So you’ve got a brand new yard that’s a blank slate and you want the veggie garden of your dreams? Or you have a beautiful terrace that needs something to liven it up? Well you have come to the right place! We have your back with this guide to creating the ultimate urban garden. Here we will walk you through the basic steps of creating an urban garden.
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Working With Your Space
Gardening gets a whole lot easier when you work with the environment you have instead of against it. This means the first step to creating an amazing garden is a little bit of observation and planning.
Make note of how much sun, wind, and rain different places in your soon to be garden get. Even small places like a balcony usually have a sunny and a not so sunny side. Does it get morning or afternoon sun? Pick plants that like that amount of sun and heat. Is there a spot under your overhang that gets no rain at all? This is a bad place for moisture-loving plants. But it would be great for less thirsty selections like lavenders, rosemary, and thyme.
It can also be helpful to make note of where your water is going to come from. Placing the thirstiest plants near your water source makes the job a lot easier.
PRO TIP: Don’t forget existing beds or structures, if any, in this observation process. They may change when you create your masterpiece but the less you need to change, the less work you will have to do. Existing beds can also hint at where the best places to grow may be.
Get Creative and Do Your Homework
Once you have a good idea of the space you are working with, the next step is to design your ultimate garden. You’ll want to make sure everything fits with the environment you have.
Start with your imagination and then do some research to make sure things are a good fit. Brainstorm a list of plants you would like to grow, then look them up to make sure you can meet their requirements. You’ll need to consider light, water and soil requirements when planning your layout. It may take a few rounds of revisions to get a plan that will work and that fits your personal taste.
PRO TIP: One of the challenges all urban gardeners is a lack of space. To get around this think about things like using vertical space as well as horizontal. Research concepts like square foot gardening and time stacking crops to maximize production. You may also like this