Short on space? Consider microgardening.
Although the term might conjure thoughts of minuscule garden gnomes and fairies, the reality is quite the opposite. You can get a surprisingly high yield from a small space, even a windowsill or balcony, if you plant it right.
One way to maximize your harvest is to grow plants that mature quickly, harvest them and then plant more.
Microgreens — 2- to 3-inch seedlings of certain edible plants — are perfect candidates for such succession. They sprout quickly indoors in as little as a week, and are easy to grow. Just scatter seeds over light, sterile potting mix in a shallow, domed pan, then set it in a warm, sunny spot and keep the soil slightly moist.
Arugula, broccoli, cabbage, kale, mustards, mizuna and radish are among the fastest sprouters, but beets, chards and nasturtiums work, too, typically germinating in 10-14 days.
When the sprouts produce their second pair of leaves (which are their true leaves; the first pair are called cotyledons), use sharp scissors to clip them at the soil line and enjoy them in smoothies, salads, sandwiches or stir-fries. Then plant more and start over, or, better yet, sow more seeds every few days to ensure a steady supply.
Outdoors, the same small thinking can be applied to fruits, vegetables and herbs, which traditionally can take up a large portion of a garden’s real estate.
Basil, leaf lettuces and mint are among those that can do the most with the least. Comfortable in containers, they’ll also regrow to provide multiple harvests all season long.
You can even grow dwarf apple, fig and other fruit trees in 10- or 20-gallon planters, as well as in the ground.
Your garden’s square footage might be limited, but you may be looking at it the wrong way. Instead of down and out, look up, and the sky’s the limit. Trellises, hanging baskets and wall planters will host flowers, herbs, berries, greens, and compact or dwarf varieties of traditionally larger plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
If you’re short on patio or balcony space, use multi-tiered stands to hold several pots in a single footprint.
And let your flower pots pull double duty. Plant strawberries and herbs around annuals, and let them spill over the container’s edge.
When planting flowers, think in layers: Use taller plants in the back, mid-height ones in the middle and ground-huggers in front. The design strategy adds depth, even in a thin strip or a window box — and will provide the best bloom for your buck.
Seek out multi-tasking plants that provide beauty as well as food. Crops like amaranth, chives, rainbow chard, red lettuces and sweet potatoes will add lovely ornamental value to beds, borders and containers before working a second shift on your dinner plate.
Jessica Damiano writes regular gardening columns for The Associated Press. She publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. Sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.
For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.
Indoor-grown microgreens are harvested on Long Island, N.Y., on Jan. 29, 2024. (Jessica Damiano via AP)
Chives in bloom appear in a raised garden bed on Long Island, N.Y., on May 24, 2022. (Jessica Damiano via AP)
LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told members of his Cabinet on Tuesday that he has no intention of resigning as calls grew louder within his Labour Party for him to step down.
Starmer tried to shore up support within his Cabinet following a febrile few days in the wake of hefty losses for the Labour Party in local elections last week, which if repeated in a national election would see it overwhelmingly ejected from power.
Several junior ministers stepped down from their government posts Tuesday, calling for a change in leadership, though no candidate had yet come forward to challenge Starmer directly. The resignations stoked speculation that Starmer could suffer the fate of Boris Johnson in 2022 when dozens of ministers quit en masse and forced him to quit.
Around 80 Labour lawmakers have now said Starmer should stand down or at least set out a timetable for his departure, but that’s not enough to trigger a leadership contest. Under Labour party rules, a fifth of its lawmakers in the House of Commons, or 81 members, must publicly give their backing to a single candidate, and that hasn’t happened yet.
On Tuesday, Miatta Fahnbulleh, minister of housing, communities and local government, became the first member of his government to step down, urging Starmer “to do the right thing for the country” and set a timetable for his departure.
She was followed by Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, whose resignation letter called Starmer a “good man fundamentally” but vented about his inability to make bold changes.
“I know you care deeply, but deeds, not words are what matter,” Phillips said. “I’m not sure we are grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that’s needed and I cannot keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress.”
Despite winning a landslide election victory in July 2024, Labour’s popularity has sunk and Starmer is getting much of the blame.
The reasons are varied, including a series of policy missteps, a perceived lack of vision, a struggling British economy and questions over his judgment — especially over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington despite the envoy’s ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
At the start of the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Starmer said he took responsibility for the losses in last week’s local elections across the U.K. but that he would fight on.
Labour was squeezed from right and left, losing votes to both anti-immigrant Reform UK and the Green Party, as well as nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales. The result reflects the increasing fragmentation of U.K. politics, long dominated by Labour and the Conservatives.
Starmer said that there’s a process to oust a leader and that it hadn't been triggered.
“The country expects us to get on with governing,” Starmer said. “The past 48 hours have been destabilizing for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families.”
That cost was evident in financial markets on Tuesday, with the interest rate charged on British government bonds up by more than those of comparable nations. That shows that investors are putting a higher price on taking on government debt.
As Cabinet ministers left 10 Downing Street, some voiced their support for the embattled prime minister.
Works and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said nobody publicly challenged Starmer at the meeting, while Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the prime minister was showing “really steadfast leadership.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, long believed to be preparing for a leadership challenge against Starmer, was among senior ministers who dodged a barrage of shouted questions from a gaggle of reporters outside.
“Wes Streeting, do you want the job, or not?” a man yelled from across the street. “Are you measuring the curtains?”
The next U.K. national election doesn’t have to be held until 2029, but British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a general election.
Starmer had hoped to regain momentum with a speech on Monday and an ambitious set of legislative plans to be set out by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday.
Danica Kirka and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.
A bookmaker takes bets for a possible next British Prime Minister on his betting board near Downing Street in London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Larry the cat, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office leaves 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting in London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the biggest threat yet to his authority after a growing number of disaffected lawmakers called for him to step down.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Larry the cat, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office leaves 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting in London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the biggest threat yet to his authority after a growing number of disaffected lawmakers called for him to step down.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens arrives for a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the biggest threat yet to his authority after a growing number of disaffected lawmakers called for him to step down.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Wes Streeting arrives for a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the biggest threat yet to his authority after a growing number of disaffected lawmakers called for him to step down.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband arrives for a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 as Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the biggest threat yet to his authority after a growing number of disaffected lawmakers called for him to step down.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pauses as he delivers a speech, at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in Waterloo, London, Monday May 11, 2026. (James Manning/PA via AP)
