By Joe Lamp’l
growingagreenerworld.com
Growing plants, especially edibles in an urban environment such as an apartment deck or small patio can be a challenge. As much as we might like to have huge juicy homegrown tomatoes fresh from our balcony, that’s a tall order with less than six hours each day of direct sunlight. Having said that, it’s not impossible. But picking the right plants for your growing environment will have a lot to do with your gardening success and happiness level.
Beyond that, there are other important considerations. These five tips to a productive urban garden should help add to the pleasure and success no matter where your garden grows.
Choose the best container
While it is true that you can use just about anything as a container, it is important to give it some thought. No matter what container you choose, it absolutely must have drainage holes. If it doesn’t, drill some. Having a place for the water to drain out is very important. Some of the most readily available and practical container options are the following:
Clay: Inexpensive but can dry out quickly. Also prone to cracking.
Plastic: Holds moisture very well. There are some higher end plastic pots that come in really cool designs and colors. A very good value and will last for years.
Styrofoam: Mimics the look of concrete or stone without the weight
Wire baskets lined with coconut fiber: These are great, inexpensive and reusable. They do tend to dry out in windy conditions, so place them where you can water them easily.
Pick the right soil
Not all soil is suitable for container or urban gardening. Here are considerations for the most common options you’ll face:
Top soil: While better than backyard dirt, top soil is not engineered for container and urban gardens. It's great for filling areas like raised beds or low spots in a yard, but that's about it. Don't fall for the cheap price. You'll pay for it in short order when your plants drown from saturated soil. Topsoil is great in the right place but an urban garden or container is not the place.
Garden soil: Typically labeled as such, "garden soil" is made for filling outdoor beds and areas where added bulk is needed. It's got a few more ingredients than straight topsoil including slow release nutrients, but it's still too heavy for containers.
Container mix or potting soil: This is what you want. It's specifically made for containers. This soil is very lightweight, drains well and has slow release nutrients that keep plants fed throughout the season.
Plant selection
Picking the right plant varieties is just as important as anything else in the equation. There are many choices today bred specifically for small space gardening. Read the plant tag, snap the QR code, and look for key words in the plant name, such as “patio,” “container,” “dwarf” or “urban.”
Irrigation
Irrigation is hugely important but it doesn’t mean you need to put your busy life on hold just to keep your thirsty plants alive. Plants growing in containers need extra attention when it comes to watering as they dry out much faster. It’s not uncommon during the summer to water every day.
Fortunately there are simple solutions to put your watering duties on autopilot. If you have access to an outdoor spigot or water supply, you can set up a simple drip irrigation kit connected to battery-operated timer. For about $70, you can have everything you need to keep up to five containers well watered no matter where you are. Other options are available from soda bottle feeders you can make yourself, to self-watering container feeders for under $20.
Feeding
Although most store-bought soils today include slow release nutrients, it’s likely that you may eventually need to add supplemental fertilization periodically. Every time you water, you’re leaching some of those nutrients out of the container. Depending on the soil, the supplied nutrients will eventually become depleted. An occasional feeding of a balanced liquid fertilizer twice a month works well to keep your plants growing strong.
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