In recent years, urban gardens have become a trend. These ecological spaces allow you to grow different fruits, vegetables and vegetables in the comfort of your home, especially on your terrace or rooftop. If you have enough space and want to learn how to make urban gardens, we are going to teach you what are the best tricks for it.
In this article we are going to dedicate ourselves to telling you how to make urban gardens, what you should take into account and how to get the most out of it.
How to make urban gardens: step by step
Location and species
The first and most important thing to consider is the location. You must have a large enough place and with a suitable location since it can be converted into the base of all your plants. This place must guarantee sufficient lighting so that the plants can develop in good conditions.
Terraces, windows, or balconies can be ideal places to plant plants. It is better if the garden is located in a lighted area, facing south to take advantage of the maximum hours of sun (8-10 hours of light). In addition, if possible, it is recommended to protect it from drafts.
Before making an urban garden, you should consider what to plant in it. If you are a beginner, it is best to choose the easiest vegetables to grow because they will produce the best results and are generally not seriously affected by diseases and / or pests.
The simplest crops tend to have short cycles and can be planted for most of the year. Some of them are: beets, lettuce, radishes, garlic and onions. If you want to know more about the types of crops that can be grown in your urban garden, we recommend that you consult the sowing schedule, which will help you understand what to plant at each time of the year.
Containers for planting
Depending on the size of the balcony, terrace or terrace, you should choose different types of flowerpots or containers to install an urban garden. Almost anything can be grown in a container 7 to 15 cm deep (carrots, tomatoes, beans, corn, peas, pumpkin, radish, aubergine, cucumber, basil, mint…), considering that the roots are not large.
On the other hand, although clay pots are heavier, they are better than plastic ones because they respect the temperature of the earth. Pots or garden tables are other good options, it is important that they have a good drainage system. Drainage is the capacity of the soil and substrate to be able to filter rain or irrigation water. It is essential that plants can have good drainage where they are planted so that water does not accumulate. If the water accumulates too much and constantly it can cause rotting of the roots.
How to make urban gardens and plant
Once you have already conditioned the place, the type of substrate, the space and the orientation, it is time to start thinking about starting to sow those species that you have previously chosen. You can sow directly in the garden or sow in small containers that serve to generate small seedlings that are then incorporated into the garden. These containers are known by the name of the campus.
Some vegetables such as turnips, carrots or turnips cannot be transplanted and must be seeded. Although other vegetables (such as lettuce, onions or tomatoes) can be sown directly, it is recommended to transplant seedlings. When you go to transplant the crops from the city garden, you must take into account the care of its roots. Ideally, you should poke a large hole and gently press the substrate around the plant so that you can begin watering next.
The success of your urban garden depends on the substrate you use. For this reason, the most recommended is compost, a 100% organic substrate that contains a mixture of forest debris and manure.
Maintenance
Urban gardens need proper maintenance to produce satisfactory results. In the following points, we are going to show you the main aspects that must be taken into account when maintaining urban gardens. The plants feed on the mineral nutrients of the substrate, which are extracted through the roots. These highly valuable nutrients for urban garden crops include phosphorus, magnesium, copper and iron.
Although you don't need to add any fertilizer in the beginning, you should expect the nutrients to be depleted in the future. Therefore, more compost should be added. In fact, it is recommended to pay at least twice a year.
Just as the substrate is one of the factors that depend on the success of your urban garden, so is irrigation. For precise irrigation, it is recommended to install a drip irrigation system, because through it we can know that when the water begins to flow under the table, irrigation is over. The frequency of watering depends on the time of year and the number of plants in the garden. For example, in summer, it is necessary to water two or three times a day.
To avoid damaging your urban garden, you should observe it frequently. If you are infested with pests, chemical treatments are not recommended because they are often toxic and do not respect the natural enemies of pests. Some of the most common pests are: aphids, defoliator larvae or powdery mildew.
Benefits of urban gardens
Urban gardens have numerous benefits both for the environment and for us. We are going to list which are the main ones:
- We grow our own food and we know what we eat in our garden.
- We rediscover the aroma and flavor of vegetables and fruits.
- If we have a garden at home, we can improve our diet by eating healthier.
- We do not contribute to the increase in intensive agriculture and genetically modified food.
- We improve the biodiversity and air quality of the city (although on a small scale, it is our contribution to the sustainable development of the city).
- We improve the relationship with nature (We understand the natural cycle of the earth and the biological cycle of plants and their characteristics, we increase our understanding of the natural environment, etc.).
- It's good for our mental health (it is an excellent stress reliever) and fun, relaxing and healthy activities.
- If they were community gardens on the terraces of the buildings, we would improve our coexistence with our neighbors.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about how to make urban gardens.