Apartment dwellers, take note: Local author says you don’t need a yard to grow a garden

If you’re one of those people who claim you can’t have a garden because you don’t have a yard, Kathryn K. Fontenot would say that’s no excuse.

The LSU AgCenter horticulturalist’s new book, The Louisiana Urban Gardener, A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Vegetables and Herbs, places as much value on container gardening as it does on in-ground gardens or raised beds. “As long as the container can hold eight inches of soil,” Fontenot writes, “you can grow a vegetable plant.”

That sort of practical advice is strewn throughout the book, a readable, inspiring romp through growing popular seasonal vegetables and herbs in Louisiana. It’s an effective primer for anyone eager to source local foods from their own backyard, balcony or windowsill.