Starting a garden in the city is one of the most intriguing ideas you can have. On the other hand, it is usually an uphill task bringing it to fruition.
Many people who live in cities and towns have no idea where to begin when starting an urban garden. It leads to many mistakes and a lot of wasted time doing the wrong things.
An urban garden will definitely allow you to get some dirt on yourself and indulge your green thumb. Knowing what to do is the best thing you can do before you begin your adventure.
The following are some things you should do if you want your own urban garden:
Create a Definitive Space
One thing that is certain about the city and most urban areas is that space is limited. No matter the space you have, you will have to define part of it as your gardening space.
In some cases, defining the space will be an easy task for example if you have a balcony. However, in others, you will have to move some things around.
Creating space for an urban garden will really test your creativity and organizational skills. It can also be a great deal of fun.
You should measure the free space you have or create and come up with a plan for your garden. The space you have will determine the kind of plants you can have in your garden.
As far as gardening is concerned, no space is too small. Even a windowsill that houses two small pots may be enough.
The space should be conducive to helping your plants grow. It should have good drainage and exposure to sunlight.
Select Quality Pots
In an urban garden, pots are your best tools. They will help you house your plants and will keep your space clean which is vital in the city.
A gardening bed might be available but when the plants grow big, you will almost certainly have to transfer them to a pot. You should decide which pots you would like, a decision that will be influenced by the space and the plants you want.
Getting pots of various sizes is a great idea as it will allow you to put plants of various sizes together. You may also decide to put more than one plant in a single pot. More pots in a particular area also mean more humidity which is great for plant growth.
Select Your Plants
Next, you will want to go out and buy the plants that you will want in your garden. You should have done your research and selected the plants well in advance.
Selecting and buying plants for your garden is one of the fun parts of creating an urban garden. You can exercise as much creativity as you would like and make your garden look exactly as you want.
The plants may be purely decorative or they may include food plants that you can use. Other plants may have specific functions, for example, a plant to chase away mosquitoes.
You should not be too ambitious at first and only get the plants that are necessary and can handle. Otherwise, you will be overwhelmed and the plants in your garden will soon wither.
Get Some Gardening Gear
Now that you have the plants and they are in a gardening bed or pots, the task of gardening begins. A crucial fact to remember is that a gardener is only as good as his tools.
Therefore, you will have to go and get some gardening tools. If it is your first time getting gardening tools, you should stick to the basics. The basic gardening gear, as stated at Harper Nurseries, includes tools like gloves, pruning shears, hoes, rakes, and watering cans.
It is common for urban gardeners to start doing too much too soon and buying too much equipment. The more gardening you do, you will soon find out which tools you will need. It is a better strategy than buying them all at once and will definitely spare your wallet.
You will need the equipment to start potting your plants. The good news is that gardening equipment will last for a while depending on their usage and maintenance. Therefore, thinking long term is a good idea.
Water Your Plants
There are two things that plants cannot do without and those are sunshine and water. Therefore, once you have potted the plants and arranged your garden, you should water your plants.
For an urban garden, you should get plants that don’t require a lot of water. There may be water shortages or you may be busy and forget to water them.
You have many options as it pertains to watering your plants. For starters, you can choose an automatic or manual watering system. Thanks to technological advances, your garden can be watered daily at the click of a button.
On the other hand, watering your plants manually is much cheaper especially for a small garden. You will only need a garden hose or watering can. You will find that it is also very enjoyable to water plants yourself.
Add Fertilizer
If you want the plants in your garden to grow optimally, then you will have to give them something extra. You should give them some fertilizer which will certainly aid their growth.
The fertilizers you use will depend on whether you want your garden to be organic or not. The former is usually the best option.
Plants require different fertilizers at various stages of their growth. Therefore, you should get different fertilizers depending on the plants in your garden.
You should also ensure that the fertilizers you use are not harmful to your health. Educate yourself on plant nutrition to the best of your capacity.
If you follow the steps above, you should be able to create a basic urban garden. Green spaces in our cities and urban areas are needed today. It is a great advantage that plants have so many benefits to human life besides transforming our environment.
You should also keep in mind that creating an urban garden should be fun. Don’t be afraid to try different and new things. It will only make you a better and more skilled gardener in the long run.
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