With the cost of fresh vegetables in today’s economy, who wouldn’t want to find a way to have access to fresh vegetables and a healthier diet? Rural residents may have an easier time growing a garden than their urban counterparts, however, urban gardening can be the answer for city dwellers who would like to grow their own fresh vegetables.
The urban garden will need more planning and strategy than a typical home garden. With space being a very limiting factor, the urban gardener will have to make the best use of any available space. If there is absolutely no open ground for a traditional garden, perhaps some form of container garden can be created on a patio, deck or even a rooftop.
Gardening does not have to be an expensive endeavor, contrary to popular opinions. There are free and low cost methods to get into gardening. The local county extension service can be a valuable resource for information on gardening, seeds and plants are often free. A very valuable item is free compost that is often given away at the extension office. Compost is great for the garden, but hard to produce in an urban environment.
Most urban gardeners will most likely live in apartments that do not offer a yard for them to grow a traditional garden. In this case, the next option would be to start a container garden. Container gardening in an urban environment can provide excellent results.
Supplies needed for a container garden do not have to be expensive to work. Five gallon buckets make good containers for larger plants, or for watering, and can be picked up at restaurants and delis for free. Soda bottles are extremely abundant and can be used as small containers when cut in half, or used in a self watering pot design.
The location of your garden will be a limiting factor in what types of plants that you can grow. If there is a mostly sunny location, than almost any type of vegetable can be grown. Shade will limit your possibilities somewhat, but don’t despair, there are options for shady locations.
A full sun location is one that gets from six to eight hours of sun a day. Partial shade means that the garden will receive only filtered sun throughout the day or at most, three hours of direct sun.
Plant like tomatoes and peppers will need to receive full sun for eight hours to grow and produce well.
Some common vegetables that can be grown in the shade include: beets, broccoli, radish, peas, beans, kale, Swiss chard and greens.
Watering your urban garden is also an important step to consider. First, if containers are used, they must have proper drainage holes so that excess water can drain out or the plants will die from over watering. There are a few different ways to handle the watering of the garden. Manual watering with a hose or container is the most common, but can be time consuming. There are drip irrigation systems that can be set up on a timer that make watering hands free and consistent.
An urban garden will provide a healthy addition to the family’s diet and will be both educational and enjoyable. Why not get started today and plan your new urban vegetable garden?