Alex Mitchell on ShelterPop

Photo: Paul Debois

In this series of gardener Q and A's for ShelterPop I talk to professional and spare-time gardeners (corner lots, backyard plots, curated collections), as well as writers and thinkers from all over - about why they garden and what it does for them.

This week's Growing Curiosity answers come from Alex Mitchell, who gardens in London, and whose book The Edible Balcony will be released in the States by Rodale later this year. If you are on the other side of the pond, look for it in stores, now.

Read the full interview with Alex Mitchell at Shelterpop. There's also video clip of Alex's garden...

Here are some additional tidbits.

When did you start to garden?  

When I moved to London after university. I was sharing a top floor flat and found myself craving green living things so planted up the windowsill in my room with marigolds and geraniums and haven’t stopped since

What is your favourite garden chore?    

Harvesting the fruits of my labours!


What is your least favourite garden chore?    

Taking slimy bits of plastic out of the worm compost – note to self do not tear up frozen food cartons for the wormery, they have plastic hidden inside.

Where would you like to garden?    

Somewhere hotter than here so the figs will definitely ripen, you could leave citrus trees outside all year round and you could eat outside at night rather than just for two nights a year like you can in London. California would be nice