No space is too small to become an urban oasis. Whether your personal garden is a window box, a front stoop, a back courtyard, a balcony, or a community garden, you can turn it into your own green space.
Backyard Gardens
Instead of mowing the grass in your backyard, turn some or all of your landscape into gardens - whether it be flowers, vegetables or herbs.
Gardening is not only a way to create something beautiful for people and animals to enjoy, it is a practical way to provide the family with fresh produce. Gardening also offers many health benefits that include increased strength and stamina, decreased stress, and improved flexibility.
Container Gardens
Almost anything that will grow in a typical backyard garden can also do well in a container. The main ingredients are healthy soil, adequate sunlight, enough water, and good fertilizer. You can choose simple containers like buckets, baskets, tubs, or wooden boxes, or you can get creative and plant in shoes, recycled sinks and bathtubs, or even a kiddie pool. Whatever container you choose, you will want to make sure you match the type of plant you grow to the size of the container.
The material your container is made of is important. Plastic, glazed ceramic, and dark glass containers are nonporous and hold water better. Wood, unglazed ceramic (like terracotta) are all porous and lose moisture more quickly. You can plant in either porous or nonporous containers, but you will need to adjust how much you water your plants, and pay special attention to drainage. Make sure any container you use has several drain holes along the bottom edge.
Once you’ve got your containers filled with healthy soil, you can either direct seed or transplant seedlings into your containers. What comes next is the usual care and attention you would pay to any of your plants – regular watering and fertilizer.
Vertical Gardening
Vertical Gardening Is a great new concept that allows you to grow almost anything on structures, including trellises,
nets, cages, or stakes. Not only will you save valuable space, but growing container plants vertically can turn just about any nook or cranny into a beautiful garden spot.
Composting
Composting is a natural process that breaks down organic material into a rich, organic fertilizer. By composting, you can reduce the amount of garbage you send to the landfill, grow healthier plants, and save money. Composters can be purchased from a home improvement store or you can make on your own from wood pallets for example.
By combining “green” materials such as grass clippings, hay, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and tea bags and “brown” materials such as straw, and shredded newspaper, over time it will turn into fertilizer which you can add to your garden.
Community Gardens
These gardens promote healthy urban areas and provide fresh and nutritious produce to families. The gardens and those who participate in community gardening contribute to the preservation of open space and often turn blighted vacant lots into green space for neighbors to enjoy. Community gardens strengten community bonds, provide food, and create recreational and therapeutic opportunities for the community. They can also promote environmental awareness and provide education about gardening, composting, reducing waste, sustainability and more.
Interested?
Talk to your neighbors, local market, church or others and work together to create your own!
