There is no better time of the year than spring to get our terrace or garden ready. And if you are one of those who like to care for and pamper their own plants, we encourage you to have your own crops this year with the following tips on how to make an urban garden.
Where to plant my urban garden?
Seedbeds.
One of the options to see your own crops grow is to do it from the initial phase: the seeds. You can buy them in packages or collect them yourself from some foods that we usually consume such as peppers, tomatoes, zucchini… If you choose this last option, collect these seeds when you cut the vegetables and leave them to dry for a couple of days. Before planting them, put a plate with water and pour them over; those that remain floating will not germinate at first. For the seedbeds, we recommend that you first use recycling elements until the sprouts are about 5 centimeters high. Use egg cartons, yogurt containers or wooden boxes. Put them in the sun, water frequently and be patient until you get the first shoots.
Opt for containers.
The best way to start an urban garden when we do not fully know how the crops are going to react depending on the location of our home is to do it in containers. By this I mean rectangular boxes or pots that have handles or wheels to be able to move them and adapt them to the sunniest and most sheltered location of our terrace or garden. If they are not too deep, keep in mind that you will not be able to put plants with too much root ; I recommend that you choose aromatics such as parsley, basil or mint.
Make a vegetable garden with pallets.
If you have enough space and want to have your own little corner dedicated to the garden, you need to buy a pallet. With it you can do two types of cultivation: on land or on the ground. If you choose this option it is because you have a terrace or because you do not want to remove the soil from your garden, so you will only have to build a garden with a pallet. Flip it over so that it’s surface down and put a heavy-duty plastic wrap over it; cover it with soil and plant your crops. If you are going to do it on the ground, ‘bury’ the pallet leaving part of the wood on the surface; the plants will be able to come out through the grooves between each board.
Other containers for urban garden.
If you do not have a large space, you can make your garden in different containers. It does not matter whether it is round or rectangular, but what is important is that it has enough volume to allow the roots to grow freely and have good drainage. Always place a plate underneath so that the water that is not absorbed by the soil on the surface can do so little in the lower area. For crops such as tomatoes, remember to put sticks from the first moment that channel the height of the plant so that they always grow upwards and straight.
Use a greenhouse for my urban garden?
It seems that greenhouses are only for large areas, but if your place of residence has cold winters where it freezes at night, you will have to create your own greenhouse. You only need to cover the plants and crops with plastic so that it does not damage them and allows air to enter. If the only way to make it secure is to cover the entire edge of the plastic, make a hole so that the plant can ‘breathe’ and moisture does not concentrate on it.
If you need to carry out more laborious gardening work at home, do not hesitate to consult a professional for advice on how to do it in the most economical way.
