Sunny Anderson is host of Food Network’s Cooking for Real. She will be presenting at the Conservatory Kitchen during this evening’s Edible Evening.

I’ve often thought of myself as a person who does the “small things” that make a difference because they do add up. So I satisfied my foodie need to be green by becoming a locavore, and I do my best to visit local farmers markets for produce. Farmers are the most friendly of purveyors, and a weekend just doesn’t feel complete without a stroll looking for the best produce.

As a locavore, I also have always talked of wanting to garden but knew I’d never have to ante up because, well, I didn’t have a piece of Earth to call my own.

Things changed earlier this year when I moved into a place in Brooklyn with a tiny patch of land in the backyard. I knew then, looking at the dirt and weeds, that my mouth had written a check my hands would soon sow.

Here’s the thing, gardening always looks so clean and pleasant in magazines and on television, and I never met a farmer at the market who didn’t have a twinkle in his or her eye, but when I began to garden it didn’t look or feel as I pictured it. Not once did I put on khakis with a denim button-down shirt over a white tank top. My tools are constantly dirty, and I also gave up on using my gloves because I somehow manage to get dirt inside them and they just don’t feel as good as my natural grip.

It also took forever to get the soil ready on the first day. I guess I thought I’d simply sow some seeds and then wait. I never thought about weeds and mulching, pruning, and watering. Also, no one ever tells you about the obsession with the weather you obtain or the sleepless nights thinking about if the next day will be the day you see a sprout. Is it possible to have gardening OCD? When I was actually happy and relieved that it was raining during summer is when I knew I was on my way to becoming a backyard-avore. read more »

Nick Leshi is Associate Director of Public Relations and Electronic Media.

Subscribers to Sirius Satellite Radio and regular listeners to Martha Stewart Living Radio will be thrilled to know that all the programming for Martha’s shows today, Thursday, July 23, will be broadcast live from The New York Botanical Garden. Visitors who do not currently have satellite radio subscriptions will get a tease of what they’re missing when they walk through the Botanical Garden and see Martha’s team of lifestyle experts broadcasting live.

All the hosts will be here, teaching, advising, and inspiring their audience about topics ranging from gardening, food, and design to health and wellness: Betsy Karetnick and Kim Fernandez of Morning Living, Terri Trespecio of Whole Living, Sandy Gluck of Everyday Food, Mario Bosquez of Living Today, Lucinda Scala Quinn of Eat Drink, and Andrew Beckman and Tony Bielaczyc of Homegrown.

Pass by the back of the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden, near Martha Stewart’s Culinary Herb Garden, to see and hear the broadcast. Several Botanical Garden experts will be on hand as guests on the shows throughout the day, talking about the various highlights and components of The Edible Garden, the summer-long exhibitions at The New York Botanical Garden.

For more information, visit Martha Stewart Living Radio. And to purchase tickets for The Edible Garden, click here.