Urban gardening has become very popular over the last several years amongst city dwellers. Many people are finding out that it is actually not that difficult to grow your own food in any amount of space. Having some simple knowledge can take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation for the beginner gardener.
Urban gardening can be as simple as a few tomato plants or as large as the entire yard, depending on the space that you have available to you. Plus there is the added benefit of being able to skip having to go to the grocery store for fresh produce, making it a good option in a metro area that might have limited grocers.
The best way to begin this undertaking is to plan ahead. The effective urban gardener begins planning the garden during the off-season when the weather is not conducive to adequate growing conditions.
The beginner gardener would do well, to begin with as few as three to five plants of the same species, and then add more every growing season to their own garden, until a fruitful garden can be established.
Challenges of urban environments include lack of space, sunlight conditions, and urban wildlife. Many methods are often used to combat the lack of space. These methods include vertical growing, using raised beds, and the deep bed gardening method in urban spaces.
Many vining plants can successfully be grown vertically on a trellis or in a step-fashion to make the most of limited outdoor space.
Healthy food like peas, pole beans, cucumbers, and even fresh fruits like cantaloupe can be grown on a trellis to provide more ground space for planting other varieties of vegetables and fruits. In fact, peas and pole beans require something to grow on to for most prosperity.