that ties you to your culture is another meaningful move; if your background is Italian, for example, try growing basil for pesto or tomatoes for pasta sauce. 

Getty Images FIND OTHER SPACES TO GARDEN When Pickens noticed a neglected, weed-choked herb bed on the assisted living home property, she asked the executive director if she could take it

over and grow herbs for the senior community’s kitchen. She got approval and has grown cilantro, dill, oregano, thyme, rosemary and other herbs ever since. Last year she planted an artichoke

with pretty gray foliage — something she’d never done before. As the vegetable grew, so did interest in it from other residents. It makes Pickens happy that the fruits of her labor bring

joy to others. “The blooms were gorgeous and everybody was enamored by it,” she says.