Having a lush, sprawling, Martha Stewart-esque garden is not realistic for most city dwellers, but growing "urban edibles" is well within the reach of most people.

That's the message at this year's Canada Blooms exhibition, which focuses on all the ways people can grow fruits and vegetables in a variety of settings.

"Urban gardens are popular this year," says Denis Flanagan, a horticulturalist and host of Indoor Gardener and One Garden Two Looks on HGTV.

Got a microscopic condo balcony? A few large pots can be used to grow a variety of flowers, herbs and small vegetables.

Have a tiny terrace? A small, elevated bed filled with soil can grow vegetables and herbs.

Wondering what to do with that small patch of dirt in your backyard? Create a children's garden with all the makings of a pizza: onions, tomatoes, basil, oregano and red peppers.

The idea, gardening experts say, is to create a little gardening space and to feel more connected to what you eat. As well, you can save money on supermarket produce and eat unadulterated fruits and vegetables that are fresher than store-bought ones.

And you don't have to sacrifice esthetics in the process, something that's evident in displays at the show. In one exhibit by Beaverton, Ont.-based landscaping design firm Parklane, salad greens are grown in an attractive paisley pattern, with fiddlehead mushrooms creatively planted in swirls, and dill and rhubarb acting as borders.

The City of Toronto exhibit, too, is an eye-pleasing medley of food and flower. People are starting to say, 'I can grow tomato plants,' says a garden expert. (Associated Press)

"We wanted to show edibles can be grown in an esthetic manner," Patricia Landry, Parks Programmer with the City of Toronto, told CBC News. She said that encouraging people to grow their own gardens — complete with attractive flowers and plants — can enrich their lives through a better diet and a sense of community.

"There are so many people in Toronto in condos and apartments — spaces not that conducive to growing," says Landry. "We are promoting balcony gardens. And people are starting to say, 'I can grow tomato plants.'''

The City of Toronto gardens also illustrate the different ways people can create gardens, ranging from gardens for the disabled (on raised planters that can accommodate a wheelchair), children's gardens and a garden for the visually impaired (with textured plants).

Throughout, more mundane vegetables are interspersed with colourful flowering plants and shrubs.

Balcony food

Sustainability also comes into play, says Landry, as the more people grow themselves, the less they need to drive somewhere to purchase produce. The less they buy, the less companies need to ship from afar.

And small places can produce a lot of fruit and vegetables.

"Out of a little place, you can have surprisingly high yields," Paul Zammit, director of horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Garden, told CBC News. He's a big supporter of raised beds, which look like cedar sandboxes filled with soil and greenery.

These constructions are easy to make, with four hinges anchoring four wood planks, with a solid wood slab as the base. And they're not too costly at $325 apiece.

In addition to ever-changing growing spaces, Zammit says vegetables are more adaptable than ever to a range of growing conditions. He says mini-vegetables are being developed which are ideal for small planters and beds.

These include tiny eggplants, mini bell peppers, small lettuces and mini-cucumbers — engineered to make gardening more compact and manageable.

"Taking on something like this isn't like digging up your backyard," says Zammit. He says an urban edible garden only takes about 1½ hours a week to maintain, as a solid watering is recommended every two days, depending on the weather.

Plus, it removes the guesswork, and possible danger, of growing produce in soil contaminated with heavy metals — which can occur in urban backyards. Because the soil used in planters or pots is solely potting soil, it provides a healthy foundation on which to build.

And the payoff — tasty fruit and vegetables amid attractive plants — is significant, says Landry. "There's nothing quite like the taste of a vegetable grown from your own garden."