WHO: Gayla Trail, 35, author of the blog yougrowgirl.com and the book You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening (Fireside, $18.99, 208 pages), committed her first act of “guerrilla gardening” in a patch of sketchy soil near her place in Parkdale years before she’d even heard about the practice. “There wasn’t any grass — it was just garbage and needles,” she says. When she set down that first redcurrant plant about 10 years ago, she was concerned about getting busted by the law, but she’s grown more confident about the righteousness of her actions. “I’m a citizen. I live in this place and I have a sense of responsibility and entitlement over what happens in this public space,” she says, stressing that an engaged sense of entitlement is an important thing to cultivate. “As opposed to the negative form of entitlement, which allows people to litter.”

FINDING HER KIND: Trail began her blog in 2000 — back when they were called web magazines — in part to connect with people who shared her passion for gardening. “At the time, I felt like an outsider,” she says. “Most people my age thought gardening was crazy.” She wanted to find a way to represent the kind of gardening experience that was relevant to her other interests, aesthetics and politics. “I live in a city. I don’t own space, I live in an apartment. I didn’t see media that reflected that,” she says. Trail is a graphic designer as well as a green thumb, and her book celebrates downtown, DIY style. Ideas for sewing a simple gardening belt and decorating cool containers are included, alongside tips for proper composting and recipes for homemade, eco-friendly pest repellants.

BRING IT INSIDE: It’s getting a little late in the year to start major garden projects just now, though Trail says this is the perfect time to plant bulbs — especially garlic — for next year. It’s also good to bring in any plants that won’t survive the winter, like scented geranium or basil. And Trail recommends houseplants for staying sane, especially during the darker months. “Studies show that just looking at a plant slows your heart rate,” she says.

“If just looking at a plant improves your health, imagine the benefits you get from actually caring for them.”