You hear more and more about urban gardens. These are small orchards that supply plant foods 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 cities or urban centers where these foods are consumed, so they constitute food. of kilometer 0, another of the advantages 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 planter that we find since, although it is not complicated, it does require having a minimum knowledge of agriculture, as well as minimal but necessary conditions and infrastructure. If you want to know how to make an urban garden at home, continue reading 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 difficult thing to achieve is not usually the land, but the light. The earth 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 more so when it is in our own home.
The problem with urban gardens is that the species that are going to be planted, in general, need a considerable amount of light and, in fact, it is best to use 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.
In this way, what will have to be done is to choose the most appropriate place in the house to place the urban garden depending on which is the sunniest place in 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 is a sunny and bright space. Even if you do not have a very illuminated area, you can choose to locate 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 to select the most appropriate plants for the 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. However, tomato plants , for example, 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 you have a large and sunny terrace, they will not be the most appropriate crops to plant in the city.
Thus, before setting out to plant the first thing that comes to mind, it is best to select those vegetables that we know will best suit the conditions we have in our private urban garden. A good starting point is usually aromatic plants , since they do not need too much space and can be consumed without having to wait for flowering and subsequent fruit growth 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 that we choose the vegetable varieties that are best adapted to each case. If we are lucky enough to have a large open space on a roof, with large pots and a good substrate, we can venture to plant tomatoes. But if, on the contrary, our urban garden is limited to a window sill in which we want different plant species to coexist, it is best to start with fast-growing aromatic plants.
Pots, substrate, compost and irrigation of an urban garden
The other aspects that must be taken into account to make an urban garden at home will be those related to the care of the plants themselves and the necessary infrastructure for it. Next, 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 that urban gardens have is limited, so it is best to choose pots that are the right shape to make the most of the available space. In this sense, another important element is the weight of the pots . Although ceramic or earthenware pots are more advisable for growing, they also weigh and take up more space, so when 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 that grow in the field, 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.
Compost for the garden
The same limitation of space means that these orchards need to be fertilized with certain periodicity (depending on the type of plant species in each case). However, an excess of compost can also be negative for correct growth. To ensure that the compost is adequate, it is best to compost at home with the remains of the vegetables that we discard from the food. The best way is to keep the leftover vegetables (potato skins, apple cores, broccoli stems, etc.) in a tupper. in the freezer and, once a week, boil all these food scraps and use them as irrigation water (before watering, make sure the vegetable stock has been tempered or you will destroy your urban garden in the blink of an eye ).
Irrigation of an urban garden
The irrigation should be according to each type of plant that we have. In the case of urban gardens, the most common is to err from excess irrigation rather than lack. It is important that the pots have adequate drainage that prevents the soil from puddling. In fact, that same excess 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 remember perfectly the days that you have watered and the days that you have paid, unless you have a prodigious memory, you will most likely forget sometime. To avoid this, it is best to have a notebook and write down the care of each plant in your urban garden . In this way, you will avoid watering and fertilizing more or less, and you can write down notes on the growth rate of each plant, as well as the days of harvest, which will allow you to identify the biorhythms of each plant and the frequency with which to be able to carry out each collection.
