How To Do Organic Terrace Gardening: An Urban Gardening Guide
Do you live in a big city or an urban environment? The skyscrapers are beautiful, everything is modern, and the city life is fast-paced. However, you can rarely see Mother Nature in the hustle and bustle of it all. Learning how to do organic terrace gardening can help you fill your city home with some greenery.
Where Do You Plan On Gardening?
Maybe you want to have some blushing flowers or fresh greenery around your apartment or condominium. But where do you plan to have a garden? The answer may be right in front of you. It is possible to have a terrace garden or a rooftop garden.
If you’d like to know how to do organic terrace gardening, you also have to consider if you live between closely spaced tall buildings. Plants need sunlight, so finding the best spot is essential. Even in the urban environment, it is entirely possible to grow your favorite fruits and vegetables organically. However, it is an artificial method because there is no direct soil to plant. You have to find a spacious location wherein you can position pots and boxes of plants. That is why a terrace garden is an ideal area to grow fruits and vegetables.
Terrace gardening is a beautiful hobby and a relaxing activity. It gives any gardener an outlet to express his passion as well as a source of fresh ingredients when cooking. Look at your space right now and imagine starting your very own terrace or rooftop garden.
You Can Grow Vegetables In Your Terrace Garden
There are varieties of plants that you can grow in your terrace or rooftop garden. If you’d like to yield something much more useful and healthier, growing vegetables is the way to go. You can grow leafy vegetables in your garden.
You can grow leafy vegetables like spinach, mint, coriander, or lettuce. You can save money from grocery shopping by growing your own tomatoes, beans, chili, carrots, onion, peas, or even potatoes. You can even grow watermelon, pumpkin, and cucumber.
How possible is it to grow such plants in an urban space? All it takes is a little imagination and dedication and the right containers. Vegetables can grow in clay or pots, plastic, and wooden boxes. You can also create raised beds for your vegetables by using bricks. These are usually preferred. It can be intimidating to figure out how they can grow in such a small space, on top of concrete or tiles, and a very sun-lit area, but it is entirely possible once you know how to do organic terrace gardening.
You Can Grow Fruits In Your Rooftop Garden
Aside from growing vegetables, you can also grow your favorite fruits. Did you know that not all fruits come from large trees? Some fruits bloom from smaller trees or shrubbery. It is possible to grow cherry, orange, fig, grape, lemon, and other types of berries. Growing fruits, however, requires much more space than growing vegetables, and you may need wider or taller containers.
You can use bigger pots, wooden boxes, or even barrels. You can virtually use any container that doesn’t crack or break easily. Growing fruits in your rooftop are perfect if your terrace does not have enough shade and is directly exposed to the sun all day long.
What Garden Tools Do You Need?
Knowing how to do organic terrace gardening with the right tools is important if you want your plants to survive. If you’ve already thought about what to plant in your terrace garden, you need to invest in the right handy tools for the job. Here are a few things you can start with:
- A handy trowel
- A handy spade or shovel
- A pair of garden snips
- A hand rake
- A pair of gardening gloves
- A handy cultivator
- Water bucket or garden hose
It is preferred that these tools are stainless steel, ergonomic in design to minimize stress on your hands and wrist, and are durable so you can use them for an extended period of time.
Start With The Basics: Start With A Small Space
Don’t pressure yourself into creating a greenhouse right away. Not all greenhouses are fit for the climate you are in. First, you need to find a space that has ample sunlight and access to a fair amount of rain during the rainy season.
If you're planting sensitive plants, small plants or seedlings in nursery trays, then you need to find a shady spot or create a shade screen or a mesh box for these. It is recommended for some plants to grow directly in their beds, while other seedlings need to be transplanted to bigger containers. Getting to know your fruits and vegetables (and even flowers) from when they are seeds to adult plants can give you an idea of the space you need and the containers you need to purchase.
Understanding the type of soil, compost, or fertilizer you need is also important. But as a start, you can use soil alone if you like. There's nothing wrong with that. Just make sure your container has a drainage hole so these would not drown in water. Be sure to put small pieces of gravel or a broken part of a clay pot at the bottom of the container, so that the drainage hole won’t be clogged.
It is ideal only to fill 75% of the container with soil. As the seedling grows, you can add fertilizer or compost on top. Remember to study the type of plant you are growing. Some only need a small amount of sunlight, while others thrive in direct sun. It is typically recommended to grow plants that are native to your area and are in season.
If the terrace does not have access to a good amount of rain, you may need to think about an irrigation system in the future. As a start, invest in a watering can!
Conclusion
Your balcony, rooftop or terrace isn’t just an empty space anymore. In time, it will be filled with your favorite flowers and will be within easy reach if you need ingredients for your home-cooking. Remember, growing plants is a continuous process of learning. Now that you know how to do organic terrace gardening, you can be confident that you are armed with the basics and are ready to grow that green thumb.
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