Urban and suburban gardens

How to garden in the city and it's peripherals

Growing food at the heart of the city can be a good way to test your gardening skills but it also gives you an opportunity to create a more sustainable way of living. By no way I mean it is easy to accomplish, but it’s so worth considering and to make some efforts. Picture fresh veggies and herbs on your windowsill, in your apartment, on your balcony, your rooftop terrace or in your backyard.

It can be daunting to begin, but by applying Permaculture principles in urban and suburban settings, you would stay ahead of the game.

Firstly, since space is the number one consideration, it is wise to select species that don’t use too much room (basil, parsley, cilantro, chives, dill, lettuce, radish, beets, swiss chard, spinach, kale, shallots, garlic, small pepper varieties). You could also grow some plants vertically (cucumbers, squash, sweet potato, vining tomato climbing beans and peas) or in hanging baskets (herbs, strawberries, salads, edible flowers) and choose species appropriate to your climate and light conditions (full sun, partly shaded, or shaded).

Pro tips:

• Use mirrors to increase sunlight availability.

• Use special grow lights to support plants in winter or darker areas of your apartment.

Secondly, think of more than one function that each element in the design can have at the same time benefiting the whole system. For example, if privacy is your concern, create plant wall of appropriate species either by stacking them in modular planter boxes or by selecting vines in pots (grapes, kiwis, passionfruit). If needed, such setting could also play a role of a wind screen if appropriate species are selected (such as grasses, bamboo, raspberries, rosemary).

Thirdly, consider water usage. Do you live in an area that receives plenty of rainfall or does the drought affect you? Select plants that are most suitable to your climate zone and to precipitation levels. Think whether you could capture and use rainwater for irrigation. If you are extra keen, you could filter and reuse grey water to water your plants.

Pro tip:

• If you want to conserve water and start simple, just reuse the water where you can. For example, keep the water that you use to rinse of vegetables and irrigate your garden with it.

As food production species would need to be grown intensively to obtain maximum yield possible in a small space, they will need lots of organic matter in the soil. Consider reducing food waste by composting it and adding rich organic humus to your plant pots, raised garden boxes or beds. If you want to create a lot of top class soil for your plants, but your food waste is not enough to make compost, you may find that restaurants or shops would happily give you a variety of food waste for this purpose.

Pro tip:

• Use leftover coffee ground and tea on your garden beds or in your plant pots by mixing it with the soil.

If you have a backyard, integrate edible forest garden by adding some fruit tree guilds enhancing biodiversity consisting of tall, medium and low species that grow well together through maximum shade effect (where needed), fertility effect (through mulching) and pollination. Read this blog entry for more information.

Animals, such as chickens or quail (quieter birds) could be a great addition to your backyard by giving you eggs and fertilizer material (manure that you would use in compost bins and piles) if you have space and can satisfy their basic needs.

Lastly, connect with other people. Check whether you could join a community for inspiration. You could potentially save a lot of time and money by listening to advice of fellow gardeners. And who knows maybe they have discounted seedlings or seeds that grow well in your climate. Another opportunity is to connect with people gardening in urban settings to exchange produce.

Now that you have considered the above-mentioned factors, on to the garden plan! :) I promise you that when you start, even with just a few edible plants...you will want to get more and more and before you realise you will be more independent by creating a little jungle, save money on groceries, and feel good by using some fresh produce in your kitchen.