The space for planting gardens in densely populated cities is limited. But despite these limitations, you can still live in the city and use one of these opportunities to practice your gardening skills. Savana will show you the guide to gardening in a city.
What Is Urban Gardening?
Urban gardening is simply the process of growing plants in an urban environment. While some lucky city dwellers have a plot of land to farm, urban areas are often more like concrete jungles than fertile farmland. Since most of the population lives in apartment buildings, high-rise buildings, or other dwellings with limited outdoor space, urban gardening often refers to small space gardening or semi-private community gardens.
Urban gardens range from a window box on a windowsill with a few planters to a container garden on a concrete patio or balcony. They can also include large roof gardens, alleys, small backyards with a little dirt, and even small strip gardens between sidewalks and roads.
Even in areas without soil, those who want to garden will find a way. Armed with shovels and seeds, some guerrilla gardeners plant illegal gardens in abandoned or abandoned public spaces. Clearing lots and highway medians can be turned into farms, dumpsters, and even potholes into gardens in the hands of these gardening warriors.
Types of Urban Gardens
Urban gardens can take many shapes. How your garden looks may depend on how much space you have or what you plan to grow.
Container Gardens
Containers save space, help control pests, and are easy to maintain soil quality. They can be new, or they can be the reuse of anything, including buckets, buckets and even old boots. Optimize space by hanging baskets and planting in raised beds. Both are very convenient and leave precious ground space for storing supplies and tools. A few large containers, rather than a few small ones, can make the space look larger or play the role of focus.
If you are a renter, light flowerpots are ideal because they can be relocated. It is also suitable for chasing the sun to put a heavy basin on the caddie. In addition to size restrictions, you can plant almost anything in containers on the ground as long as you choose container friendly varieties. Some of the easiest vegetables to grow in containers include tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplants. Other good choices are lettuce, onion, pumpkin, radish, vanilla and dwarf fruit trees, such as evergreen dwarf citrus "Bearss Lime".
Container Garden Considerations
- Growing in containers will cause the plants to dry out more quickly and therefore require more frequent watering. Take the guesswork out of it and avoid overwatering with self-watering planters.
- Drainage is critical. Make sure the container has adequate drainage holes.
- Always use a good quality potting mix, not garden soil, to help retain moisture.
- Match container to plant. Shallow-rooted plants under a foot tall need at least 6 inches of soil, while deep-rooted plants need at least 1 foot of soil.
- Combine plants with the same growth requirements (whether full sun or full shade) to prevent faster growing varieties from outpacing their fellows.
Vertical Gardens and Green Walls
Functional and decorative green walls cover the facades of skyscrapers and small apartment patios. Vertical gardens climb up unused surfaces to grow herbs, vegetables, ornamentals, or a combination of all three. Living walls are clad in bland slate both inside and out, and lush foliage provides natural insulation to reduce energy consumption.
Whether free-standing in a container with a stand, or mounted on a flat surface, the structure should be suitable for the type of plant and durable enough to bear the weight of the plant and soil. You can reap handsome harvests in pocket planters, repurposed trays or pot combinations on shelves, on ladder steps against a wall, and in hanging baskets. Vertical gardens can also act as privacy screens, or block out unsightly views.
Rooftop Gardens and Green Roofs
Roof gardens have become valuable amenities for new high-rise urban residences. The massive rooftop includes lawns, grilling and dining areas with fire pits, and extensive edible gardens spanning thousands of square feet.
Indoor Gardens
What's urban gardening if you don't have outdoor space? You can still grow plenty of food indoors. Internet searches will turn up countless options for countertop smart gardens and containers with integrated irrigation and lighting systems, making indoor gardening nearly foolproof. With full sun or grow lights, you can grow as many small plants as your neighbors in your outdoor garden.
Community Gardens
Many city dwellers, and even some with garden space, choose to join community gardens because of the many benefits and opportunities they offer. The Shared Garden provides gardeners of all ages with social connections, exercise, access to healthy food at a lower cost and hands-on gardening education. Community gardens range from home plots, school gardens, large urban farms to small pollinator pocket parks. They protect open spaces, beautify neighborhoods, bring people together, and encourage friendship, cooperation, and understanding among diverse groups.
Planning an Urban Garden
To thrive, urban gardens need the same basic needs as any garden: light, good soil, adequate air circulation, water and nutrients. Begin by evaluating your site location and conditions such as size, exposure to sun and wind, exposure to water, and the plants that will grow in your particular growing area.
If you live in an apartment, check with your homeowners association or landlord about any restrictions or restrictions. Find out how much weight a roof or balcony can hold and whether the roof or floor surface is waterproof. Concrete planters filled with dirt are likely too heavy for a 20th-floor balcony, so lightweight fiberglass might be a better choice. On tall buildings, balconies or terraces can be subject to extreme wind conditions, requiring adaptable design solutions.
Set Your Garden Goals
Decide what kind of outdoor space and garden you want. Is it for relaxation, entertainment, greening the space with foliage, growing food, or a combination of these? If growing an edible garden, decide what you like to eat. Then, ask yourself how much time you have or are willing to spend cultivating a garden.
Design for Your Space
Since space is at a premium in most metropolitan areas, you need to make every inch count. Multipurpose furniture helps save space. If you have a small plot of land to work, raised beds and keyhole gardens can yield great results in a small space.
Know Your Growing Conditions
Plants need full sun, part sun, part shade, or full shade. The direction the garden faces determines the amount of sunlight it receives. South-facing yards get the most sun, and north-facing sites get the least sun.
Full sun means at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight. The south-facing patio, which typically receives more than 8 hours of sunlight per day, is ideal for sun-loving plants such as rosemary, fragrant 'Munstead' lavender, and hardy, disease-resistant 'Reddrift' roses. West-facing gardens receive about six hours of sun, where most plants in full sun can thrive.
Part sun and part shade usually means four to six hours of sun or shade each day, preferably in the morning and early afternoon. The east facing patio has hours of cool, bright, direct sun and partial shade.
Full shade means bright light with little or no direct sunlight—sometimes called spot light. North-facing spaces get less than four hours of sunlight, which is great for full-shade perennials like the 'Forever Purple' anemone (aka coral bell), with its glossy purple foliage and pink Short spikes of colorful flowers blend well with purslane, primrose and bleeding heart. Also consider taller grasses, such as golden variegated 'Aurela' hakonechloa, which will cascade nicely to the sides of containers.
Urban Garden Pests and Disease
Potted plants tend to have fewer pest problems, but they are not pest free.
Buy only healthy plants and wash them thoroughly before planting them in clean containers. Use fresh medium and do not reuse potting soil. Remove infected and diseased plants, and be sure to wash your hands and garden tools after handling them.
Growing plants under optimal conditions of full sun, adequate nutrients, and adequate water yields healthy plants that are more resistant to pests and diseases.
Your Urban Garden Essentials
In addition to sunlight, good quality potting soil, and water, you'll need some slow-release fertilizer and the right container of your choice. If growing vertically, you need structure and support. Start with some basic tools and supplies, including loppers, hand rake and shovel, gardening gloves, a lightweight expandable hose, watering can, and spray bottle. If you have the space, get a small potting table.
With a little planning, you'll find that less and more, and you can grow a lot in the asphalt jungle.
