Many urban gardeners have limited space for edible gardening.  In Seattle, many of them just gained a few extra square feet.  In respone to requests from locals, the Seattle Department of Transportation has lifted a rule that required a special permit to plant anything but grass in the parking strips between the sidewalk and the street.  Seattle gardeners are now welcome to use that space for anything that strikes their fancy, including of course edibles.

It surprised me to read that a permit was necessary in the first place--when I moved into my house, the parking strips were already planted with (edible) day lilies, and this year I replaced one section with a horseradish patch.  An area surrounded on all sides by concrete or asphalt seems like the perfect place for invasive or hard-to-remove species like horseradish or mint.

Horseradish also made sense to me because it's hardy and salt-tolerant, a problem most Seattleites probably don't have.  Next year, I may try seakale in another of my parking strips.

So, urban and suburban gardeners, what's growing by your sidewalk?  Let me know in the comments!