Above’s my garden — and as of yet, I haven’t harvested anything. In fact, balcony gardening in the shade seems to be taking a tortuously long time! But I’m staying inspired by reading the stories of fellow home gardeners that are reaping the fruits of their labors. Some inspirational stories:

>> Leslie at The Oko Box** is a gardening inspiration. She made what sounds like a 10 foot diet organic breakfast** — a yummy-looking omelet made with eggs from free range chickens she keeps, with sides of green beans, yellow squash, dill and garlic chives she grew herself. “It totally rocks to finally see the fruits of ya’ labor (labor of love),” she writes.

>> A family in Echo Park’s also put in an organic veggie bed — and plans to get goats and chickens too! On the LA Times website, you can check out the photo gallery of the gorgeous eco-conscious house** — kept intentionally small to preserve as much of the garden space as possible. Maybe the paper will do a future story showing how their local food plans pan out.

>> Wouldn’t you love it if your home had “lemon pies and kale tortas cooling on the counter; homemade sausages awaiting grilling in the fireplace; fava beans and peas simmering on the stove; tape-labeled jars of goose fat and tomato sauce standing at the ready”? That’s what Anya Fernald and Renato Sardo have in their Oakland, Calif. home, reports the New York Times.** Read the article to find out how the two urban homesteaders are teaching people to use what’s around them to eat well during leaner times. (via The Ethicurean)**

>> Those who like to think big will love the story of Will Allen’s Growing Power farm** — described by the New York Times as “14 greenhouses crammed onto two acres in a working-class neighborhood on Milwaukee’s northwest side.” This farm apparently provides healthy food to 10,000 local residents, employs many people, and educates neighbors about good food and urban gardening. (via Grist)**

I’m really impatient to start eating from my garden — and am wondering if the biggest chard plant you can see up front is big enough to eat. But I’m not sure if I’m supposed to harvest leaf by leaf and let the chard plant continue to grow, or if I should just chop the whole thing down. Anyone have chard gardening advice for me?

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