Urban Gardening: How to Garden in Your Small Space

Now, that's what we call an urban garden!

By Kathy Woodard

Urban gardening can seem to be a paradox; how can one garden in a small space especially in places like NYC that are renowned for their cramped apartments? The fact is, it can be done and it is a fast growing trend amongst city dwellers. There are a few guidelines that can help get you started if you too are determined to grow your own piece of paradise, no matter how small your outdoor space.

Grow-in:
The fact is, for most city dwellers you are going to be doing your gardening in containers. The choices in containers are larger now than it’s ever been, including lightweight choices for those of us with balconies and rooftops. Many containers are made to look like expensive pottery or stone, but are in fact easy maintenance foam or other lightweight material. These pots are tough, beautiful and practical, and come in large sizes.

What you put inside the pot is important also. When growing on patios, terraces or balconies, it’s critical to make sure your pots are not too heavy. Using a soil less potting mixture will ensure you have healthy plants without the extra pounds. Many potting mixes even have time release fertilizer right in the mix, eliminating one more aspect of container gardening maintenance.

Grow-up:
When space is limited as it is in an urban garden, think up. Many plants can be grown in pots up trellises, tepees or poles. This is a great way to utilize your small space garden effectively to ensure you have room for a variety of plants. Think easy colorful vines, fresh pole beans, even roses!

Grow-down:
Growing down simply means using hanging pots to create space where there is none! Trailing plants are perfect for this, but shorter upright plants can be used in these designs as well.

What makes your garden grow?
An urban container garden in a small space needs the same things any garden does… water, nutrients and sunlight. Make sure you water regularly, as containers have a tendency to dry out quickly, especially during hot weather. Make sure each container has adequate drainage so the roots don’t sit in water and rot.

Nutrients get washed out of the soil in container plants quickly. Make sure there is a time released fertilizer in your potting soil, and every other watering consider adding a water soluble fertilizer to your watering can at half strength for an added boost.

You may be limited in the plants you can have in your garden if your outdoor space faces only one direction. Whether your small garden space gets mostly shade or mostly sun, or somewhere in between, there are great plants you can use. Be sure to stick to ones for your exposure. Planting a shade loving hosta in the blazing afternoon sun is never going to work. Likewise, expecting dwarf sunflowers to give you beautiful blooms with nothing but filtered shade is unrealistic.

Finally, while there is definitely a lot less weeding and maintenance with a container garden (one of the many percs!) make sure you take care of those things when they occur. Birds can drop weed seeds, flowers still need to be snipped off as they fade and occasionally you will want to replace plants that aren’t working.

Grow this!
Here are my top choices for plants to grow in your urban garden…

Edibles

• Pole and bush beans
• Herbs of all kinds
• Lettuce and other greens

Flowers

• Allysum
• Lobelia
• Geranium
• Sweet potato vine
• Purple fountain grass
• Verbena

Vines

• Pole vegetables
• Morning Glory
• Cardinal Flower
• Black eyed Susan Vine

No matter where you live, there is always a way to garden. Look for what you have, not what you don’t have. Grow, nurture and enjoy a garden in your small space!

Want free home and garden ideas? Kathy Woodard, is an author, columnist and home decorating expert. Visit her at her website  www.TheBudgetDecorator.com and also at www.DecoratingYourSmallSpace.com.

Home Improvement Project: How to Garden for Beginners

By Kathy Woodard

Whether you are moving to a new home or have lived in your residence for a long time, there are certain home improvement projects that can spruce up your landscape and add value to your property, while also being an enjoyable activity for you and your family. As the top hobby in the country and a fun home improvement project, gardening beautifies your property, relieves stress, offers good exercise and even supplies you with fresh herbs for your dinner. Not to mention, it allows you the opportunity to commune with nature in your own backyard! Not knowing how to garden can stop many people from picking up that first trowel or planting that gorgeous rose they have long admired. No need to fear those hydrangeas, beginners can easily learn how to garden by following these simple tips.

Learn, learn, learn.
There are so many resources now for learning about gardening. Libraries and book stores overflow with gardening books and the internet has a wealth of information. Consider joining a local gardening club or online forum.  Start a notebook where you can keep magazine pages of yards or plants you’ve admired, notes from online searches, or snapshots of your yard, both before you start gardening and as you progress.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
The biggest mistake beginner gardeners make is to start with too large a garden, or to use plants that require an expert’s care. You can always add more to your garden as you gain experience; nothing is as off putting to a newbie as a huge garden that turns, practically overnight, from gorgeous blooms to overrun weeds. Talk about taking the bloom off the rose! It’s common to quit gardening after a bad experience, so don’t let this mistake choose for you. Start small. Start simple.

Plan… but be flexible.
Make sure you spend some time drawing out a plan for your new garden. Make lists of plants that you would like to try, and research what times of year they bloom or fruit and what their special needs are. Group plants with similar needs together. Make sure shade plants are planted in shade, and sun plants in the sun. All that have been said don’t be afraid to try something new. Sometimes a volunteer plant will pop up and look just gorgeous right where it is. Other times you will have chosen a certain plant for a site and find that even after all your preparation, it doesn’t do well there. So, move it! Head to the nursery with a list, but don’t be afraid to substitute a plant for a new find. (Be careful with this one, you may come home with twice the plants you need!) Also, make sure that you purchase the proper gardening tools and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Find a passion within your garden.
Once you learn a bit about how to garden, most beginners find a niche in gardening that ignites their passion. Find it, and enjoy it. Wildlife gardening, growing your own food, growing flowers for your own arrangements or water gardens complete with koi and living water plants are common passions. Letting yourself find that connection with the outdoors that speaks to you will only enhance your love of gardening all the more.

Consider hiring help.
If you love the idea of having a garden, or have gotten in a little over your head, hiring a gardener can be the perfect solution.

•    Decide what kind of help you need. Do you need just regular mowing and fertilizing, while you take care of the flower beds? Do you want your gardener to do it all?  Are you somewhere in between? Knowing what you need and what you can afford is the first step.

•    Ask for reference from family and friends.

•    Choose a garden service you can communicate with well. The last thing you want is for your new “help” to cut down the prize hydrangea you have been growing all season, or to use pesticides on your organic vegetables.

Learning how to garden is a fun and healthy hobby for beginners. Just follow these tips to get turn all your fingers into “green thumbs”!

Want free home and garden ideas? Kathy Woodard is an author, columnist and home decorating expert.  To read more articles by Kathy, visit The Budget Decorator and The Garden Glove.