Whether you live in farmhouse with an ample backyard or have a fourth floor city terrace just big enough for a bistro table and two chairs, there's always the possibility to enjoy farm to table ingredients on your plate.

Vegetables and herbs are a lot like people -- some flourish best in the company of others and the excitement of living in the midst of a diverse neighborhood, while others re-channel their energy to become the best they can be in relative solitude.

A Good Roadmap Gets You To Some Wonderful Places

Just like an experienced urban planner knows how to best design a city with the best placements of business zones, residential districts, parks and boulevards so the noise, traffic and tranquility co-exist as harmoniously as possible, the secret to good gardening is to first develop a strategic density and usage plan for whatever patch you have.

Whether you have full southern exposure or need the boost of UV rays, there's a space you can find to begin nurturing your own homegrown greens til you're ready to harvest and enjoy them in countless ways.

Gardening 101 - Pots or Acres

The basics of successful gardening are really much more about the inputs than the place you choose to put them. The right soil, the appropriate amount of light and water, and understanding how needy any plant is for having its own turf all to itself are the first steps into ensuring you're efforts will be fruitful (or more likely vegetableful or herbful) in the weeks and months that follow. (#gardenpatch #harvest #farmtotable)

Step 1

Assess your patch

Your patch can be as simple as an assortment of old tin cans with punctured bottom scattered on your window sills or rows of plant beds neatly lined in your backyard. Any size will get you started as long as your flexible on what you want to grow. Stalks of corn clearly won't develop in any place without opportunities to form deep roots, but basil, thyme and other herbs adapt quite well to living in small places.