“What is Urban Gardening? It’s a ‘growing’ trend!”

With a growing awareness of the quality of food we eat, urban gardening is one of the most promising agriculture trends on the rise. Urban gardening not only provides families with the freshest food possible right from their own homes, but also reduces ”food miles” that are associated with transporting produce for hundreds of miles from the farms to the urban areas. You can also save substantial amounts of money growing your own fruits and vegetables instead of buying them from your local grocery.
Starting your own garden may seem to be a challenging task, but fear not, we’re here to make it easy and ultimately more rewarding! If this is your first attempt at urban gardening, we recommend going through several steps before your garden is ready.

Urban Gardening Site Selection & Size

The very first step when starting your own garden is to figure where you are going to locate it. Your vegetables will typically require 6-8 hours of sunlight every day for them to mature quickly. Your garden should be strategically placed away from any shades; though young seedlings might require some shade during summer since they tend to wither when the sun gets too hot. This is because their root system is not fully established.

You may want to determine the pH levels of your soil as well. Some plants do well in certain pH levels but not too well in others. Do some research and determine the optimum pH level for the kind of plants you want to grow and how you can treat your soil to achieve the desired pH. You may need to add some manure, fertilizer, or compost to the soil to enrich it and enhance aeration and soil texture.

Using a raised garden bed is a brilliant idea when growing vegetables. Raised garden beds are a perfect match for urban gardening where spaces are limited. Be creative! You can start your garden on an apartment rooftop, balcony, deck, patio, or yard. Over time you can also expand your raised garden beds depending upon how many plants you want to grow.

Save Water Using a Raised Garden Bed

They are very good at growing large amounts of plants with little water since the recommended means of growing in raised beds is by area, as opposed to rows. Planting by area allows for denser groupings of plants which leads to less water being unused. Once you plant your vegetables, water them depending on how dry the soil gets. Test by pressing your finger into the soil, if it’s dry more than an inch down, it’s time to water. Once a day is usually enough. To simplify planting and irrigation, take a look at our Garden Grid watering system.

Vegetables & Fruits

There are a wide variety of vegetables and fruits that you can grow on a raised garden bed, including:

• Herbs & Spices– Rosemary, Thyme, Dill, Mint, Basil

• Vegetables–Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Kale, Potatoes, Spinach

• Fruits–Grapes, Strawberries, Blueberries

Bottom Line

Urban gardening can be a lot of fun for the whole family. There is just something inexplicably beautiful and gratifying about seeing tiny seedlings mature into strong healthy plants. Within a few weeks of starting, the tiny seedlings will cover your raised garden bed with their petite and delicate leaves. Additionally, you will be able to transform you backyard/rooftop/patio into a beautiful and useful living space.