Grow an Edible Plant From Seed

It’s an over-used statement, but you are, literally, what you eat. Think about it: where else does your body get all the ingredients used to make every cell, every muscle, every neuron in your brain? It can only come from food. So if you want to understand yourself, you’ve got to understand food. Where it comes from, how it’s grown, how it arrives in your body, what it does there. Your food is you.

You can read about food, watch videos about it, and debate about your food choices. But there is a simple starting point to understand food and how much care it takes to keep our bodies alive: grow your own food from seed. It’s also an awesome experience to watch a plant grow and to learn how to create the right conditions to make it thrive.

Getting Started:

Figure out what you can grow: Every plant has its own preferences: how much sun and warmth it needs, what kinds of climates and what times of year it grows best in. So the first thing is to figure out what your options are, based on where you live and what time of the year it is.
You could research this online – there are a million websites offering advice on this for each area – or you could reach out to someone who knows gardening well. This might be a member of your family, a friend’s family, or a gardening store or plant nursery in your region. You could google plant nurseries and call them to ask for advice. For example, you could describe your situation (“I live in San Francisco, and I’m wondering what kinds of edible plants or herbs might grow in the fall here, indoors or outdoors?”).
Figure out where you can grow. As you learn what options you have for plants to grow, think about where you might grow them. Depending on the plant, you might be able to grow it indoors in a sunny spot in your home. If you have access to an outside spot, maybe a porch or a backyard, then you have more options. Even if your home does not have this space, consider a community garden, or a friend’s home that may have better growing conditions. You don’t need a lot of space, but want to make sure that your spot provides enough sun and the right temperature for the plant you choose to grow.
Choose your plant: Now that you know your options, you can choose a plant to grow. You might choose one that goes in a dish you like – say you like pesto sauce, and basil can grow in your area, then go for that!
Find the supplies. Now it’s time to get the seeds, and possibly other gardening supplies. You may need to buy or borrow a pot for the plant, a small shovel, and find some good soil.
Learn your plant’s preferences. Once you’ve chosen a plant that can grow where you are, learn what it needs to grow: how much water, how much sun, how much space, any nutrients you might add to the soil. This information is usually easy to find online or by asking someone with experience from your family or plant nursery, garden store, or community garden.

Now you’re ready to start. Remember that it takes practice and patience, and don’t feel badly if your first plant doesn’t sprout, or sprouts but doesn’t produce anything edible. If you stick with it, you’ll learn how satisfying it is to be able to create your own food. And ask anyone, it definitely tastes better when you’ve grown it yourself!