Mixed varieties of basil
If the soil is rich enough, courgettes are another wonderful vegetable to grow and, if well cared for, you will be rewarded with far more fruit than you can possibly eat.
Large clay pots are suitable for growing miniature orange and lemon trees, dwarf papayas, dwarf guavas and a wide variety of edible climbers, including Kiwi fruit, passion fruit and grapes (although these will need a strong frame to climb up and ramble over).
Nature outside your window
Windowsills, both inside and out, are excellent places to grow, provided you select suitable clay pots as they retain moisture longer than plastic ones. If you’re willing to splurge a bit, building made-to-fit window boxes is worth it, especially for outdoor use.
Remember, however, that a sunny windowsill in Pakistan in the summers does not equate with one in a much cooler climate country such as England. However, a windowsill is still an ideal place to grow plants, especially herbs, here in the winter.
Herbs flourish in our winter weather but require plenty of exposure to direct sunlight. The most suitable ones for indoor winter windowsill cultivation are thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil and chives. However, please pay attention when selecting seeds or nursery-grown plants as it is best to stick to low-growing varieties which won’t block the window.
Sunny outdoor windowsills are great for growing exactly the same species as for indoor ones, as well as for plants such as trailing tomatoes, trailing nasturtiums and trailing beans.
Shady windowsills (located inside or out) are ideal for growing arugula, mint, chives, sorrel and Swiss chard although the aforementioned is better grown outside as its ornamental, very tasty, orange, red, yellow or white ribbed leaves can grow to a large size.
If you have limited windowsill space at your disposal, then instead of growing a lot of one species go for small amounts of many plants.
Slowly, taking one sure step at a time, anyone, no matter how inexperienced, can create a magnificent edible urban garden, indoors or out, all of their very own.
Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened.
Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 18th, 2016