Urban gardening is the process of growing plants in a city or any other place that is said to be urbanized. The fact that it is in the urban areas makes it a unique venture. These gardens might be for enhancing the aesthetics or perhaps meant to provide fresh food to any family owning it. The lack of space in the area necessitates the need to be creative. The main categories are container gardening and rooftop gardening. The difference between the two is in the creativity used to achieve the common goal.
Here is what you need to know about this exciting venture:
1. It’s All About Creating Space
One thing about urbanized places is that they are so congested that Mother Nature has been suffocated a great deal. Every space available is used in the building. Not everyone has a backyard or some extra space to grow a few plants like groceries or anything of the kind. What most people have are balconies and roofs. The best part is that these spaces can be used in growing a few plants, especially in containers and jars to create an urban garden. With some creativity and the right gear, the folks at Harper Nurseries demonstrate how urban gardening can be easy, fun, and fulfilling. Just so you know, you can even grow veggies such as kale and broccoli indoors. Those who are lucky enough to have some backyard space can also grow a blossoming greenhouse, which could also be portable and customized to your space needs.
2. Common Plants
Due to limited space in urban homes and areas, the number and types of plants grown are usually limited. The main characteristic of these plants is usually that they are shallow-rooted. This makes them possible to do well in pots, planters, and sacks. If you are planning on venturing into urban gardening, you need to consider these shallow-rooted plants. They also don’t grow to heights that might be a nuisance to you. This is why most of these garden plants are vegetables and flowers. They do very well in tiny and confined spaces.
3. Most Plants Are Potted
If you have been living in the city for a while, you must know that people are always on the move now and then. This makes it hard for people who created permanent plants. Most people will opt into using pots as their gardens. This is even more to the reason why shallow-rooted plants are preferred. With potted plants, you can easily move with them from one place to the next. This also makes it possible to change locations in case your current area of residence isn’t favorable for your plants. Urban gardening is more of container gardening as most plants are planted in portable containers.
4. Rooftop Gardening
As earlier mentioned, the main challenge to any farming practice in urban centers is Space. The uniqueness of this gardening approach is in the methods used to grow these plants. One of the two common types is rooftop gardening, which is often ideal for people with houses but no backyard to create a garden. With hydroponics, aeroponics, and green roofs, you can easily create a rooftop garden that will work for you. Here are a few advantages of this method:
- It reduces the heat in the building
- It is a good way to harvest rainwater
- It allows the production of oxygen
- It adds beauty to your property or home
When you have a passion for gardening and you don’t have the backyard for that, your roof can be a great alternative for space. Nonetheless, you will need to seek expert advice on the right materials to use.
5. Watering of Plants
Urban gardening will take place in confined places and mostly in areas inaccessible by rainwater. This means it’s up to water your plants. If you are not always available, you can get one of the commercial watering systems in the market. They are advanced in such a way that your plants will remain hydrated for quite some time. This will however be a bit costly but then your plants won’t ever be dehydrated. You can however opt for the manual system which is way cheaper.
6. Challenges Faced in Urban Gardening
In addition to the space limitation we talked about, the following are the main challenges faced by people practicing urban gardening:
- Contaminated soil- most of the soils in urban areas have been contaminated by pollutants, making them unsuitable for farming. This greatly affects gardening.
- High land values- getting yourself a piece of land in any urban center can cost a treasure. Most will prefer to invest in more profitable ventures than gardening.
- The high cost of permits- the local government might need you to pay taxes, hence getting the license to practice gardening becomes quite expensive.
If you love urban life but are a huge fan of gardening, your options can be a bit limited. However, Space limitations do not have to forbid your passion. This piece has highlighted some of the things you will want to know about urban gardening.