More and more people are talking about urban gardens. These are small orchards that supply vegetable food at the local level or even at the domestic level and that, above all, are characterized by the fact that they are located in the very cities or urban centers where these foods are consumed, for which they constitute food of kilometer 0, another of the advantages that they present.
However, making an urban garden is as simple as it may seem at first. It is not enough to start planting tomatoes and cucumbers in the first gardener that we find since, although it is not complicated, it does require having a minimum knowledge of agriculture, in addition to some minimum but necessary conditions and infrastructure. If you want to know how to make an urban garden at home Continue reading EcologíaVerde and we will tell you about it.
The right light to make an urban garden
When it comes to making an urban garden, the most complicated thing to achieve is not usually the land, but the light. The land can be achieved by placing pots or spaces conditioned for it. However, light is going to be the most important factor to take into account when it comes to making an urban garden, and even more so when it is in our own home.
The problem with urban orchards is that the species to be planted generally need a considerable amount of light and, in fact, it is best to direct sunlight. This complicates things when installing an urban garden at home, since not all terraces have a favorable orientation to receive the necessary sunlight.
Thus, what you have to do is choose the most appropriate place in the house to place the urban garden depending on which one is sunniest place of the house itself. It does not matter if it is a balcony, a terrace or a simple window sill. The important thing is that it be a sunny and bright space. Even if you don’t have a well lit area, you can choose to place it on the roof of the building (always with prior permission from the community of owners if there is one).
Choosing the right plants for an urban garden at home
Another important aspect will be select the most suitable plants to space and the amount of light available. In this sense, when we think of an urban garden, the first thing that comes to mind are large tomato plants growing happily on the terraces of buildings. Nevertheless, the tomato plantsFor example, they are a type of crop that needs a lot of light and a lot of space to grow. In other words, that, except for exceptions in which there is a large and sunny terrace, they are not going to be the most appropriate crops to plant in the city.
In this way, before launching ourselves to plant the first thing that comes to mind, it is best to select those vegetables that we know will best adapt to the conditions that we have in our particular urban garden. A good starting point is usually the aromatic plantssince they do not need too much space and can be consumed without having to wait for flowering and the subsequent growth of the fruits to take place.
This does not mean that we have to give up planting tomatoes or peppers, but it does mean that we are aware of the real possibilities of our garden and choose the vegetable varieties that are best adapted in each case. If we are lucky enough to have a large open space on a roof terrace, with large pots and a good substrate, we can venture to plant tomatoes. But if, on the other hand, our urban garden is limited to a window sill where we want different plant species to coexist, it is best to start with fast-growing aromatic plants.
Pots, substrate, fertilizer and irrigation of an urban garden
The other aspects that must be taken into account make an urban garden at home they will be those related to the care of the plants themselves and the necessary infrastructure for it. Below, we compile a series of tips that you will have to take into account if you want your urban garden to be a success:
Pots
The space available in urban gardens is limited, so it is best to choose pots that have the right shape to make the most of the available space. In this sense, another important element is the weight of the pots. Although the ceramic or earthenware pots they are more advisable for cultivation, they also weigh and take up more space, so when it comes to making an urban garden in a small space, it is best to opt for plastic pots.
Substrate for an urban garden
Continuing with the problem of space, the plants in urban gardens are the same as those that grow in the countryside, but with the difference that here the land is very limited. In this way, it is important that you acquire a substrate based on rich soil and adapted to each type of crop.
fertilizer for the garden
The same limitation of space means that these orchards need to be fertilized with a certain frequency (depending on the type of plant species in each case). However, an excess of fertilizer can also be negative for the correct growth. To ensure that the fertilizer is suitable, it is best to compost at home with the remains of the vegetables that we discard from the meal. The best way is to store leftover vegetables (potato skins, apple cores, broccoli stems, etc.) in a Tupperware in the freezer and, once a week, boil all these food scraps and use them as irrigation water (before watering, make sure that the vegetable broth has been lukewarm or you will destroy your urban garden in a blink of an eye ).
Irrigation of an urban garden
Irrigation should be according to each type of plant we have. In the case of urban orchards, the most common is to err on the side of irrigation rather than lack of it. It is important that the pots have proper drainage to prevent the ground from flooding. In fact, that same leftover water can be used to water the rest of the plants, so don’t waste it.
Use a notebook
Even if you think that you perfectly remember the days you have watered and the days you have fertilized, unless you have a prodigious memory, it is most likely that you will forget it at some point. To avoid this, it is best to have a notebook and go noted the care of each plant in your urban garden. In this way, you will avoid watering and fertilizing more or less, and you will be able to write down notes on the growth rate of each plant, as well as the days of collection, which will allow you to identify the biorhythms of each plant and the frequency with which be able to carry out each collection.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to make an urban garden at homewe recommend that you enter our category .
