We all have this mental image of a garden as an outdoor paradise, sequestered from the house and our day-to-day existence. But there are plenty of ways to work edible gardening into smaller urban spaces.
You can do an awful lot in a small space. Spend a day of sitting in the yard. Take notes on where you get consistent light, where you have partial shade, and where it’s fully shaded.
Once you know your lighting conditions, you can select plants that will grow in those conditions. Building raised beds will relieve any concerns you may have about poor soil quality, especially at apartments or similar locations. A vertical garden can expand your growing space upward instead of outward.
Don’t forget container plants! Those can be moved as needed based on the light, temperature, or season.
Again, determine your light conditions. You can make tiers of plants along a balcony to lift containers to the right level for your lighting. Vertical gardens work wonderfully in these spaces, too. And if you’re lucky enough to have full sun, you might be able to set up a hydroponics table and skip the soil altogether.
Another option is to train climbing plants up a lattice. This gives you a living green wall that will make your balcony a lush and relaxing place!
Beyond starting your seeds indoors, you can grow leafy greens, herbs, and my personal favorite – microgreens. With a little care on lighting (and maybe a supplemental grow light), many edible plants can be cultivated inside your living space.
Hydroponics is another good option indoors. You don’t have to bring the soil inside – there are quality soilless growing mediums available. You can also opt for a system that directly sprays liquid nutrients onto plant roots.
If you don’t have a yard or balcony, you still have a roof! Rooftop gardening has become greatly popular in recent years. A garage or carport can be transformed with grow lights into a green space. Hanging plants can adorn walkways or railings along outdoor staircases.
Even indoors, there are some interesting locations people don’t consider for their garden. For instance, your bathroom tends to be a humid space especially after you’ve showered. Why not hang a moss panel on the wall? The moss will soak up the humidity and provide a beautiful, living wall hanging.
Under the upper kitchen cabinets, there’s often counter space available. You can secure a small grow light to the bottom of the cabinet and use that counter space for kitchen herbs. That way, your culinary herbs are always on hand and ready to harvest.
So stop and take a look around you right now. What inventive space can you find to place a plant in? You don’t have to live in a foliage-free environment. With just a little thought, you can easily bring the outdoors in. You’ll truly have your own urban “jungle”!
